Our own Tim Pool is streaming live from Duarte Square:
Kossack Tool (Austin Hill) is following Jesse LaGreca and streaming:
Today is an interesting day. It is Bradley Manning's 24th Birthday. It is the one year anniversary of Bouazizi's self immolation. It is the third anniversary of the start of OccupyWallSt.
We're live as Occupy 2.0 begins at Duarte square in NYC. They're at Canal St and Grand St. Our office is on grand, so while we've got two people in the field, I'll be able to run down myself in an emergency.
We can confirm that the NYPD is continuing to target and intimidate independent journalists. Along with 8 others, John Knefel, nephew of Kossack Catskill Julie, was arrested by the NYPD for being an inconvenient voice.
Indie journalist John Knefel reaches for his glasses after being tackled by the NYPD.
Things are tense.
The action begins officially in ten minutes (12:00 PM EST) but there are already about 300 people at Duarte.
Stay with us for constant updates, and follow me @WillMcLeod99 on twitter for a constant photo stream.
(If you don't have or use twitter, this is a great way to get photos from the action. A lot of them are protected, and I won't be able to re-upload them quickly enough to get all of them posted in this diary.)
I'll be able to get some images up, but not all of them, so if you can't see video, twitter is a great way to get images.
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9:20 AM PT: "Hipster Cop" has confirmed that there is now a "No Rallying Rule" in NYC. This is confirmed by Huffpo Blogger Allison Kilkenny, who I consider a trustworthy source.
No Rallying, No Peaceful Assembly, No First Amendment.
9:31 AM PT: A few mic checks have been made already, as the crowd continues to grow down at Duarte Square, named for the founder of the Dominican Republic.
9:36 AM PT: Allison Kilkenny: "I think this might break the "No Rally" rule."
10:01 AM PT: I've embedded Tool's livestream. He's live following Jesse LaGreca.
10:03 AM PT: Occupy Miami is demonstrating against sweatshops outside of Banana Republic for #D17.
10:23 AM PT:
Occupy Clergy speak at Duarte Square.
To quote Jesse LaGreca "We're talking about feeding the poor, treating the sick, you know Jesus Stuff."
We can confirm that a Methodist Minister was arrested at #d12 in Oakland. I can't get the name or church yet, but I'll update you when I have more info.
Clergy have been part of the Occupy movement since the beginning.
Another interesting group call themselves the Tranarchists. Transgender Anarchists. They're pretty cool. I'm hoping they make an appearance today.
10:32 AM PT:
Occupy Memphis rally begins for #D17.
This national day of action is seeing solidarity events around the country.
10:36 AM PT:
Hunger strikers are looking forward to their first meal in days as the encampment reconvenes at Duarte Square.
Rep. Keith Ellison told us he has joined in a hunger strike with Occupy DC's strikers, who are demanding DC Statehood.
10:41 AM PT: A child wearing an occupy sign plays at Duarte square:
10:44 AM PT: The group at Duarte continues to grow, and has now reached 500.
10:47 AM PT: The scene at Duarte:
10:52 AM PT: OWS Kitchen hands out sandwiches:
"Where's the kitchen?" asked one occupier. "We're EVERYWHERE!" she answered.
11:22 AM PT: Siobhan99 tweets this image of the occupy kids:
11:26 AM PT: Large and growing police presence:
11:30 AM PT: Disorder Control Unit from the NYPD is on the scene.
11:34 AM PT: This image of a police van at a carwash was taken about a block from Duarte.
Josh Harkinson: "Gotta look good for the big day!"
11:36 AM PT: Jesse LaGreca "The Smartest Man on Wall St" is live on our main channel!
11:39 AM PT: Doctors at Duarte demand Medicare for All.
11:42 AM PT: Jesse LaGreca: "These people lie for a living. When they say that we can cut taxes and increase revenue, it's a lie. If I'm a chef, and you tell me to make you a soup, but say 'I want you to use half the ingredients and come up with twice the ingredients' I'd say "I'm a chef, not a magician!" Their math just doesn't work."
11:51 AM PT: Trusted source tweets: "NYPD is ringing Duarte with dozens of zip cuffs on every belt. Barricades coming down on part of Wall St this morning."
11:53 AM PT:
@Newyorkist
That was weird. Someone just pretend scaled fence, climbed up, and police, some standing near, didn't even move in. One turned his back.
@Newyorkist
Now multiple ppl pretending to climb fence. One TARU came over to be present. He walked into crowd, crowd followed him, he walked away #d17
11:55 AM PT: @GlobalRevLive Police Threaten Tenant of host of Aierial View for #occupynyc for #d17 if you have view and can host dm @globalrevlive asap. #ows
12:20 PM PT: The marchers have passed Broome st:
12:37 PM PT: THEY HAVE SCALED THE FENCE AND TAKEN THE SQUARE!!
12:39 PM PT: POLICE ARE ENTERING NOW. The protesters have cut the fence open and the police are following!
12:40 PM PT: Police are ripping occupiers off the fence!
12:41 PM PT: The occupiers, at the end of the march, scaled the fence next to Duarte square, entering a vacant lot owned by trinity church.
The police are making arrests now.
12:43 PM PT: There are so many bodies pressing up against the chain link fence, that it is BENDING inward.
12:44 PM PT: The fence is broken! Police and protesters are pushing against the fence!
12:49 PM PT: Police have pushed occupiers back to the sidewalk and arrested everyone inside.
12:55 PM PT: Protesters are singing the imperial march, dark vader's theme song, at the police.
Vet "I had a lot more bullets shot at me in Nam than you ever will! Don't you be clubbin' us!"
12:59 PM PT: My earlier update didn't post: protesters set up a stairway over the fence.
One young woman sat at the top of the stairway, posing for pictures, blocking other protesters from entering the square.
1:05 PM PT: Protesters scaling fence:
1:13 PM PT: Attacks on journalists continue. Confirmed: @anjucomet: Two former colleagues from @democracynow with press passes got punched by nypd #ows #d17
1:19 PM PT: Andrew Katz @katz One NYPD officer acknowledged my @columbiajourn press credentials and let me through barricade. Five minutes later others didn't #D17
Ryan Devereaux @RDevro 15m I'm a small guy. The cop that assaulted me is probably about 6'5", 250. One man is bleeding from the head right now, hit by a cop. #ows #D17
Ryan Devereaux @RDevro 20m My colleague, a credentialed cameraman, was punched in the kidney three times. #D17 #ows
Anjali Kamat @anjucomet 19m Two former colleagues from @democracynow with press passes got punched by nypd #ows #d17
1:29 PM PT: The sidewalk is now closed:
Hank: I just asked why the sidewalk is being closed. NYPD Officer: "There's no reason to stand out here in the freezing cold.." #OWS #D17
1:37 PM PT: THEY WILL OCCUPY A SECOND SQUARE.
They're calling it "Perseus" to prevent the NYPD from knowing where they're going.
Even I don't know where Perseus is.
1:53 PM PT: I'm getting reports of arrests in Raleigh.
1:59 PM PT: The first person to scale the fence today was retired episcopal bishop George Packard. Here, he explains why: http://t.co/...
"Trinity might mobilize platoons of police in riot gear and ring this sad little space with multiple barricades. No room in this Inn!
It’s one thing to write about this but to come face-to-face with hundreds of expressionless cops with batons protecting a church-owned haven is to be in some mythological drama out of C.S. Lewis.
I plan to be with the marchers on Saturday not because I don’t like and respect the Rector, the staff, and all the work of this historic parish. I believe they are making a profoundly wrong decision in this matter. Certainly they could record what they think is a trespass on the property with a note to the Occupiers but then have the grace to look the other way."
2:05 PM PT: Protesters have been chanting "We are unstoppable, another world is possible."
2:12 PM PT: Luke, formerly of Infowars and RT, has been doing some decent reporting. I don't agree with his style, but he's captured some excellent moments.
Like this one: police commissioner kelly LAUGHS when asked why he hasn't held police accountable for beating journalists and protesters:
2:22 PM PT: MY BLOG COVERAGE HAS MOVED:
http://www.dailykos.com/...