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When I heard Jean Quan offhandedly drop that she was on a multi-mayor conference call during a BBC interview, I knew I had heard something of note. The rapid succession of similar crackdowns on Occupy encampments in several US cities seemed like more than a coincidence, and so it was kind of a smoking gun. . . .
Well, not really a smoking gun–there wasn’t quite enough there and it, quite frankly, wasn’t all that surprising. In fact, it was kind of “duh”–not that it wasn’t good to have suspicions confirmed, but the OMG for OWS would probably be to find out that no one was colluding or coordinating to take it out.
But that shouldn’t be the way I feel. I want to be more shocked that a variety of government agencies are working to undermine a needed, peaceful and long-overdue broad-based national movement, but after 9/11, the ramp up of the national security state as good as mandates this level of government intrusion.
I am still looking for more on this (as are many others)–how many calls were there? who was on them? what was said? to what extent were federal agencies involved? did they advise or drive the conversation?–so this was more like a loose thread than a smoking gun. And the more we all pull that thread, I wonder, will it be more of a confirmation or a revelation–and most importantly, what will I mean to the Occupy movement?
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With the “co-ordinations”, Glenn, my very first thought was, “Who is paying for this?” (Obviously, “the people” are paying for their own abuse, but by what “mechanism?)
Have you, perhaps, seen this?http://wonkette.com/456282/surprise-homeland-security-coordinates-ows-crackdowns-nationwide
DW
I’ll try the link again:http://wonkette.com/456282/surprise-homeland-security-coordinates-ows-crackdowns-nationwide
And, Yves Smith adds:http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/11/police-state-ows-other-crackdowns-part-of-national-coordinated-effort-bloomberg-defies-court-order-to-let-protestors-back-into-zuccotti-park.html
DW
Which brings it all, back home, to you, Gregg …
Thank you, Gregg, for always asking the hard questions and never flinching at the answers … or soft-peddling those answers to the rest of us.
DW
I have seen both the posts you link to. Both link back to my original Quan piece. The Wonkette story takes off from the Examiner.com post that quotes an anonymous DoJ official on deep background alleging federal involvement in the coordination. That original, single source story seemed sketchy, but that reporter has done several followups, and I like where he’s going.
http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-minneapolis/were-occupy-crackdowns-aided-by-federal-law-enforcement-agencies#ixzz1dorXCwDE
There are now official denials from DoJ and DHS, and a pair of FOIA requests to get at what was said in the calls. But there now is news of a second set of calls coordinated by a private group that goes by the acronym PERF–the Police Executive Research Fund. Those calls included police “executives” and. . . I don’t know who else. . . but I’d like to.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Then watch how they unlawfully claim exemptions and “national security” excuses.
All of these mayors are showing that the Democratic Party is
not just rotten from the top down, but also from the bottom up.
They are rapidly on their way to becoming the Whigs of the 21st century.
That would be a pretty big tell.
We may be sure that they are perfidious (she said without a trace of facetiousness).
Also that they are rather poor at hiding the fact that they are actually perps against the right of peaceful protest. Nervous, perhaps.
They say ya want a revolution…….
Wellllllll………..ya got one fuckers
American Spring…….!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stand firm citizens
In the city of Fresno, career criminals including violent ones are being released from jail early due to overcrowding. An entire floor of the jail has been closed due to budget restraints. However, the county apparently can afford to “occupy” Courthouse park where members of our occupy movement have been arrested every night for 13 nights. The Sherrif’s dept has been enforcing a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. How do these clowns justify letting violent fellons out of jail early because they can’t afford to house them, but can afford to have the Sherrif’s department shows up, full riot gear basically baby sitting a park for 6 hours ever single night to ensure peaceful people will not be there from the hours of 12 -6.
Hey garcam123 – I’M WITH YOU!!!
THE DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY & THE FBI ARE IN ON THIS.
Grok THIS:
Here’s the Risk: “Occupy” ends up doing the bidding of the global elite
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27708
“History shows us it is easy for ‘grassroots’ campaigns to become co-opted by the very interests they are fighting against
A 21st-century grassroots movement faces many pitfalls. This was as true back in 1968 as it is today. It could be infiltrated by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, or co-opted by a major party. As the state continues to creep further into our lives, activists can expect that it will use all its resources – not just the violent reaction seen in New York overnight, but also its agents, informants and surveillance packages – in its effort to monitor both sides of any serious social debate. Even bleaker, however, is the possibility that the movement was actually planned and launched by the very establishment activists thought they were waging a battle against in the first place. The larger the movement, the more interested a major party becomes in absorbing it into either the left or the right side of the current two-party paradigm.”
Reagan lost the cold war.
America has become what it feared. the Soviet Union
gulags
prison state
police state
one-party government
the absence of cooperation
only coercion as a means to control
All symptoms of a coming high-speed, come-apart.
Gregg,
I’m so angry about this situation that I want names of the people in the FBI and DOJ that okayed this type of militarization on college campuses and in our public parks/streets!
I hope this is a jolt to Americans that they will start looking at things more seriously. If the GOP Presidential candidates did not tell them that our country is in trouble, surely these things should.
And where is Obama? Has he said even ONE word about OWS? At least the MSM is covering it, albeit somewhat slantedly. But Obama? Biden? Bueller?
Or have I just missed pronouncements and statements and such? The silence is deafening.
If nothing else, this should tell all the people of this country that the government will use the police and the military against them, dare they protest against anything. We have a one party system, now headed by that con man, obama. We need to support the Occupiers, we need to stand with them (physically), we need to support them with money. I know I don’t need to tell you any of this, but this is an important moment in history.
Periodically, there will be statements in the media about the Dems aligning with the Occupy movements, using them to their electoral advantage next year. Yeah, right. We see that Obusha and his fellow Slightly-Nicer-(In-Theory-)Fascists care more about making sure that the Money Party is protected from any possible progress towards democracy than working towards anything as trivial as the triumph of their faction of Paid Political Hacks over the “opposing” faction.
Crush the resistance first, divide the spoils later. I really should be thanking Serial Killer Obama for making it so easy to see how corrupt and traitorous today’s “Democratic” Party is. But no.
The PTB are making a huge mistake here. What is starting to happen is what happened in Eastern Europe in 1989, when people realized that other people thought what they thought. Consent of the governed. It still means something, even in dictatorships. Our PTB don’t yet understand that, but they are going to.
Of course I’m a truther, but when I visit my local Occupy movements in the Sound area giving them what I scrounge for food, a Good Will tent etc I’m surprised how ignorant the young are about that notorious day made for TV in the fall of 2001. We must support this movement, it is the shit or get off the pot moment. I haven’t worked regular since Sep. ’08 working free for Obusha, and I resent being made a fool of by that Kissinger puppet in the White House now. Even visiting a plains reservation last summer they know what’s going on, but don’t want to get the Uncle Sugar spigot turned-off, the government is very scared if they act out, there’s minders on reservations I swear already. More vets like me comiting suicide, it’s sad, but I’m empowered by our brothers being struck down in the Bay Area, especially that Petty Officer First Class in uniform that was holding up the flag when his Army buddy got fragged with the smoker. Let’s not forget Retired Philly Police Captain Lewis showing up in NYC either in uniform, and being arrested.