I hope you are all well.
News:
-- The anti-war protests in Oakland have been getting violent, with buildings, cars, and windows being vandalized and broken. The protest this past weekend began small, with roughly 40 people, and grew suddenly to almost 300 people. As it began, it was peaceful, but police believe Black Bloc members joined up before swiftly breaking away in small groups to cause damage. Officials say police are understaffed, and had difficulty responding in time or catching those causing destruction. (Hey Occupiers in Oakland, if you're a part of this group, I have two recommendations for you. One, don't be part of the violence, even if you're encouraged and it happens right next to you. Two, don't hide people's names if you know both who they are and what they've done. We are not a violent group, and it isn't right for this to be pinned on all of us if it's a small faction of people doing so.)
-- [Chuck] Twenty five people, mostly veterans, were arrested on October 7 as they held a peace and memorial vigil at a war memorial in New York. They had read speeches and were placing flowers on the memorial and reading names of the dead when the NYPD declared the park closed and demanded they leave. The first to be arrested was a veteran of Vietnam, who cried out in a heartfelt plea to police to leave them be.
-- An Occupy Charlotte member was arrested early this morning after she refused to leave her tent. The city passed an ordinance in January prohibiting camping on city property, which is what police used to arrest the woman. Initially, roughly 20 people set up tents in front of Old City Hall, with four remaining around 4:30 in the morning. Three allowed police to remove their tents.
-- The media is in a frenzy over Occupy Atlanta's partnership with police to stop a retired detective from losing her home. This article gives more of the story behind the detective's issues, which not only include cancer, but also raising four grandchildren after she was hit by a car and forced to retire in 2001.
-- [Chuck] On Sunday night, Chris Hedges gave a speech at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. In it, he recalls the memories of war that veterans carry with them daily, how it affects them and those around them, and what they can do about this. The speech is particularly moving, even for someone (like myself) who has never seen a battlefield.
***Solidarity***
To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
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