America will face Riots, Marches, and Revolution

[Phil Fiord]

At my workplace we have a worker who has a bum leg. She comes to work for a period of time, then goes out for the max allowable for her to stay out and be on 70% pay. Just before that ends, she gets a doctors release and works for a period and gets a note to get out and this is repeated and rinsed over and over.

That is milking the system. At first I thought she was a sad case, but now I see she I know she is a corrupt person who tries to get all she can from our employer and any fed or state assist she can.

[vector7]

Companion Threads:

• Making martial law easier
• Nation Building America

US Army Preparing for Martial Law Scenario in US? Civil Disturbance and Mock Riot Drills In Washington

27 Comments

April 9, 2012

For years the alternative media has warned about the US military possibly being used against the American people in a time of economic collapse or any sort of martial law scenario.

Drills such as Vigilant Guard 2010 have brought widespread attention to the fact that portions of our own military are training to take on crowds of American citizens demanding food and Constitutional rights in a time of crisis.

Now, a new release by the website Public Intelligence, once again confirms that as recently as February and March of 2012, US troops at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington were conducting training scenarios for a civil disturbance domestic quick reaction force.

A series of photos of the drills shows US troops with crowd control riot shields on the opposite side of actors portraying what can only be described as American citizens.

“The following photos are from March and February of this year and were taken at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The first four photos from March depict riot control training for a “domestic quick reaction force” that would aid in civil disturbances.

The second set of photos from February depict the 67th Military Police Company that typically mans the area’s Regional Correctional Facility attempting to quell riots among “restless prison inmates” that have created a disturbance, wrote Public Intelligence in a blog post that accompanied the photos.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, prepare to control a riot during training, March 13, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The unit is conducting civil disturbance training in preparation as a domestic quick reaction force.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, conduct riot training March 13 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The unit is conducting civil disturbance training in preparation as a domestic quick reaction force.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, hold their line in efforts to control a riot during training, March 13, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The unit is conducting civil disturbance training in preparation as a domestic quick reaction force.

In the second series of photos, the 67th Military Brigade is seen taking part in what was described as a prison inmate riot. (FEMA Camps inmates?)

Soldiers with the 67th Military Police Company grab hold of a soldier playing the role of a restless prison inmate who has been injured on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Feb. 16 while practicing riot control drills during a culmination exercise that concluded a week of training for the soldiers.

In a post on the U.S. Army’s 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment’s Facebook page the drill was somewhat explained:

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, WASH. – The Soldiers in a closed formation bang their batons in cadence against their shields as an angry mob approaches.

“When I initially picked up my shield, the thought of the movie 300 was the first thing that came to mind,” said Spc. Kyle Wilhelmi.

Teams of Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade conducted civil disturbance training here March 13. The Soldiers, though not quite Spartans, are effectively training to hold their line and successfully control crowds if called upon for a civil disturbance

Soldiers with shields, batons and rifles pushed through and maintained a dominant stance against a mob of about 40 civilians. The riot escalated as the crowd began throwing snowballs, slurred profanity and made offensive gestures at the Soldiers. The more forceful members of the mob charged the Soldiers but were easily pushed back, as many often fell to the icy surface.

Consider this:

The Department of Homeland Security, the USDA, and the FBI have ALL purchased or are set to purchase over 750 million rounds of .40 caliber hollow point ammo while at the same time portions of the US Army are directly training for crowd control within the United States.

[Ryan Ruck]

Chicago Homicides Soar In First Quarter Of 2012

April 12, 2012

Homicides in Chicago soared by 60 percent in the first three months of 2012, continuing a troublesome trend that began late last year. Nonfatal shootings also rose sharply in the first quarter, Police Department statistics show.

The worsening violence comes as the Emanuel administration touts its efforts to combat gang crime and add officers and resources to some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Chicago police blame street gangs for much of the violence. Another contributing factor for the rise in homicides was the unseasonably warm weather this past winter, according to criminologists, but Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy scoffed at that explanation earlier this year.

"In better weather, people are outside more, interacting more with neighbors, acquaintances, even strangers, and there's greater opportunity for conflict than when it's cold and windy," said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston.

Fox and other experts caution that concluding too much from a few months of crime statistics can be misleading and noted that in recent years Chicago has been at historic lows for homicides. But in 2008, the city saw similar spikes early in the year and ended up with more than 500 homicides, the only time that has happened in the last nine years.

From Jan. 1 through April 1 this year, 120 homicides were recorded in Chicago, up sharply from 75 in the same period in both 2011 and 2010, according to department statistics. Nonfatal shootings totaled almost 490 in the first three months of 2012, up 37 percent from a year earlier.

Crime in every other major category fell, including a 15 percent drop in sexual assaults and a 10 percent decline in burglaries. Overall crime dropped 10 percent citywide, according to the department.

To combat violence in two of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods, McCarthy saturated "conflict zones" in the Englewood and Harrison police districts with additional officers early this year as a long-term strategy.

But the early results appear mixed. Through April 1, homicides fell to six in the Harrison District on the West Side, down from nine a year earlier. But killings almost doubled in the Englewood District on the South Side, jumping to 15 from eight. Nonfatal shootings rose sharply in both districts, however.

Homicides were also up sharply in the Ogden and Chicago Lawn police districts, the statistics show.

In mid-January, McCarthy trumpeted that Chicago had gone 24 hours without a single homicide or shooting. But by near the end of the month, killings had risen 54 percent. At the time, McCarthy expressed confidence that homicides would go down when shootings fell. At that point, the number of shootings was the same as in 2011. But since the beginning of 2012, nonfatal shootings have risen by more than a third.

During one particularly violent weekend last month, 49 people were shot — 10 of them fatally, including a 6-year-old girl as she sat between her mom's legs on the family's Little Village front porch. The violence was largely concentrated on the South and Southwest sides.

In the last two weeks of March, the violence continued unabated. The department's statistics show that 26 people were killed and more than 80 nonfatal shootings occurred from March 19 through April 1.

At the end of March, McCarthy reshuffled his command staff, replacing commanders in five of the city's 23 districts.

"We took a pretty big hit for the first quarter of this year," Bob Tracy, chief of the department's crime control strategies, acknowledged in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Tracy said a lot of retaliatory shootings among "some of our younger gang members" contributed to the spike.

Tracy insisted that keeping officers on beat patrols will prove more effective in the long run than having cops work in specialized units like the now-defunct Mobile Strike Force. The department is making strides in ensuring that its beat officers and citywide gang units work more closely together to determine where gang conflicts exist and identify their main players, he said.

"We're making sure the intelligence is in the hands of the officers," Tracy said. "As we keep our plan going, I think in the long run you're going to start seeing a decline in the violence."

The president of the Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents rank-and-file cops, continued to blame the rising violence on the department's failure to replace retiring officers.

"Any officer will tell you that the Chicago Police Department is short-staffed, except for the superintendent," said Michael Shields. "This year's budget was balanced at the expense of public safety."

[Ryan Ruck]

Under Siege? Residents Advised to Leave Chicago Property Out of Fear of Violence at NATO Summit

April 23, 2012

Chicago residents in at least one downtown residential tower have been warned that upcoming NATO summit protests could spark riots and cause major property destruction, forcing their building to take draconian security measures.

Based on protest of similar summits in the past (see photos below), the Chicagoans may be well-advised to be ready for dangerous days ahead. Occupy Wall Street-affiliated protestors have been preparing for the NATO summit for months, and showdowns with the local police appear likely.


Activists attack a police car in Toronto's financial district during the G20 Summit Saturday, June 26, 2010

At least one Chicago property manager is advising residents to find another place to stay. Those who choose to batten down the hatches and remain will have limited access to their own property, and will not be allowed to have guests under any circumstances.

Similar security measures are likely to be deployed at many downtown Chicago homes as the event approaches. WLSTV has more details:



Armed off duty police officers have also been hired to check identification of everyone coming in and out of this building. According to WLS-TV, “there could be even more limitations once the secret service releases its own security measures closer to NATO weekend.”

“In order to get into the building we need to have ID ready to be prepared for garages not to be accessible,” building resident Ron Pitelka said. “Extra security, which is an extra expense that we are not excited about, that is basically falling on all of the taxpayers.”



Other restrictions, such as a complete ban on moving and limits to garage access, will be enacted by the building’s management. And those with dogs are particularly concerned about when they will be able to safely walk their canine companions.

“I think that this shows the lack of concern about this city period, about the damage that could potentially occur here,” said Pitelka. “All you need to look at is what has happened in the past with the NATO and G8 summits, and the riots going on in the places that they’ve held it.”

It seems the Occupy movement is making a comeback. If you want to read about where this is all going, read Occupy American Spring, the Making of a Revolution.

[MinutemanCO]

I think it's interesting where we place our focus when it comes to law enforcement. Indirectly it gives a relatively clear picture of political agendas.

If we adopted a no-tolerance policy when it came to violent demonstrations, those weaselly little trust-funders might not be so quick to destroy property or vandalize that which isn't theirs.

[vector7]

‘If I Had a F–king AK Right Now’: Occupy Portland Protesters Go Off On Violent, Obscenity-Laced Tirades After Being Denied Park Reentry

• Posted on April 23, 2012 at 9:30pm by Becket Adams

• Comments (155)

After being been denied reentry into their most favorite park, Occupy Portland protesters decided to voice their frustration via obscenity-laced tirades about arming themselves with guns, spreading disease, and how police officers are little more than “slave catchers.”
From the YouTube video description:

Occupy Portland occufails to recapture the parks. Here is the footage of the police kicking them out, and the ensuing barrage of insults from the occupiers, including several racially charged comments and talk of guns. Also mentioned is a smattering of health risks associated with Occupy.

[Caution – extremely coarse language]:



But perhaps the most disturbing moment of the video [take your pick, really] is when a few Occupiers can be heard having the following conversation:

Occupier #1: We have to leave because you have guns…If I had a f–king AK right now…
[...]
Occupier #2: I have a solution dude, let’s go get guns.
Occupier #3: Yeah, right.
Occupier #2: I’m just joking, I’m just joking.
Occupier #3: Yeah, you know as soon as you put that up, they’ll be like, “Oh, violent occupiers!” Even thought the f–cking right-wing is the most violent…[inaudible].

“Yes, spring is in the air, and unfortunately along with it a return of all the horrors of the occupy movement,” writes Morgen Richmond for Hot Air, noting the increase in violent rhetoric from the Occupy movement.

Indeed, although the one Occupier in the video claims he’s “joking,” there has been a disturbing increase in calls for violence from certain Occupy organizers. For instance, via OccupyMay1st.org (an Occupier communication hub) there’s this:

Title: “rainbowunicorncopkillwsa.” Cute.

And then there’s this, via Ignite (pdf), the “official” anarchist newspaper in Denver:

On the night of Feb. 20th in Denver, a “young man” described as white or Hispanic and dressed in “a hoodie with patches” was approached by police swine for alleged “suspicious activity” on 17th and Julian. The youth, evidently not the type to take any shit, pulled a pistol, fired a single shot that missed the cop, and fled on foot successfully. No suspect has been apprehended at time of press. The local anarchist community upon learning the news breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of arrests and collectively said “too bad they f–king missed.”

“Makes you wonder why a mainstream progressive activist like Van Jones would throw his support behind such a movement. Hmmm,” Richmond writes.
“It’s going to be a long summer.”

[vector7]

Was going to put it in its own thread but putting it here just in case nothing happens. Still strange concerns coming from the upper parts of government, something to keep an eye on.

Milwaukee Red Cross Told To Prep For Chicago Evacuation During NATO Summit

CHICAGO (CBS) – Is there a secret plan to evacuate some residents of Chicago in the event of major trouble during the NATO summit next month? CBS 2 has uncovered some evidence that there is. It comes from the Milwaukee area branch of the American Red Cross.

CBS 2 News has obtained a copy of a Red Cross e-mail sent to volunteers in the Milwaukee area.

It said the NATO summit “may create unrest or another national security incident. The American Red Cross in southeastern Wisconsin has been asked to place a number of shelters on standby in the event of evacuation of Chicago.”

According to a chapter spokesperson, the evacuation plan is not theirs alone.

“Our direction has come from the City of Chicago and the Secret Service,” she said.

Video Link

Officials at Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication said the directive did not come from them.

The U.S. Secret Service did not return calls for comment.

Some downtown residents told CBS 2’s Mike Parker that the news has them on edge.

Brad Klein said it is “very unnerving. I feel a little bit unsafe, just a bit more than a little bit. It doesn’t make me feel like I want to be in the city during the NATO conference.”

An executive with the Service Employees International Union, who trains members in preparation for the summit, thinks such a plan might be “over the top.”

SEIU Local 1 training director Tom Dobry said, “This could be a lot like Y2K – a lot of hype and buildup. People will say, ‘that was it?’ Not a big deal.”

[vector7]

How would you deal with a 20,000-strong 'flash mob'?

In September last year I wrote about 'The Changing Urban Self-Defense Environment'. Amongst other things, I warned of the growth of the phenomenon of 'flash mobs', frequently with criminal tendencies.

Just such a mob appears to have caused a fair amount of chaos near Houston, TX earlier this month. Fox reports:

Authorities say one person has been killed and three others wounded in a shooting during a packed beach party on the Texas Gulf Coast.

. . .

... word of mouth about an unauthorized beach party spread on social media, drawing thousands to Surfside Beach, about 40 miles south of Galveston. Surfside Beach officials told The Facts that the party was not permitted nor authorized.

The Facts quoted a witness as saying the party began peacefully, but fights broke out and there was heavy drinking and also drug use.

There's more at the link.

It seems there was a great deal of criminal activity going on, which was not mentioned by the news media. A correspondent wrote to James Wesley Rawles at SurvivalBlog:

The crowd turned sour towards the locals who did not want them parking or defecating in their yards.

Several residents had to stand on their front porches with weapons displayed to keep groups of hundreds from passing through their property. Several rental beach houses were broken into and one contact said the volume of human feces and trash was unbelievable. The roads were impassable for hours, trapping the residents who may have wanted to evacuate.

. . .

One LEO had made two arrest at the beach, but threatening crowds intimidated the officer, who un-cuffed the suspect and released them back to the throngs.

. . .

Bottom line: never underestimate the rate a mob situation may develop, maintain a vigil, keep informed and have a way out and especially have a trigger point when to evacuate or seek cover.

Again, more at the link.

I don't think there's any way one could possibly stand up against a 20,000-strong 'flash mob' if it turned violent - not even against a hundred! We've got to be realistic. Sure, you might shoot half a dozen of them if things turn ugly, and thereby protect your family and preserve your property - but then you'd probably find yourself in a similar situation to the unfortunate George Zimmerman, convicted in the court of public opinion before any formal legal process has been completed. You'll almost certainly face murder charges, whether or not the circumstances warranted them, because the authorities will be under enormous pressure to be seen to be doing something in order to placate public opinion. In the face of that sort of pressure, your individual rights are likely to be thrown out the window.

If you learn of something like that going down in your neighborhood, it's no good farting against thunder, as we used to say in Africa. I suggest that if possible, you should put your emergency evacuation plan into operation before the 'flash mob' arrives. If you haven't yet prepared and rehearsed such a plan, it's time you did! Read the three links provided, and start working out where you'll go to get out of the way until such time as the 'flash mob' has dispersed. Take your 'bug out' kit with you, of course. If your home is trashed, yes, you'll be subject to enormous inconvenience and expense . . . but that's what insurance is for. If you try to stand up to the mob on your own, you'll probably be even worse off.

Of course, you may not receive sufficient warning of such an event to implement your evacuation plan. In that case, I can only suggest working with your neighbors (with whom you've hopefully already established cordial relationships) to secure your area as best you can. I don't suggest doing so alone - you'll represent a challenge to the more macho among the flash-mobbers, and be a very tempting target to those with criminal tendencies. There's greater strength in numbers. Also, talk to local law enforcement. If they can't or won't protect you, you'll have to decide for yourself whether to stay put, or go to another location such as a police or fire station where you might be safer.

For myself, I'll almost certainly apply an old military maxim:

If you're outnumbered, outgunned and alone, get out of the way!

I can always buy new possessions and clean up my property, but I've only got one family, and each of us has only one life. No 'flash mob' is worth risking either!

Peter

Posted by Peter at 4/23/2012 11:22:00 PM

Labels: Crime, Danger, Interesting facts, Security, Self-Defense

Tx beach party 2012, THE FIGHT! THE FIGHT!!!




Tx beach party, lemme show yall round!!

[vector7]

Letter Re: The Expanding Flash Mob Threat

Permalink | Print


Last Easter weekend, a twitter message went out and in a few hours 20,000 people descended on Surfside Beach, Texas, population about 600. My LEO contacts tell me there were only six officers available. The crowd turned sour towards the locals who did not want them parking or defecating in their yards.

Several residents had to stand on their front porches with weapons displayed to keep groups of hundreds from passing through their property. Several rental beach houses were broken into and one contact said the volume of human feces and trash was unbelievable. The roads were impassable for hours, trapping the residents who may have wanted to evacuate.

Caravans of cars, ten or twenty in number, traveled at very high speed from Houston down Highway 288, virtually daring anyone to deter them. A lone Texas DPS officer pulled one of the caravans over. He was quickly surrounded by a large group of those headed to the beach party. One LEO had made two arrest at the beach, but threatening crowds intimidated the officer, who un-cuffed the suspect and released them back to the throngs.

The road from Surfside beach to Angleton, Texas, came to a standstill, a distance of about 12 miles. There were three reported shootings and one death within the mob. A very large convenience store, Buccee's, was flash mobbed, the clerks were able to lock the doors and vacate the building.

The Brazoria County Sheriffs Department and the Surfside Beach LEOs are not talking much about any of this. I think they got surprised and are embarrassed.

Bottom line: never underestimate the rate a mob situation may develop, maintain a vigil, keep informed and have a way out and especially have a trigger point when to evacuate or seek cover.

Thanks for all you do. Yours truly, - Mark H.

[vector7]

Are You Ready? This Week Is Going to Be Huge in the World… And Here’s Why

• Posted on April 29, 2012 at 8:44pm by Jonathon M. Seidl
• Comments (258)

Occupy is planning a May 1st, "May Day," general strike to cripple the country.

As much of the country thaws out and heads into spring and, in some places, early summer, the temptation may be to think major news is packing its bags and headed for its vacation home. It’s not. And this upcoming week will blast you back to reality.

(Related: What are the Occupiers planning for tomorrow‘s massive ’May Day’ protest?)

Intrepid financial writer Joe Weisenthal over at Business Insider has put together a list of what’s happening this week and is calling it “one of the biggest weeks that anyone can remember.” That’s a bold statement, but he has the information to back it up. Here’s what he says:

Monday, April 30 is probably going to be the quietest day, but even that will be stacked. On the US economy front, we’ve got fresh data for Personal Income & Spending, the Chicago PMI Report, and the Dallas Fed Manufacturing Outlook Survey.

There’s also a boatload of earnings that day, as there will be every other day next week.

Tuesday, May 1 is another big day for meaty data. In the US we get the ISM Manufacturing Index, Construction Spending, and auto sales. Auto sales are particularly important to us, as they make for a great barometer for employment (which we’ll find out a lot more about later in the week). ALSO on Tuesday we get the beginning of one of the most exciting days for the economy: Global PMI Day. That’s when all the countries have their April PMI reports released. It will really kick off with a bang, when the Chinese Manufacturing PMI comes out at 10:30 US time. Actually, Japanese and South Korean numbers come out a bit earlier in the evening, so that’s technically when things will kick off.

Wednesday, May 2 will see a continuation of the PMI releases. In the early hours of the US day, we’ll get fresh numbers for all of the European economies. Then in the US that day we get Factory Orders and the ADP jobs report, a key preview for Friday’s main-event Non-Farm Payrolls Report. And remember, there are tons of earnings throughout.

Thursday, May 3 will see the entrance of the central banks.

The ECB is meeting in Barcelona, and will make its latest monetary policy decision at 7:45 AM ET. It is possible that we’ll get some movement, or a chance in policy. The Eurozone is clearly on the skids, economically, and a rate cut is called for.

The Mario Draghi press conference at 8:30 AM ET will be scrutinized to see what, if anything, he says about the surge in rates in Spain and Italy and so forth. There‘s been a growing din about ’growth’ in Europe, and how to make it happen. We’ll see if Draghi moves the ball forward on this front. In the US on Thursday we get initial jobless claims (which have been uncomfortably high three weeks in a row), productivity data, and the ISM Services report.

Friday, May 4 brings the granddaddy of economic reports: The Jobs Report. The current estimate is for just 162K new jobs created… which would definitely signal a downshift from the recent trend. Of course, there’s tons of sub-data within the jobs report that will be picked over like crazy.

So that’s the end of the workweek, but the busy week doesn’t end there!



French Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, who is poised to win the country's election at the end of the week.

Sunday, May 6 is elections day! There’s the French election of course. Francois Hollande is the overwhelming favorite to replace conservative Nicolas Sarkozy, potentially throwing a huge monkeywrench into Europe’s plan to place every country into a fiscal straitjacket. Also there are Greek elections, and they’re arguably more important than the French ones. If the two main parties fail to secure a majority in Parliament, watch out! There’s also a chance we’ll see an upsurge in support for the nationalists. And even that’s not it. Italy has regional elections that go from May 6 to May 7, and that will prove to be a major test of Monti’s ability to push reforms. Between the three countries, it‘s possible we’ll see a major negative shift against the status quo.

Francois Hollande, who Weisenthal calls the “overwhelming favorite” to become France’s next president, isn’t just any candidate — he’s a socialist candidate. In fact, he’s throwing around the idea of a 75 percent tax on the country’s wealthy (he believes it’s “patriotic”). Add that to an already-shaky European economy, and our previous report that “Sarkozy and Germany‘s Chancellor Angela Merkel have been the main architects of Europe’s efforts to avoid a collapse of the region’s shared currency,” and this week could be one that the continent’s fragile economy will soon want to forget.

But if that isn’t enough cold water on your face, consider this: May 1 (Tuesday) is also the beginning of the Occupy movement’s “May Day” general strike, which is encouraging the masses to walk out of school and work and refrain from banking and commerce. You can count on seeing several stories about its developments (and antagonistic tactics) throughout the week. Officials in Seattle already fear violence, while New York City is dealing with threats from Occupiers to shut down bridges and tunnels.

Rest up. We have a long week ahead.

UPDATE:
We should also mention that May 2 is the one year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. An Associated Press piece notes that while Al Qaeda is severely hampered, it still hopes to avenge the death of its leader, and U.S. citizens abroad have been warned about possible retaliation on Wednesday.

[American Patriot]

I predict... nothing will happen but a few occupy fools will get arrested.

[American Patriot]

Occupy Wall Street Plans Global Protests in Resurgence


By Henry Goldman and Esmé E. Deprez - May 1, 2012 5:13 AM MT


Occupy Wall Street demonstrators, whose anti-greed message spread worldwide during an eight-week encampment in Lower Manhattan last year, plan marches across the globe today calling attention to what they say are abuses of power and wealth.



Organizers say they hope the coordinated events will mark a spring resurgence of the movement after a quiet winter. Calls for a general strike with no work, no school, no banking and no shopping have sprung up on websites in Toronto, Barcelona, London, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, among hundreds of cities in North America, Europe and Asia.
Enlarge image
The Occupy movement in New York has relied on demonstrations and marches around the city since Nov. 15, when police ousted hundreds of protesters from their headquarters in Zuccotti Park near Wall Street, where they had camped since Sept. 17. Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg

Enlarge image
A demonstrator from the Occupy London movement, center, offers a flower to a police officer during a protest at London Liverpool Street train station in London. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Enlarge image
Demonstrators hold a banner reading "A line of tents guards our future - Occupy" during a protest outside a McDonalds Corp. restaurant at London Liverpool Street train station in London. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg



In New York, Occupy Wall Street will join scores of labor organizations observing May 1, traditionally recognized as International Workers’ Day. They plan marches from Union Square to Lower Manhattan and a “pop-up occupation” of Bryant Park on Sixth Avenue, across the street from Bank of America’s Corp.’s 55-story tower. Rain may limit the number of protesters.
“We call upon people to refrain from shopping, walk out of class, take the day off of work and other creative forms of resistance disrupting the status quo,” organizers said in an April 26 e-mail.
Occupy groups across the U.S. have protested economic disparity, decrying high foreclosure and unemployment rates that hurt average Americans while bankers and financial executives received bonuses and taxpayer-funded bailouts. In the past six months, similar groups, using social media and other tools, have sprung up in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Pooling Resources

The Occupy movement in New York has relied on demonstrations and marches around the city since Nov. 15, when police ousted hundreds of protesters from their headquarters in Zuccotti Park near Wall Street, where they had camped since Sept. 17.
Banks have pooled resources and cooperated to gather intelligence after learning of plans to picket 99 institutions and companies, followed by what organizers have described as an 8 p.m. “radical after-party” in an undetermined Financial District location.
“If the banks anticipate outrage from everyday citizens, it’s revealing of their own guilt,” said Shane Patrick, a member of the Occupy Wall Street press team. “If they hadn’t been participating in maneuvers that sent the economy into the ditch, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
Police Prepared

Seven envelopes containing non-toxic white powder were sent to bank branches in New York City on the eve of the protests, the Associated Press reported, citing police. Bill Dobbs, a spokesman for Occupy Wall Street, said the prank had nothing to do with the demonstrations, according to the AP.
New York police can handle picketers, according to Paul Browne, the department’s chief spokesman.
“We’re experienced at accommodating lawful protests and responding appropriately to anyone who engages in unlawful activity, and we’re prepared to do both,” he said in an interview.
About 2,100 Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York have been arrested since the demonstrations began, said Bill Dobbs, a member of the group’s media-relations team.
In U.S. District Court in Manhattan yesterday, four City Council members accused JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Brookfield Office Properties Inc., Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, of suppressing free speech and using excessive force against protesters. The mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
Coming Together

Organizers describe the May Day events as a coming together of the Occupy movement, with activists also calling for more open immigration laws, expanded labor rights and cheaper financing for higher education. Financial institutions remain a primary target of the protests.
“Four years after the financial crisis, not a single of the too-big-to-fail banks is smaller; in fact, they all continue to grow in size and risk,” the group’s press office said in an April 26 e-mail.
Five banks -- JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup Inc. (C), Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) together held $8.5 trillion in assets at the end of 2011, equal to 56 percent of the U.S. economy, compared with 43 percent in 2006, according to central bankers at the Federal Reserve.
Blockades Planned

Occupy Wall Street began planning for May Day in January, meeting in churches and union halls with a decision-making system that avoids a single leader. Instead, participants rely on group “break-out” sessions in which clusters discuss such tasks as crowd-building, logistics and communications.
About 150 attended an April 25 meeting at the Greenwich Village headquarters of the Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union, making last-minute preparations for how to deploy legal and medical help; site selection for picketing; purchasing, production and distribution of protest signs; and how to talk to reporters.
The meeting convened inside the union hall basement, where attendees arranged chairs in a circle as three facilitators asked each of the assembled to identify themselves by first name and gender -- he, she or they. Most appeared under age 30, though gray-haired baby boomers also participated. One of the older attendees pulled a ski mask over his head to protest the presence of a photographer from Tokyo.
Art Performances

Today, beginning at 8 a.m. in Bryant Park, scheduled events include teach-ins, art performances and a staging area for “direct action and civil disobedience,” such as bank blockades.
Tom Morello of the Grammy Award-winning rock band Rage Against the Machine along with 1,000 other guitar-playing musicians will accompany a march to Union Square at 2 p.m., according to the maydaynyc.org website. That will be followed by a “unity rally” at Union Square at 4 p.m.; a march from there to Wall Street at 5:30 p.m.; and a walk to a staging area for “evening actions,” which organizers at the April 25 meeting said would be the so-called after-party.
Occupy-related events are planned in 115 cities throughout the U.S., from college towns such as Amherst, Massachusetts, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Philadelphia.
‘Loud Outcry’

In San Francisco, a group calling itself the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition abandoned a plan to close the span while carrying on with a day of picketing to support bridge, ferry and bus workers seeking reduced health-care benefit costs, according to its website. Protesters said they would picket ferry terminals, where a strike was planned by the Inlandboatmen’s Union. Morning ferry service was canceled, said Mary Currie, a spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
Across the bay in Oakland, protesters said they intend morning marches on banks and the Chamber of Commerce, followed by an afternoon rally and a march downtown.
“We’re looking forward to vigorously asserting our constitutional right to protest and giving a loud outcry about Wall Street and greed,” Dobbs said. “We’re hoping this will make a splash. We hope it will bring a lot of more people into the Occupy movement.”
In Sydney, Occupy organizers said that instead of holding a May Day rally, its supporters joined a protest march against coal seam gas development. About 3,500 demonstrators, many carrying banners and placards with slogans such as “Food Bowl, Not Coal Hole” and “Fat Miners, No Conscience,” marched from Martin Place to the state’s Parliament House, the New South Wales Farmers’ Association said. Martin Place is in Sydney’s central business district, and is home to the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Macquarie Group Ltd. (MQG)
To contact the reporters on this story: Henry Goldman in New York at hgoldman@bloomberg.net; Esme E. Deprez in New York at edeprez@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net

[American Patriot]

2012 'May Day' Protests Planned From Coast to Coast

A demonstrator from the Occupy London movement offers a flower to a commuter during a protest inside London Liverpool Street train station in London on May 1, 2012. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Images)





More Sharing ServicesShare

Share on facebook_likeEmail
6 Comments
Print
Single Page
Text Size
- / +







By ALAN FARNHAM and SUSANNA KIM (@skimm)
May 1, 2012



Occupy protesters and labor and immigration activists are participating in a "May Day" general strike across the country on Tuesday, encouraging workers and students not to show up for work or school. Protest organizers said they intended to show the "1 percent" what life without the "99 percent" would look like.
Pete Dutro, a protest organizer from Brooklyn, N.Y., said the date of the nationwide strike is related to the Haymarket massacre in Chicago. Demonstrators were protesting on May 4, 1886 in favor of an eight-hour workday when a bomb was thrown, killing both police and workers. Some labor groups recognize May 1 as "International Workers' Day."
"Without labor, we do not produce things. That's kind of why this started," Dutro, 37, said. "The labor conditions were not good back then, people were being exploited and you had a huge disparity in income. And that's what we're facing right now."
Dutro, a part-time tattoo artist and former grad student studying finance, said he became involved early on in the Occupy Wall Street movement because of his personal experience as a business owner and his struggle to pay for health care.
Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2004 and not able to afford health insurance, Dutro said he had to close his two businesses, a tattoo shop and web design company. He said they together employed 25 people.
"I was a real job creator, but at that point in my life I could not afford health insurance and the cost of living and running a business was outrageous," he said.
Dutro and the other Occupy Wall Street protesters were cleared out of Zuccotti Park in November, two months after they began their encampment, and protesters have since been forcibly removed in cities across the country.


Andy Thayer, a Chicago Occupy member and the spokesperson for the Coalition Against NATO/G-8, called this year's strike "a national phenomenon" with immigration rights advocates partnering with the Occupy movement.
"There's a good buzz about it -- the kind of display not been seen in many decades: a demonstration of solidarity on immigrant rights, but also about labor's winning back rights or winning rights anew," Thayer said.
Events are taking place at all hours of the day, from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York.
In New York, community groups, unions and Occupy Wall Street protesters were planning to converge at a number of locations starting at 8 a.m., including the Chase Building, New York Times Building, Sotheby's, and a U.S. post office. Protesters are planning to march over the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan after meeting in Continental Army Plaza at 10:30 a.m.



Dutro said some events are taking place without a permit, like a guitar workshop in Bryant Park, which he expects will attract attention from the police.



"Everything's been really crazy," Dutro said, in reference to the planning leading up to May 1. "People are coming back to town, asking what's going on."



Dutro said he received 200 emails on Monday about the events.
"It's a nightmare," he said.



Dutro said he has been coordinating with protesters in other cities, including Los Angeles. There, a strike at Los Angeles International Airport is scheduled for 6 A.M. in conjunction with some members of the Service Employees International Union and United Service Workers West.



Another protest event in Los Angeles, dubbed, "Let Them Eat Cupcakes," is planned for tony shopping area, Rodeo Drive, around noon.



In Chicago, gatherings include a protest at noon in Union Park, followed by a march downtown at 1 p.m.



Thayer said there is "special urgency" in Chicago related to Chicago's NATO summit on May 20 to 21. Later in May, Thayer said there will be a mass march led by veterans against war who will be turning in their medals in Grant Park.
The Federal Protective Service, which guards federal buildings, announced last week that there will be protective "Red Zone" around Chicago's downtown federal buildings this week in advance of the summit.



The Chicago Tribune reported that the officers will carry non-lethal weapons.
Thayer called the security plan "totally over the top," and said it reminded him of the security detail for the "Trans Atlantic Business Dialog" which took place in 2002.



"They looked like Ninja Turtles. It was such an offensive display of hardware it was frightening to kids," Thayer said, adding that the latest display by the Feds" will "give people a taste of what life is like in other countries on a regular basis -- troops in the streets for weeks at a time. It breeds real resentment. Chicagoans are p.o.'d that this is taking place in conjunction with the May Day march."





When asked if the nationwide protests, which are aiming to disrupt the work day and commuting, risk alienating workers who are not participating in the day's events, Dutro said he would sympathize with their frustration.



But, "by complaining, I would say you further help others that maintain the status quo, and what is clear is the status quo is not working," he said. "Yes, they have families and have to work and all these other things. But in the greater scheme of things, if we don't solve these problems now there will be less and less work to go to."

[MinutemanCO]

I've been putting a little thought into this. I don't draw conclusions, but I do raise questions. I don't have the analytical capacity to make predictions.

That said, I'm curious about where the Occupy movement is going. It seems to be ramping up rather than tailing off, with the incidents and demonstrations over the last year or so acting as preparatory events. With our current federal government fundamentally transforming the social structure of our nation, and with some Fed leaders endorsing the movement, it would seem that 'Occupy' is a covertly sanctioned series of operations. These operations have the ability to elevate societal stress and present an inherent clear and present danger. Obama et al recognizes the CPD (which they've been quietly advocating all along) and, through their policy to "let no crisis go to waste", catapult the multiple situations into the ushering in of martial law. Complete control over the society then belongs to only a handful of Obama folks.

Game over. And sky's the limit for the oligarchs.

[American Patriot]

I agree. My "prediction" was more hopeful thinking for today only. May Day. It's a commie holiday. Once it's over, I think things might settle again.

However, I don't think May Day itself will bring any sort of anything we haven't already seen.

When it comes down to it, you're right, the "Societal Stress" factor is precisely what these bozos are attempting to exploit. I'd not be surprised if they don't continue using the Martin-Zimmerman case to further frustrate society.

[MinutemanCO]

Ad in the advent of flash mob activity. I'm uncertain where that's going, but I get a sense that many flash mobs are orchestrated somehow behind the scenes. If they were truly an organic occurrence, wouldn't flash mobs have been prevalent throughout our history?

[American Patriot]

Ad in the advent of flash mob activity. I'm uncertain where that's going, but I get a sense that many flash mobs are orchestrated somehow behind the scenes. If they were truly an organic occurrence, wouldn't flash mobs have been prevalent throughout our history?

Good point, but a "flash mob" by its definition is a unique and spontaneous event that is "orchestrated" through means of modern, instant communication.

In other words, it's difficult to cause a flash mob to show up at one place at a given time unless everyone "playing in the game" participates. It requires a coordinator to send out a message.

There have to be receivers to get the message and then follow the instructions.

There has to be a place, time, date and objective.

In GENERAL this has only occurred in military, or police matters where raids take place. What I mean is, anything else isn't considered a "flash mob" rather - just a mob.

haha

No - I think you're right. The very idea of the "flash mob" has been used pretty much exclusively by the "artistic left", "Socialists", "Occupy movement" and so forth to generate media attention to themselves.

Everything we see lately is "orchestrated" - and it is a conspiracy against Capitalism of the highest order. This stuff is farmed out to lower level minons to accomplish some disruption, some destruction, or anything else that can put an end to Capitalism, one tiny bite at a time.

[MinutemanCO]

I'm having some difficulty even comprehending why 20,000 people would want to mob one residential community in the first place. What would be the allure? Whatever party supplies that might have existed would be exhausted in about three minutes with a crowd of that size. What would be the purpose of the gathering? Are the people involved with this activity like a swarm of locusts amassing by the thousands in search of a purpose? It doesn't make sense to me. I guess I'm going to have to educate myself on the "psychology of a flashmob."

[American Patriot]

let me help you start... hehehe

The Edge: Peak Performance Psychology

Essentials of optimal performance
by Kate F. Hays, Ph.D.

Flash Mobs: In the Midst


Flash mobs "just happen"--don't they?
Published on March 30, 2011 by Kate F. Hays, Ph.D. in The Edge: Peak Performance Psychology

Flash mobs appear, do their thing, and then disperse. Bemused, the unanticipating audience blinks their collective eyes and, perhaps, feels lightened of their usual everyday burdens.It seems like flash mobs "just happen." But they're more like the proverbial swan: you see that effortless, smooth glide, while underneath, her webbed feet beat furiously against the drag of the water's currents.
Here's the swan's side of the story: It's anything but a spontaneous eruption.
It starts at a choral rehearsal, about a month before the event-to-be: Our chorus has been invited to sing at the closing luncheon of a 700-member conference. Are enough of us available on that date to pull it off?
Sure. It will just take a couple of minutes of our time. Yes, a disruption of a Saturday for 60 people, but no big deal. The details-the scenes behind the scenes behind the scenes-where, what, for how long-have yet to be worked out.



We get on with rehearsing our upcoming scheduled concerts. As an auditioned choral group, we meet weekly for three hours, rehearsing music in (at least) four parts. Each of us reads music from a score-a copy of the music. By concert time, that score will be filled with pencil notations, reminders of nuance to perform. Memorizing music? Ah, youth.


Two weeks later: the details have been figured out. We will be a flash mob: Amidst 700 people, the fact that a few more are present won't be noticed-until we start singing. And oh yes, we'll have memorized our song.


In and amidst our rehearsal, we run through the song that's been chosen. It's a popular song known to some of us, utterly unfamiliar to others-including me.
The song is melodic and nostalgic. It should be easy to perform in part because soloist members of the chorus carry the bulk of the singing, while the rest of the chorus provides more of the underlying harmony.


Back home, I look for information about the song on the net. I find out about its history, and watch various groups singing it on YouTube.


I write out the words.


I sing along to the videos.


At odd moments of the day, I think the words and melody in my head.
The start of the song is in some ways most challenging: A soloist sings, and then the chorus joins him, humming a chord that is not immediately obvious from the soloist's notes.


I go into the next week's rehearsal feeling pretty prepared. When we sing the song I am startled. All this repetition and preparation on my own hasn't moved me forward a whole lot. Yes, I now know the melody. (Of course, my part is mostly harmony.) But I'm still fumbling for words. I'm not sure of transition points. How will I-how will we-negotiate a beat of silence toward the end of the piece?


The EVENT is now eight days away. We receive an email with detailed instructions about the venue and timing of our 3 minutes of fame-to-be. Time to get cracking.
It's now full bore practice time. The swan is definitely paddling-furiously. I need to memorize this music. Now.


The whole issue of memorization is a fascinating one. Three minutes? What's three minutes for a concert pianist? In Practicing Perfection, a pianist and two psychologists describe the process, from different perspectives and in engaging detail. (And this book comes with a CD of the pianist performing the Bach concerto that you read about.)


Or how about an entire two hour classical concert, fully memorized and performed with verve and delight? Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra has done just that, to wild and justifiable acclaim. A DVD of their "Galileo Project" will be coming in a couple of months-but meanwhile, you can see and listen to a YouTube snapshot of part of this world-touring concert.


Now is a time of straightforward woodshedding (going off to some imagined woodshed to practice, practice, practice): I break the sections down and work on them individually. I break them into smaller parts. I re-constitute them...and break them down again. Some of the time, I work on learning the words. Sometimes, the musical line.


Some of the time, I'm just standing there, looking at the music and then looking up from it, trying out small sections, taking tentative "steps."


The more I work it, the more I realize that the intervals are pretty straightforward.
These practices are spread over days rather than bunched. Fifteen minutes or ½ hour at a time helps me stay focused; in between, my mind has time to absorb what I am learning.


Practice, practice, practice. Want a sports illustration of this repetitive work? Read Angie Abdou's novel, The Bone Cage.


Now, I realize that I only occasionally need to check my accuracy with the piano.
I sing to the video of the song.


I begin making use of those mental skills that I teach others. I develop some affirmations to give me confidence and pleasure, reminding me why I am putting in this effort: "I feel so privileged to know how to read music." "The lyrics are lovely." "The tune is worth sharing." "This will be fun."


I develop personal imagery, tied in to my own family, to "picture" the lyrics.
Although I won't use these gestures during performance, I create exaggerated movements to illustrate the words, further incorporating (literally) the lyrics.
I find that moving, walking in rhythm to the song, additionally helps me bring the music into my being.


And now, as the memorization becomes stronger, a new challenge appears. I lose concentration. Words become meaningless. Some of what I am doing is now routine-that's the good news. The bad news is that my mind feels free to wander. I need to haul it back into the practice session.


Now, I'm doing the tidying up on the small details: Is that an eighth note there? When does the musical line move? Oh-that's the word I stumble over.
At our final choral rehearsal before The EVENT, we are all singing "off book." No music sheets (our always-present safety blanket) allowed.


For me, the music is about 95% there. I feel greatly relieved.


And of course, it's not just singing the song. We now add in relevant physical gestures, get assigned to clusters of choristers with whom we'll sing. The small details are yet to be figured out. Some can be planned ahead. Some will emerge unexpectedly. My job is to over-learn my part, so that it's there, regardless of any changes, regardless of anything untoward that might happen.


I do a few more practices on my own. Now I am doing full run-throughs of the music. Any last little bits get directed attention, and then it's full run-throughs again. In non-practice times, I find myself just humming the song in my head; I mentally "see" the page of music; I "hear" the YouTube video or our soloists singing their parts.


The music is now in my self, completely: I don't need to think about the words in order to produce them: They emerge, present in the same way that a sentence forms of its own accord.


I recognize that at this point, too much rehearsal would be a kind of "Russian roulette," an anticipation of error that will only increase anxiety. (This concept comes from a great book on musical performance preparation and delivery, Richard Provost's The Art & Technique of Performance.)


The day arrives. My pre-performance plans work well. We do our final on-site rehearsal. And then comes the moment: The music starts; I know just what the "choreography" will be-though now, the 700 people are all around us, so in fact we each need to adapt to the live bodies surrounding us.


And here's the wonderful part, the part that I'd not thought of, not anticipated: the audience reaction. As we begin singing, there's a brief moment of puzzlement. Then, I can see the light dawning, the grins from ear to ear, the sparkles in eyes: "We're being flash mobbed!" I move through the seated crowd. I'm not on a stage, protected by distance and a musical score. I am a foot, two feet away from people. I'm looking at each one directly, singing these lovely lyrics to these people. I experience the immediacy of their absorption in this moment. It is exhilarating and soul satisfying!

[American Patriot]

"Orchestration", MinuteMan might just be "an understatement".

LOL