Free Republic

Occupy protesters try to disrupt ports; police make arrestsBy Mike Pearson, CNN updated 5:27 AM EST, Tue December 13, 2011 (CNN) -- Occupy protesters succeeded in shutting down overnight operations at California's port of Oakland on Monday night after a day of similar protests in several other U.S. cities. The protests in Oakland have "disrupted workers trying to get to work and impaired the port's ability to operate," port spokesman Issac Kos-Read told CNN. Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said the port has told its members not to report for work for the overnight...

SEATTLE -- Police say a man who displayed an antI-Occupy Seattle sign near Seattle Central Community College was beaten on Friday. The 42-year-old man stood just north of the Occupy camp holding a sign that read "Occupy Somewhere Else, Not My School," according to police. At roughly 5:30 p.m., three to five men who disagreed with the sign walked over to the man and made their feelings known. The victim told police the men began taking verbal jabs at him and at one point used a dog to intimidate him. At some point during the argument, police say one of...

The “Occupy London” movement stormed the offices of a mining company called Xstrata today, as reported by The Australian, which found the story of great interest to its readers because Xstrata has extensive operations in Australia: About 60 protesters got inside Panton House, Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) said, where the diversified Anglo-Swiss firm has its British office. Another 200 were held outside within a police cordon, in the heart of central London's West End entertainment district. Some covered their faces with masks as they swept through the building. The protesters reached the roof and unveiled a banner reading "All...

On December 12th, Occupy Denver seemingly plans to "shut down" the WalMart distribution center in Loveland on December 12th. Please, if you are able, join us this Saturday for the Free Markets - Free People Rally in the State Cap in downtown Denver. Word is 500 or so occupiers from Springs and Pueblo plan to come counter protest us. We do not know this to be accurate, but that is the word we are getting. So we can use all the bodies we can get. It will be cold out, so do dress warmly. Despite the given time frame, we...

On the evening of November 17th a number of Occupy protesters in Milwaukee gathered on a bridge over I-43 as part of a nationwide effort to draw attention to the Occupy movement’s agenda. The protesters succeeded in shutting down the bridge for several hours during rush hour causing traffic snarls and generating media attention. In a memorable moment, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn refused to mass arrest the protesters saying, “they can sit and freeze their butts off.” A mass arrest was what protesters wanted... ---Snip-- ...An anonymous individual attending the protest captured on camera some potentially disturbing tactics used...

On November 18th, 2011, Muslims held a rally in New York City. The point of the rally was supposedly to protest the NYPD's surveillance of the Muslim community. As the rally progressed, however, Muslim leaders acknowledged that they share the goals of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, especially seizing and redistributing wealth. Indeed, Muslims claimed that the redistribution of wealth is commanded by Allah.

Dear MoveOn member, Last week, a courageous group left the Occupy Wall Street camp in New York City and started marching to Washington, DC. Their goal was to bring the outrage and energy of the 99% directly to Capitol Hill. They're marching to call out the congressional Super Committee, which could cut a deal before Wednesday slashing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to protect tax breaks for the 1%.

The Occupy movement is stepping up its confrontational tactics, plotting “alternative forms of protest,” including flash mobs that can be deployed nationwide. Citing the success of last week’s so-called Day of Action protests, Take to the Square, one of Occupy’s main online planning forums, has devised an “Alternative Day of Action” to coincide with international Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. “Our freedom and dignity are under attack as a result of market dynamics and corrupt government institutions that are turning our local and global societies into increasingly unjust places,” the site complains. The Occupy forum calls for “alternative forms...