I caught some much needed sleep this morning, though I'm technically not sure how I slept through four different alarms.
-- The City of New York is once again paying for the problems in the NYPD, as they must pay three people $50,000 as a result of NYPD officers arresting them for no tangible reason. The three were arrested preemptively as police believed they were going to take part in Occupy protests. One of them was blocks away, buying coffee, before she was nabbed by police, strip searched, interrogated, and held for 24 hours. It is not known whether or not they actually are Occupiers, but none had planned on attending the protests that day.
-- The two infiltrating police officers in Austin have had their names revealed during the court case. In the case, the protesters are charged with using "lockboxes," in which their hands are bolted together in an opaque tube, in order to block a road. According to the protesters, the two police officers not only suggested that they use the lockboxes (which they had not previously considered using,) but also bought the materials and constructed them for the group. The Austin PD says that even if this is true, the police officers would have constructed the tubes so that they could prevent booby-trapping and have the knowledge to tell other personnel how to properly remove them.
-- [Chuck] A petition is circulating asking the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award Malala Yousafzai with the prize, citing her hope and bravery as cause for recognition. Malala was brutally shot in the head in October after she refused to bow down to threats concerning her education as a woman.
-- [Chuck] International experts are calling for the United States to examine their treatment of protesters in groups like Occupy, and are demanding that US officials show respect to protesters' rights. The OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) released a report yesterday in which they detail the excessive police force, unjustified mass arrests, and the violation of journalists' rights, among other things. Over 50 countries have representatives in the OSCE, and this is one of their first reports on the US.
-- [Chuck] A grassroots movement has sprung up in Spain, and has sent a message to Occupy London to inform the people of their intentions and beliefs. The post is in full in the link, unedited. Spain has been protesting against austerity, and this group is calling for a Global Work and Consumption Strike. Take a look at what they have to say. (It's really interesting.)
-- The Rolling Jubilee is a brilliant idea, and apparently Occupiers aren't the only ones that think so. Check out this article from a man who says he hasn't agreed with Occupy on anything, until now.
-- Are you preparing to go shopping at Walmart on Black Friday? (I hope not.) If you are, you may want to rethink your plans. Thanks to online organization, Walmart may be facing their first massive, nationwide strike on Black Friday. Multiple social media sites are becoming involved in the planning, and people are sending in grocery gift cards and checks to support the workers who will lose wages because of the strike. Check out this HuffPo article for more info on how you can help or get involved, whether you work at Walmart or not.
***Solidarity***
To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
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