Posts Tagged ‘police’
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#DOCcupy the Movement: A recap of the past few weeks
by LittleBones 
#DOCcupy the Movement
It’s been an eventful few weeks with the Occupy movement around the country. The video above show the aerial view what is estimated to be 100,000 Occupy protestors taking over a highway in Oakland last week.
Now that more people are looking at the movement, some criticism on the recent weeks of police violence has been emerging. One marine says that the crowd-control methods of the Oakland police are even prohibited in war zones.
Saturday marked the International Day of Divestment from international banks where thousands of people transferred their money from big corporations like Bank of America to local credit unions. One report shows that since September 29, 4 in 5 credit unions have seen membership increases. This is an increase more than all new membership in 2010.
Over at Occupy Wallstreet, female protestors have constructed a safe haven for women. This safe house is in response to the few incidents of sexual assault that have taken place in Zuccotti Park.
Still confused about what this movement is and why people are so passionate about it? Take a look at this short animation that summarizes the problems at hand.
And FYI – we’re putting the final touches on our first installment of our own #DOCcupy that features our local movement in Baltimore. Fingers crossed that it’ll launch this week!
If you have a cell phone these days… chances are you have a camera as well… and increasingly, a video camera.
You can capture everything in your life, instantly, on film.
But are there some activities in public areas you should not film? Say, like videoing a policeman making an arrest?
That question was put to the test in an important case in Boston.
Simon Glik had been arrested for “filming a pulled over vehicle” in Boston Common and was yelled at vehemently (video here). The Circuit Court, in response to Glik’s suit, ruled that:
Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting ‘the free discussion of governmental affairs.’
But as Gizmodo reports:
… the cops were out of line, and filming them with your phone is not only fair game, but strong a constitutional power of the citizenry.
Wow…seems like your phone now comes equipped with constitutional power of the citizenry (what kind of drain is that on the battery?).
This is likely to be the first of many First Amendment arguments rising out of new digital technologies. Can you think of other public places where videos and cameras should not be allowed?
Image Thanks to the Mirror!
A quiet weekend in Britain? Increased police presence prevents weekend riots.
Mandate or can’t-date? An appellate court strikes down individual healthcare mandate and a prediction of what comes next.
Losing a good one: trailblazing women’s health advocate Bernadine Healy passes away.
Super PAC strikes! Stephen Colbert’s political action committee puts out its first campaign ad.
Ernie and Bert – should they or shouldn’t they? Get married, that is!
British citizens in London, Tottenham, Birmingham, and Liverpool began rioting on Saturday following the shooting of Mark Duggan, a local citizen, by police forces.
Sources like the Boston Globe say that riots started in London and have quickly spread:
Buildings, vehicles, and trash dumps were set on fire, stores burglarized, and police officers pelted with bottles and fireworks in London yesterday, as groups of young people rampaged through neighborhoods across the capital.
The same source says that over 225 people have been arrested, half under 21. They’re fighting with whatever they can get their hands on.
For a detailed chain of events try this BBC Timeline.
So why are people this upset? From what we can tell, people are demanding justice for the family, but are also protesting high unemployment and the lack of government services in low income and diverse areas.
The riots are well into their third night and the London area hopes to regain control.
Thanks to the LA Times.
Cops are supposed to fight bad guys… not each other.
The unrest in Syria grows worse.
Be careful if you ever attend an event with Vice President Joe Biden- you might end up stuffed in a closet.
Image from the ACLU report
Is America paranoid?
According to Internet blog Boing Boing there are some curious cases that might lead you to that conclusion.
- A lecture on veganism at California State University was infiltrated by undercover local and campus police officers.
- An Illinois Joint Terrorism Task Force search for three days for a Muslim man who was using a hand counter on a public bus. When they found the man, they discovered that he used the counter to count his daily prayers.
- A Kentucky minister who purchased copies of the Koran on the internet after the 9/11 attacks was detained at the Canadian border when trying to enter the United States.
- A Muslim-American journalism student was detained after taking pictures of Old Glory for a class project. …read more.
Thanks to Google Images!
We at USDemocrazy stumble across some very curious items in the news.
Any article that contains the line, “The bear, who was wearing ice skates when the incident occurred…” sounds promising. Plus, ‘Ice-skating Bears Gone Wild‘ would be an awesome idea for a Halloween horror movie.
We at USdemocrazy.com have to deal with our share of kooks (you should see our Christmas party).
The town of Harden, Montana is having a similar experience, only their questionable “guests” have decided to move in for good. …read more.
