The Transport Workers Union don't want to bus Occupy Wall Street to Jail
By louisehartmann
The New York Transport Workers Union went to court to block New York City and the NYPD from forcing bus drivers to transport arrested Wall Street protestors. After police rounded up and arrested 700 peaceful demonstrators on the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend – the NYPD commandeered 3 city buses to haul off the demonstrators.
Now – the Transport Workers Union is going to court to make sure that doesn’t happen again. TWU President John Samuelson said, “TWU Local 100 supports the protesters on Wall Street and takes great offense that the mayor and NYPD have ordered operators to transport citizens who were exercising their constitutional right to protest — and shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place.”
This week – other unions are expected to join the Occupy Wall Street movement – swelling the number of demonstrators in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park to its highest numbers yet. Now with the support of major labor unions – the Occupy Wall Street movement has some teeth.
Comments
#2
Thom ...... The time machine is grinding out the repeat of history once again. Only this time ...... we've got internet speed. Where exactly are we ? I hope we are not as lost as the republicans.
#3
Good news to see the unions joining these peaceful protests guaranteed by our Constitution. Any real change has to start at the bottom. Most Americans realize their elected representatives have betrayed them and our country. When the leaders of the Republican party state their number one priority is to defeat Barack Obama, they are committing treason. We are in two shooting wars, the economy is bankrupt and tens of millions of Americans are out of work and are getting zero help from the Congress. I am looking for opportunities to join in and protest against the political betrayal of our country. Americans deserve better. Let's take to the streets and stay there as we've seen millions of others do around the world this year.
#4
don’t think it’s a case if the transport workers Union will win, the system is failing society, the actions of the system/authorities has the potential to do what nothing else has, it creates a sense of solidarity, a shared cause, so take the Union out of the equation, The whole US of A, is a Union of People ,never forget it
#5
GOP Bagger scam plan is to take US back to the "Gilded Age' when Robber barons rulled us all ! Seems to me Tea Baggers in COngress are pods from outer space who hatched while we all slept
#6
OCCUPY CONGRESS! I suggest that the Occupy Wall Street protests expand to the very halls of Congress. Any thoughts on moving forward and organizing this would be most appreciated. Perhaps, if you can't get to D.C., you can get to your local representatives' offices. It is time to expand the protests to those responsible and move against the political corruption that has allowed Wall Street to freely engage in criminal actions that threaten the entire country.
#7
So it looks like the First Amendment is suddenly a little inconvenient for the right wing big-heads seeing how the protestors aren't a small group of tea-baggers screaming and fighting hard for the right to be jobless, poor, and gullible. How refreshing to see a group stand up for the rights of 99%, as opposed to those who fight for the greedy nonsense of the top 1%. Will somebody please tell Christie and the rest of the tea-baggers the Kochs don't need their help. What in hell are they gonna do with all their money anyway, build a Great Pyramid and fill their tomb with gold? How frigged up can you be? The endless pursuit of money at the expense of every other living thing is so freaking ignorant, and then for a bunch of ordinary citizens like Christie to fall over themselves to lend the Kochs a hand is beyond me.
The TWU will win, peaceful assembly has been a right since 1791!
#8
The occupation movement, coming soon to city near you.
Been following the occupation since day two or three of Wall Street, and Los Angeles after they went up on Saturday; realizing something vital going on but not fully putting words to it, I sprung it on people as "coming soon to a city near you, the occupation has begun. I thought it was amusing.
Yesterday took my day off and a bus into L.A. to check it out in person; particularly interested in how it would manifest in the midst of day one of the workweek. It was amazing.
After a day of hanging out, helping here and there, meeting some participants, walking a sign, chatting up with people on the street, mid-afternoon, the Monday General Assembly convened. That was amazing. I had already concluded that in the occupation concept was an unprecedented opportunity to surmount corporate power and domination of the megaphone and message; that as the occupation grew and sustained over time “We the People” could back the megaphone and the message-an amazing thought.
Today, mulling over the events of yesterday, I realized that at that General Assembly, I was also witnessing the birthing of a cell of “direct democracy” and in this case an additional cell, struggling to get to its feet like a new born doe, struggling with language, as well as awareness of competing interests and priorities. They will be successful.
I sense there is a conclusion to the foregoing thought for which I haven’t yet found words but in any case, there was a man present from New York, a participant there from the outset; he left for L.A. just prior to the bridge incident. He talked, answered questions about the nascent days of New York, small numbers, the process of learning and evolving effective strategies as numbers grew. There I was in the midst of the Los Angeles nascent moment as it tested its own ideas and some of the solutions New York had found.
A moment in history, I think it will prove to be pivotal.
#9
Yes, without a doubt.
#10
I like this! The Human Occupation of Pennsylvania Avenue.
#11
I think that Chase is trying to create a US Gestapo: http://www.truth-out.org/open-letter-wall-street/1317680703
What is happing is that Chase thinks that buy giving $4.6 million to the New York police foundation, that they can create a Gestapo out of the police and expand that to the transportation workers. They are looking for people who put money above human life and will put their moms and brothers and sisters in jail for a buck, even if there is no reason too.
If Wall Street could create jobs as fast as they do money, then this wouldn't be happening because everyone would be making money and shopping at Macy's instead of Wall Mart.
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