Posted on 12/01/2011 4:17:20 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Updated 9:30 p.m.—Occupiers held a general assembly meeting and voted unanimously to hold the building until they are arrested. There were about 40 outside and 10 inside. The ones inside asked for welding gloves and dispatched a committee to find pallets behind grocery stores to build barricades.
At one point, in an ironic moment for people who are trying to claim their use of public space as a First Amendment right, they shouted at news reporters asking them to stop filming.
"We'll make you stop," one said when asked what they would do. "We'll keep shouting until you stop."
Updated 8 p.m.—Occupy Santa Cruz demonstrators are having a dance party in in front of a vacant bank while other protesters hold their position inside the building.
Police left the scene just before 8 p.m., as about 40 demonstrators danced around a giant public address speaker in the bank parking lot.
Riot gear-clad officers had surrounded the building after the Occupy movement took over the former Coast Commercial Bank mid-afternoon Wednesday.
Update 7 p.m. Police tried to get into the bank, but were held back.
The occupiers were about to begin their evening General Assembly in the bank's lobby when some 30 police officers surged the front doors of the building. Occupiers quickly stacked furntiure and used planks of wood to bar police from entering.
The bulk of the crowd gathered on the front lawn of the bank and stood face to face with over two dozen shield and baton wielding members of the Santa Cruz Police.
The officers used batons to keep the protestors at bay while other police attempted to enter the barracaded bank.
Original story, 6:40 p.m.—Occupy Santa Cruz took over the empty Coast Commercial Bank building at Water and River Streets around 3 p.m. Wednesday, because they say the building was being held hostage by Wells Fargo.
"Capitalism has taught us that no one is ever going to give us anything," said OSC spokesperson Mark Paschal. "You have to take it.''
Paschal, a graduate student whose major is "a century of crisis in education," says the building was serving no purpose other than as an asset on paper for Wells Fargo. They want to make it into a community center that would host workshops explaining their cause. OSC also plans to make the area available to other community groups that need space.
Asked how long they plan to stay, he said the people who initiated the action are not going to simply disperse when asked to.
"There are plans to barricade the building if necessary."
When asked if the 50 or so people on hand were enough of a force to hold the building one occupier who remained anonymous was more skeptical.
"They have been planning this for almost two weeks—that's a generous estimate. I think they might have jumped the gun."
Six Santa Cruz police cars, two motorcycles and a van were parked at the bank, with officers clad in riot gear observing the action from the front of the bank and near their vehicles.
When asked what their plan was, one officer asked a Patch reporter to move back and that he didn't feel comfortable answering questions.
City Council member Katherine Beiers was there. She said she was just passing by and was so surprised by the actions that she stopped to check it out.
"Some private people own the building, and so they can be outside but going in, I don't like it," said Bieirs. "I came by and was really surprised like 'whoa,' and I really thought Don Lane was negotiating with them."
An occupier then asked her who was using the building.
"No one was using it," said Beiers.
"Well, we're using it," said the occupier, getting a laugh out of the council member.
Police used the Nixle alert system to alert Santa Cruz residents about the demonstration and urged people to stay away from the area. Traffic is affected.
Those who can, do. Thos who can't, teach.
Those who can't teach...occupy space.
“Capitalism has taught us that no one is ever going to give us anything,” said OSC spokesperson Mark Paschal. “You have to take it.’’
Come for my sh!t paschal...mess with me or my family you communist puke... and I will take what I want... your life.
LLS
"We'll make you stop," one said when asked what they would do. "We'll keep shouting until you stop."
This part made me laugh. It reminded me of a story told by Robin Williams noting that the police in London aren't armed. They simply shout, "Stop!... or I'll shout 'stop!' again!"
He's correct about the first part. Clean miss in the second half, however. You don't take it....you purchase or negotiate for it.
That would mean working. Too hard.
Aren’t the tantrum-antics of these societal losers getting old? They are the mediocre circus-freaks of our society.
These people want to be martyrs. Eventually they will get their wish.
What’s funny is is that a good percentage of them are trust fund babies and even 1% members. What the Hell do they have to complain about? And even those that aren’t have college diplomas. If you have a degree, you’re already more qualified in the eyes of employers than most people. Any degree. Even “ethnic studies” or whatever.
Apparently, even those who don't teach "can't".
These people want to be martyrs. Eventually they will get their wish.
They will never become martyrs. They are the unwashed of society.
I don’t know about that. Seeing that someone spent 4 years on a worthless degree would not look good to me. It would tell me they are not the brightest bulb on the chain.
Or you make it yourself.
Ayn Rand, in Atlas Shrugged, has one of her characters say that the greatest contribution of America to the human race was the creation of the phrase "to make money." The concept that money must be made, she said, is revolutionary in human history.
'Hold muh breath' alert.
Human resources types think that if you don’t have at least a bachelors degree, you probably can’t read and write. Yet if you put a mail order degree from some worthless college on your resume, you’ll get double or triple the interviews without changing anything else. I’ve been a career counselor and recruiter my entire adult life.
Well since their battle cry almost to a man and woman is “socialismo o muerte”, they certainly are not going to get the former on our watch, so it is inevitable they get the latter. Of course, the useful idiots will be pushed to the front of the crowd by the smart communist cell leaders, who will stay back, and it will be the front line that takes the injuries or deaths. Historical examples abound under the red flag in this way.
As late as 10 years ago these commie morons would have gotten nothing but glowing press coverage and the media would have kept the stupider ones off the air.
Now with Fox news and the interweb, we get to see who they really are, and it is NOT helping their cause one bit.
Haaa! You should come to Atlanta. That’s the number one sport. They don’t even draw the line at mansions; they just find a vacant house and rent it to some dummy from Ghana, or somewhere.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.