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As I mentioned last night, there are plenty of Occupy locations around the country that get along just fine with the local authorities. These are the places that don’t throw up expensive business-and-traffic-killing barriers, or order up even more expensive cops being paid overtime to pepper spray, beat with batons, tear gas, flash-bang and shoot rubber bullets at unarmed Iraq war veterans, 84-year-old retired schoolteachers, pregnant women, and Methodist ministers.
Amazingly enough, allowing the Occupiers some space to make their point, and not ordering up cop-inflicted violence against them, results in not only peaceful coexistence, but far less overtime for law enforcement personnel — which results in saving money!
We already know about Occupy Des Moines, Occupy Detroit, Occupy Cleveland, and the city-owned part of Occupy Albany (where the mayor and his administration stand foursquare for the Occupiers and against 1%er (and 1%er stooge) Randy Andy Cuomo). But only just today have I heard about Occupy Louisville. Or Occupy Philadelphia, which is currently negotiating a compromise with the city fathers and mothers, and without said fathers and mothers sending in riot-geared, badge-covered cops with batons and pepper spray. It makes me wonder what other relatively non-harassed Occupy locations exist out there.
Let’s list the other Occupy locales that get along well with the local officialdom. Put them in the comments and I’ll either update this post or start a new one. Thanks!
61 Comments
Occupy Houston has also been largely peaceful. There have been a couple of skirmishes over the use of and definition of what constitutes a “tent”.
Most of the time there are two or three uniformed watchers but they mostly keep their distance and on a couple of occasions have been helpful in intervening in disturbances caused by non-occupy disruptors.
Thanks!
Occupy Pittsburgh remains unmolested by the police.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/11/14/seattle-city-council-backs-occupy-seattle/
Lincoln, NE’s been great
ournalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/occupy-lincoln-tents-on-mall-do-not-violate-any-law/article_d0d80f6f-b679-5913-a1f4-227253d31bcd.html
except for a few incidents. Still…fairly copacetic.
http://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/arrested-during-occupy-lincoln-protest-at-wells-fargo/article_a8b637ac-23c7-5201-8b43-9db88cdfdc11.html
Occupy North Adams, MA. Small town with weekly protests and on-going group discussion and actions. Here, the cops honk and wave.
There’s an Occupy site in Flint, MI, about a month or so old. They’re on private property beneath a BofA billboard. They’ve made a couple of marches to downtown proper. Largely peaceful and quiet though the local wingnut bloggers have worn out their keyboards deriding the endeavor. Can’t question or protest authority, donchaknow.
Go, North Adams! Smack in the northern reaches of the Berkshires.
Old mill town with beautiful mills repurposed as MassMoCa. It’s where to exhibit if you create really big, absolutely humongous-sized art.
Occupy Rochester had some arrests at first, but eventually the mayor agreed to let us stay through January… http://occupyrochester.org/
Thanks, Phoenix Woman. Occupy Salt Lake City has been peaceful. There were 18 arrests Saturday night, when on the mayor’s orders the cops evicted the encampment and forced the tents out of Pioneer Park. However, it was a peaceful process and there was no violence waged by the cops.
There is a second, smaller occupation in Salt Lake City at the Gallivan Plaza, only 5 or 6 tents, that the plaza security force is supportive of, and has basically given the city polic the message “Everything’s fine, don’t call us, we’ll call you.”
For more detail (pardon my blogwhoring), see my diaries from Sunday.
Occupy Orlando doesn’t seem to have much trouble with the police either. During the bridge occupy this evening, I only saw one or two, at first, and as we were leaving it occurred to me I hadn’t seen any for awhile. There were more TV trucks than cop cars, that I am sure of. The last time they had any arrests, that I’m aware of, was on the 5th when they went an hour and a half past their curfew. Prior to that march, I only saw 2 cops on bikes. During the march they escorted all the marchers and there were plenty of police for that but most on bikes.
OccupySheltonWA came alive on 11/11/11 to promote our little town and to protect our citizens from corporatocracy. The response was refreshing, and we will continue to support Occupy Everywhere.
A peaceful Occupy Shelton gathering was held in downtown Shelton Friday. Some 50 or so people braved the rain to protest corporate greed along Railroad Avenue.
http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/18065-peaceful-occupy-shelton
Other small towns are joining in:
Occupy movement reaches remote town of Forks
The Occupy Wall Street protest has reached one of Washington state’s most remote towns. The Peninsula Daily News reports that 17 people held an Occupy Forks protest on Saturday, rallying outside a Bank of America branch, the only corporate presence the protesters could find in the town. Forks is better known to the world as the fictional home of the characters of the vampire teen series “Twilight.” It is about a four-hour trip from Seattle, on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula. Occupy Forks organizer Patt Doyle says the turnout of 17 people was better than expected. It rained heavily on Saturday. The newspaper reports that the Bank of America branch is slated to be closed in January, and its employees will be laid off.
Thanks, everyone!
Occupy San Luis Obispo CA is 24/7 tents http://www.occupyslo.org need three tents 10×10 with sidewalls to keep out the rain and wind. Working with the county as we are on the courthouse lawn and patio.
I believe Homeland security has decided to use this window of opportunity to test out the new weapons and tactics provided for civil unrest. That is why the violence seemed to be such an overkill. They were not only testing the equipment and weapons, but they were checking to see if the troops (Police) would strike against their own citizenry. Albany would be counted as a failure, along with Detroit and a number of other areas. The larger cities though have had no problem using all weapons available. The real question is why they think they need this potent of a martial threat for controlling the populace. This has nothing to do with the “War on Terror”, since it would be hard to imagine that the crowds we have been seeing at Occupy protests could have been smuggled in from Iran or some other Mideastern country.
A lot of those weapons — such as the LRAD — have already been tested out by the illegal coup creeps we tacitly backed in Honduras when they overthrew the elected president for daring to raise the minimum wage.
I’m impressed! It’s amazing how so many of the Occupy locations have really got it in gear over the last few weeks.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems the only violence in the wake of the #OWS movement has come from cops. (At the behest of their masters.)
To my knowledge, it hasn’t been made clear what the ‘rules of engagement’ are toward #OWS as a grassroots/populist movement, relative to city ordinances, state laws and the U.S. Constitution.
Speech and assembly are important poltical rights, but the limiting factor, it seems, the ugliness and the violence, is coming from the other side.
Occupy Tallahassee has been more or less given the new Gaines Street Commons between the capital and FSU to camp in on the weekends, and holds its regular rallies and general assemblies in front of the old capital buildings in a very bucolic settings on Saturdays. Car traffic honks and is largely supportive. Today Occupiers marched to the Chamber of Commerce building for a picnic; I am waiting to hear how that went. The (mostly) student leaders have been performing a series of “Rolling Occupations” and got about 75 people to show up to a park in my neighborhood–one of the city’s most liberal–for a fine presentation last Sunday. I speak only as someone who has attended three or four times, but as I understand it plans are to stage several acts of civil disobedience and challenge the incoming Republican-dominated legislature in mid January when they begin their session.
Occupy Greeley, Colorado has had tents established since mid-October without problems with the police- the police station is across the street. Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs have also been without problems as far as I know. This is in stark contrast to Denver PD’s militaristic crackdown.
I was at Occupy St. Louis today between 700 ans 800 maybe 1000 people marched through the city. No problems with the police until they tried to cross the Martin Luther King bridge. About a dozen protesters sat down at the entrance of the bridge and were arrested. The other marchers returnee to Keiner Plaza. Today was an amazing thing to behold. I am only sorry I couldn’t get arrested.
To finish, I think #OWS should be careful in any dealings with established authorities, including the police. Exceptions abound, of course, but the uniformed men and women of America’s police forces will do one thing. And it’s not necessarily upholding the law.
Occupy Northampton (MA) benefitted from a chat between the town gov’t and the local Unitarian Universalist church. The church’s congregation voted to invite the Occupiers to camp on the church’s front lawn, and after some negotiating the Occupiers have accepted. (The lawn is right down the street from the park and just as visible.)
I’m going to send this article to my mayor! (Sam Adams in Portland, OR.)
Occupy Orlando ..the cops were kind of shitty about tearing it down a couple weeks ago and arresting some people. no violence though. not even close. those arrseted were ROR’d, they got their stuff back and they’re back at the park and no incidents. They occupied a bridge today with some union people. when they’ve had marches the cops have been very professional, directed traffic and all that. It’s a small but hardy bunch and now Occupy UCF is getting off the ground and the Orlando people are discussing hosting the convention for all the FL occupations. It’s pretty centrally located.
Here in Illinois, let’s give a shout out to:
Occupy Naperville
http://www.occupynaperville.org/
This group is working with the city to use their bullhorn before the normal open start time of noon so that they don’t have to change their march starting hour to accommodate the general assembly. I know one Dupage County Board member who supports and attends this group’s weekly rally.
Occupy Rockford
http://occupyrockford.org/
Be sure to check out the media coverage of the multi-group foreclosure protest outside of Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Rockford office this week!
Occupy Elgin – no link for this one, but I know they do a weekly thing on Saturdays.
And let’s not forget:
Occupy Chicago
http://occupychi.org/
They had the lead story on our 10:00 pm news tonight. It was a peaceful rally and march that lasted over 3 hours and blocked afternoon rush hour traffic in the loop. The police pretty much let them do whatever they wanted, including shutting down a bridge over the Chicago river. Nobody was arrested even though some were removed by police from the bridge and detained for a short while for misdemeanor traffic violations. The second story on one news channel was from the OWS that showed the police brutality. That’s really shocking to see on the nightly news!
You already know about it, because I saw you post a comment about it, PW, but I thought I’d step up and testify and give a shout out for OccupyPittsburgh http://www.occupypittsburgh.org/
You beat me to it with mentioning Occupy Chicago ;) . Admittedly, the Mayor hates us with the fire of a thousand suns. But the police don’t! Thus far, we’ve had civil, respectful relations.
Mike Flannigan sums up Occupy Wall Street like nobody else can.
Santa Fe, NM Many visible tents just off busy street in Railroad Park. Mayor and police cool so far. No arrests yet. http://occupysantafenm.org/
“Let’s list the other Occupy locales that get along well with the local officialdom.”
For what purpose exactly?!
This reads like a hollow and useless exercise in feel-goodism after many days of coordinated heavy and sustained state violence across the country and you ask your readers to talk about the (relatively) inconsequential places “that get along well with the local officialdom.”
Seriously, can you tell me what this post or anyone participating on it aims to achieve?
Respectfully,
Towner
On the contrary, this is a most useful and inspiring article. Before I read it, I was led to believe that there was a uniform, national, violent response to the Occupy movement on the part of local governments. Now I realize that the violent locales are, in fact, the exceptions. This article also gives much hope that local police are not necessarily enemies of the movement. It makes one feel very strongly that the violence is being coordinated in a few places by our national security state.
I saw Occupy Martinez, CA in front of the union hall on the main drag in town. 10 high-energy people there (one with bullhorn) and no problems: the only ruckus they were causing were motorists honking in support of them.
The Seattle Police Department seems to be getting worse by the year with one brutal incident after another. I would sure like to see the Methodist Minister, Rich Lang on national TV giving an interview. He is beyond informed, insightful and articulate.
Occupy Lansing in Michigan is getting good press
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/15/368887/as-cities-crack-down-lansing-distinguishes-itself-by-respecting-occupy-lansing/
http://occupylansing.us/
It’s depressing how many friends and acquaintences blow off #OWS. ‘They’ hurt business, block traffic, clog things up with mess and litter, and why can’t ‘they’ be productive and find a job? What’s ‘their’ point?
Again…it is depressing. These are 99%ers I’m talking about (maybe 24%ers if you checked their paystubs). The same people in the past who’ve looked me square in the eye, vacantly, and said, “Bradley Manning who?”
Depressing.
Oh, and they vote Obama.
While looking at me like I’m a space alien.
test
FYI.
Sounds like these folks are willing creatures of the system. Find others who are like-minded and work with them to make a difference anyway you can.
Great idea for a post, Ms. Woman. Thanks!
Could it be that there is a connection between police aggression and high visibility? What I mean is that the media is not covering the small occupy sites very much b/c there is little violence and because they are small, while the large occupy sites are more threatening to the 1% because they are more visible and therefore the police are instructed to be super-aggressive?
Regardless, I had no idea there were quite so many occupations; it’s fun to hear about them and heartening.
A Portland, OR #N17 recap.
Yes, that’s precisely it. The relative “peaceful coexistence” Phoenix Woman thinks exists is an illusion. If Occupy Detroit, or Occupy anywhere, were in any way threatening to the the political order then that “peace” would turn to state violence immediately. Peaceful coexistence between cops and citizens in Detroit? Maybe in the wealthy suburbs.
As I asked in a comment above, just what is the point of this post beyond feeling good? I’m not trying to be an ass, and I’m extremely grateful to FDL for such dedicated cover and support of the movement.
But don’t be heartened by fairy tales. Be heartened by the actual struggles, by dedicated citizens in active conflict against their oppressors.
I’m not sure I understand. At first you “were led to believe” there was a “national response” but it was carried out by locals? But now you think its actually just violence being coordinated in a few places by our national security state.” Now you’re hopeful that the local police “are not necessarily enemies of the movement.” And that’s from reading this one blog post?
Occupy Fort Lauderdale is a peaceful though small encampment at the plaza of our city hall. http://www.occupyfortlauderdale.org
http://occupymemphis.org/
About a third of the way down, there’s a pretty good list here:
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/
LRAD is being used on Japanese whaling boats against Sea Shepard actions to stop whaling. I guess the Japanese spent the money to develop their own version. Or, maybe not. It would be interesting to know if a US company sold LRAD to international treaty violators (research my ass).
UU Church is the most progressive fake Christian organization in US. Many host meditation groups, etc. Very cool people.
Towner said, “…don’t be heartened by fairy tales. ”
Maybe you haven’t been to some of these places listed and linked in this post. The fact that there are actual people standing up and repeating the same actions with the same understanding in all these far flung places – like a national mic check – does more than just feel good. For many out there, people have been waiting (and for a long time) for just such actions and just such responses by people in their own communities so that these actions seem to people who actually live there very much like fairy tales come true. That the ‘fairy tale’ of people standing up and telling off their government whether cops shut them down or get out of the way and for such just reasons, in non-violent protest, without the brandishing of any weapons or the bullying tactics of big money and their followers is’nt a fairy tale at all. But that this is actually going on, in their own town or one just down the road turns this fairy tale instead into a galvanizing moment where communication occurs and understanding spreads farther than just the media centers and the biggest cities. When people in smaller towns realize that the occupiers aren’t merely dirty hippies – as seen on tv – but actually include their neighbors or people they’ve met and know a bit about, then they will have already realized they themselves may be or likely are part of the 99%.
So this post isn’t just about feeling good while it does do that. It’s also about communicating values.
I think Parsley is right. The media generally does follow the adage, ‘if it bleeds it leads’. Where there is disaster or conflict, studies show, that’s where the eyeballs go, where the reptilian parts of our brains tend to fall to and focus. That may not be where the most important news is but that’s the way to sell the most papers. What kept the National Enquirer and News of the World, NY Posts in business for so long. As a business model for papers, it works. As a medium for informing a concerned citizenry, not so much. In fact, we’re so used to the ‘disaster/conflict-centered’ model of ‘news’, it is hard for some of us out here to be able to see good news when it’s right in front of our faces. You hear responses like, ‘What are they saying?’, ‘What do they expect to do when it gets cold?’, ‘Why are they all acting so damn happy, are they on drugs?’, ‘Don’t they have a job?’. No. They’re occupying, and communicating it, clearly. Far and Wide. Good news. And right now, it looks like that news is getting better and better.
Glad you like the UUs, but please don’t call us “fake Christians”. We do respect and follow the teachings of Christ sometimes, but we are not Christians. The Unitarian part of our name basically means “one god”. That rules out the trilogy.
here’s an article in today’s KC Star on occupy kansas city:
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/17/3272471/occupy-kc-has-avoided-trouble.html
they were set to march to Prospect Bridge yesterday
http://www.occupykc.net/local_coverage
but I haven’t found any info on how that turned out
Ten people in Lawrence, KS pled not guilty to violating a city ordinance prohibiting camping overnight in a city park. A hearing is scheduled Dec12
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/17/3271193/occupy-lawrence-protesters-plead.html
I have similar friends, who are trad-Dem voters, but who have safe jobs (mostly union jobs) and a good solid paycheck. By virtue of the propoganda, they appear to be turning more & more conservative, but are adulating Obama supporters in the twisted notion that Obama is “on their side.”
I was resoundingly informed last night by one such person that “everyone” involved in the Occupy movements were – wait for it – lazy slackers who don’t want a job, aren’t contributing to “they system,” and who are dirty lazy sex fiends getting in everyone’s way with no real message.
I might add that this same person merely believes that Bank of America needs to engage in a PR campaign to “improve their image,” and sees no connection between the 2008 crash and the criminal behavior engaged in by BoA executives, etc. Also feels that all smaller banks “should be” gobbled up by the bigger banks bc it will be “better” that way but can give no plausible explanation for why.
This person made the mistake of asking me why Obama is now putting troops in Australia. I said succinctly: so the 1% can make money from YOUR tax dollars. This made my friend very angry with me. Insisted that there “had to be” a “real” military strategy. I said: OK. What military strategy do YOU think it is??? We have troops all over Asia right now. Why do YOU think we need marines in Darwin???? Couldn’t answer but intransignetly insisting that there definitely IS a “good” reason for it.
Sigh…. also has NO CLUE who Bradley Manning is, but when I attempted to explain some time ago the whole situation, this person felt that the US govt was “probably” dealing with Manning “fairly.”
That’s the way it goes. Most citizens are woefully misinformed. Trad Dem voters have *become* much much more conservative (as was the goal), and those that have safe jobs really don’t give a sh*t about anyone else. They buy into the b.s. that if you don’t have a job it’s bc you’re a lazy welfare cheater looking for hand-out, and you’re not contributing… blah blah blah…
depressing…
Agreed. Also with Occupy Lansing, it’s a former gubenatorial candidate who’s still mayor who OK’d the downpark camp site….ha ha in Gov. Snyder’s face! I’m only sorry I don’t live closer, though some of my cooking/baking has made it’s way there, and I’ll be donating some handmade woolies when they’re done.
kspopulist,
Thanks for taking the time with such a thoughtful response. “So this post isn’t just about feeling good while it does do that. It’s also about communicating values.” I can appreciate that, particularly as someone who grew up in a relatively small community. And I also appreciate your points about contact and communication outside the corporate and big business media centers. My point was not to criticize small towns vs big towns, etc. Detroit and Cincinnati aren’t exactly small communities. But I still insist that it’s critical to understand that “peaceful coexistence” with the PTB and their enforcers is a total myth. With or without #Occupy there is no peaceful coexistence, quite the opposite, this is a class war with just one side explicitly fighting it until Occupy came along.
I understand that each community operates within its own set of dynamics both relating to the national and to local and that events will unfold and develop in unique ways in each location. Communicating values is certainly important. And the simple but revolutionary idea that people can simply meet up with each other outside of corporate and state limits is critical. But that is only part of the struggle. At some point, if we want to actually change things, ie. win concessions like stopping austerity, public investment in schools and health care etc. that means contesting power directly and when that happens the police will not be our friends. And within the Occupy movement, only Oakland has actually asserted an actual material threat by shutting down the port.
But again, I agree with your sentiment and analysis. This is a long struggle and it will take a good amount of education in class consciousness before most communities are able to effectively challenge authority.
Occupy Lexington in Kentucky has worked well with local police. Several elected officials have stopped by & been supportive (city council members & state representatives). We have gotten good media coverage & constant support (in food, supplies, etc.). Passerbys by have been overwhelmingly supportive with only a small minority being negative. For more, see http://www.occupylexky.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Occupy_movement_protest_locations_in_the_United_States
I think you’re being obtuse here. A big part of the efficacy of OWS so far is its salutary effect on dialog. I think this is an important counterpoint-that there are occupations without violent confrontation-to the narrative that the more aggressive of the PTB want to construct: that occupiers are borderline terrorists looking for trouble.
you make a couple good points here, but it may be you’re assuming you have a bead on how things will ‘inevitably’ fall out… in which case, I’d disagree.
But thanks to Phoenix Woman’s post we’re talking about it,,, mebbe I should put a new post up with this somewhat different discussion…
But, you said, “if we want to actually change things, ie. win concessions like stopping austerity, public investment in schools and health care etc. that means contesting power directly”. The PTB are everywhere, the people are everywhere. City Hall, CitiBank, City Hospital, City PD, State Insurance and so on. They follow social models or don’t. Some for this, some for that. Contests happen all the time. In all manner of means and models. You allude at least to a form of ‘confronting power directly’ to seemingly force specific concessions, I guess, from the PTB. That’s one way to do certain things, granted. But a social movement where the form of dialog itself , between equals, is different, outside the corporo/bureaucrat/market models, can by itself change the modes and means of communication and even what kind of ‘contests’ are about. Like the 99% instead of hateful diatribes about say, immigrants or lazy thugs or all the various tribal lenses. Smelly hippies. Dirty copper. Stuff of fairy tales, man. :)
The surest way, I’d say to be winning at contests in the current age is to make winning for the ‘PTB’ no longer cost effective for them. That means not buying Quilted Northern toilet tissue. :)
OccupyFortCollins was just recently relocated peacefully from an oldtown/mainstreet location (unused private business lot and public sidewalk) to a public park a couple miles down the mainstreet in the middle of town. There was a $10million fire a couple weeks ago a block away from the first location, an apartment building under construction (used by homeless) which spread to an adjacent apartment building. A young/married/repub/business man that was active in the occupy was arrested for arson and is being held on $250,000 bond. He and his friends/family/co-occupationists generally maintain his innocence, and whatever evidence the DA has has been sealed. Lots of sentiment that he is being railroaded as a symbol of the occupation, and that a more likely (and probably unprovable) source for the fire was a small fire of the homeless transients in the unfinished building getting out of hand.
occupy boulder has kept peace with the city – we are relocating from a busy corner where we had a noon-6pm occupation – to the Pearl Street Mall for a daytime/evening occupation. we had one guy pop up a tent that sparked a conversation for sure – he was from denver and left for denver, left his tent. boulder people are very very intense about public space being outdoorsy and privileged and all… biker versus dog walker kind of stuff, our sense is we’d end up in a confrontation that would take away energy or add energy that’s not so helpful… our GA is hashing it out today and we’ll see!
occupyboulder.org
there’s an open phone call Sunday 6pm pacific for national participation, with a focus on interGA consensus process. we’ll look at proposals from around the movement and discuss the value of bringing these proposals to other GAs.
check out http://www.occupythestack.org for more info and register at
http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/Z4P15QEGQWWSQ5V