At around 6:15 a.m. ET the owners of Zuccotti Park and the government of NYC gave into the union-supported, trashy homeless people living on private property. The police waited so late to respond and to clear out the protesters that it gave time for large numbers to gather far beyond what the police could control. Hoping to fight another day, the owners of the park capitulated to the community-organized demands (to allow them to stay in deteriorating living conditions). An analyst for “Russia Today” reported that union “workers” showed up to Zuccotti Park with signs reading “NYPD protects the rich.” She tweeted, “Entire #OWS crowd erups in deafening cheers + applause.” The cheers heard of the crowd over the live stream after it was announced the cleaning would be “postponed” sounded like that of a pro football game.
The Occupy Denver protesters were almost as lucky. It was equally awe-inspiring and scary how organized and coordinated these protesters were in tracking the Denver Police Department’s every move via twitter. User “OccupyIntel” as well as the official OccupyDenver twitter accounts were tweeting updates from a police scanner. Yes, the protesters were actually listening to the police scanners to see where and when the police were moving next. In some cases they were providing direct quotes of what law enforcement officials were saying.
From 4-5:30 a.m. CT I watched a live stream of the clearing of the Occupy Denver protest via News9-Denver . On live television I watched as, what the reporter described as “dozens”, officers dressed in full riot gear calmly walked through the streets and began tearing down tents. The reporter had been there since earlier in the evening and revealed some very interesting facts about how the protesters prepared for this early morning’s events:
- Protesters had multiple lawyers on site for days offering legal advice. Those lawyers were there and shown on camera documenting and monitoring police actions.
- Protesters dipped their bandanas, which they used to cover their face, in vinegar in order to negate the effects of tear gas.
- Protesters distributed a number to call in case of arrest. Several of the protesters sharpied the number on their arms and legs.
I’ll have to check my notes, but can someone remind me the last time a Tea Party protest required on-site lawyers and tear gas prevention?
The police and Governor of CO did not give in quite as much as those in New York. Police did clear the tents from the area but allowed protesters to stay on site on the sidewalks and surrounding areas for at least an hour after the announcement for everyone to disperse. It was also announced that the park that the Occupy Denver group was using to live and protest was now closed indefinitely.
Remember all those parks that the Tea Party closed down indefinitely?
What is amazing from Denver is that (as of 7:00 a.m. ET) no arrests were made during the process. Protesters chanted at police saying “you are the 99%” and also chanted “peaceful”. As the police began to take down tents the chanters started in on a chorus of “the whole world is watching.” It was a bizarre, intense moment to behold.
There will be more of these to come and they will be well documented. This group is highly organized and mobilized via new media. As of this morning, we are still an occupied nation.
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