Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) — Wall Street firms will be the target of a nonviolent demonstration in which organizers say they want 20,000 people to participate with tents, kitchens and “peaceful barricades” in lower Manhattan.
Dubbed “#OccupyWallStreet,” the goal of the protest scheduled to start today is to get President Barack Obama to establish a commission to end “the influence money has over our representatives in Washington,” according to the website of Adbusters, a group promoting the demonstration. Organizers want participants to “occupy” the area for “a few months,” according to the website.
“People have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we’ll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sept. 15 at a press conference. “As long as they do it where other people’s rights are respected, this is the place where people can speak their minds, and that’s what makes New York New York.”
Yeah, Mike, just like you did during the Republican convention, by putting protesters in cages. I suppose you’ll play nice this time — you sound worried.
The New York City Police Department is aware of the protest and is “planning accordingly,” Paul Browne, a spokesman for the department, said in an e-mail.
[..] Protests also are planned for financial districts in Madrid, Milan, London and Paris, according to a bulletin from the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center obtained by Bloomberg News. The NCCIC is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Chris Ortman, an agency spokesman, confirmed the bulletin’s authenticity.
Scroll on bottom of live feed from Madrid said cops occupy Wall Street and won’t let people near the stock exchange.
Where’s that First Amendment when we need it?
Ironically enough, the president yesterday declared this National Constitution Week. We have one, we’re just not allowed to use it.
This, like all the other protests over everything from climate change, to war, to health care, to financial regulation (or policies) – and on and on – probably won’t go anywhere and will be viewed as an action by “disgruntled” people and dismissed by the media (if it’s even mentioned) and ignored by the White House and policy makers.