...While Athens is burning the corrupt politicos who siphoned and embezzled the European Union subsidies are drinking latte and watching football on TV... (second photo from top)....
More On December Riots
2.12.2012
2.07.2012
GREECE BURNS FOR ALL OF US...
...Police violence. Interpersonal relationships’ violence. A looted country in despair. Seven characters trapped in an arthouse movie theater. A countdown to extinction...Three years before the movement of the “indignados” and OCCUPY WALL STREET there were “December Riots”.
«DECEMBER RIOTS», is a feature length film written, produced and directed by Dimitri Vorris, was in post-production, while a new wave of riots swept Greece on June 29th, 2011. The film's epicenter is the cold-blooded execution of 15 year-old student Alexander Gregoropoulos by two policemen in a downtown Athens café on December 6, 2008. "December Riots," a film about the Gregoropoulos killing, an incident that sparked riots in over seventy cities and twenty-two countries aound the world including the US, is produced, and directed by Greek-born Dimitri Vorris. The filmmaker acquired exclusive access to many never-before-seen court documents and evidence from the trial that followed Gregoropoulos’s killing.
Based on a real incident -the director himself was trapped on December 8, 2008 in a downtown arthouse movie theater during the 2008 riots-the independently financed, claustrophobic thriller, that was filmed entirely on location in Athens, Greece, focuses on a group of seven characters, Europeans and Americans, trapped in an art-house movie theater during the 2008 riots. 23 year-old newcomer British actress Lucy Lemos, Duncan Skinner, Fanis Katechos (“El Greco”), prolific actor Avraam Papadopoulos, popular comedian-director Nikos Giannikas anchor a youthful and talented supporting cast that includes Vivian Ioannou, Aris Athan, Nasos Pappas, Michael Angels, Louise Rheas, Aris Pappas, Maria Floratou, , Kostas Antalopoulos, Christina Mani (narrator).
Additional footage was filmed in late June 2011, while the film was being edited, when violence again erupted in Constitution Square. A new sequence with haunting and shocking images of Greek riots has been added.
“The fact that we’re having riots again now in Greece proves that people have not forgotten about Alexander or his senseless killing. There is still fury and rage that needs to be purged and there are still questions that need to be answered. While one film can’t answer the myriad of questions and dilemmas, ’December Riots’ honors Alexander’s memory and I do hope filmgoers worldwide are going to see through the film a new perspective on the systemic corruption and the looting of Greece,” said Vorris, a few months ago. "What's happening in Greece, is happening, or is about to happen everywhere else; Greece is just the canary in the mineshaft!."
1.02.2012
PROTO THEMA ARTICLE ON DECEMBER RIOTS...
12.10.2011
DECEMBER RIOTS TO BE CONTINUED...Ι
(Aπό κείμενο που δημοσιεύεται στο φόρουμ της εφημερίδας ΕΘΝΟΣ σήμερα...)
...H ΕΞΕΓΕΡΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΗ του 2008, άρχισε με την έκρηξη της συσωρευμένης οργής του κόσμου. Λίγα λεπτά μετά την εν ψυχρώ δολοφονία ενός αθώου 15χρονου μαθητή. Του Αλέξανδρου Γρηγορόπουλου.
...Ο Αλέξανδρος, που δολοφονήθηκε στις εννιά παρά δυο λεπτά το βράδυ του Σαββάτου 6 Δεκεμβρίου 2008, με μια σφαίρα στην καρδιά, έγινε μάρτυρας, και σύμβολο, για μια γενιά που έβλεπε ότι δεν υπήρχε μέλλον στα όνειρα της. Mπροστά της είχε να αντιμετωπίσει μια ανίκανη κυβέρνηση, την ασυδοσία μιάς μερίδας επίορκων αστυνομικών, τη φαυλότητα των Μέσων Μαζικής Εξαπάτησης, τη διαφθορά μερίδας της δικαιοσύνης... Τους σκότωσαν τον αυτοσεβασμό, τους κακοποίησαν την προσωπικότητα, τους πέταξαν δακρυγόνα και ληγμένα χημικά στα όνειρα τους. Από τα υποτιθέμενα «ελίτ» σχολεία των Β.Π. μέχρι το indymedia, και από τους αναρχικούς μέχρι τις τέως εργατούπολεις του Περάματος και του Πειραιά όλοι έχουν πια το ίδιο πρόβλημα. Οι φούσκες του μικρόκοσμων τους έσκασαν με ένα πελώριο ΠΑΦ! Η πραγματικότητα δείχνει το πανάσχημο, παρακμιακό πρόσωπο της. Αν δεν υπάρχει μέλλον για σένα, δεν υπάρχει και για μένα, είναι το συμπέρασμα. Η εξέγερση ήταν, και παραμένει, η μόνη λύση...
“Θα υπάρχει Ελλάδα όταν θα μεγαλώσω;” με ρώτησε ο 10χρονος ανηψιός μου. “Aν δεν καταντήσετε σαν τη γενιά του Πολυτεχνείου, σίγουρα”, του απάντησα. “Γιατί να καταντήσουμε; Θα τα φτιάξουμε όλα από την αρχή”.
Οι λέξεις που μπορούσα να γράψω για τo forum τελείωσαν. H Eξέγερση του Δεκέμβρη όμως δεν τελειώνει εδώ. Θα έχει και συνέχεια. Kαι όχι μόνον στις σκοτεινές αίθουσες της ΄Εβδομης Τέχνης...!
12.05.2011
H EΞΕΓΕΡΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΗ....
H 6η Δεκεμβρίου είναι η μέρα της «μαύρης» επετείου της άνανδρης δολοφονίας του 15χρονου μαθητή Αλέξανδρου Γρηγορόπουλου. Ενός αθώου και ανυπεράσπιστου παιδιού. Τρία ολόκληρα χρόνια έχουν περάσει από εκείνη την μοιραία νύχτα της 6ης Δεκεμβρίου 2008.
Σχεδόν τρία χρόνια έχουν περάσει από τότε που αποφάσισα να δημιουργήσω μια ταινία για την εξέγερση του 2008. Μετά από πολλές περιπέτειες κατορθώσαμε να ολοκληρώσουμε εγώ κι οι συνεργάτες μου την ΕΞΕΓΕΡΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΗ (“DECEMBER RIOTS”). Σκοπός μας ήταν και είναι να διασωθεί η μνήμη, μια και «...οι άνθρωποι που ξεχνούν το παρελθόν τους είναι καταραμένοι να το επαναλάβουν» ,και να αρχίσει μια διεργασία και ανταλλαγή απόψεων γύρω από την εξέγερση του 2008. Τα καταφέραμε μόνοι και ανεξάρτητοι, χωρίς καμμιά κρατική, ή παρα-κρατική βοήθεια. Το ταξίδι συνεχίζεται. Με τις επόμενες ταινίες μας.
Θέλω να ευχαριστήσω, όσους στάθηκαν στο πλευρό μας, σε αυτό τον αιματηρό, πολύχρονο αγώνα. Ο περισσότερος κόσμος δεν γνωρίζει ότι οι ανεξάρτητες ταινίες δεν γίνονται με λεφτά, αλλά με αίμα....Τους έχουμε θυμηθεί, και ευχαριστήσει όλους, αναλυτικά, στους τίτλους τέλους της ταινίας. Και είναι πολλοί, πάνω από εκατό άτομα....Ευχαριστώ....
11.28.2011
CREATIVE AMERICA:STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT
| The Truth about the Stop Online Piracy Act Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (H. R. 3261), vitally important legislation in the fight against the illegal foreign rogue sites that traffic in stolen content and counterfeit goods. Predictably, opponents of the bill launched a carefully orchestrated “scare tactics” campaign, distorting the facts and claiming that the bill would lead to “censoring the Internet.” And they made a lot of noise—with not a lot of facts to support it. The opponents of this bill are trying to distract from the real issue: this legislation is aimed at foreign criminals who steal American goods and content, sap our economy, and are a danger to consumers. It’s Time to Take Action Ourselves! Creative America is a community of over 60,000 people who care about American jobs and creativity and we need to make our voices heard, too. Read the truth behind the scare tactics below and send a letter to your representative now. If you’ve already sent a letter, send one again and also write to the editor of your local paper. Tell your community the truth about SOPA and make sure your representative knows you want him/her to support this legislation. In addition to sending a letter, spread the word and share this email with five of your friends and ask them to do the same. Doing so will help correct the misinformation that is currently out there about the bill and encourage others to join us in this fight. Get in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and tell everyone why you support legislation that will stand up to thieves who are stealing our work, jobs and creativity. Interested in getting further involved? Email us at volunteer@creativeamerica.org to learn how you can get help in the fight against content theft. The Truth Behind The Stop Online Piracy Act Truth #1: The Stop Online Piracy Act preserves Freedom of Speech As is stated in the Bill itself, “Nothing in this bill shall be construed to impose a prior restraint on free speech or the press protected under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.” Moreover, leading First Amendment expert Floyd Abrams, in a recent letter to Chairman Lamar Smith and Ranking Member John Conyers wrote: “Copyright violations have never been protected by the First Amendment and have been routinely punished wherever they occur, including the Internet. This proposed legislation is not inconsistent with the First Amendment; it would protect creators of speech, as Congress has done since this Nation was founded, by combating its theft.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has commented on the issue of free speech and content protection. In an October 25th letter to Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), she stated “The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights on the Internet is critical for the United States, for its creators and inventors and for the jobs it promotes and the economic promise it provides. There is no contradiction between intellectual property rights protection and enforcement and ensuring freedom of expression on the Internet.” Truth #2: Blocking websites that are engaged in Criminal Activity is Good Policy, not Censorship Opponents have also seized on a technique in the bill to target foreign rogue sites, known as Domain Name System (DNS) blocking. It is commonly used to protect consumers from sites that traffic in stolen content, spam, malware, child pornography and other illegal activities. Sixteen countries, including the United States, already use website blocking. Preventing these types of websites from conducting illegal or harmful activities to U.S. based consumers is not censorship. It is also important to remember the Stop Online Piracy Act narrowly targets these foreign rogue sites and completely follows the established rules of due process. Truth #3: Content theft puts American jobs and innovation at risk while content protection promotes innovation and commerce. The Stop Online Piracy Act promotes innovation by helping target those who steal from people who have invested their ingenuity and money in creative content. Artists and investors need to be protected from content theft that steals their creative works and takes away their incentive to invest time and money in protected content. Companies that engage in legal commerce online should support this legislation. So don’t believe the hype from the other side. Rogue sites receive more than 53 billion visits per year and they threaten American jobs, creativity and innovation. We need strong, focused legislation to go after these websites to preserve American jobs. Take action now and let our voices be heard! |
11.27.2011
TED HOPE ON INDIE FILM FINANCE.....
IndieFilmFinanceModelV2011.1 : The Ten Factors
Yesterday I went into some of the factors determining how the Model for IndieFilmFinanceV2011.1 may be set. If you were taking notes you probably recognized that these are the factors, but I thought it was worth jotting them down for our cheat sheets:
- Price point / negative cost below $5M;
- “Estimated” Foreign Value at 80% or higher of negative costs;
- Track record of collaborators in US Acquisition market to project 25% of negative costs;
- Utilization of Soft Money/Tax Benefits as revenue — not enhancement;
- Manufacture desire: inject freshness & an ability to cut through the noise;
- Predetermined & Accessible Audience;
- Aura Of Inevitability= Polished Script+Show Reel or Look Book + _________?
- Urgency of the deal;
- Something old (proven genre)
- Something new (fresh scent).
What does this all add up to? Is there a formula we can
11.26.2011
35 DEAD: A HUGE PRICE TO PAY FOR DEMOCRACY IN EGYPT....
…While Greeks are slowly disintegrating as a nation in the state of misery and catatonic apathy, Egyptians decided to take their destiny in their own hands and do something to reclaim their country back. The Tahrir Square revolution had a Part B, a sequel, as Egyptians were tired to wait the military regime to decide for election day and took over the streets. In response as you can see from the shocking FLICKR photos they were riddled with bullets in their heads.
It is ironic that in Greece, the country where democracy was invented, more than 25 centuries ago, nobody is protesting while the majority of the population can’t afford to pay for basic needs and things like decent food and medicine. While in Egypt, long associated in our minds, as a lesser democratic country the youth revolted and swarmed the bloody streets of Cairo.
While select mass media owned by a mafia that includes chronic tax evaders, middle men, blackmailers, and kleptocrats, in Athens, are doing their best to terrorize the public and keep under control the population, in Cairo, social media like Twitter and Facebook are helping the population to break free from the military regime. The world is changing at the blink of an eye. We don’t….
11.12.2011
10.20.2011
THE POOR POLITICIANS IN GREECE....
The Vice President of the self-called socialist government of Greece owns 57 houses and apartments. Again 57!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO. He's no Tyler Perry. He ain't no Spielberg. He "inherited" them.Guess how? He never worked other job in his life than being a politico.
The other VP of the government, and Minister of Financing, and the Economy, in general has 3 MILLION EUROS (4.2 MILLION DOLLARS) in his personal savings account, presumably for shopping groceries and chinese take out. He never worked in his life. He claims that the money belong to his wife, who's from a rich Thessaloniki family, in Northern Greece.
Do you buy their crap? Personally, I don't.
The other VP of the government, and Minister of Financing, and the Economy, in general has 3 MILLION EUROS (4.2 MILLION DOLLARS) in his personal savings account, presumably for shopping groceries and chinese take out. He never worked in his life. He claims that the money belong to his wife, who's from a rich Thessaloniki family, in Northern Greece.
Do you buy their crap? Personally, I don't.
"Padrone, our austerity measures in Greece failed".
"Ask Lovero to put a contract on the taxpayers and announce
to our protegees a contribution to the special fund".
10.17.2011
THE FASCIST REGIME OF IRAN UPHELDS FILM DIRECTOR'S CONVICTION FOR DARING TO MAKE MOVIES....
Somehow this slipped past us this weekend, but Iran has taken another step toward silencing one of the country’s most important filmmakers after an appeals court upheld a six-year jail sentence on Jafar Panahi, according to various reports that included the government-run newspaper Iran. According to that newspaper: “The charges he was sentenced for are acting against national security and propaganda against the regime.” His colleague Mohammad Rasoulof also faced a six-year sentence, and that was knocked down to one year. Panahi’s sentence includes a 20-year ban on making films, and traveling abroad. The convictions against Panahi and Rasoulof prompted an outcry among filmmakers, Amnesty International and international film festivals this year. Panahi’s lawyers reportedly will appeal again, but things are looking dire for an award-winning filmmaker who publicly mourned the deaths of protesters in the presidential elections, and reports say he and Rasoulof reportedly made a film about the aftermath. This is the same government that barbarically sentenced actress Marzieh Vafamehr to 90 lashes and a year in prison for appearing in My Tehran For Sale, and which called out the Cannes Film Festival for “fascist behavior” when it banned director Lars von Trier for his dopey comments about Nazis made at a press conference for Melancholia. Panahi won the Camera d’Or at Cannes for the 1995 film The White Balloon, and the festival pointedly added films by Panahi and Rasoulof to its program in May.
http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/iranian-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-faces-six-year-stretch-after-sentence-upheld/
10.16.2011
THE GAPZILLA....
...The colonial government of George A. Papandreou and its cabinet of incompetent, low class, inhuman like hell, ministers, are refusing to quit. Most of the day and nighttime are also hiding away from their voters, usually behind an "armored" all of policemen, secret agents, and riot police. It is a surreal comedy that unfolds down there in Greece. Has incidents, gaffes, moments and scenes that remind the Monty Python-esque absurd humor.
Why they refuse to listen to the public opinion through elections? After all Hellas, is the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of the Western civilization.
The answer is simple. There are tons of money still to be made over Greece's dead body.
Islands, natural gas, gold, oil to sell. To auction. Sometimes to the lowest, and not the highest, bidder.
AVANTI POPOLO....
...OCCUPY WALL STREET marches a crowd of 20.000 in the heart of New York. All over Europe hundreds of thousands of "indignants" are protesting about the rapid rise of unemployment and the financial collapse of middle and working class....
In Athens's Constitution (Syntagma) Square, a large crowd, is expected today. A 48 hour general strike on October 19, and 20 from unions.
10.14.2011
MASSIVE PROTESTS ON OCTOBER 15TH IN ATHENS....
Top cartoonist Yiannis Ioannou dark and humorous drawing on European Union's and Greece's D-Day.
From middle class to the crematoriums of spreads and hedge funds....
10.06.2011
MARIO BAVA'S LEGACY LIVES ON.... (PART 1)
BARBARA STEELE IN "BLACK SUNDAY".
MARIO BAVA (right) WITH LUCIO FULCI (pictured left).
Italian’s master of horror Mario Bava’s legacy influenced from rock legends like Black Sabbath to “slasher” franchises like Friday the 13th.
In 1960’s BLACK SUNDAY (LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO), a black-and-white gothic classic horror film influenced by the German Expressionism, Barbara Steele is starring as a resurrected witch who was burned to death in a small medieval town in Eastern Europe and now seeks revenge on her persecutors. The exquisitely realized expressionist images of cruelty and sexual suggestion shocked the public in the late fifties and ensured a long-standing ban from the hypocricy of the British censor. Also starring John Richardson and Ivo Carrani among others.
In 1971’s A BAY OF BLOOD (BAHIA DE SANGRE), young people in an isolated house near the water are killed one after the other. One of the most colorful horror movies of Mario Bava, who always performed cinematographer duties on his film, influenced Halloween and Friday the 13th. The film was starring Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Volonte, Laura Betti. BAY OF BLOOD still remains banned in Germany.
Thanks to legendary American producer Samuel Z. Arkoff dubbing efforts, most of Bava’s films are dubbed in English. BLACK SUNDAY has various language versions (French etc.)
Mario Bava’s photos are from VIDEO WATCHDOG.
ΜΑRIO BAVA (at the left) pictured with BORIS KARLOFF.
OCCUPY WALL STREET GROWS STRONGER: THOUSANDS MARCH IN NYC
*Photos from GOTHAMIST, AP.
NEW POLICE VIOLENCE OUTBREAK IN ATHENS' CONSTITUTION SQUARE....
R.I. P. VISIONARY AND INNOVATOR STEVE JOBS
American visionary and innovator Steve Jobs (Mac, Pixar, i-pad, i-pod,i-phone) who changed the globe in the way we communicate, being entertained, take and deliver information, died at 56 from pancreatic cancer. There are many obituaries around the web about Steve Jobs but the quote that epitomizes this great man's modus vivendi:
'Remembering That You Are Going To Die Is The Best Way I Know To Avoid The Trap Of Thinking You Have Something To Lose'.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
10.02.2011
AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR-SCREENWRITER PAVLOS TASIOS DEAD AT 69....
Award-winning screenwiter-director Pavlos Tasios died today from cancer. Pavlos was a very dear friend and a top director of his generation. Actually in the top-3 along with Nikos Nikolaidis, and twice-nominated for Best Foreign Picture Oscar Vassilis Georgiadis.
He was married twice. Survived by three children (one daughter and two boys) and his second wife Kaiti.
....Pavlos wrote and directed many hits including "PARANGELIA" ("REQUEST FOR A SONG", 1980), about a night club slaughterfest-made it look and feel chilling like a Greek tragedy, that grossed 5 million euros in its first month of release (gross adjusted for inflation), starring his ex-wife poet-actress Kaerina Gogou, "VARY PEPONI" ("ΗEAVY MELON", 1977), "STIGMA" (1982) about a single mother with an autistic child and countless others.
He wrote, produce and directed close to twenty feature films and countless TV series.
10.01.2011
"OCCUPY WALL STREET" HAS ITS OWN NEWSPAPER...
Occupy Wall Street is starting to look less like an extended camping trip (kind of): It now has a mailing address, an info line, and it will soon have its own newspaper. The Occupy Wall Street Journal has surpassed its $12,000 fundraising goal on Kickstarterand looks like it might actually be a reality. Now, the protesters will have basically everything they need apart from, like, houses. The project's description:
We want to be the people's media. Our first project is The Occupy Wall Street Journal, a four-page broadsheet newspaper with an ambitious print run of 50,000. It's aimed at the general public. The idea is to explain what the protest is about and profile different people who have joined and why they joined. We will explain the issues involved and how the general assembly process operates at Liberty Plaza. It will also offer resources and ways to join. The emphasis will be on quality content, design, photography and artwork that uses incisive humor to make it a lively read.
Most people are reporting that this is the work of the Yes Men, but a Yes Men rep told us that "we are not behind it, but we are 'backing' it on our Kickstarter channel."
Jed Brandt, a communist writer, is credited on the Kickstarter as head of the Journal. We haven't yet been able to reach him for comment.
Now that the project has raised over $18,000, it looks like at least the first two issues will run. That is, if Mayor Bloomberg allows the occupation to continue.
Go to Runnin' Scared for more Voice news coverage.
"OCCUPY WALL STREET" MOVEMENT SPREADS, BLOCKS BROOKLYN BRIDGE, NYPD ARRESTS HUNDREDS....
ä
...Hundreds of people protesting Wall Street abuses were penned in and arrested by police Saturday, two weeks into an ongoing demonstration that has become known on Twitter as #OccupyWallStreet.
Centered at Zuccotti Park since September 17, the gathering that began as a call to arms from anti-consumerist magazine AdBusters has shown no sign of a slowdown.
The movement aims to "express a feeling of mass injustice," according to the group’s declaration for the occupation of New York City released Friday. The injustices include the foreclosure crisis, work place discrimination and student loan debt, among a list of others.
As HuffPost reported recently, the movement is less about specific policy demands and more about an expression of opposition to ever yawning economic inequality driven by Wall Street and its allies in Washington.
Calling themselves an American revolution, the protesters say they plan to stay in the park indefinitely.
George Basta, an official with New York Communities for Change, said that the organizers were encouraged by police to march on the street area of the Brooklyn Bridge, instead of the walkway, then subsequently arrested them for marching in traffic. Two lead organizers, Jonathan Westin and Pete Nagy, were penned in by police. Westin managed to exit the police pen, but Nagy is missing and presumed detained by police, Basta told HuffPost(....)
MATT TAIBI: THE DOWNGRADING OF US BANKS AND THE 5 USD BOFA DEBIT CARD FEE...
....Big news in the financial world yesterday, as Moody’s downgraded three of America’s biggest commercial banks. The ratings agency hit Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup, and the money-shot quote came from the Wall Street Journal:
Moody's downgraded Bank of America's long-term senior debt two steps to Baa1, which is three steps above a junk credit rating. The outlook on the new rating remains negative. The firm specifically noted that the downgrades didn't reflect a weakening in Bank of America's intrinsic credit quality.
The spin that’s being circulated on this is that Moody’s isn’t dissing the banks per se. Rather, Moody’s has just suddenly decided to become concerned that in the post Dodd-Frank world, the U.S. government would not bail out all of these banks, should they need to be bailed out. The WSJ is selling this as nothing more than the ratings agency deciding finally to apply an equal touch to all the troubled members of the Too Big To Fail club:
Moody's said the probability that the government would allow a large bank to fail is greater now than it was during the financial crisis ...The ratings for Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi before Wednesday's downgrade reflected a greater level of government support than for five other systemically important financial companies--J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), State Street Corp. (STT), and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK) Now all eight companies are rated consistently with regard to possible government support.
But there’s no way this isn’t a serious blow to all these banks. You know you’re seriously fucked when even Moody’s, the most whorishly corrupt ratings company in modern history – one that “accidentally” gave billions in dicey derivatives AAA ratings a few years back (blaming the faux-bullish ratings on a computer error) – can’t find a way to avoid downgrading you.
And here’s my question today for folks keeping their money at Bank of America: How psyched are you today to have your bank downgraded to just above junk status even beforethe inevitable implosion of the Countrywide portfolio, that Yucca Mountain of deadly and still-severely-overmarked mortgages that BofA is toting along?
These three banks control, cumulatively, about a quarter of all America’s deposits. But it’s probably nothing to worry about, right? How about Ted Danson’s CSI debut? Man, is he having a quirky and idiosyncratic second career, or what?
OCCUPY WALL STREET: US CITIZENS PROTEST WALL STREET GREED AND UNPROVOKED NYPD BRUTALITY....
There Will Be a Protest to Protest the Treatment of Occupy Wall Street Protesters
Occupy Wall Street is now in its 12th day. This morning brought another march on Wall Street. In other cities, similar efforts are springing up. And, there are now efforts to protest the treatment the protesters have gotten from the NYPD -- most dramatically and media-attention-getting, the pepper-spraying of several women who were being corralled by netting. We spoke to Alex Vitale, a CUNY professor who, with Penny Lewis, has organized a demonstration "against police attacks targeting Occupy Wall Street." The event is scheduled for Friday at 5:30 p.m., at One Police Plaza.
In a press release Vitale issued today, he says that more than 1,000 people, including "dozens of trade union leaders, academics, writers, students, and other New Yorkers" are expected on Friday, to communicate their disagreement with how protests are handled in New York City and, ultimately, to attempt to get "the mayor put together a commission to look at the right way to handle protests." (Currently, there are 275 who have said they will attend on the event's Facebook page.)
Vitate writes,
On September 24th, members of Occupy Wall Street marched to Union Square, and were subsequently met with extreme police violence, including violent arrests of non-violent protesters and pepper-spraying people in police custody.
We are outraged by these police attacks. At the worst protestors were guilty of a minor traffic disruption, which in no way warranted the excessive use of force witnessed on numerous videos. This use of force serves to criminalize dissent and intimidate potential participants.We call on the NYPD to stop treating dissent as a criminal activity and to acknowledge the legitimacy of non-violent protest--even when it is disruptive. We call on them to end their unreasonably restrictive practices that undermine the very nature of free assembly, such as the use of protest pens, deployment of excessive numbers of officers directly surrounding demonstrations, subdividing of crowds, bag searches, and denials of permits.
As for the rather meta-nature of protesting the treatment of protesters, Vitale told us, "There are people who are maybe supportive in very general terms of the encampment but didn't feel so directly connected or inspired by that style of protest. So they weren't likely to wander down to Zuccotti Park (.....)
Lewis and Vitale both serve on the Executive Council PSC-CUNY, and decided to organize their protest after hearing from people that they wanted to "do something." Along with the event's Facebook page, they have a blog, Solidarity With OWS.
Lewis and Vitale both serve on the Executive Council PSC-CUNY, and decided to organize their protest after hearing from people that they wanted to "do something." Along with the event's Facebook page, they have a blog, Solidarity With OWS.
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