I Was Arrested At Occupy Oakland Yesterday

A Take On Occupy;

The recent Oakland incident shows that the occupy movement still has legs. Even though the heart of the movement may still be beating, it’s on the way to the ER.
Although the members are passionate, a leader-less movement is doomed to fail.

At a point in the early weeks of OWS, public opinion was beginning to stand side by side with the movement. But the lack of clear objectives and effective strategies for how to achieve economic and social change lead the movement astray.

OWS is organized using a non-binding, consensus-based, collective decision making tool known as a ‘people's assembly.' Although it is a great tool to get people involved, this basis of organization is leading the movement no where. Most American’s understand that the protesters are disillusioned by our current political leadership and legislation. However, this horizontal structure lacks organization, and without organization, they will never get anything done.

Looking back on the history of successful social movements, like the civil rights movement, people didn't just start out wanting to create radical change. They wanted to sit on a bus. They wanted to go to better schools. They wanted equality. Later, when they became more organized and rallied around a central leader, that's when things started to change.

The occupy movement had many opportunities to rally public support ( such as the “Infamous videotape of Cal Davis cops using pepper spray). But the horizontal structure of the OWS movement prevented any viable momentum building.
This structure is unrealistic in the long term. It becomes a mob.
This movement desperately needs a leader who can clearly articulate the group's goals. If you want to end the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, or you want better health care or job opportunities, then say that. If I hear “Mic Check” one more time, I think I’ll have an aneurysm. If they don't come together soon with some clear definable objectives, the movement is certain to fail.

stringman

Yeah, it's the wrong time of the year to eat apples, they are out of season. If you were eating a doughnut you wouldn't have got arrested. You're doughnuts may have got confiscated though.

reply to post by ANOK

When are you people going to learn that communism/communists are not the enemy. The term has been heavily propagandized, due to the fact the PTB are scared to death of it.

You must be deaf and blind to believe that non-sense. How many people died or disappeared under Stalin alone?
What happened again at Tiananmen Square? A few thousand killed and afterwards the party killed "purged" all political leaders sympathetic to the protesters.

It doesn't sound like anything I want. I take my current flawed freedoms over that anyday. I don't think I would ever have wanted to live under Mao. Stalin, or the Khmer Rouge. Who is starring your propaganda?
From Wiki:

Mass killings occurred under some Communist regimes during the twentieth century with an estimated death toll numbering between 85 and 100 million.Some higher estimates of mass killings include not only mass murders or executions that took place during the elimination of political opponents, civil wars, terror campaigns, and land reforms, but also lives lost due to war, famine, disease, and exhaustion in labor camps.

reply to post by MemoryShock


There's a saying going around that if you get arrested enough times, you might end up in Gitmo or somewhere in a FEMA underground camp without your habeas corpus thingy rights.

reply to post by josephamccoy

basically it's a guy at occupy DC getting arrested then tasered without having his rights read or being informed of what he's being arrested for

They are not required to read you your rights until they question you. Just sayin... He can be detained for probably 48-72 hours without being read his rights or even being told why he is being detained, then they can just let him go. Especially during times classified as "riots" or the likes, but anyone can be held without Miranda readings until they are questioned, and under Obamas new rules, if you are classified as a "terrorist", basically anyone in the US can be called that now, they never even have to read you your rights at all. Go Obama.

And anything you say still can be held against you. It is up to you to know the rules now, so go study the laws.

If they read you your rights, and there's nobody there to hear them reading you your rights....did they really read you your rights?

Video Removed by User!

I didn't even get a chance to view it!

reply to post by MemoryShock

And there it is...a first hand account...more later if and when it transpires...because who can really predict the future?

Thanks for sharing that, and I'm sorry for the craptacular garbage the anti-ows fanclub will fill this thread with. We need more people there to share their feelings and stories, because the media sure isn't/

well... did you at least get college credit for it? If not you are going to the wrong School

also, I was watching this happen (in live time) because honestly... This is super entertaining to watch, I cannot be the only one thinking that... But you know what... The people who are against OWS don't see police brutality.. They see a bunch of people breaking the law (I could name 6 watching that live stream).

Just saying being a martyr isn't swaying anyone... However it might help with the hippie chicks!

Let me know when your bail hearing iis and I'll instruct my lawyers to do everything in their power to have it revoked and have you booted back to your well-deserved prison cell where I would encourage you at all times to pick up the soap in the shower so you can get what you so justly deserve.

reply to post by ballisticmousse


Ballistic... Harsh but I see what you are saying.... and I kinda agree

the biggest problem right now is theres NO consequence for this! Oh no a misdemeanor that requires no jail time!!!and now you are a hero to the cause (look what this sparked).

frankly charge em with conspiracy and felony offenses and this will solve itself!

Originally posted by k1k1to
reply to post by MemoryShock

 

the occupy movement is still going on? i thought it ended a couple of weeks ago...whats the point really?...it never accomplished anything, and just proved that kids now-a-days are lazy and dont want a job that requires hard work and a little elbow grease...

An ignorant statement and of course has many ignorant stars attached to it. Why is it so hard for you and others ot realize that everything you just said is what the MSM wants people to think of Occupy! The occupy movement had a very specific goal, and that was to get a message across to TPTB. The message has just begun to sink in, and the occupy movement will continue in the spring. Keep getting your info from Fox News though, very intelligent......

Originally posted by kawika
Hey man, you can't lean up against a car eating an apple and expect the cops to look the other way.

This country is on its way back to a little law and order.
K

edit on 29-1-2012 by kawika because: add text

Yeah! Who eats apples these days anyways?? Hippie!

This is an astounding first hand account. I feel for you. I think the police these days are basically armed thugs (well most of them anyways, there are some really good ones) they're even taught in the academy to basically loath the public, especially hippie protesters. You guys are just too easy of a target. All this peaceful assembly and standig up for your rights makes them sick.

I firmly believe they act in hopes of provoking people to fight back so they can really whoop your ass, and send you to the clink.

I've also noticed that cops are acting more and with a street gang like mentality. One on one they can be pleasant and reasonable. When in groups, they try to impress each other, and act like thugs.

reply to post by Imightknow


so burning flags and using public properties as a toilet is helping stick it to the man??

sounds like a hippie movement to me....

As long as the morons in Congress refuses to confront realities and needs of the 99%, correct errors, help the many whom had fallen on the economic wayside instead of continued pandering to the super - rich, OWS will continue to STAND and NEVER DIE.

You are a brave person! I would have been scared to death. I hope you hang in there and get those charges dropped!

Originally posted by k1k1to
reply to post by MemoryShock

 

the occupy movement is still going on? i thought it ended a couple of weeks ago...whats the point really?...it never accomplished anything, and just proved that kids now-a-days are lazy and dont want a job that requires hard work and a little elbow grease...

Not what this is about. you obviously don't get it.

It's about the people who do go get a job and work hard and then get screwed over by the rich kids who were given their job by their dad who fire people so they can have an extra porche in their driveway of their 3.5 acre lot and 10,000 square foot house.

It's about those people having all that and still saying it's not enough and they want more. They don't want to sacrifice anything they " so rightfully gained" ( eghgh dad gave them ) so they want us to sacrifice our money so they can gain more.

And when we ask for a little bit in return back it's " o too bad "..

We the people helped these people get into positions of power and wealth. And how do they repay the country ?

By screwing them over and sending jobs to other countries so they can make even more of a profit because god forbid you should have to only survive on $5 million a year. That means you can only take 5 instead of 10 vacations a year. oh no!


People like the poster above just don't get it. And Probably never will. This is about educating people like yourself more than gaining anything back. Because if every citizen was properly educated to think for themselves we would not be in this mess.

Instead...if you don't think like everyone else then you are some how less than?


whatever though. Don't let it get ya down. things HAVE to get better because they can and will.

what you just described (you know with some bias)

is called Capitalism and it's also called JEALOUSY which isn't a good thing to have.

instead of complaining about what other people have, why not work harder?

Don't complain about getting busted. At least you will have something to tell you're kids and grandkids about when you get old. Spring it on them when they are calling you an oldtimer and too conservative. You are building memories which will help make you into an individual later in life. Don't go overboard though, you don't want to spend too much time in jail or you won't have any grandchildren to tell.

Originally posted by DrNotforhire
what you just described (you know with some bias)

is called Capitalism and it's also called JEALOUSY which isn't a good thing to have.

instead of complaining about what other people have, why not work harder?

yep work harder like the masses of middle america who then had everything they own literally torn away from under them when the government turned a blind eye to poor banking practices, and not doing enough to stop them robo signing houses out from underneath people.
work harder so that your 401k ends up being stripped of its worth, your pension to be lost in a hostile takeover,
for you to end up back where you started 20 years ago.
work harder because IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR SECURITY!.
because if you don't your only being avericious about what other people have.
i bloody despair at the level of sense some posters have. probably a teenager.