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> Its stated intent is to persuade as many as 20,000 people to camp out on the streets of Manhattan's financial district until the Obama administration meets it

> Its stated intent is to persuade as many as 20,000 people to camp out on the streets of Manhattan's financial district until the Obama administration meets its demands. This seems a little incongruous, doesn't it? Shouldn't they attempt to be occupying some part of D.C. instead if that is their goal? They may be championing some actual cause, but they have not articulated it well. Both the reasoning and the demands seem very unclear for a protest that is to occur two days from now. http://twitter.com/#!/OccupyWallSt http://twitter.com/#!/OccupyWallSt has only 2,000 followers. I highly doubt this will go very far.

fleitz 15y ago
DC marches to the beat of NYCs drum. Anon is just doing root cause analysis. Anon isn't a group so they aren't going to have consistent messages with spokespeople sticking to the talking points.
- Locke1689 15y ago
  Nah. Unfortunately this seems like people are... well, stupid. People do understand that 'Wall St' is just metonymy, right? Wall St, literally the street, is somewhat meaningless. People can occupy the street but that's not actual going to stop financial trade because 'Wall St.' is just a figure of speech.
  - ynniv 15y ago
    If it were a meaningless place, there wouldn't be such a strong police response. From the linked Huffington Post article, trial run activists were arrested without cause and released without charges. Contrast that with another reported protest where folks camped outside City Hall for three weeks with minimal response.
    - Locke1689 15y ago
      I imagine any mass protest in the Manhattan business district wouldn't be taken to kindly. Remember that the right to organize and petition for a redress of grievances is directed towards the government. You actually have no right to protest and impede traffic in private areas.
      - morganw 15y ago
        Wall St. is a public street. Built by, maintained by and policed by NYC.
        Locke1689 15y ago
        If they're actually confining themselves to the sidewalk, maybe, but if they're impeding traffic that's cause for arrest.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      It's not a meaningless place. It's heavily secured, because it's perceived to be a target for violence. But he's right; staging a protest there won't slow down trading.
    - yummyfajitas 15y ago
      This has nothing to do with Wall St, and everything to do with NYC cops being out of control. The NYPD uses similar tactics against innocent bikers and anyone else they don't like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORuR5iRuxs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORuR5iRuxs I've heard that the NYPD is even going after people practicing parkour now, though I haven't seen it on youtube yet. (Full disclosure: I got picked up during one of these incidents. The judge dismissed all charges after the cop lied and I showed videotape proving it.)
      - prodigal_erik 15y ago
        Critical Mass is a bunch of thugs conspiring to break laws, obstruct traffic, and threaten and enrage the same people every legitimate bicyclist was hoping to coexist with. I'm no fan of violence but "corkers" should be arrested.
        yummyfajitas 15y ago
        If that's the case, how come the cops find the need to lie about critical mass activities on a regular basis? Shouldn't the video tapes recorded by critical mass participants be evidence enough of their guilt? It's quite strange how these "thugs" make every attempt to record themselves when they "break laws" and the cops try to stop them from recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aT9p36fgHU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aT9p36fgHU I wonder - would the police also attempt to prevent the mafia from wiretapping their own phones?
      - palish 15y ago
        Just curious, how did you get a videotape? I wish I had an "Oh boy, here comes a police officer" button, which records the entire event. But obviously there is no such device. I'm terrified at the idea of pulling out a cameraphone during any police interaction, due to the possibility of being prosecuted / imprisoned for violating their expectation of privacy. I'm relatively poor, and no one really cares what happens to me, so I wouldn't be able to fight the courts.
  - jbooth 15y ago
    It's symbolic, like all protests. Whatever the intelligence of the protesters, I seriously doubt any of them actually believe being a PITA in the street is going to inconvenience traders significantly.
    - joezydeco 15y ago
      Unless it's a diversion. Damn, I've been watching too many heist movies...
    - notahacker 15y ago
      You don't have to go into the buildings to wind the traders up... www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6YB53wp5dA
    - Locke1689 15y ago
      How? What are they actually protesting? The existence of the banking industry? It seems like poorly informed reactionary tactics to me.
dissident 15y ago
If you dig through their website, it looks like the common theme is "get money out of government", which is a rather vague goal and doesn't explain much. Assuming they mean political finance regulations, who objectively determines when the goals are met? What kind of specific regulations do they want? You can't find this information anywhere. This is more of a symbolic protest than a redress of grievances. People who have no idea how to solve problems and want one person to solve them all because they're holding up traffic in New York.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Silly thing about "getting money out of the government" is, where exactly do you think that money comes from anyway?
  - jbooth 15y ago
    Did you see how a few months ago there was a patent carve-out explicitly for wall st firms because one company was causing them a bunch of trouble? That wasn't patent reform on the merits, that was 'the money' and where it comes from.
- danenania 15y ago
  I think the idea is to go out and try to do something proactive instead of sitting on one's ass and smugly criticizing from one's keyboard. The US government is corrupt as hell. I'm not sure how anyone could see large numbers of people demonstrating against this corruption as anything but a positive development for our civilization. As any number of past movements have shown, the particulars of the message aren't what's important early on, it's getting people out of their houses and convincing them that they actually have power to create change.
burgerbrain 15y ago
People demonstrate in DC all the time. Everyone there is used to it and (perhaps more importantly) the police are pretty good at quelling things. Obviously people demonstrate a lot in NYC too, but on a different scale.
- mburns 15y ago
  I highly doubt the NYPD will be put off when a bunch of Anons have a sit-in.
  - burgerbrain 15y ago
    No, they won't. But compare their response with what you see in DC.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
libraryatnight 15y ago
I'm just refreshed to see something is happening, a date, feet hitting the pavement. I hope it's a success with a huge turn out, and I hope people notice. Even if the message isn't super clear, the feeling is, and if demonstrations like this gain momentum maybe people with a more clear message will realize action isn't impossible.
cHalgan 15y ago
You really think D.C. is the place were decisions are made? Really? Anyway these Anonymous are just kids and I don't think they understand problem - let alone the solution to the problem.
- niels_olson 15y ago
  > Really? Ad hominem attack in the guise of a question. Be nice.
jpdoctor 15y ago
> Shouldn't they attempt to be occupying some part of D.C. instead if that is their goal? I was thinking that occupying Wall Street on a Saturday is pretty much guaranteed to go unnoticed. Hope you prove me wrong Anon.
0x12 15y ago
And on the wrong day to boot...
- patrickod 15y ago
  The demonstration is planned for Saturday ?
PakG1 15y ago
Look at how many turned out when Anon wanted people to come out to SF for the rail shooting for prior data. I think Anon is out of touch with the common people.
morganw 15y ago
> Shouldn't they attempt to be occupying some part of D.C.[...]? In the defenses-probing visit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUGOgFaCs8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUGOgFaCs8, they're "camping" right in front of Federal Hall, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall_National_Memorial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall_National_Memorial, where the US government operated first after being Constituted. A symbol/place that I'm amazed the Tea Party hasn't seized upon, but I suppose the Koch brothers wouldn't like that.

fleitz 15y ago

DC marches to the beat of NYCs drum. Anon is just doing root cause analysis. Anon isn't a group so they aren't going to have consistent messages with spokespeople sticking to the talking points.

Locke1689 15y ago
Nah. Unfortunately this seems like people are... well, stupid. People do understand that 'Wall St' is just metonymy, right? Wall St, literally the street, is somewhat meaningless. People can occupy the street but that's not actual going to stop financial trade because 'Wall St.' is just a figure of speech.
- ynniv 15y ago
  If it were a meaningless place, there wouldn't be such a strong police response. From the linked Huffington Post article, trial run activists were arrested without cause and released without charges. Contrast that with another reported protest where folks camped outside City Hall for three weeks with minimal response.
  - Locke1689 15y ago
    I imagine any mass protest in the Manhattan business district wouldn't be taken to kindly. Remember that the right to organize and petition for a redress of grievances is directed towards the government. You actually have no right to protest and impede traffic in private areas.
    - morganw 15y ago
      Wall St. is a public street. Built by, maintained by and policed by NYC.
      - Locke1689 15y ago
        If they're actually confining themselves to the sidewalk, maybe, but if they're impeding traffic that's cause for arrest.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    It's not a meaningless place. It's heavily secured, because it's perceived to be a target for violence. But he's right; staging a protest there won't slow down trading.
  - yummyfajitas 15y ago
    This has nothing to do with Wall St, and everything to do with NYC cops being out of control. The NYPD uses similar tactics against innocent bikers and anyone else they don't like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORuR5iRuxs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORuR5iRuxs I've heard that the NYPD is even going after people practicing parkour now, though I haven't seen it on youtube yet. (Full disclosure: I got picked up during one of these incidents. The judge dismissed all charges after the cop lied and I showed videotape proving it.)
    - prodigal_erik 15y ago
      Critical Mass is a bunch of thugs conspiring to break laws, obstruct traffic, and threaten and enrage the same people every legitimate bicyclist was hoping to coexist with. I'm no fan of violence but "corkers" should be arrested.
      - yummyfajitas 15y ago
        If that's the case, how come the cops find the need to lie about critical mass activities on a regular basis? Shouldn't the video tapes recorded by critical mass participants be evidence enough of their guilt? It's quite strange how these "thugs" make every attempt to record themselves when they "break laws" and the cops try to stop them from recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aT9p36fgHU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aT9p36fgHU I wonder - would the police also attempt to prevent the mafia from wiretapping their own phones?
    - palish 15y ago
      Just curious, how did you get a videotape? I wish I had an "Oh boy, here comes a police officer" button, which records the entire event. But obviously there is no such device. I'm terrified at the idea of pulling out a cameraphone during any police interaction, due to the possibility of being prosecuted / imprisoned for violating their expectation of privacy. I'm relatively poor, and no one really cares what happens to me, so I wouldn't be able to fight the courts.
- jbooth 15y ago
  It's symbolic, like all protests. Whatever the intelligence of the protesters, I seriously doubt any of them actually believe being a PITA in the street is going to inconvenience traders significantly.
  - joezydeco 15y ago
    Unless it's a diversion. Damn, I've been watching too many heist movies...
  - notahacker 15y ago
    You don't have to go into the buildings to wind the traders up... www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6YB53wp5dA
  - Locke1689 15y ago
    How? What are they actually protesting? The existence of the banking industry? It seems like poorly informed reactionary tactics to me.

dissident 15y ago

If you dig through their website, it looks like the common theme is "get money out of government", which is a rather vague goal and doesn't explain much. Assuming they mean political finance regulations, who objectively determines when the goals are met? What kind of specific regulations do they want? You can't find this information anywhere. This is more of a symbolic protest than a redress of grievances. People who have no idea how to solve problems and want one person to solve them all because they're holding up traffic in New York.

sliverstorm 15y ago
Silly thing about "getting money out of the government" is, where exactly do you think that money comes from anyway?
- jbooth 15y ago
  Did you see how a few months ago there was a patent carve-out explicitly for wall st firms because one company was causing them a bunch of trouble? That wasn't patent reform on the merits, that was 'the money' and where it comes from.
danenania 15y ago
I think the idea is to go out and try to do something proactive instead of sitting on one's ass and smugly criticizing from one's keyboard. The US government is corrupt as hell. I'm not sure how anyone could see large numbers of people demonstrating against this corruption as anything but a positive development for our civilization. As any number of past movements have shown, the particulars of the message aren't what's important early on, it's getting people out of their houses and convincing them that they actually have power to create change.

burgerbrain 15y ago

People demonstrate in DC all the time. Everyone there is used to it and (perhaps more importantly) the police are pretty good at quelling things. Obviously people demonstrate a lot in NYC too, but on a different scale.

mburns 15y ago
I highly doubt the NYPD will be put off when a bunch of Anons have a sit-in.
- burgerbrain 15y ago
  No, they won't. But compare their response with what you see in DC.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

libraryatnight 15y ago

I'm just refreshed to see something is happening, a date, feet hitting the pavement. I hope it's a success with a huge turn out, and I hope people notice. Even if the message isn't super clear, the feeling is, and if demonstrations like this gain momentum maybe people with a more clear message will realize action isn't impossible.

cHalgan 15y ago

You really think D.C. is the place were decisions are made? Really? Anyway these Anonymous are just kids and I don't think they understand problem - let alone the solution to the problem.

niels_olson 15y ago
> Really? Ad hominem attack in the guise of a question. Be nice.

jpdoctor 15y ago

> Shouldn't they attempt to be occupying some part of D.C. instead if that is their goal? I was thinking that occupying Wall Street on a Saturday is pretty much guaranteed to go unnoticed. Hope you prove me wrong Anon.

0x12 15y ago

And on the wrong day to boot...

patrickod 15y ago
The demonstration is planned for Saturday ?

PakG1 15y ago

Look at how many turned out when Anon wanted people to come out to SF for the rail shooting for prior data. I think Anon is out of touch with the common people.

morganw 15y ago

> Shouldn't they attempt to be occupying some part of D.C.[...]? In the defenses-probing visit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUGOgFaCs8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUGOgFaCs8, they're "camping" right in front of Federal Hall, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall_National_Memorial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall_National_Memorial, where the US government operated first after being Constituted. A symbol/place that I'm amazed the Tea Party hasn't seized upon, but I suppose the Koch brothers wouldn't like that.