Updates 3/6/12

Hello everyone.


Not much time today, so I'll hop straight to it.


News!


-- Multiple Occupy movements have made their way into the courts to fight for free speech and assembly rights. Among these: Rochester and Vancouver.



-- The report concerning the pepper spray incident on the UC Davis campus was supposed to be released today, but the union representing the police officer at the center of the inquest has filed for a court order to block the release. Their attorney says that multiple officers involved in the case do not want their names or confidential information they told investigators to be published. Both the President and the Task Force Head investigator are frustrated at the turn of events, telling the public and other task force members that they will fight to have a non-redacted copy made available.



-- On opposite sides of the country, Occupiers took to the streets and Capitols to fight back against education cuts and rising fees yesterday. In California, roughly 70 protesters, both Occupiers and students, were arrested when they refused to leave the Capitol despite repeated warnings from police. Thousands of people attended the rally for education on the Capitol lawn. Most of the arrested protesters were released soon afterward. In New York, 33 demonstrators were arrested at the Capitol in Albany, with many protesting throughout the Legislature's session. Roughly 400 people attended the event, calling for funding for state colleges. Many schools in New York have been cut by up to 30% in the past few years. All 33 arrested were later released.



-- Occupy AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) is facing some challenges as some people are beginning to call the movement "anti-Semitic." While the protesters exclaim they are not anti-Semitic, and rather trying to fight against a war on Iran, others declare that their actions say otherwise. (I don't think they are anti-Semitic. Many of their supporters and members are groups called "Interfaith Peace-Builders" and "Jewish Voice for Peace." I firmly believe you can be against an economic or foreign policy without ostracizing that group for their religious beliefs.)



Big Story, big story...


-- President Obama has relocated the G8 Summit from Chicago to Camp David, in a move that has many asking, "What is he afraid of?" As soon as the news hit, Occupy Camp David began to rise in the ranks on Twitter, with many saying they would show up now more than ever. The NATO Summit will still happen in Chicago, and Occupiers will still be marching there, but many are confused about this move. President Obama says Camp David will make for a more intimate setting, in order to "facilitate a free-flowing discussion." There were no reasons given as to why such a discussion could not occur in Chicago.


***Solidarity***


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