Push Backs And Evictions Of Occupiers Will Lead To The Violence Flash Point
THE OCCUPATION And Anybody who has to ask what the movement is all about is either stupid or a media stooge! PLEASE CHOOSE A STATE FROM THE LIST BELOW...More U.S. homes are entering the foreclosure process, but they're taking ever longer to get sold or repossessed by lenders. The number of U.S. homes that received a first-time default notice during the July to September quarter increased 14 percent compared to the second quarter of the year, RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday. That increase signals banks are moving more aggressively now against borrowers who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments than they have since industry wide foreclosure processing problems emerged last fall. Those problems resulted in a sharp drop in foreclosure activity this year. The surge in default notices means homeowners who haven't kept up their mortgage payments could now end up on the foreclosure path sooner. Initial default notices are first step in the process that can eventually lead to a home being taken back by a lender. A pickup in foreclosure activity also means a potentially faster turnaround for the U.S. housing market. Experts say a revival isn't likely to occur as long as there remains a glut of potential foreclosures hovering over the market. The third-quarter increase in initial defaults was largely a product of a spike in August. In September, default notices were off 10 percent from August, RealtyTrac said. Backlog Still, the jump in initial defaults during the July to September period is significant because it is the first increase after five consecutive quarterly declines, suggesting banks are gradually addressing their backlog of homes in foreclosure and are now beginning to move on more recent home loan defaults, said RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio. "While foreclosure activity in September and the third quarter continued to register well below levels from a year ago, there is evidence that this temporary downward trend is about to change direction, with foreclosure activity slowly beginning to ramp back up," Saccacio said. Foreclosure activity began to slow last fall after problems surfaced with the way many lenders were handling foreclosure paperwork, namely shoddy mortgage paperwork comprising several shortcuts known collectively as robo-signing. Many of the nation's largest banks reacted by temporarily ceasing all foreclosures, re-filing previously filed foreclosure cases and revisiting pending cases to prevent errors. Other factors have also worked to stall the pace of new foreclosures this year. Government probes The process has been held up by court delays in states where judges play a role in the foreclosure process, lenders' reluctance to take back properties amid slowing home sales and a possible settlement of government probes into the industry's mortgage-lending practices. Those settlement talks, led by a group of state attorneys general, have been undermined in recent weeks after state officials in some states, including California and Massachusetts, have broken with the rest of the states. While banks appear more willing to start the foreclosure countdown on borrowers, they haven't put a dent in the overall length of the foreclosure process. In the third quarter, it took an average of 336 days, or 11.2 months, for a U.S. home to go from receiving an initial notice of default to being foreclosed by a lender, RealtyTrac said. That's up from 318 days, or 10.6 months, in the second quarter and represents the largest average span of time for the foreclosure process since the first quarter of 2007, the firm said. In all, 195,878 properties received a default notice in the third quarter. Despite the sharp increase from the second quarter, the total was still down 27 percent versus the third quarter last year, RealtyTrac said. Lenders took back 196,530 homes during the quarter, down 4 percent from the second quarter and down 32 percent from the same quarter last year. Banks remain on track to repossess some 800,000 homes this year, down from more than 1 million last year, Saccacio said. RealtyTrac had originally anticipated some 1.2 million homes would be repossessed by lenders this year. Meanwhile, a report by an interfaith group in St. Paul, Minn., found that foreclosures had disproportionately affected low income and poor communities in the city, NBC station KARE reported Wednesday. The group, ISAIAH, found three of St. Paul's low-income neighborhoods saw the biggest drop in housing values in the city over the last five years. The neighborhoods of Dayton's Bluff and Payne Phalen on the east side, and Thomas Dale — also known as Frogtown — have seen home values drop about 50 percent since 2006. That's almost double the drop in the more affluent Mac-Groveland, Highland and St Anthony Park neighborhoods. Racial disparities The report was titled "Widening the Gap: How the Housing Crisis Deepened Racial Disparities in St. Paul and How to Fix it." Kate Hess Pace, ISAIAH organizer, said low-income and minority neighborhoods were more likely to be targeted for risky subprime mortgages and the instances of foreclosure was more severe in these communities. "It's actually been widening disparities between people of color and whites in terms of how it's impacted neighborhoods, home value, the amount of vacant homes and generational wealth," Pace said. "We've got vacant houses that are sitting there," Jill Henricksen, director of the Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation, added. "They are being broken into. Garbage is being dumped. We are seeing an increase in prostitution. We are seeing an increase in theft. All kinds of things around these properties." After months of a foreclosure slowdown caused by investigations into improper practices, the nation's home-repossession machinery is beginning to move again — particularly in states such as California where courts don't oversee the process. The number of homes entering the foreclosure process surged 19% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter in states where foreclosures take place largely outside of the courtroom, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine information firm. These nonjudicial states include California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. That increase was higher than in the so-called judicial states, which include New York and Florida, where the number of homes entering foreclosure increased 9%. "[The banks] are generally working through more of these loans, but the places where they can file the most quickly are going to be the nonjudicial states," said Celia Chen, a housing economist with Moody's Analytics. The increase in new foreclosure proceedings comes as talks over a broad foreclosure settlement by state attorneys general with the nation's five largest mortgage servicers have experienced setbacks. California recently stepped out of those discussions, declaring it would pursue its own path. New York, Delaware, Nevada, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Minnesota also have signaled that they were unhappy with the direction of negotiations because they say the legal release from liability being offered to the banks is too broad. New York and Delaware have been cooperating in their own probes separate from the coalition. Nationally, foreclosure activity — from the default notices that begin the process to seizures of homes — was up slightly in the third quarter, reversing three quarters of declines. Banks filed actions on 610,337 properties in the third quarter, an increase of less than 1% from the previous quarter but 34% below the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts expect foreclosures to pick up in coming months. While the number of homes entering foreclosure picked up in the third quarter, those repossessed by banks continued to decline. U.S. home repossessions were down 4% from the prior quarter and were down 32% from the same quarter a year earlier. Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, said banks were probably waiting for some kind of negotiated settlement before finally beginning to take back homes at a faster clip. "If the banks had their way, they'd be foreclosing at a much more brisk pace," Cecala said.
Occupy Wall Street: Live Blog - CNBC This is a live blog of CNBC's "Speaker's Corner" hosted in New York City where the group, Occupy Wall Street has set up camp. www.cnbc.com/id/44842939/Occupy_Wall_Street_Live_Blog BREAKING: Mayor Bloomberg Attempting To Evict - MoveOn.org Claiming a need to clean the park, the Mayor sounds eerily like Governor Scott Walker before the occupation of Wisconsin's Capitol building was forced out. front.moveon.org/breaking-mayor-bloomberg-attempting-to-e... Occupy Wall Street Has a Famous Problem Wall Street Journal By DAVID WEIDNER Occupy Wall Street, now in its fourth week, was on a roll. The crowds outgrew its original camp at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan. The media finally showed up in force. Protesters published specific demands. ... See all stories on this topic » As Occupy Wall Street protests continue, a San Jose grassroots group takes ... San Jose Mercury News By Tracy Seipel Organizers of Wednesday's Occupy Wall Street protest in San Francisco got what they wanted after surrounding the corporate headquarters of Wells Fargo Bank and blocking entrances: 11 demonstrators arrested and plenty of headlines. ... See all stories on this topic » Buffett's Son Defends Occupy Wall Street to 'Make Things Happen' BusinessWeek Occupy Wall Street has drawn out protesters from New York to Seattle and gained empathizers among the top executives at Citigroup Inc. and Blackrock Inc. Warren Buffett, the world's third-richest person, has said he is concerned about inequity in the ... See all stories on this topic » Will: Occupy Wall St. vs. the Tea Party Washington Post Still, OWS's defenders correctly say it represents progressivism's spirit and intellect. Because it embraces spontaneity and deplores elitism, it eschews deliberation and leadership. Hence its agenda, beyond eliminating one of the seven deadly sins ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street arrives on Pine Seattle University Spectator It was Young's first day at Westlake Park, the base for the Seattle branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement. "We heard about it and really we just wanted to come check it out. We support a lot of what they're trying to do here [and] around the ... See all stories on this topic » Victoria Jackson Goes To Occupy Wall Street, Enflames Protestors (VIDEO) Huffington Post Former "Saturday Night Live" actress, conservative columnist and avowed enemy of both "Glee" and gay people, Victoria Jackson took a video camera to the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, predictably trying to enflame the supporters camped ... See all stories on this topic » 'Occupy Wall Street' sentiments understandable, says Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit Economic Times WASHINGTON: Banking giant Citigroup's Indian American CEO Vikram Pandit thinks the sentiments of the Occupy Wall Street protesters are "completely understandable" as US economy recovery fell short of what was wanted. "Their sentiments are completely ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall St. protests coming to Canada DigitalJournal.com Toronto - The Occupy Wall Street moving is coming to Canada, with major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal participating in the movement. So far, an Occupy Bay Street event is being organized in Toronto, which is set to be held over ... See all stories on this topic » "Occupy Wall Street" Solidarity Rally in Duluth WDIO-TV Voices outside of the "Occupy" movement also spoke up. Paul King of Duluth agrees that there are problems, but he dressed up as a Wall Street banker, showing his belief that the very principles ofWall Street are what will bring us out of the recession ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street comes to Kalamazoo WWMT Protesters for the anti-Wall Street rally and march wanted to highlight a number of issues including foreclosures and unemployment. This is all stemming from the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement, which has recently come to Kalamazoo. ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street movement hits Walnut Creek abc7news.com (KGO) -- There are new signs that the Occupy Wall Street movement is going mainstream, involving some very determined people from all walks of life. It's probably no surprise that Wednesday in San Francisco, 11 protesters were arrested after nearly 200 ... See all stories on this topic » Don't just occupy Wall Street, tax it Toronto Star "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators march past the New York Stock Exchange dressed as corporate zombies. (Oct. 3, 2011) Last Wednesday, as thousands prepared to “Occupy Wall Street” in their largest gathering to date, Canadian Finance Minister Jim ... See all stories on this topic » Why Occupy Wall Street Has Already Won BNET (blog) Occupy Wall Street is winning. Not as a political movement or as an engine of economic change — time will tell if the uprising has legs. As a cultural force, however, the protests already have opponents on the run. People are upset, and they're ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street: Grievances without violence BBC News There is something endearing about a protester who camps out on Wall Streetcarrying a sign that reads "I love humanity, let's figure this s**t out together". OK, he wasn't quite as discreet with the swear word, but my editors will frown if I replace ... See all stories on this topic »-BBC News Brutality? Hardly Harvard Crimson By The Crimson Staff On Tuesday, we argued that Occupy Wall Street movements could achieve their aims in better ways than through (often illegal) protests. After Monday night's Occupy Boston demonstration, however, which saw 129 arrests in the early ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street protests draw overseas attention Graffiti AP NEW YORK (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spawned grass-roots activities around the US and prompted comments from President Barack Obama, is now drawing political remarks from overseas. Iran's top leader said Wednesday that the ... See all stories on this topic » -MSNBC: Occupy Wall Street - YouTube Senator Sanders addresses the urgent need for campaign finance reform. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp0Or4KiGk8 Violence Follows Occupy Wall Street March - NY1.com Violence Follows Occupy Wall Street March | NY1 News is Time Warner Cable's 24-hour newschannel in New York City, delivering breaking news and features ... www.ny1.com/.../violence-follows-occupy-wall-street-march Occupy Wall Street comes to Palo Alto San Jose Mercury News By Jason Green Demonstrators hold signs and wave to cars during an Occupy Wall Street protest in front of the Bank of America on the 2600 block of El Camino Real in Palo Alto on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011. (Kirstina Sangsahachart/ Daily News) Some 150 ... See all stories on this topic » The Seattle Times The Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spawned grass-roots activities around the US and prompted comments from President Barack Obama, is now drawing political remarks from overseas. By VERENA DOBNIK Associated Press No comments have been posted to ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall St - what the celebs really think NEWS.com.au In one gallery this week, the captioner takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to celebrities appearing at various glitzy events while the rest of America is caught up in the Occupy Wall Street movement protest. Even outspoken social-leaning George Clooney ... See all stories on this topic » Conservatives "Respond" To "Occupy Wall Street" [VIDEO] Care2.com (blog) The Occupy Wall Street Movement and the 99 Percent confessionals that accompany it have been having a growing impact on how our country is discussing economics, the distribution of wealth and the real labor crisis growing day by day. ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Youngstown to target Wall Street and state Issue 2 Youngstown Vindicator Photo by Associated Press Mae Thompson, 67, protests Wednesday in Cleveland as part of theOccupy Wall Street movement. The demonstration is one of many across the country. An Occupy Youngstown protest will be Saturday in downtown Youngstown. ... See all stories on this topic » Iran Supports Occupy Wall Street, BlackBerry Outages Hit the U.S., and More in ... News/Talk 790 KFYO Occupy Wall Street protesters have a new friend! (link) Just a wild guess here. If you are trying to win over people to your side to show how evil the rich are, you probably don't want Iran siding with you. Iran's top leader said Wednesday that the ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street v. Tea Party Jewish Telegraphic Agency (blog) By Ron Kampeas · October 12, 2011 Eric Cantor won't say as of news time, according to the New York Jewish Week's Adam Dickter. Dickter spoke to Cantor when the Republican majority leader was in New York this week for a fund-raiser. ... See all stories on this topic » Who's behind the Wall St. protests? Reuters Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement take part in a protest march through the financial district of New York, October 12, 2011. By Mark Egan and Michelle Nichols NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anti-Wall Street protesters say the rich are getting richer ... See all stories on this topic »-Reuters Arrests at 'Occupy Wall Street' Washington Post Four people were arrested on Wednesday during the latest Occupy Wall Street protests to take place in Manhattan, New York. (Oct. 13) (/The Associated Press) Correction: Clarification: SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Protests Inspire London Offshoot New York Times (blog) LONDON – The Occupy Wall Street protests are spreading to London. A group of activists said they expected several thousand people to gather in front of the London Stock Exchange on Saturday. Mirroring protests in New York's financial district and ... See all stories on this topic »-New York Times (blog) What Percent Are You? Occupy Wall Street Debate Heats Up on Tumblr TIME Opponents to the Wall Street protests are fighting back against a blog called We Are the 99 Percent, which records the stories of those in support of Occupy Wall Street. We Are the 53% is the conservative counterblog to the popular 99% blog, ... See all stories on this topic » AP Interview: Walesa backs Wall Street protesters Wall Street Journal AP WARSAW, Poland — Poland's former President Lech Walesa says he supports the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York that protests corporate greed. The Nobel Peace laureate told The Associated Press that he is planning either a visit or a letter to ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street rallies head to Green Bay on Friday Green Bay Press Gazette The wave of protests stemming from the Occupy Wall Street rallies across the country will hit Green Bay at 3 pm Friday in front of City Hall, according to a spokesman for the local effort. Like the rallies in New York City — which emanated from ... See all stories on this topic » Touch o' sarcasm: Celeb shots mislabeled as Wall St. protest CNET Some celebrities have joined the Occupy Wall Street protesters on their own, like Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, and Samuel L. Jackson. But others may be surprised to learn that they have lent their names to the cause. At first glance you might suspect ... See all stories on this topic » Anti-Defamation League keeping an eye on 'Occupy Wall Street' Daily Caller By Caroline May People affiliated with the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration protest by New York City police officers outside Zuccotti Park, Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, in New York. Having started in New York, Occupy Wall Streets demonstrations now take ... See all stories on this topic » Bill Clinton To David Letterman: Occupy Wall Street Needs To Be For Someting Mediaite by Colby Hall | 7:25 am, October 13th, 2011 President Bill Clinton appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last night and discussion of the Occupy Wall Streetprotests proved to be as interesting a recap as one might expect. ... See all stories on this topic »-Mediaite Iran Supports 'Occupy Wall Street' & Beats Innocent Women The Stir Leaders in Iran are cheering on the Occupy Wall Street movement, in hopes that it will destroy evil Western capitalism. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri of Iran's Revolutionary Guard says, “A revolution and a comprehensive movement against corruption in the US is ... See all stories on this topic »-The Stir Occupy Wall Street: Columnist Spends Night With 'Disaffected Souls' Christian Post A US flag pieced together with graffiti signs designed by street artist Saber is displayed at the Occupy LA protest camp in Los Angeles, California October 9, 2011. TheOccupy Wall Street movement that began in New York last month with a few people has ... See all stories on this topic »-Christian Post Brown U. holds lecture on Occupy Wall Street Boston Globe PROVIDENCE, RI—Brown University faculty members are putting the Occupy Wall Streetmovement under an academic microscope. Several hundred students and others attended a campus lecture Wednesday focusing on the protests spreading around the nation ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street protesters employ old-time Vermont cure BurlingtonFreePress.com The Occupy Wall Street crowd protesting the way things are now may be benefitting from the way things were in Vermont a century ago, when a Barre physician began prescribing a cure for what ails us. Dr. DeForest Clinton Jarvis, a fifth-generation ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street knocks on millionaires' doors demanding fair taxes amNY Occupy Wall Street marched uptown Tuesday, with hundreds of protesters appearing at the doorsteps of moguls such as Rupert Murdoch to condemn the looming expiration of a “millionaire's tax.” The protesters said they are livid the state tax, ... See all stories on this topic » Dr. Ron Paul, Dr. Cornell West Speak to Defend Occupy Wall St. Bay Area Indymedia by and Critique NYPD's Pepper Spray Attack Both Dr. Cornell West and Dr. Ron Paul have spoken up in defense of the Occupy Wall Street protesters who faced brutal attacks by sadists hidden in the ranks of the NYPD such as Officer Anthony Bologna, ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street's Real Demands Huffington Post Occupy Wall Street activism is gaining strength daily, but pundits and politicians are struggling to understand the emergence of this movement. The reaction in Washington says more about us -- the political insiders -- than it does about the thousands ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street goes global Washington Post (blog) ... their Web site already lists dedicated press contacts. *Update: Other cities spanning 78 countries are also planning October 15 solidarity events to protest economic injustice, but not all seem to be as directly modeled on Occupy Wall Street. See all stories on this topic » Protests against Wall Street USA Today Occupy Kalamazoo protesters demonstrate during a march through downtown Kalamazoo, Mich. Mae Thompson demonstrates during an Occupy Cleveland rally in Cleveland. Protesters march to a Wells Fargo bank in support of the Occupy Wall Street demonstration ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street confrontation looms CBC.ca Beginning of Story Content A possible confrontation between New York police and hundreds ofOccupy Wall Street protestors loomed Thursday after a Canadian company requested police help while cleaning up three weeks' worth of garbage at the movement's ... See all stories on this topic » Late Night: Bill Clinton: Occupy Wall Street is 'a positive thing' Los Angeles Times But the majority of his appearance (which is worth watching in full here, if you're willing to do a little fast-forwarding) was devoted to a discussion of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. Clinton thinks that the protests are "on balance...a ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street: Chavez, Ayatollah support it - why that should worry you Examiner.com Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles are all sites of Occupy Wall Street protestations during the past four weeks. The movement is nothing more than a "class war" if you ask some politicians, since it has included a ... See all stories on this topic » 'SNL' alum Victoria Jackson visits Occupy Wall Street CNN (blog) Celebrities keep dropping by as the Occupy Wall Street protests continue, and Victoria Jackson is the latest to check out what's going on at the NYC protest. Camera in hand, the former "SNL" star said in the video below that she was visiting Occupy ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street Isn't About Overthrowing Capitalism Forbes The below picture is an attempt to make the Occupy Wall Street protesters look foolish. I've expressed my distaste for “Ban corporate greed!” as a useful sentiment in these protests because I think it misses the mark. Likewise, I've pointed out that ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street's ACORN Rent-A-Mobs FrontPage Magazine Evidence suggests that ACORN, the Left's premiere astro-turfing organization, has been paying people to participate in the Occupy Wall Street protests. Left-wing loan sharks Herb and Marion Sandler, the founders of World Savings Bank, ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street protesters have legitimate beefs, says Flaherty Winnipeg Free Press OTTAWA - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says he has some sympathy for the "Occupy Wall Street" movement that is spawning imitators elsewhere, including Canada. Flaherty says the demonstrations are understandable, given high unemployment rates among ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street Zuccotti Park March To Foley Square Oct.5th 2011 YouTube OCCUPY WALL ST. See all stories on this topic » 'Occupy' movement has precedents in American history USA Today By Jason Noble, The Des Moines Register American history is dotted with popular movements like the "Occupy Wall Street" protest -- particularly during times of great economic hardship. By Spencer Platt, Getty Images "Occupy Wall Street" protesters... See all stories on this topic »-USA Today Occupy Wall Street and the Demand for Economic Justice Huffington Post The young people occupying Wall Street and now protesting in several dozen American cities are not a "mob," the ugly deprecation thrown at them by Congressman Eric Cantor. They are channeling sentiments felt very widely throughout the country, ... See all stories on this topic » More anti-Semitism at Occupy Los Angeles Pajamas Media While there have been intense arguments in the media recently about hints of anti-Semitism which have erupted at New York's Occupy Wall Street protest, very little attention has been paid to similar problems cropping up at other “Occupy” events around ... See all stories on this topic »-Pajamas Media On the Media: Tea party, Occupy Wall Street share a moment Los Angeles Times An Occupy Wall Street protester in New York on Oct. 10. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images / October 11, 2011) By James Rainey You likely saw the quirky signs and heard some protesters talk about how they would just as soon disband the government. ... See all stories on this topic »-Los Angeles Times Occupy Wall Street comes to Charlottetown CBC.ca Beginning of Story Content Occupy Wall Street will mark its first event on Prince Edward Island on Saturday. The movement started in New York last month. A group set themselves up in Zuccotti Park to protest economic inequality and corporate greed. ... See all stories on this topic » "Occupy Wall Street:" An Inevitable Moment for America Huffington Post (blog) As the Occupy Wall Street protests grow across this nation, the following excerpt has renewed significance: My perspective on the events in the Middle East and North Africa is shaped by my experience both as a warrior and policy adviser. ... See all stories on this topic » Should MBAs Support Occupy Wall Street? BusinessWeek (blog) With lower Manhattan overrun by the Occupy Wall Street gang, we thought it would be interesting to explore what current and would-be B-schoolers thought of the phenomenon. So a few days ago we put the following question to our Twitter following and ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street Is Building its Own Social Network The Atlantic Wire If the Occupy Wall Street movement is "America's first true Internet-era movement," as CNN's Douglas Rushkoff contended in a blog post last week, it's actual Internet presence leaves a lot to be desired. He called the protest "a way of life that ... See all stories on this topic »-The Atlantic Wire Occupy Wall Street Gets Main Street Support in MO Public News Service ST. LOUIS - Frustrated folks in several Missouri cities are counting themselves as part of the "99 Percent" - one of the messages at the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations that have sprung up across the nation to protest corporate greed on Wall Street ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street: An Interview With the Protesters Motley Fool Watch below to hear about the signs they're holding up, what their endgame is, the one thing they'd change if they could, and how they fill in the blank to the following sentence: "Occupy Wall Street is anti-______." Special thanks to Mac Greer and ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street reaches Bayside Queens Courier BY BOB DODA Now in their fourth week in Manhattan, the Occupy Wall Street movement that has gained national attention made its way to Bell Boulevard on Thursday morning, October 13. Standing outside the Bayside LIRR Station, almost a dozen protesters ... See all stories on this topic » Unions use Wall St protests to seek 'fair deal' Financial Times Speakers at the New York rally were quick to express support for the Occupy Wall Streetprotesters who have been camped out in nearby Zuccotti Park for nearly a month. “This isn't just about our contract,” said Kevin Doyle, executive vice-president of ... See all stories on this topic » Ithacans occupy Wall Street Ithaca College The Ithacan Ithacans are moving beyond the local level to join the national Occupy Wall Streetprotest. From left, Ithaca College freshman Catherine Mailloux, Caitlin Niederhofer from Tompkins Cortland Community College and Chris Martin, a SUNY-Buffalo alumnus, ... See all stories on this topic »-Ithaca College The Ithacan James O'Keefe's Occupy Wall Street video fails to shock Metro.us James O'Keefe, the conservative rabble rouser most famous for his video recordings of workers at ACORN offices, has attempted to stir up trouble again, this time at Occupy Wall Street. In the video clip from his Project Veritas organization, ... See all stories on this topic » The Holy Alliance of Occupy Wall Street and DIY Judaism New Voices (blog) Give that Occupy Wall Street has no permits for structures, Sieradski was going around in the hour before the sukkah went up telling everyone proudly that he thought there would be an altercation with the police. The more he talked about it, ... See all stories on this topic » Poll: 'Occupy Wall St.' much more popular than Obama, tea party ... By Stephen C. Webster A poll by Time released Thursday, which asked participants' opinions on President Barack Obama's job performance, the impact of the tea party and views of “Occupy Wall Street,” contains a startling revelation that the national press hasn't ... The Raw Story Could Occupy Wall St. and the Tea Party Unite? - The Curious ... By Roya Wolverson The lines being drawn between the ultra-right Tea Party and its nearest complement in the realm of public furor, Occupy Wall Street, are curious. My colleague Michael Scherer over at Swampland describes the parallels as follows: In its ... The Curious Capitalist Tom Morello at Occupy Wall Street: 'Take It Easy, but Take It' | Music ... Tom Morello paused for a moment as he tuned his guitar in front of the Occupy Wall Street masses this morning at New York's Liberty Plaza. This is cra. RollingStone.com: All News Al Gore Endorses Occupy Wall Street By Hayley Miller WASHINGTON -- Occupy Wall Street can now count former Vice President Al Gore as one of its supporters. The anti-corporatism movement, which started its demonstrations on Wall Street nearly four weeks ago and has spread to over 1400 ... Green on HuffingtonPost.com On George Soros, Occupy Wall Street, and Reuters | Felix Salmon By Felix Salmon Today's Reuters story about the connection between Soros and OWS has elicited a lot of derision around the blogosphere. Felix Salmon BREAKING: Zuccotti Park Will Evict Occupy Wall Street Tomorrow ... By Josh Harkinson The owners of Zuccotti Park, where Occupy Wall Street has made its camp for nearly a month, released a set of rules today that appear intended to evict the protesters permanently. The rules ban camping in the park or lying down on sleeping ... Mojo Feed | Mother Jones Missing from Occupy Wall Street: Barack Obama | Mother Jones By Andy Kroll At Zuccotti Park, the shoebox-shaped spit of land in lower Manhattan that for three weeks Occupy Wall Street has called home, there are signs everywhere—strewn on the ground, taped to trees, thrusted skyward, hand-painted on the bulging ... MoJo Articles | Mother Jones Michelle Malkin » Warren Buffett's Son Feels Occupy Wall Street's ... By Doug Powers Warren Buffett's Son Feels Occupy Wall Street's Pain; Update: Al Gore Now Aboard the OWS Train. Michelle Malkin Al Gore: Thoughts on Occupy Wall Street By Al Gore With democracy in crisis, a true grassroots movement pointing out the flaws in our system is the first step in the right direction. Count me among those supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Occupy Wall Street More Popular Than Tea Party? | Mediaite ... By Nando Di Fino A TIME poll taken on October 9 and 10, with a base of 1001 people, has turned up some interesting results about how Americans view the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, and dysfunction in Washington. 81% of respondents think the country is ... Mediaite "Occupy Wall Street" Twice as Popular as "Tea Party" Occupy Wall Street is just getting started. But it does seem clear that a confluence of events -- the protests, Obama's jobs push, Elizabeth Warren's Senate candidacy, and the national backlash from the right all these things have provoked -- are ... Taegan Goddard's Political Wire Monifa Bandele: Children Occupy Wall Street: It's About Sharing ... By Monifa Bandele With no school on Columbus Day in New York City, organizers of #OccupyWallStreet (OWS) put out a call for children to join them in lower Manhattan for an OWS Children's Assembly. The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com  Occupy Wall Street: More popular than you think CBS News The conservative criticism of the Occupy Wall Street movement is that it is a "growing mob" (House majority leader Eric Cantor) of "shiftless protestors" (The Tea Party Express) engaged in "class warfare" (GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain) whose ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street protests spread, but can the movement gain critical mass? Washington Post The Occupy Wall Street protest movement, which had spread to several major US cities in recent weeks, found an international offshoot in London called OccupyLSX. As Suzy Khimm reported : The US anti-corporate movement has inspired an offshoot ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street Movement Takes on Wells Fargo Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter Helping out a few distressed homeowners is not what the “Occupy Wall Street” movement is about, though I'm sure they will gladly be willing to try to influence banking policy to help some folks, as it makes for good press. This movement, those behind ... See all stories on this topic » Dick Morris: Wall St Protests Imperil Obama Fox News AP By Dick Morris As the early '70s repeat themselves with the chaotic Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in lower Manhattan, we need to grasp what a peril this movement is to President Obama and the entire Democratic Party. ... See all stories on this topic »-Fox News Occupy Wall Street's 'Political Disobedience' New York Times (blog) Occupy Wall Street is best understood, I would suggest, as a new form of what could be called “political disobedience,” as opposed to civil disobedience, that fundamentally rejects the political and ideological landscape that we inherited from the Cold ... See all stories on this topic »-New York Times (blog) Occupy Wall Street Jews to 'Occupy Judaism' Jerusalem Post By JORDANA HORN Jews in the Occupy Wall Street movement are finding Jewish inspiration for their protests, and setting their sights on rethinking Jewish institutions. NEW YORK – As protest movements under the banner of Occupy Wall Street grow in cities ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street Protesters Plan Demonstration WFUV News The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll gives him an advantage over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The usual caveats apply: It's still very early in the race and the polls have relatively large margins of error. ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street, Hartford — The Reasons Are Obvious Hartford Courant The playing field tilts everlastingly toward the haves, and yet we act surprised at the occupations, from Wall Street to San Francisco to (yes!) Joplin. There have been occupations of various durations in Hartford, New Haven, New London —- even ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall St.-Capitalism Meets Distributive Justice Huffington Post The Occupy Wall St. protest movement is reminiscent of the social movements of the past. Beneath the headlines, however, there are deeper issues that deserve more thoughtful attention, including a consideration of the tension between distributive ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street, now with Mayo: movement spreads to Greater Minnesota Twin Cities Planet (blog) It may not be Wall Street, but for folks in Rochester, Aeus Auto Repair is serving as a meeting ground for those wanting in on the Occupy Wall Street movement. "I was investigating the Occupy Minneapolis which started up last week, planning on probably... See all stories on this topic »-Twin Cities Planet (blog) Occupy Wall Street vows to resist NYPD's efforts to clear park for cleaning ... Hot Air Occupy Wall Street pledged to resist any effort by cleaning crews or police to enter the park, asking protesters to create a human chain around the area to “peacefully/non-violently stand our ground,” according to a post on its Facebook page. ... See all stories on this topic » What Occupy Wall Street Tells Us About the Global Economy New York Times (blog) By SHEILA GLASER In Foreign Policy, Nouriel Roubini (aka Dr. Doom) and Ian Bremmer talk about why Occupy Wall Street actually matters. Roubini says: It started with the Arab Spring, and of course, poverty, unemployment, corruption, ... See all stories on this topic » 'Occupy Wall Street' aims ire at foreclosures iWatch News (blog) Lucas Brinson, 21, relays information throughout the "Occupy Wall Street" encampment in New York City's Zuccotti Park. Bebeto Matthews / The Associated Press By Ben Hallman and Michael Hudson As the auctioneer called the proceeding to order, ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street protesters being asked to leave Zuccotti Park: Should they ... The Star-Ledger - NJ.com Photo by (Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger) TO PURCHASE THIS PHOTO, CALL THE STAR-LEDGER PHOTO LIBRARY AT 973-392-1530 The Occupy Wall Street Protests In Lower Manhattan gallery (35 photos) The owners of the park where the Occupy Wall Street ... See all stories on this topic »-The Star-Ledger - NJ.com Occupy Wall Street: Turning violent? The Week Magazine Instead, he says, Occupy Wall Street should use the bloody French Revolution as its model. (See the video below.) "The bourgeoisie won't go without violent means. Revolution!" the unidentified man says. "Long live revolution! Long live socialism! ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street, Monetary Policy And The Federal Reserve Seeking Alpha Matt Yglesias echos a reader's concern about Occupy Wall Street lining up with “End the Fed” rhetoric driven by the Paul camp (“Occupy Gainesville Facebook page is currently full of posts about the evil of fractional reserve banking, the danger of ... See all stories on this topic » Vermont labor backs the Occupy Wall Street movement vtdigger.org by Greg Guma | October 13, 2011 The Occupy Wall Street movement has been gaining momentum across the United States, and this weekend protests across the country will be backed by organized labor. In Vermont, large crowds are expected to gather in ... See all stories on this topic »-vtdigger.org Leaderless Occupy Wall Street groups showing their staying power Public Radio International PRI A Fordham University professor who's studied many so-called leaderless groups says the Occupy Wall Street group shows every sign of being able to endure and take the long view when it comes to getting the changes they want to see. ... See all stories on this topic » Occupy Wall Street protests newest blog: 'We are the 1 percent, we stand with ... Washington Post (blog) By Elizabeth Flock Featuring the personal stories of Americans affected by the recession, the Tumblr blog “We Are The 99 Percent” quickly became a potent symbol for the protesters occupying Wall Street who say it's not right that one percent of ... See all stories on this topic » In Spartanburg, SC, Jobs Are Especially Scarce NPR by Melissa Block The Occupy Wall Street protests spread Thursday to Spartanburg, SC About 20 people got some honks of support and some catcalls from people who shouted, "Get a job!" TheOccupy Wall Street protests spread Thursday to Spartanburg, ... See all stories on this topic » Portland's Mayor Dealing with Occupy Wall Street Protests WBKO "Today is about opening the road, the "Occupy" camp portions, they'll remain in tact. Today is about making sure that a vital, might be small, might be modest, but still a very vital transportation link is opened up. And the reason i think it's been ... See all stories on this topic » Showdown looms between Wall St protesters and cops Maximum Edge In other words, no more camping out for the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who have been living at Zuccotti Park for weeks and triggered a movement against unequal distribution of wealth that has inspired similar demonstrations across the country and ... See all stories on this topic » Bank Transfer Day and Occupy Wall Street Update Long Island Press By Derek Johnson on October 13th, 2011 The people behind the Occupy Wall Streetmovement have been encouraging the “99%” to fight against big banks. Now organizers behind Bank Transfer Day are telling people to visit their bank, take out all their ... See all stories on this topic »-Long Island Press Wall Street Traders Weigh In On Symbolic "Occupiers" NY1 Nearly everyone has something to say about the "Occupy Wall Street" protests in Lower Manhattan, but in the New York Stock Exchange itself, traders mainly say that the demonstrators' anger should be redirected at Washington lawmakers. ... See all stories on this topic »-NY1 Correction: Wall Street Protests-Origins story Atlanta Journal Constitution By DAVID B. CARUSO AP NEW YORK — In an Oct. 12 story about the origins of theOccupy Wall Street movement, The Associated Press misspelled the name of a demonstrator. She is Marina Sitrin, not Marina Sitrian. CORRECTS BUILDING TO ONE CHASE MANHATTAN ... See all stories on this topic »-Atlanta Journal Constitution Crashing Occupy Wall Street Center For American Progress The following day, on Ezra Klein's “Wonkbook,” Suzy Khimm noted that the alleged protester who got himself pepper-sprayed at the museum, Patrick Howley, was not in fact associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement like the others, but was in truth ... See all stories on this topic » AFP - "Indignant" activists, angered by a biting economic crisis they blame on politicians and bankers, vow to take to the streets worldwide on Saturday in a protest spanning 71 nations. It is the first global show of power by the movement, born May 15 when a rally in Madrid's central square of Puerta del Sol sparked a protest that spread nationwide, then to other countries. As governments cut deep into welfare spending to try to trim huge sovereign debts, the protests have grown and this weekend's demonstrations are being organised in Madrid, New York and around the world. "United in one voice, we will let politicians, and the financial elites they serve, know it is up to us, the people, to decide our future," organisers said in a statement on http://15october.net/. "We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us."… October 13, 2011 "Rolling Stone" - - I've been down to "Occupy Wall Street" twice now, and I love it. The protests building at Liberty Square and spreading over Lower Manhattan are a great thing, the logical answer to the Tea Party and a long-overdue middle finger to the financial elite. The protesters picked the right target and, through their refusal to disband after just one day, the right tactic, showing the public at large that the movement against Wall Street has stamina, resolve and growing popular appeal. But... there's a but. And for me this is a deeply personal thing, because this issue of how to combat Wall Street corruption has consumed my life for years now, and it's hard for me not to see where Occupy Wall Street could be better and more dangerous. I'm guessing, for instance, that the banks were secretly thrilled in the early going of the protests, sure they'd won round one of the messaging war. Why? Because after a decade of unparalleled thievery and corruption, with tens of millions entering the ranks of the hungry thanks to artificially inflated commodity prices, and millions more displaced from their homes by corruption in the mortgage markets, the headline from the first week of protests against the financial-services sector was an old cop macing a quartet of college girls. That, to me, speaks volumes about the primary challenge of opposing the 50-headed hydra of Wall Street corruption, which is that it's extremely difficult to explain the crimes of the modern financial elite in a simple visual. The essence of this particular sort of oligarchic power is its complexity and day-to-day invisibility: Its worst crimes, from bribery and insider trading and market manipulation, to backroom dominance of government and the usurping of the regulatory structure from within, simply can't be seen by the public or put on TV. There just isn't going to be an iconic "Running Girl" photo with Goldman Sachs, Citigroup or Bank of America – just 62 million Americans with zero or negative net worth, scratching their heads and wondering where the hell all their money went and why their votes seem to count less and less each and every year. No matter what, I'll be supporting Occupy Wall Street. And I think the movement's basic strategy – to build numbers and stay in the fight, rather than tying itself to any particular set of principles – makes a lot of sense early on. But the time is rapidly approaching when the movement is going to have to offer concrete solutions to the problems posed by Wall Street. To do that, it will need a short but powerful list of demands. There are thousands one could make, but I'd suggest focusing on five: 1. Break up the monopolies. The so-called "Too Big to Fail" financial companies – now sometimes called by the more accurate term "Systemically Dangerous Institutions" – are a direct threat to national security. They are above the law and above market consequence, making them more dangerous and unaccountable than a thousand mafias combined. There are about 20 such firms in America, and they need to be dismantled; a good start would be to repeal the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and mandate the separation of insurance companies, investment banks and commercial banks. 2. Pay for your own bailouts. A tax of 0.1 percent on all trades of stocks and bonds and a 0.01 percent tax on all trades of derivatives would generate enough revenue to pay us back for the bailouts, and still have plenty left over to fight the deficits the banks claim to be so worried about. It would also deter the endless chase for instant profits through computerized insider-trading schemes like High Frequency Trading, and force Wall Street to go back to the job it's supposed to be doing, i.e., making sober investments in job-creating businesses and watching them grow. 3. No public money for private lobbying. A company that receives a public bailout should not be allowed to use the taxpayer's own money to lobby against him. You can either suck on the public teat or influence the next presidential race, but you can't do both. Butt out for once and let the people choose the next president and Congress. 4. Tax hedge-fund gamblers. For starters, we need an immediate repeal of the preposterous and indefensible carried-interest tax break, which allows hedge-fund titans like Stevie Cohen and John Paulson to pay taxes of only 15 percent on their billions in gambling income, while ordinary Americans pay twice that for teaching kids and putting out fires. I defy any politician to stand up and defend that loophole during an election year. 5. Change the way bankers get paid. We need new laws preventing Wall Street executives from getting bonuses upfront for deals that might blow up in all of our faces later. It should be: You make a deal today, you get company stock you can redeem two or three years from now. That forces everyone to be invested in his own company's long-term health – no more Joe Cassanos pocketing multimillion-dollar bonuses for destroying the AIGs of the world. To quote the immortal political philosopher Matt Damon from Rounders, "The key to No Limit poker is to put a man to a decision for all his chips." The only reason the Lloyd Blankfeins and Jamie Dimons of the world survive is that they're never forced, by the media or anyone else, to put all their cards on the table. If Occupy Wall Street can do that – if it can speak to the millions of people the banks have driven into foreclosure and joblessness – it has a chance to build a massive grassroots movement. All it has to do is light a match in the right place, and the overwhelming public support for real reform – not later, butright now – will be there in an instant. © 2011 Rolling Stone Occupy Wall Street: A New Era of Dissent in America? Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/10/12/occupy-wall-street-a-new-era-of-dissent-in-america/#ixzz1ai0xwLjs Why Occupy Wall Street is More Popular Than the Tea Party*One of the juicier nuggets in TIME’s wide-ranging new poll is that voters are embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement as they sour on the Tea Party. Twice as many respondents (54%) have a favorable impression of the eclectic band massing in lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park than of the conservative movement that has, after two years, become a staple of the American political scene. A closer look at the poll’s cross-tabs provides a fuller picture of the movement’s diverse support. Occupy Wall Street enjoys majority backing among men (57%) and women (51%), young (60% of respondents 18 to 34) and old (51%). Self-identified Democrats, unsurprisingly, comprise the left-leaning movement’s largest bloc, with 66% professing support. But more than half of independents (55%) harbor favorable views of the protesters, as do a third of Republicans. As the movement has snowballed, it has become–as the Tea Party did–the subject of sneers from opponents bent on undermining its objectives and minimizing its influence. Like the Tea Party, it benefits in its incipient stages by venting a broad array of common frustrations. Many of these are vague enough that even Republicans can cosign them. Of the respondents in TIME’s poll familiar with the protests, 86%–including 77% of Republicans–agree with the movement’s contention that Wall Street and its proxies in Washington exert too much influence over the political process. More than 70%, and 65% of Republicans, think the financial chieftains responsible for dragging the U.S. economy to the brink of implosion in the fall of 2008 should be prosecuted. Other questions reveal a sharper split along partisan lines, but nonetheless reveal the strength of economic populism. Nearly 80% of respondents (96% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans) think the class chasm between rich and poor has grown too large, and 68%, including 40% of Republicans, say the affluent should pay more taxes . There are warning signs embedded in the good news, too. Not the least of these is the Tea Party’s own waning influence. That grassroots movement also grew from the seeds of economic frustration, generalized rage at Washington’s policies and a virulent strain of populism. Over time, those broadly popular sentiments calcified into an hard-line movement that regards political cooperation as grounds for a primary challenge. TIME’s poll provides a snapshot of a movement that no longer boasts the broad support it once enjoyed. Just 34% say the Tea Party has had a positive impact on U.S. politics, including just 35% of independents. Only 11% of respondents familiar with the movement call themselves members. It’s easy to trace the Tea Party’s withering support to its obstinacy; 89% of those surveyed argue it’s better for politicians to find common ground than to be hidebound to fixed principles. To avoid the same fate as it matures, Occupy Wall Street will have to do a better job than the Tea Party of negotiating that tightrope between principle and pragmatism. The swelling movement will have to clarify its goals, contend with establishment forces seeking to co-opt their enthusiasm and confront the reality of a gridlocked Congress. The Tea Party backlash came only after they made that gridlock worse. For Occupy Wall Street, channeling early momentum into staying power won’t be easy, and both sides know it: 56% of respondents, including 51% of Democrats and 53% of the 18-to-34 demographic that forms the movement’s backbone, said it will ultimately have little impact on U.S. politics. The protesters’ challenge is to prove them wrong. From the Arab Spring to the American Fall? No political group gave birth to Occupy Wall Street and the movement is largely leaderless. But so was what happened at Tahrir Square in Egypt Is Zuccotti Park the next Tahrir Square? For weeks, people have been asking me if the protests taking place in lower Manhattan and around the U.S. were similar to those I covered in Egypt that set off the Arab Spring. After a visit to Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, I saw signs that they might have the makings of an American Fall. The most striking similarity has to do with the spirit and demographic of the protests. At the core of both demonstrations were youth who feel they have been marginalized by an unfair system. In Egypt, that system was political — undemocratic and skewed in favor of a ruling elite. The Egyptian economy had enjoyed sustained growth for several years, giving outsiders the illusion that things were getting better; but the new wealth did not trickle down. In the U.S., the protesters are angrier at the economic system. It too, in their eyes, favors the elite. Protesters on Wall Street argue that the financially powerful are rarely held accountable for their mismanagement of the U.S. economy, while the masses must suffer the consequences of those failed policies. Both sets of protesters share a common goal that social justice must be at the core of reform. There are other similarities. No political group gave birth to either movement, rather the people organized themselves. As a result, both movements are leaderless: no one group, much less an individual, can claim to speak for the entire body of the protests. (That said, the Tahrir Square crowd and the Occupiers both gained traction after they were joined by trade unions.) In Cairo, I was struck by the festive atmosphere at the demonstrations. Men and women, young and old chanted, sang, danced and celebrated their calls for change. I saw some of that spirit in Zuccotti Park: the protests there are part carnival, part political rally. That’s not to say they are unstructured and chaotic. Just as in Tahrir Square, people were organizing themselves into committees, working hard to maintain a sense of civic responsibility by keeping there surroundings clean, collecting garbage and avoiding doing damage to nearby property. Both movements learned they could speak more efficiently to the world by setting up committees for public outreach and communication. They used social media instead of traditional media to gather momentum, setting up online pages, seeking donations, and issuing communiqués. They spoke to the world directly, appealing to the masses before the journalists: once ordinary people were listening, the media had no choice but to pay attention. Now to the differences. In Egypt, the main challenge facing the protester was fear — the dread of reprisals by the brutal regime of President Hosni Mubarak. In the U.S., it’s apathy. In Egypt, the regime did eventually crack down on the protesters, not only using violence to try and disperse them but also cutting off the Internet and cellphone networks; that only spurred on more protests, which kept growing until they paralyzed the city and the country. The Occupiers have not brought lower Manhattan to a halt, never mind New York. If they tried, it’s far from clear it would be would be well received by other citizens: they may see the movement as a nuisance. At the same time, it’s unimaginable that the Obama administration would jam cellphone networks and cut of the Internet. Authorities will most likely allow the protests to continue so long as they don’t break the laws or disrupt daily life. The challenge for the protesters will be sustainability. At first, the protests that began with dozens in Wall Street were largely ignored. By the third week, they had spread across the country. The Occupiers may not be seeking the toppling of a regime, but like the people of Egypt, they want to be heard—and now they have.  |
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