Across the country, occupy pickets are blocking the entrances to banks and anti-labor businesses. Similar actions are taking place in London and across the world.
Come all you good workers who toil night and day,
by hand and by brain to earn your pay.
Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread,
have bled for your countries and counted your dead.
In the factories and mills, in the shipyards and mines
we've often been told to keep up with the times.
For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job,
and with slide rule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed.
But when the sky darkens and the prospect is war
who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore?
And expected to die for the land of our birth,
though we've never owned one handful of earth.
We're the first ones to starve.
We're the first ones to die.
We're the first ones in line for that pie in the sky.
And we're always the last when the cream is shared out.
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about.
All of these things the worker has done,
from tilling the fields to carrying the gun.
We've been yoked to the plow since time first began,
always expected to carry the can.
Perhaps that's all that needs to be said.
A note: I can't write about everything, neither can the others covering this. If you see me covering an important event with a link and a paragraph, and YOU think it needs a full diary, then do it, Kossack.
The Working Class Movement needs your writing. Social Justice waits on your fingers.
The more we write, the more we post, the more noise we create, the better off we'll all be.
Best Video Streams:
(If they go down, click the link, or refresh the page.)
Timcast.Tv
Occupy Oakland:
Live stream by Ustream
Global Rev:
My first two pieces of news are bad news. Co-opting the May Day action, a group of Anarchists in San Francisco broke off from the main march and began vandalizing businesses, cutting a mile-long swath of pointless destruction. The police were totally unprepared.
Actions like this create pointless division between Occupiers, small business owners, and the police, all of whom are the 99.
To quote a punk song I listened to as a kid:
Punk ain't no religious cult
Punk means thinking for yourself
You ain't hardcore cos you spike your hair
When a jock still lives inside your head
Nazi punks
Nazi punks
Nazi punks-Fuck Off!
If you've come to fight, get outa here
You ain't no better than the bouncers
We ain't trying to be police
When you ape the cops it ain't anarchy
Dead Kennedy's - Nazi Punks Fuck Off
And lets call this what it is: co-option of a larger movement. Anarchists have been smashing windows since the 20's, and have accomplished absolutely nothing with tactics that divide the working class. They can no longer function as a movement of their own, because the police are aware of their intent and will shut them down immediately, so they're now attaching themselves to larger movements to continue their campaigns of senseless violence.
These people don't believe in solidarity. To quote one of them:
Not sure we're down with this 99% thing, as it seems to imply a broad class front that includes everyone but the richest of the rich. There are plenty of people left out of the category of the super-rich that I don't want solidarity with, like fascists, white nationalists, police/FBI, politicians, Stalinists, the bourgeoisie and some of the petty bourgeoisie that make up the bosses and landlords that we have so many problems with, etc.
So small business owners are "Bosses" and "landlords" and deserve to have their windows smashed.
Lovely.
Meanwhile, in New York, the NYPD raided the homes of three activists prior to the Mayday action, interrogating multiple people about the plans for today's action.
I don't know that it's legal to capture and interrogate people about their plans for a non-violent political action.
Legality isn't the NYPD's strong suit anyway.
I've said a lot of friendly things about individual members of the NYPD in my writing. I've been an unflinching supporter of the individual police on the ground, and I still am. The Rank and File officer just follows his orders or he loses his job. The rank and file aren't the violent ones, it's the white shirts who've been the consistent problem. With 9.7 percent unemployment in New York, there's not a lot of places for an officer to go, especially and officer who was fired. I've met some of the friendliest cops here in New York. I've had good conversations with them.
But I'm having a lot of trouble saying nice things about individual officers when they continue to violate our civil right as a group. I'm going to keep trying, because police are the 99 percent.
New York:
Occupiers have broken into multiple marches and movements across the city, I'm getting the full breakdown on what they're doing and where they are. Tim pool is broadcasting live at Timcast.tv. He's just arrived at Bryant park.
Tim has already showed us images of multiple banks closed along marching routes.
There are protesters and union groups outside of the New York Times (UAW), Bank of America's headquarters, and News Corporation's Headquarters. There's a march on timcast right now that's going to pick up those groups, and converge as a larger body.
There are multiple marches in many directions this morning in New York, where it's cold and rainy. From what I've seen, the movement wasn't stopped by pepper spray, and a little drizzle of cold water isn't going to stop them either.
They're outside of News Corp right now, chanting "Fox News Lies!"
London
Occupiers are marching down the Strand, the most fashionable street in all of the UK, shops are slamming their doors shut and closing early to keep Anonymous and Occupiers out.
There are tents up in Trafalgar Square:
More information on other cities as it comes.
7:22 AM PT: My first image from San Francisco is this Wells Fargo:
The occupiers have surrounded it with crime scene tape.
7:31 AM PT: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FLIPPING KIDDING ME!
In an apparent attempt to counteract May-Day the FBI has announced the completion of another one of their sting operations.
You know the ones. The kind of operation where the FBI encourages people to commit violence, provides them with fake explosives and then announces "HOORAY WE STOPPED A TERRORIST ATTACK!"
Well they did it again, and they announced it on Mayday:
Reported by fox of course: Five "Anarchists" Prevented from Blowing Up Ohio Bridge.
Lovely. Just lovely.
7:34 AM PT: There's a new tactic among the NYPD.
They're afraid of losing lawsuits and court cases so there are now NYPD Legal Observers.
They're bringing their own professional witnesses in, probably to lie on the stand in support of the NYPD's official story.
Edit to clarify: There have been a lot of completely bogus charges laid against occupiers by the NYPD. Most of the time, it's because someone got grabbed and thrown in a van, and the police supervisor needs a way to justify the arrest. They don't expect these to go to trial.
7:59 AM PT: A man was just arrested for Jaywalking outside of brooks brothers, tackled to the ground.
8:05 AM PT: Tim Pool reports veteran arrested earlier, possibly for jaywalking, while carrying an American Flag.
8:12 AM PT: Marchers in Brooklyn:
8:16 AM PT: A marching band has been playing "Which side are you on?" through the day, and marchers are singing.
8:27 AM PT: Whose bridge? OUR BRIDGE! Brooklyn protesters marching into Manhattan. We're expecting all of the pickets to converge soon.
8:58 AM PT: London:
9:02 AM PT: WONDERFUL!
Wall Street Journal on the Anarchist Bomb Plot:
The suspects were self-described anarchists who formed their own group, according to one official. The official said that during the investigation, several of the suspects repeatedly complained that the Occupy Wall Street movement, which had spread to other cities from New York, wasn't violent enough.
I wonder what Fox News is going to do with this.
9:08 AM PT: I'm getting some unconfirmed reports.
25 Protesters may have layed down in the middle of 3rd ave. We're hearing about arrests on the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges. They may not be letting the marchers through at this time. Attempting to confirm.
9:09 AM PT: Tim Pool says that NLG confirms arrests on Williamsburg Bridge. That peaceful march above with the General Strike banner.
We have further reports of mass arrests at 40th and Park, unconfirmed as yet.
9:16 AM PT: The second report off Mass Arrests at 41st and Park was in error. Occupiers are coalescing on several parks.
In Portland, students have taken the Broadway Bridge, and the police are threatening arrests.
9:18 AM PT: Walkouts are beginning in New York City High Schools in support of OWS.
9:18 AM PT: A small group is organizing at Paul Robeson High to chaperone the walkout. Live feed: http://bambuser.com/...
9:40 AM PT: Kossack JPMassar: Just got back, ready to head down to Oakland. Lively crowd of nurses outside of Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley. Massive honking from cars and trucks on Ashby St as they pass. Beautiful day.
The nurses rally starts at 11:00 AM. They should be getting 500 or so people by then.
9:41 AM PT: There's a picket wall in front of a restaurant accused of discrimination called Capitol Grille, the picket is so long it takes up most of the sidewalk for an entire block. They're booing anyone who enters the restaurant.
10:10 AM PT: White powder was found at Fox News headquarters. Hazmat dispatched.
10:11 AM PT: Confirmed: The NYPD did in fact stop a march on the Williamsburg bridge:
10:50 AM PT: A Wildcat March just ran into trouble at Houston and Forsyth. Nine Arrests.
10:51 AM PT: Image from the Wildcat March:
10:54 AM PT: Another picture from arrests at the wildcat march:
10:58 AM PT:
Confirming multiple arrests.
11:03 AM PT: Occupiers have disassembled the barricades and are using them to wall off the police!
11:08 AM PT: Coordinated marchers following organizers with flags are heading to 5th avenue as part of Morello's Guitarmy march.
"This march is not permitted so if you don't want to get arrested, stay on the sidewalk... be respectful of the pedestrians."
11:16 AM PT: KimOConnor:
You linked to one of our local blogs, but another one: Mission Mission has extensive photos, links to videos and first hand accounts of the riot last night in my neighborhood.
There are arguments about how the local Occupy groups have not agreed to oppose violence or vandalism, so they have to own the actions of these vandals.
Frankly, the idea that they smashed up a bunch of locally owned small businesses tells me they are just assholes.
12:06 PM PT: Images from a march in Chicago now:
12:14 PM PT: Mission St and 16th shut down by an immigration march in San Francisco. Via MissionMission:
12:15 PM PT: Link to the above picture and MissionMission.
12:43 PM PT: Josh Harkinson tweets that in an attempt to push protesters off the streets, Oakland PD has restorted to flashbangs, possibly teargas. They pushed occupiers back onto the sidewalk only temporarirly, they're back in the street again.
Guy next to me in bandanna: "they are gonna start shooting again." Ya think?
@JoshHarkinson on twitter.
1:09 PM PT: Chaos in Seattle. Protesters on the ground blame the Black Block. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.
Black-clad protesters creating pockets of Chaos in Seattle... breaking/throwing/dumbassery
1:12 PM PT: This just happened in Seattle:
1:14 PM PT: More from the aftermath of a Black Block attack in Seattle:
1:14 PM PT:
1:16 PM PT: The Black Block:
1:20 PM PT: Headlines are going around now: "May Day Protests Turn Violent."
Thanks Black Block, now fuck off, please.
2:32 PM PT: There's still a lot going on, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut my blog short.
I know that Tool is live-blogging the action himself. I suggest you follow both him, and Greg Mitchell as well.
Greg Mitchell just broke the news that the 5 "anarchists" arrested in Cleveland were connected to Occupy Cleveland. Someone, write a diary on this please.
Greg Mitchell: http://www.thenation.com/...
Tool:http://www.dailykos.com/...