Protesters struggle to stay awake on first night of sleeping ban - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Washington (CNN) -- Occupy DC protesters struggled to stay awake overnight but vowed to stay strong Tuesday in the first full day of a camping ban enforced by U.S. Park Police. "I had more fun in the park last night than the whole time I've been here," said Amanda Rickard, who is among the protesters staying at McPherson Park in Washington. "We were out here playing guitar, singing, playing drums, Scrabble, card games, you know, just stuff to keep us busy so we can stay here and stay awake." But one protester said he wouldn't be surprised if the mandate against camping gear and sleeping in the park takes its toll on protesters. "[B]To be honest, I don't know how long we can keep this up," protester Kevin Whiley said after a sleepless night. [/B]Park police began enforcing the ban on Monday after months of tolerating the Occupy camps at McPherson Park and Freedom Plaza. Police moved through the parks on Monday, asking protesters to remove camping gear and be sure to leave a tent flap open at all times. Protesters did not like the rules. "No justice, no sleep," one protesters scrawled on a tent. [B]Another sign, scrawled in white paint on a blue tarp, said: "Evicted from home by the banks. Evicted from the tent by the police. 99% has no safe place to rest." [/B]But Wiley said they were trying to abide by the rules to "show we are law-abiding citizens." "We're not out here just trying to have a good time, we are out here for a political message," he said. Protesters had made arrangements to sleep off sight in shifts, said Rickard, who acknowledged nodding off for about 10 minutes overnight. A large blue tarp that protesters had draped over a statue of the park's namesake, Civil War Gen. James B. McPherson remained standing Tuesday morning. Protesters had dubbed the tarp the "tent of dreams." Protesters said they had not seen police overnight, despite rumors that had spread throughout the camp about a nighttime raid. No arrests had been made as of early Tuesday morning at McPherson Park or Freedom Plaza. [B]The threat of arrest didn't deter many in the Occupy DC movement. Many braced for a police raid, spurred by rumors on social media. But it never came. [/B] Occupy DC is part of a larger activist surge that began last year in New York and quickly spread. While the protesters have highlighted a number of causes, the overarching theme has remained largely the same: populist anger over what activists portray as an out-of-touch corporate, financial and political elite. Violent clashes erupted over the weekend in Oakland, California. Protesters trying to take over a vacant convention center threw rocks, bottles and other objects Saturday afternoon at police, who responded with bean-bag rounds, tear gas and smoke grenades. Afterward, the activists criticized police as being heavy-handed, while police and city officials said the protesters instigated the violence. The Oakland demonstrators later got into a downtown YMCA and, eventually, City Hall. Once there, police said that protesters painted graffiti on walls, took down and burned an American flag and committed other acts of vandalism. Oakland police Chief Howard Jordan later said about 400 demonstrators were arrested. City Hall reopened Monday after an extensive clean-up effort. [B]Also on Monday, protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina, were given an afternoon deadline to remove tents from the site of the old city hall. Police took down several tents. [/B]"We're doing the right thing, peacefully and quietly," protester Malachi Vinson told CNN affiliate WCNC. "We're expressing ourselves in a better way than anyone else would." [/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/31/us/us-occupy-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1[/url]

Gotta get them out somehow.

Man, I supported the movement in the beginning, but I'm not too sure nowadays.

[QUOTE=Occupy;34479062]"We're doing the right thing, peacefully and quietly," protester Malachi Vinson told CNN affiliate WCNC. "We're expressing ourselves in a better way than anyone else would."[/QUOTE] Not when you invade a building and smash it to hell, you aren't.

If this was occupy Seattle there would be no problem. [img]http://cdn.designfestival.com/files/2011/02/starbucks-logo-1992_thumb.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=ewitwins;34479159]Man, I supported the movement in the beginning, but I'm not too sure nowadays.[/QUOTE] good intentions, poor execution

[QUOTE=ewitwins;34479159]Man, I supported the movement in the beginning, but I'm not too sure nowadays.[/QUOTE] Kind of hard to support a group of people that loiter, trespass and vandalize for no real reason.

IF they could corrdinate you could have some leave to rest and do a two day shift sort of thing. You leave for two days to rest, then return to replace someone whose been there for two days.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479168]Not when you invade a building and smash it to hell, you aren't.[/QUOTE] This is DC That was Oakland Want a map

[QUOTE=Bobie;34479185]good intentions, poor execution[/QUOTE] Only consequences are what people care about. Intention is irrelevant in this age.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479213]This is DC That was Oakland Want a map[/QUOTE] The movement is the movement, regardless of location. The Oakland movement trashing that building hurt the entire movements message and image, not just the Oakland ones.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479297]The movement is the movement, regardless of location. The Oakland movement trashing that building hurt the entire movements message and image, not just the Oakland ones.[/QUOTE] Fair enough, but I'm going to go ahead and expand this. The corruption and brutality the Oakland protesters have had to deal with on the part of the Oakland PD? This applies to protesters in DC as well then. Boy, the DC protesters sure are brave and civil considering all that violence they've had to deal with!

But see, It doesn't work that way, because the D.C. Protesters were not in Oakland. They [I]Weren't[/I] effected by the Oakland PD attacking them.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479363]But see, It doesn't work that way, because the D.C. Protesters were not in Oakland.[/QUOTE] So do you now not consider them all to be the same or what

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479376]So do you now not consider them all to be the same or what[/QUOTE] Smart people will realize that each city's Occupy Movement is more or less independent of each other. But the media only broadcasts to stupid people, who despite the media claiming "no organization, no idea what they're doing", believe that it's all one giant organized group of mindless destruction and such.

What I'm saying is, when the Oakland protestors trashed that building, it hurt the entire groups message and image, but the Oakland PD attacking the protestors did not effect the D.C protestors, because they aren't in the same place.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479297]The movement is the movement, regardless of location. The Oakland movement trashing that building hurt the entire movements message and image, not just the Oakland ones.[/QUOTE] Oakland PD is so horribly understaffed that they wont respond to home intrusions (unless the dumbasses have a gun) robbery (unless there is a gun) or any other crime that does not involve a gun. They are so horribly overloaded with shit that when they ALL get called to do shit like this they snap easily and thus go crazy. DC however does not have this problem because they got federal agencies there to take a chunk of the load off them and they just deal with that crap. And because there are high profile people in DC, they are most likely overstaffed to deal with everything. AND they just cant do whatever they want because all the major news outlets have outposts in DC and it will take them minutes to get to the parks and start reporting.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479456]What I'm saying is, when the Oakland protestors trashed that building, it hurt the entire groups message and image, but the Oakland PD attacking the protestors did not effect the D.C protestors, because they aren't in the same place.[/QUOTE] Dude their image was fucked long ago.

Just start a fucking riot goddamn, O.W. is horrible.

[QUOTE=hoodoo456;34479456]What I'm saying is, when the Oakland protestors trashed that building, it hurt the entire groups message and image, but the Oakland PD attacking the protestors did not effect the D.C protestors, because they aren't in the same place.[/QUOTE] Why the double standard If one Occupy being violent makes them all violent, then one Occupy being victimized makes them all victims

What double standard? One group did something really illegal, effecting the image of the whole protest, as well as got beaten up by cops. the other group is still affected by the really illegal thing, but not by the cops beating on the first group, because they were not there, getting beaten up. it's simple.

[QUOTE=faze;34479495]Dude their image was fucked long ago.[/QUOTE] They've always had majority support and I believe they still do

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479535]They've always had majority support and I believe they still do[/QUOTE] Majority of whom? Starbucks customers?

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479535]They've always had majority support and I believe they still do[/QUOTE] I strongly disagree. [img]http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/southpark/vertical_video/season_15/south-park-1512-1-percent-clip12.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=faze;34479548]Majority of whom? Starbucks customers?[/QUOTE] [url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20125515-503544/poll-43-percent-agree-with-views-of-occupy-wall-street/]From October, the most recent large-scale survey I can find[/url] I guess they lost majority support but still have more support than not

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479640][url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20125515-503544/poll-43-percent-agree-with-views-of-occupy-wall-street/]From October, the most recent large-scale survey I can find[/url] I guess they lost majority support but still have more support than not[/QUOTE] They still knew what they wanted to do back in October. It's been almost 4 months. In that 4 months, they have totally lost focus and have done nothing productive other than what I said a few posts back (loiter, vandalize and trespass), and bitch a lot.

[QUOTE=Rankxerox;34479517]Just start a fucking riot goddamn, O.W. is horrible.[/QUOTE] "Riots" always have the idea that they "burn out" after a while. Anything short of a revolt and rebellion isn't going to catch much attention to say "we're angry and we're not going away".

[QUOTE=faze;34479679]and bitch a lot.[/QUOTE] A large proportion of their participants have been doing that since the start.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;34479640][url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20125515-503544/poll-43-percent-agree-with-views-of-occupy-wall-street/]From October, the most recent large-scale survey I can find[/url] I guess they lost majority support but still have more support than not[/QUOTE] From what I understand, a lot of people went home for the holidays and haven't come back.

[QUOTE=Bawbag;34479691]A large proportion of their participants have been doing that since the start.[/QUOTE] I didn't say that they didn't do that from the start, I mean bitching is the nature of protesting, you either do it constructively or you do it like these people.