More Coverage of Police Violence Against Occupy Oakland

Continuing with the topic from the last post, the New York Times is following the story from Oakland. The coverage includes more videos and other evidence of police use of projectiles and explosives against protesters, which the Oakland Police Department is denying.

Video From Occupy Oakland

This video clip shows protesters trying to come to the aid of Scott Olsen, who was struck in the head by a police "projectile" and suffered a skull fracture. He is not in the hospital listed in serious but stable condition. When a group of protesters tries to help Mr. Olsen, police standing behind a barricade nearby toss an incendiary device into the group, which explodes, causing the group to scatter. According to news reports Olsen is an Iraq war veteran and member of Veterans for Peace.




The Guardian, a British newspaper, is running frequent updates on this situation, as police crack down violently on the protest group in Oakland.

Occupy Charlotte Divided

The Charlotte Observer is reporting on a split in the Occupy Charlotte movement, over one individual's attempt to control the movement and its online presence. A Charlotte businessman, Tom Shope, has been accused of misusing donated funds, controlling the Facebook page and website of the group, and has even registered the name "Occupy Charlotte" as a business in Mecklenburg County.

Karen and I enjoyed taking part in the Occupy Charlotte protest last weekend, and we support the Occupy movement 100 percent. I have not spent enough time at Occupy Charlotte to know what the opinion of most of the participants might be. However, I find it troubling that one individual is trying to impose his leadership over the local movement. My understanding all along has been that this is a leaderless movement in which decisions are made by consensus, so Mr. Shope's actions seem to directly contradict the spirit and the principles of the movement.

I very much hope that this split can be mended. This is supposed to be a movement for the people, not a vehicle for individuals to pursue their personal agendas and ambitions.

The Tea Party vs Occupy Wall Street

I would add to this...

Tea Party: Planned, organized, and funded by the Koch Brothers and Corporate America

Occupy Wall Street: Planned, organized, and maintained by the American people!

Speaking Up

I have always been pretty introverted, and have never felt comfortable speaking up in public or interacting with strangers. And in the past there have been times when I have been guilty of ignoring comments or statements that I should have responded to, just because I didn't feel comfortable "getting involved."

But this morning I was at the post office when I heard a conversation behind me, and I did respond. A group of three men were having a conversation and I heard one of them say that "they shouldn't be allowed to show all this gay stuff on TV, because kids are gonna see that and think that it's okay to be gay." I turned around and said that nothing on TV is going to "turn" someone gay or lesbian, because that is who they are, not who they become. We ended up in a long, heated argument, and of course nobody's mind was changed.

What is most upsetting is that all three of these men's opinions were clearly based on what they have been hearing all of their lives in church. Their responses to everything that I said was basically, "God does not make mistakes," so being gay has to be a choice or the result of lax parental discipline.

Well, whether or not God makes mistakes, I don't see how being gay or lesbian is a mistake. It is beliefs like these men were arguing for that result in the bullying and harassment that is driving young people to such misery and hopelessness that some even take their own lives. And the people who lead the fundamentalist churches are guilty of spreading these hateful beliefs and attitudes.

I am not arguing against Christianity here. If you pick up a Bible and read the Gospels, the four books that contain the words and acts of Jesus, you will not read one word that says homosexuality is wrong. In fact, quite the opposite, you will read words of love, compassion, acceptance, and inclusion of all people.

It's too bad so few Christians pay attention to these words.

Straight But Not Narrow

I saw this cartoon today, and wanted to share it:

I am a heterosexual man, very happily married, and I have never understood what this vague "threat" is that gay marriage is supposed to present to the institution of marriage. Why should I want to deny to anyone else the happiness that I have experienced? The arguments that we hear today against marriage equality are, indeed, strikingly similar to those that the husband and father in the cartoon heard when he fell in love with his wife. And I have no doubt that in the near future, those arguments will sound just as inane and outdated when applied to gay marriage as they did in the past when they were applied to interracial marriage.

Of course, to some of us, they already do.

Occupy Where?

My old hometown, Lubbock, TX, is a city in west Texas of about 200,000 people. My current hometown, Charlotte, is a metropolitan area of over 1 million. Both have active occupy movements. Guess which one is getting more coverage from its local newspaper?

Occupy Lubbock.

From the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. And also this.

For whatever reason the Charlotte Observer has chosen to ignore Occupy Charlotte. Of course it wouldn't have anything to do with a certain bank's corporate headquarters just down the street from the Observer's office. Nah!

One of those "dirty hippies" at Occupy Lubbock

Photographs From Occupy Charlotte March

I took these photos yesterday during the Occupy Charlotte assembly and march on the Bank of America headquarters. It was exciting for Karen and me to finally have a chance to take part in this movement. Although Charlotte, a city not known for its political activism, has not had crowds as large as those in many other big cities, I was impressed by the energy and passion of the people who were there, a crowd that I would guess was about 200-300.

I am disappointed at the lack of coverage by the local media. A google search on Occupy Charlotte this morning found only this story about the difficulty that the occupiers in downtown Charlotte are having finding places to go to the bathroom. Hopefully some local business owner can be found who will open the doors to the occupiers.

This blog post by Sinister is one of the better commentaries that I've read on the occupy movement.

Photographs from yesterday:   

       

                                      

 General Assembly and tents at the Occupy site, Old City Hall

Protest at Bank of America 

The Scene of the Crimes:

Occupy Charlotte

This is a short video that I took this afternoon at the protest at the Bank of America corporate headquarters here in Charlotte. The protesters had marched from the Old City Hall where Occupy Charlotte is camped to BOA. I would estimate there were about 200-300 people there for the peaceful protest. I will post some photos later.

Excellent Source for Progressive Talking Points

Blogger The New Deal has put together an outstanding collection of links to fact sources of interest to progressives on various subjects. And this is only part 1. I'm definitely looking forward to part 2. This is one to bookmark!

Jobs Protest!

Yesterday Karen and I took part in a protest demonstration organized by MoveOn.org, at the office of Representative Sue Myrick (R, NC). The theme of the protest was "Jobs, Not Cuts." The protesters were not allowed to gather in the parking lot of Myrick's office, which is in an upscale neighborhood, across the street from Southpark Mall, so we lined the street with our signs to get the attention of passing traffic. Many of the people in the passing cars honked their approval and agreement with our messages. Myrick did not deem it worth the effort or time to address the demonstrators' concerns, despite a visit to her office by a representative of the protesters. And, sadly, despite numerous calls to the local TV stations, the media did not send anyone to cover the event. I guess the concerns and frustrations of the jobless are not considered worthy of their attention.

It felt good to get out and take part in an action like this. One of the best ways to deal with the depression of being jobless and feeling invisible is to do something to make your voice heard.

Petition asking Senator Bernie Sanders to run for President in 2012

You can sign here.

My comment that I left on the petition: Senator Sanders, we need a progressive voice in the upcoming election. I am 47 years old, have been unemployed for over eleven months, and believe that there is nobody who I can vote for that represents my interests or those of other working Americans. Please consider running so that we can have a real choice and a real dialogue in this campaign.