Taking Wall Street by Twitter - Day 3 - News

occupywallstreet QR code being distributed

DAY THREE

hopefully a bit more coherent :D tweets will be in italics. If you need background check previous (messy unedited) post "Taking Wall Street By Twitter" [tweets are in italics]

Live Video Stream from park

Second Communiqué: A Message From Occupied Wall Street



A lot of blog and news action now on this issue (but still mostly independent sources/net sources)


Independent Media posts

A Modest Call To Action: Statement at OccupyWallStreet.org

Salon post

Huffington Post

Nice post at Molly's Middle America

Salon posts "A Real Wall Street Takeover Threat"

The web-spanning nature of social action

Daily Kos kicks in an article

Tim O'Reilly sticks up for "the kids" (excellent comment dialogue)

Democracy Now.org post

US Day of Rage Horizontal Mesh Occupation Tactics

A surprising morning march on Wall Street



Mainstream Media

Allison Kilkenny's post at The Nation (one of the few early articles)

This one from International Business Times

The Examiner kicks in with a post about Adbusters and Anon joining

The Harvard Crimson on "Why We Need Wall Street"

Here's an article from The Guardian

NY Times article with good arrest-photo sequence of OrangeHatMan contradicting police report

French police detain “over a hundred” indignados in Paris

The Wall Street Protests and America's Choice: Harvard Business Review

Reuters is worried about clogged sidewalks :D

Dept of Homeland Security had already targeted these protests

Liberato's Pizza does great with protesters

International Business Times post

MSNBC Photo Blog

Los Angeles mirror protest [you tube]

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By Monday evening there is finally some coverage in American mainstream media (for an event that started 3 days ago), probably in shame that foreign media was doing major reporting on the story for almost 18 hrs: Russia, Egypt, Spain were all featuring main-slot stories for almost half a day.

With police barricades closing off several blocks near Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange for security, residents and employees of businesses in the area must show identification to get through the barricades.

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A lot of quick, paranoid tweets get retweeted a lot; that the cops are coming; that Twitter is censoring hashtags, that "there's no major news coverage"; so-and-so arrested/beaten at French and Spanish support actions... very hard to tell reliably what is true and what isn't. There is some truth to these rumors (especially the media grey-out as detailed above in links) but chasing down hard info/facts is difficult.

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Channel Censoring


Yahoo email experiment 9:30pmEDT

Anonymous Central claims: Is Yahoo Mail blocking emails that mention Occupy Wall Street? try the experiment yourself; I did and my mail went through both ways just fine... not to say it isn't happening in some areas. I sent from Yahoo and responded with a resend back to Yahoo from 4 different email accounts. In all cases both web links and topic in the body of the message went through:

Subject: Breaking News Story
Body: check out #occupywallstreet and http://occupywallstreet.org [link]

This picture is being retweeted, although there is no video, which would be more convincing/harder evidence that this was an email specifically mentioning Occupy Wall Street that was rejected.

UPDATE: I can confirm that when "occupy wall street" or "occupywallstreet" is used AS SUBJECT LINE, Yahoo does in fact report that "suspicious activity may be taking place on your account" and blocks email. This happened in the same previous 4 providers to Yahoo/resend back to Yahoo. If the SUBJECT LINE is different, the emails went through - repeated experiment 8 times for each variation- 9:55pmEDT

Update: someone did get some video of the Yahoo mail activity



There are numerous reports that Facebook is also "censoring comments and posts" but no hard information.

UPDATE: Jake Kettle, host of Truth Transmission has a good video up of Facebook blocking/deleting links to the live GlobalRevolution video feed

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What is showing now is a lack of organization or aim, fueled by rumor-tweets repeated in an echo chamber. O'Reilly's G+ post has a lot of sanity in it; I urge you to read it. I've seen this happen at countless protests over the last 10 years, including the DNC protest in Los Angeles. Too many agendas; too much shrill trumpeting of diverse and fringe issues and politics. It's easy to pick apart and divide such an amorphous protest/movement and the culture-jammers are out in force now.

This seems a particularly American way to do things and it isn't very effective. It alienates the general public from sympathizing and perhaps joining in the protest.

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8:30pmEDT
Power is cut to the square and gasoline for the generators used to keep laptops and phones charged and the live streaming video up is being blockaded by police, even with offer of allowing escorting 1 can to generator (to ease fears of using gas for vandalism). People have been sent out for gasoline but cannot get back through police cordon.


HOTLINE FOR ARRESTS September 20, National Lawyers Guild: (212) 679-6018 write it on your arm!


spelling on #occupywallstreet protest posters is SO MUCH BETTER than anything i've seen on #teaparty posters. that alone is worth s'thing.

#occupywallstreet has been mentioned on Rachel Maddow by Michael Moore #msnbc @maddow #takewallstreet @MMFlint @WeGotEd 10:00pmEDT

i found outdoorsman solar chargers for iCrap and other tech garbage on Amazon. where would one send this?

Bagels from Leo's Bagels del Tue am between 7&7:30 middle of Zuccotti Pk In Solidarity from Oregon

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Information Distribution

More information is being tweeted, distributed with links to articles all over the web:


The Chinese Govt Is Buying Up Economic Assets & Huge Tracts Of Land All Over The United States [link]

Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act! [link]

Know your rights with cops! [link]

New York Legal Observers [phone number]

Behind the poverty numbers: real lives, real pain - Yahoo! News [link]

Obama Finally Wages Class Warfare | Mother Jones: [link]

Recession Ushers in Widest Income Inequality Gap on Record [link]

Lets compare how people on Wall St. Newark, NJ live compared to that of Wall St., NY, NY [link]

The 90's trillion dollar stock market game wrongly drained south east asia [link]

President Obama bluntly challenges Republicans (Washington Post) [link]

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Taking Wall Street by Twitter

I almost went to sleep after a few hours in Second Life. I opened Twitter on my compulsive last-minute check (you know you do it too). I'm so glad I did! I am blogging realtime so forgive the updates and typos mess please.

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OccupyWallStreet.org - organizing site with pics and video

Great video compilations of Days 1 & 2

Video: Faceoff on Wall Street - brokers swill champagne and watch

Yesterday (Saturday September 17th; Constitution Day) a wildly-guestimated 1000 to 5000 marched on New York City’s Wall Street in a protest loosely organized by Adbusters, the non-profit, anti-consumerist organization, made the first call for an occupation of Wall Street back in July when they posted an article on their website titled, #OCCUPYWALLSTREET.” Anonymous joins Adbusters. Because there's been a major media blackout (see below) hard numbers are hard to come by.


The hashtags on Twitter are #TakeWallStreet and #OccupyWallStreet. I've been up all night watching. There's about 300 people sleeping peacefully in the nearby park, holding the protest over til morning. UPDATE: tweets heating up at 7:19amEDT UPDATE: Many more people returning to the park.

(Three different times TweetDeck told me "Your twitter stream is being throttled" and I could see why; the tweets were going by so fast I couldn't even read them. It's quite thrilling to watch.)

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Much of the protest organization was being directed through Twitter via #OccupyWallStreet, but it was reported that Twitter blocked that particular tag at some point early Saturday morning and #TakeWallStreet jumped up. There are other streams/hashtags going but these are the main ones. UPDATE: also #GeneralAssembly and #usdor UPDATE: Twitter removes #TakeWallStreet from Trending (US) but Spain still shows it. UPDATE: The progression of change #Occupywallstreet so we did then came #TakeWallstreet so we took contoll over night now its #OurWallstreet [9:55amEDT] UPDATE 12:02pmEDT: Hashtags appear to be trending in certain cities and countries but not in others. The "censoring" may be stream being throttled because of immense traffic.

UPDATE: Finally, some sense and explanation on #hashtags: a hashtag has to be NEW to be trending. No one is "censoring" anything; the hashtags are aging and falling off the Trending stats.


The protestors had planned to rally at the famous Wall Street Bull at 12 noon but police blocked all the streets near the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan. UPDATE: several tweets and retweets indicate NYPD is being very well-behaved and not hassling protestors.

The city established a protest area on Broad Street and Exchange Place, adjacent to the New York Stock Exchange, but the protesters decided not to use it

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Coverage

Right now (6:49amEDT) it appears as if a large-scale media blackout is in progress, at least as far as CNN, Fox and MSNBC are concerned. Al-Jazeera English seems to be the only major media outlet to be covering the protest. There are a few articles on the nets but not from majors like the New York Times. People on Twitter have been calling out to the mainstream media, asking "hey where are you? You cover smaller Tea Party demonstrations, where are you now?"


UPDATE: Russia-24 is reporting [you tube]... nothing on any French media... UPDATE 7:26amEDT "there are reports that NYPD are trying to keep (media camera) feed trucks from parking near the protestors to film" UPDATE: 8:24amEDT: still very little major news coverage, US and international. But Twitter and blogs and IRC is going wild. UPDATE: The Australian prints coverage.


UPDATE: 8:29amEDT: MSNBC posts a tiny story finally. UPDATE: Spanish Al Pais covered it front page UPDATE: 8:55amEDT: Fox News floats a story, ABC has one now. UPDATE: "To all nyc anons, mobile POLlCE assembling in front of UN & 1 street west. Lots of vehicles." [tweet 9:24amEDT] Police are gathering in mass at Liberty and Broadway. [tweet 9:26amEDT] NYC IndyMedia is AWOL. UPDATE: Spanish news is full of coverage, most channels 9:58amEDT UPDATE: EarthCam's "Charging Bull Cam" feed is stopped 10:47amEDT

This post from The Nation's Allison Kilkenny is being passed around a lot.

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Twitter stream


Many people are retweeting "be calm" and "peaceful protest!" to keep solidarity and to be conscious. People are tweeting quotes from Gandhi and King, Jefferson and the Right of Assembly. People were assembling in the nearby Zuccotti Park when it was tweeted that the park's owner said it was fine [Zucotti Park is privately owned by Brookfield Office Properties. NYSE: BPO] As of this writing there are no reports of violence and few (if any) arrests.


People are ReTweeting these encouragements, along with pictures and videos; passing the best ones around for countless RTs. International tweets make up half the traffic; encouragement from around the globe. There are solidarity camp-ins and protests in Frankfurt, Greece, San Francisco, Seattle.... People are tweeting supportive/stirring songs; their own soundtrack. There are many "grey heads" tweeting and retweeting; it is a full age-spectrum of people. People who cannot be there are expressing their thanks to the protestors constantly. NYC Mayor Bloomberg recognizes the right for people to protest [3rd paragraph] UPDATE: people are offering rides to NYC from Jersey; others are tweeting locations of food/bread/water donations 9:52amEDT


Many people (including myself) are encouraging people to video, photograph and record this event to both circumvent the media greyout and to use their OWN media to tell their OWN story. UPDATE: crowd is chanting ""It's Just a PRACTICE....It's Just a PRACTICE" UPDATE: people are calling for bread, coffee for the protestors; others are responding and tweeting locations for it. It's been reported Starbucks in NYC is providing free coffee to people who slept on sidewalks to support but this is probably a joke :D UPDATE: there are calls for a "General Assembly meeting" at 10amEDT. UPDATE: actually the Starbucks was for the police! lol.

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Here are some of the massively repeated and constant RTs:

10 questions about occupy wall street that should be answered urgently

Corporations aren't people. Money isn't speech.

[sign at protest] Market forces made me do it.

Uninstalling #Wall Street... 5% complete.

"The right of the people PEACEABLY to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I refuse to believe corporations are people until Texas executes one.

From my perspective, #takewallstreet isn't attacking Capitalism, only corruption and influence it brings to politics

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history" Gandhi

The police ask to speak to the leader. We told them that there is no leader. They didnt understand.

Overheard police: complaint that they don't know our plan. Seem uncertain of their next move. v

The Revolution may not be televised but it will be tweeted.

Just because we can't see it [on major media] doesn't mean it isn't happening.

1 demand: People, not profits

[photo] "I can't afford a lobbyist, I am the 99%"

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

The most scary part of this occupation is the censorship in the mainstream media

Americans are having to choose between shelter or groceries. AND MEDICAL treatment.

First they ignore you, then they mock you, then they fight you, then you win." M. Gandhi

We are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%

Older woman passing by: "we did it in our time, now it's yours."

One citizen. One dollar. One vote.

The corrupt fear us. The honest support us. The heroic join us.

Show solidarity for those occupying Wall Street. Close your banking account tomorrow. Put your money in a credit union.

America 2.0 INSTALLATION - 12% complete ... (CONTINUE? y/n) RT for YES

If you're coming to protest tomorrow, dress corporate! Confuse the police on who is who

It started in Tunisia,then went to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Wisconsin and now NYC,The spirit of '11 continues... stay strong



PERSONAL FAVORITE: RT @AnonSikko: wow, my grandmother said she is following the #occupywallstreet #takewallstreet twitter feed. says it reminds her of the 60s

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Live Police Scanner can be heard here


PHOTOS:

Camping Out

Free Food Station

"Wikileaks Top Secret Mobile Information Collection Unit truck"

NYPD surveillance tower deployed (8:33amEDT)

No Cop Zone (pic)

Los Angeles mirror protest

Great collection of photos by Monday 09-19@5amEDT


early video [you tube]

Video: Brokers drink champagne and watch protesters below 5pm 9.17.2011


Incredible: "5 Minutes of Slow Motion Video"

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12:27amEDT: WHEW! 9+hrs up/watching/tweeting/posting; I need some sleep! But how could I ignore this story when it speaks of everything this blog is about? NET POWER NET POWER NET POWER!

Must Post this You Tube video: Witches Supporting Wikileaks :D




1:28pmEDT: bunch of RTs about "Many hells angels coming down !!! (confirmend on police audio)" probable agitators/disinformationalists. Teabaggers out in force now jamming Twitter channels. Every once in awhile someone will tweet something provacative like "protect yourself from the cops!" but by all reposts, the police have been mostly sympathetic and non-hostile, particularly after Mayor Bloomberg had made his statement.


Looks like the staying in the park was a one night thing. The park owner would like the park cleared according to @AyeshaKazmi, a journalist on the scene. She adds, “White shirted police approached protesters this morning asking them to clear the area up at the request of park owners.”

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