Arrest. Photo by Jtpouliot. Copyright Jtpouliot.
Boston Police moved into the new encampment on the Greenway around 1:20 a.m., giving protesters five minutes to retreat back to the original encampment closer to South Station or get arrested. They didn't move, and the police, who had been massing around the encampment since the previous evening, kept their word. Jtpouliot was there to record the arrests. Scott Eisen also took photos. An arrest photo. Open Media Boston posted photos as well.
Police Commissioner Ed Davis says anarchists, not a harrumphing mayor, forced his hand today (Ed. historical note: Anarchists were originally blamed for the Great Molasses Disaster as well; as we now know, the tank exploded due to corporate greed - an executive ignored warnings the tank was leaking).
Mayor Menino told WBUR that "enough's enough," and the protesters had stopped being respectful. "There's a lot of other folks living in Boston" and they have rights too, he said, adding he actually agrees with the protesters on many of their issues related to the economy.
Open Media Boston reports more than 100 arrests. The Suffolk County District Attorney's office, however, reports that so far only 45 people have been scheduled for arraignment in Boston Municipal Court over the next three days - including one protester arrested at an earlier demonstration at the Charlestown Bridge.
Removing tents, Boston style. Photo by Open Media Boston. Creative Commons license.
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
(No subject)
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:34am
[img]http://dailydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e2...
I do? Not really. Are
By anon
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:47pm
I do? Not really. Are librarians the supreme authority on the legitimacy of a march?
For movie fans . . . .
By Chris Dowd
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:20am
. . . Overheard last night at the protest as I milled about to get a taste of what its all about . . . a big star with local roots is looking to do a movie on the life of General Smedley Butler. And if you don't know who that is- look him up. It's a piece of history- one of many- not talked about.
Everyone saw this coming, right?
By dMc
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:27am
Protesters take over common space... the city allows it for a reasonable amount of time... the city asks them to peacefully move... they don't... people get arrested and pushed around. Is this a surprise to anyone?
This is pretty much what I expected to happen when I first heard about Occupy Boston.. At the end of it all, our country still faces the same serious issues. Was occupying common space really all that effective? What about getting involved in community, education, local government? It may not change the world overnight, but I have a feeling it'd be a better way for these young kids to spend their time.
People are taking notice to their message
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:49am
Polling of the group is favorable. The news is finally following it, and thus the new cycle. It's really, really worrying some in the GOP and Teaparty; so much so they're tripping over themselves attacking them from both ends to see which one is the better message.
The birth of a movement is only the start. Find spokespersons, registering voters, and becoming a voting block are all down the line (if it makes it that far).
One thing is certain, Scott Brown should be worried. As long as you keep away from the Herald comments section, you'll find a lot of MA residents agree with these protesters. It's the same language and arguments Elizabeth Warren is making.
yeah because ef the rich is a
By anon
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:41pm
yeah because ef the rich is a hard sentiment to agree with...
The polls with highest
By Dan Seitz
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:00pm
The polls with highest approval I've found for the Occupy movement?
Fox News' website.
No kidding; when I last checked it was at 65% or so and had jumped ten percent in the last two days. Some of that could be online trolling, but as Fox News the site tends way more moderate in its polls than Fox News the Channel, it's...somewhat telling.
People seem to forget that Obama is introducing plans that two-thirds of the country likes most of. Yeah, the far ends of the spectrum may hate them for various reasons, but they appeal to the center.
My talk with the protestors
By anoninny
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:38am
Late last week I swung by our little Hooverville (note none of the protestors understood when I used that term) and decided to engage some of the proestors in coversation. Here are some quotes:
"My history prof is totally for this and won't mark down my grade for missing a few classes." - Future Northeastern grad(?) and fast food worker
"This isn't about you or me, it is about big corporations doing what they shouldn't, like making money and putting people to work." - Aged hipster from Somerville
"Leave me along you f#g, I'm updating my facebook status." - Suffolk university post grad
"I may not have a house or a mortgage, or know anything about real estate but forcing someone to pay back a mortgage they shouldn't have gotten in the first place is wrong. The government should either pay it, or forgive all loans, but not raise taxes or cut services." - Former Borders books cashier
"Being out here is cool like a camping trip. Also, company's are looking for people who stand out, so I am hoping the Google recruiter calls me back once they read my tweets." - Web developer who still thinks mousepads are hip
"This is why I never vote in any election, because politicans don't help." - College student who is upset that bars close at 2 am
"Are you a narc? Don't commit your hate crimes here!!" - English major at unknown college
"This is about sacrifice. My iphone died yesterday and I haven't played "Angry bords" since then. Can I borow your phone to tweet that?" - Unknown
"People need to realize we're upset about pretty much everything, and when you don't have a job and are tired of living with your parents and not paying your loans, you need to look for something to do. Why the heck would I get a job in fast food or volunteer? That's beneath me. I've got a double major in film and TV." - Angry college grad.
Its funny because its plausible!
Conservative humor
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:56am
Stick to "making money" guys...
No, actually those were all
By willful
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:35pm
No, actually those were all pretty much unfunny and obvious.
Good effort though.
C-
Funny, I swung by a rally of
By Dan Seitz
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:29pm
Funny, I swung by a rally of Republicans and found a whole lot of people who just all asked me the same thing:
"Hi, I'm a guy who wants reasonable taxation and a balance between government regulation, trending towards the hands-off, and free enterprise, and civil debate leading to compromise that achieves that action. Have you seen my political party? I swear, I left it right here."
We looked for it, but all we found was a burned out husk covered in some sort of slime with a bunch of badly spelled signs stuck to it.
Too bad, they seemed nice. I hope they can find another party.
Shut up.
By jeveuxsavoir
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 2:07pm
Shut up.
Protesters fatal error was criticizing Menino's incompetence
By O-FISH-L
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:12am
Did the protesters really think they could criticize the deplorable conditions of the City of Boston owned North Washington Street Bridge, a Menino embarrassment for nearly two decades, and get away with it? No coincidence that he retaliated within hours.
According to Mitt Romney
By East Cambridge
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:14am
This protest is nothing but "class warfare."
Of course, when he ran Bain Capital and wiped out hundreds of workers at American Paper and Pad company, and assorted others shops, that was Capitalism. Not class warfare.
I'd love to see these kids move their tents from Dewey Square into the lobby of the main branch of BOA.
re: BoA
By anon
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:54pm
They don't have the guts to park their tents at BoA. Why should they? It's all fun and cozy and adventuresome-like in their safe EMS tents with free electricity and free trash pick-up.
It's hard to be supportive of the occupyboston group when they STILL don't have a cohesive message or clear point to get across. Wall Street isn't being inconvenience by their mass protest, but Main Street is.
Coordination?
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:27pm
Dallas, Boston, San Fran, Atlanta, and St. Lewis.... same night, early AM when people were asleep and the media was nowhere to be found.
Prob a coincidence, but this is sure to generate more media attention.
Freedom in Boston? In the U.S.??
By Terry
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:04pm
And people still think they have some sort of freedom? 200 people are able to 'tie up a city'?
What a joke. "Rights trampled to keep the grass green!". That's what the headlines should say!!
No, basic strategy: you take
By Dan Seitz
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:06pm
No, basic strategy: you take action when people are least likely to start accelerating the situation. That's usually when they're sleepy. The last thing the BPD wanted was for somebody to start hucking rocks and make what was going to be ugly anyway into a nightmare.
That said, I'm sure the lack of news vans may have figured into it, but any half-way sane police force has to realize that raw photos and footage can be way more damning in the public eye than footage from news networks which will let them record a response.
Plenty of news media around at 1:30 am
By Ron Newman
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 2:54pm
I was there on my bike from 1:30 to 2:30 while the arrests and de-Occupation were going on. Plenty of news reporters and photographers were on the scene documenting the events.
Winter
By Suldog
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:57pm
Since the beginning of these protests, I have been interested in seeing what would happen when the weather becomes severely cold and foul. Any action forestalling that eventuality pisses me off aesthetically.
I think it would be instructive to see the reaction of the protesters to a change in the weather (as well as to see how much momentum the protesters might gain if their numbers did not dwindle too heavily in the snow.)
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
The seeds of colonial discontent
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:09pm
Were sowed in Boston's local pubs and parlors. It's happened before, and it can happen again.
The police "show of force"
By J
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 2:35pm
The police "show of force" was entirely self serving.
Basically, a buffet of overtime.
1:30am? What, let me guess, that's when double over-time kicks in?
The protest needs no more than 10 cops on hand at any one hand. Mobilizing every cop in the city is just an attempt to collect as much overtime as possible.
I also wonder if the police
By BostonBastard
Fri, 10/14/2011 - 7:22am
I also wonder if the police waited until 1:30 because by that time the T was out of service for the night, which makes it tougher to leave or arrive if you're not within walking distance or do not have a bike. It's certainly tougher for journalists to stay out that long if they're relying on the T to get home. That's one of the reasons I wasn't there.
It kills me when I hear the argument that the cops "had no choice" but use such a large number of cops. If the commissioner is not making conscientious decisions and is instead just following guidelines, then is he paid so much?
I agree with most of their
By mikey
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:45pm
I agree with most of their issues too, and one of the neat things about this country is that we have the right to legally protest and express our opinions, and we should. But what bothers me is that they can sleep on the greenway. At any other time, one homeless person keeping to himself and sleeping, not trying to draw attention, will get kicked out. But we have hundreds of people creating their own tent village and makeshift streets, and they are allowed to stay?
Organization.
By anon²
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:51pm
If a large group of homeless decided to sit around city hall in quiet protest, I'm betting the mayor would be forced to acknowledge their qualms. The media would. And the police would have no right to kick them out.
This isn't people "staying" for something to eat, or a place to sleep; it's a group assembly to petition the government.
Political vs Personal.
At least to me, there's a big difference.
protestor risks his temporary comfort
By anon
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 6:17pm
as seen on 6pm local WBZ TV news: a Brookline protestor went on camera and said that he was at Occupy Boston "risking his temporary safety and comfort..."
Risking his temporary comfort? What a brave soul.
Pages