Second installment of Occupy Ann Arbor protest taking place in Liberty Plaza
Members of the Occupy Ann Arbor movement sit and discuss how to run their general assembly meetings Tuesday afternoon in Liberty Plaza.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
A general assembly is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the public square at the corner of Liberty and Division streets. The movement is meant to show solidarity for the other Occupy movements going on across the country, including the main Occupy Wall Street event in Lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park, where protesters have been since mid-September.
About 200 people gathered on the Diag on the campus of the University of Michigan on Oct. 6 in the first Occupy Ann Arbor gathering. The gathering was a meeting to organize supporters in Ann Arbor, and the Facebook event for the protest indicated Tuesday’s event is meant to be in a similar vein.
Protesters also are planning to go to Occupy Lansing and Occupy Detroit protests later this week. The protestors in Detroit are planning to sleep at the protest site until mid-December, according to reports.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Ted
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 11:01 a.m.
One fairly obvious point has been overlooked by a large number of commenters here. OF COURSE most of the occupiers don't have jobs. Thoss of us with jobs find it harder to physically join them. But there are a large number who do support them, and we are not doing so because we ourselves need a job. We do it because we recognize that greed, contrivance, and illegality in both government and finance are now destroying both the lives of millions of people, and the hope that America would continue to bear the message of democracy, equal playing fields, and honest achievement to the world. There are millions of us older folks, with jobs we've worked for, who recognize that even the diligent young have been viciously cheated out of any opportunity to do the same thing, and we're mad for them. You'll see.
genetracy
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 2 a.m.
Class envy. The second most popoular pastime in the USA behind viewing online porn.
A2Realilty
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 9:15 p.m.
Atlas Shrugged
James
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 6:47 p.m.
I find it hard to understand why people comment on here stating protestors should "find jobs" and "quit asking for handouts". Only in the next breath to say they agree that Wall Street shouldn't have been bailed out and the banking industry is out of control. I haven't heard a single protestor ask for "a handout", these people are demonstrating in hopes action is taken to stop the illegal acts that occurred on Wall Street. You can spew rhetoric until you're blue in the face, but you're going to come out in the end looking uninformed. There is no central structure to this movement, nor has it made a statement of demands. Reading the stupidity on here is absolutely infuriating. The only handout I've seen is the handout that came out of my check/retirement/future to continue to fund the illegal activities of the banking industry. Bash these people all you want, but once they run out of money and the giant that is Wall Street is still hungry, where is it going to find its next meal?
Billy Buchanan
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 5 p.m.
Lenin would be proud of these Lemmings rushing toward Socialism and Communism.
David Paris
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.
Lenin, and pretty much anyone who understands what a Kleptocracy is, would be proud of these people for protesting against the extreme abuses of Capitalism by Wall Street & Washington. If Socialism is another name for Fairness, I'll take Socialism anytime over Kleptocracy, thank you.
Carole
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 1:54 p.m.
Frankly, I believe their time would be better spent being responsible for self, seeking a job, and not demanding that the government and everyone else take care of them. I can already hear it -- there are no jobs--there are but maybe they don't pay what you all think you are worth, but in these days, any job is better than none. One person interviewed at one of these sit-ins, actually quit his job so he could participate -- whoops. I totally disagree with all the bale outs that were provided to Wall Street, especially when CEO's received big bonuses.
dirg77
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 12:02 p.m.
I understand where the protesters are coming from, but they are confusing actual capitalism with crony capitalism. The big evil corporations couldn't do what they do without the enabling force of government from both major parties. Regulation is not the answer because the regulators are all compromised, and the biggest companies with the best lobbyists write the regs so that they can afford them or get around them but smaller competitors cannot, effectively shutting out any kind of moderating market discipline. You need to remove government entirely and let these companies stand or fall on their own. If it were not for the bailouts supported by both major political parties (and, in fact, supported more by Democrats than Republicans), most of those evil bankers would have lost all their money and their jobs in normal bankruptcies. Angry shareholders would then have prosecuted them for fraud instead of the SEC letting them all walk free. You should be protesting outside the White House, the Capitol, the SEC, and the Federal Reserve.
Hot Sam
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 12:30 p.m.
James...don't confuse rules with overbearing regulations...we need rules...
James
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 6:54 p.m.
Just because regulators have become compromised you cannot simply do away with regulation. Deregulation is what started this mess in the first place. Capitalism cannot work without it, we have let companies become too large, even made a cute name for them "too large to fail". Without regulation these companies would become larger and swallow up any competitors, thus going against everything capitalism is supposed to instill. If you were to start from scratch it would work, but because these companies are so large, and have such a big head start, they would never have competition.
Carole
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.
Very well written - thank you.
Hot Sam
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
Very well said Dirg! The problem is not the tax rate, it's the tax code...
Terry
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 11:10 a.m.
So when are you guys going to "occupy" Oprah's front lawn? Or does this whole "movement" only target the wealthy conservitive Americans? Last time I checked Oprah was knocking down something like 300 million annualy which is FAR more than the bankers. To answer Goober from an earlier post; the recruiters I have been contacted by are looking for multiple positions in the Automotive field and technical fields. Personally I am in automotive design, but I have been contacted for project manager positions, countless engineering positions, and even some linework for technical manufacturing companies. All you have to do is post a resume on Monster or CareerBuild etc.... and the phone will start ringing off the hook.
James
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.
Terry, you seem like a nice guy, even in the same field as I. But you're very wrong. Bankers had RECORD bonuses this year. For example the CEO of BofA will receive a nearly 14.3 million dollar bonus, the same year BofA rolls out new fees on ATM and Debit usage. And as much as I dislike Oprah for a laundry list of reasons, she did not amass her millions by writing faulty mortgages, repackaging said mortgages and sell them to unsuspecting investors and then turn around and bet that said mortgage would fail, in turn making money from the failed mortgage that you wrote in the first place. Do you not see these people made their millions illegally?
Terry
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
Rob, I don't understand how this is a response to my post, but I would have to believe the numbers are correct. The fact is there are plenty of companies looking for quality employees. If you don't have a job you are either under qualified or not looking hard enough. It's not the corporations fault, they are the ones hiring!
Sparty
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.
So unemployment at 9.1% is just a made up number? Let alone the fact the fact that it doesn't count those working part time that want or need full time work? It's all some game?
Louhi
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 12:04 a.m.
Occupy needs to consider "occupying" the Capital, Regional Feds, and front lawns of the senators that voted for the bail out. Not to mention, it may be time to consider a "performance review" for all of our congressional members. Our government has failed us, and we pay them! "All Animals are Created Equal, just some are more Equal than others" George Orwell, Animal Farm.
Halter
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.
Hmm...not sure how much of a "movement" this really is... Example...Detroit population = 951726....number estimated at "occupy Detroit" = 140 Example...Ann Arbor population = 114024...number estimated at "occupy Ann Arbor" = 200 That's .03% of that population that seem to be interested in protesting in this manner....hmmmm
Silvanus
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 3:28 p.m.
"(98%) say they would support civil disobedience to achieve their goals, and nearly one-third (31%) would support violence to advance their agenda." Now there's a contradiction since civil disobedience also implies peaceful resistance. Also compare this to the tea party "movement" you all probably support (perhaps even astroturf for). The connections to corporate money are well understood and how it has been used to create the illusion of a spontaneous grassroots movement. The grievances of on the ground tea partiers is real, but the reasons given for the problems are bullshit ideas planted from above, trying to equate crony capitalism with personal freedom. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/25/tea-party-koch-brothers" rel='nofollow'>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/25/tea-party-koch-brothers</a> So trolls. You mad because we can do real grassroots better? I think the large number of spontaneous uprisings around the world attest to this fact. You can't fool all of us. People are waking up and finding they are strong. We are shaking off the shackles.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 11:40 p.m.
Oh, snap!
L. C. Burgundy
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 11:06 p.m.
sh, ask and ye shall receive: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637082965745362.html" rel='nofollow'>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637082965745362.html</a> Note there is likely a paywall for this article, you may need to google the article title to read it. And note that it is authored by an advisor and pollster for the (D)'s.
sh1
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 11:01 p.m.
L.C., just trying to keep things straight here. Care to share your source for your comments about the make-up of the OWS and spin-off groups?
L. C. Burgundy
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
It's a far left wing movement, so you should expect far more press support and bolstering of this mission, as it reflects the ideological makeup of most of the media.
sh1
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:32 p.m.
For all the people posting here about the make-up of this movement, can you please tell us where you got your information? All I hear is a lot of "mega-dittos." I went to the meeting last week and saw people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, all wanting the same thing: fairness for the middle class and poor people in a world where the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. I did not see whiners, losers, people who don't want jobs, or Nazis. So please, tell us how you know who these people are.
sh1
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 11 p.m.
Hmmm...not sure how you could poll a group of people that changes every day. Could you point me to your source on this?
L. C. Burgundy
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:48 p.m.
Same old marxist claptrap, different day. The actual people in NY at OWS actually has been polled, and it contains almost exclusively hard-left liberals who voted for Obama in 2008. Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Homeland Conspiracy
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi
aabikes
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:26 p.m.
I have a great job. I worked hard to get here. I also watched all the business school kids get drunk every night during college then move out to Manhattan and become investment bankers. They didn't work any harder than I did, and they make 10x the money because they chose to work for the out-of-touch banking industry. Unless you are posting in this forum from the 60th floor in Manhattan somewhere, nobody wants to take any of your hard-earned, and well-deserved money. I can never believe the amount of trolling in these AnnArbor.com forums. It's awful. And as someone will certainly suggest, maybe I will just stop coming here and Occupy elsewhere. What they're so mad about: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10?op=1" rel='nofollow'>http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10?op=1</a>
aabikes
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.
Didn't apply. Didn't want to. And after seeing how my friends there settled out, hardly regret it. I merely took a lowly career in engineering. The b-school would have been easier to get into... fwiw, I was right there with ya thurs-sat...
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:01 p.m.
Guess you made some bad decisions there, sport - or couldn't you get into B school and that's the issue. As suspected, it's more about sour grapes than anything. Thanks for posting this. It shows what this "movement" is all about. FWIW, I only got drunk Thurs. - Sat.
Sparty
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:19 p.m.
Yup, just as expected in a wealthy town .... a bunch of scared people unsure what to do about the world-wide crowds joining the 99% movement. This isn't just college aged kids, these are diverse representatives across the middle and poor classes who have seen the unfair distribution of wealth in corporate America and corporate life around the planet and want changes made. They want corporations and the wealthy paying their fair share. They want fair and progressive tax practices. They want fair housing regulations. They want fair loan practices. Who doesn't? Why, the banks and the wealthy and the greedy. Generally in the USA it's the Tea Partying Republicans who are scared out of their crazy right-wing heads, and not the Democrats who are generally more open minded, but apparently even in Ann Arbor there are the closed minded among us.
ToraRTC
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 1:53 p.m.
L.C. this isn't a liberal vs conservative thing like most republicans would want you to believe. Not everything in life is black or white. The Occupy movement has its heart in the right place.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:57 p.m.
Technical note... 200 people - 50 in the case of Detroit - is just a tiny bit short of 99%.
L. C. Burgundy
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 10:51 p.m.
Actually, ideologically, it's more like a 25% movement, at best. Most people aren't far left-wing liberals.
Silvanus
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:09 p.m.
Hah! We must be doing something right if we are bringing the corporate elite sympathizers out in droves. That's right troll for Goldman Sachs! Troll for the Koch brothers! Troll for the status quo! Meanwhile some of you will see your jobs, pensions, and investments dry up as the volatility of the market remains an unresolved problem.; as the banks continue to play roulette with our futures; as the corporations continue to offshore and move the line between the privileged and unpeoples higher; and as they all trade away the long term security of our species for a bigger return in the present. Your best Ayn Randian fantasies will not keep you afloat in the flood of reality that is coming. Start participating. Get educated as to where the real problems in society come from. I'll give you a hint: it ain't from the bottom.
GB
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:57 p.m.
The solution is simple.. we all stop working/earning a living and join the protest. Then we all starve!! Get It?
demistify
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:41 p.m.
The front page of the New York Times today (10-18-11) had a spread of protestors holding up signs. One said "End the Fed" (Ron Paul's foremost demand). Another said "9-11 was an inside job" and "Impeach the Supreme Court", among other gems. Perhaps the one that summed it up best said simply "I am very upset". That basically is the one consistent message. It is malaise (as Jimmy Carter put it), a vague sense that things are not going right and life is unfair. That does not add up to a prescription for how to improve matters. One of the early participants said they were meeting daily to figure out what their demands are. In short, we have a bunch of people who are throwing a tantrum and trust that if they scream loudly enough someone will bring them a happy ending (which they cannot define). What is most disturbing (apart from the intellectual laziness) is the anti-democratic attitude, not seeking a majority adoption of a solution in the political process but rather attempting to highjack it.
Joe_Citizen
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
Yeah, Ive read some of the statements above, and I may remind you that it was us that made the corporates so large, and then they turn their back and go to china or somewhere else and use slave labor to make their goods, and all for the sake of the bottom line, and more money for the share holders. So, I believe if your against the movement then you're all for slavery, and puts you in to the slave monger category...
Billy Buchanan
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
Who made Corporations move? The Government by passing so many hundred billion dollar regulations and burying the Corporations in paper work. Then the Government opens the door for Corporations to move to foreign countries and take the jobs with them. Try going to Washington and protesting the government for making this happen.
The Picker
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.
Remember you said "us" slave moonger Joe
grye
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:52 p.m.
The only change I would like to see would be the loss of tax exemptions for those making more than $500K per year. Tax emeptions and tax credits are provided to allow the working class the opportunity to reduce their tax obligation based upon necessary expenditures for dependens, etc. Indiviuals and families with extraordinary incomes really don't need these tax breaks. I don't believe their tax rates need to be reaised, just eliminate the exemptions.
toofmullets
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:37 p.m.
I think many here have a very conveniently disparaging impression of #occupy. Perhaps some want something for nothing... however, its mainly that they want folks that raped and pillaged our economy to pay the price for their actions. Furthermore, if they do want something for nothing, its certainly not the financial or moral equivalent of the banks and financial companies that have been bailed out multiple times to the tune of hundreds of billions, perhaps even trillions of our tax dollars. I find it ironic that the same folks that constantly proclaim their love for personal responsibility, and are doing so here, appear to have no issue whatsoever with absolutely no one paying any kind of criminal penalties, or even be troubled by pesky investigations, for what they did. I'm thankful that wide swaths of this nation see #occupy in a favorable light - the last thing we need is more utopian capitalist policies from clowns wearing 18th century garb - which happen to be exactly what got us here in the first place. Adam Smith was partially correct - there is an invisible hand. However, its not invisible - it was clearly visibile for everyone to see- it was wealth redistribution from the bottom up that saved the capitalist system in the US in the fall of 2008. And that's hardly the first time it has happened.
The Picker
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 11:58 p.m.
So let me get this straight, you blame the wearing of 18th century garb for the financial crisis?
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:11 p.m.
"Tuesday's event is meant to be in a similar vein." Make that, "vain."
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:59 p.m.
It's an interesting premise for a protest: "Other people have more than me. Gimme gimme gimme." In the past, parents taught their children to outgrow that by about age 5.
Bonsai
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 3:30 p.m.
for all you know
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
So you're not a part of this, either. Good.
Bonsai
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:13 p.m.
my parents also taught me to analyze events rather than simplify them to meet my preconceived ideas
Jhonny
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:58 p.m.
I wonder with no bathroom or shower facilities, will the horrible smell begin to offend.
Roy Munson
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:05 p.m.
Half of the 99% don't pay taxes at all. So how can they protest that tax dollars were spent on bailouts? It certainly didn't come from them. Or are those people the ones out there that are pushing other various left wing agenda items?
sh1
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 2:18 a.m.
Your source, please.
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:09 p.m.
LOL....Bailouts? what about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for crissakes...and Mr Bear...the property taxes a landlord pays on rental property is actually a business expense used to reduce the overal income so the landlord ends up paying less taxes. And good for you for buying stock in the utilities companies...that investment will pay off in the long run for you. Way to get your retirement investment started...that IS what you meant, right?
Scott
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:19 p.m.
Straight outta Rush's mouth and right onto the comment board. Ditto, eh? (sic).
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:15 p.m.
Everybody pays sales tax. Everybody pays property tax -- either on the homes they own or its factored into their rents by their landlords. Everybody with a job pays payroll tax. Some people don't earn enough to pay income tax. Some people earn a lot of money on capital gains that they don't pay taxes on that they would if they earned it as income.
xmo
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
So how can you tell the protesters in Liberty Plaza from the regular Homeless crowd that lives there?
genetracy
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.
The difference is the homless want enough money for booze, drugs, or cigarettes. The occupy crowd want an upper middle class paycheck for "thinking left wing thoughts".
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
@Grye: Plus, they smell better.
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:13 p.m.
The nicer tents? Perhaps "the level of intoxication"...lol...the "homeless crowd" are, for the majority, not homeless but residents of Delonis. They stay at LP because they can't get into Delonis if they are drunk or high...A2 actually has a very low number of truly homeless...in comparision to other cities this size.
Terry
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:35 p.m.
Bear, Who exactly is your anger or discontent aimed toward? Personally I have some discontent for the people who are in foreclosure for buying a house that was way out of their means. I am upset with the people trying to blame the financial institutions for thier poor money management. The financially responsible, hard working people living within their budget are the ones who should be angry and protesting. They should be protesting infront of the welfare offices and social security offices against the billions spent on the entitlement programs that often do more to support the criminals then the people who really need their help. Of course it is easier and more politically correct to blame those evil beings who work their tails off to earn a good living.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:31 p.m.
Very interesting. What kind of dividends do you get from investing in food? Never mind, I don't want to know.
grye
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:29 p.m.
I'll take the bankers. The food and drink will be much better.
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.
Actually, my money is invested solidly in rent, food, taxes and utilities.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
MisterAngryBear, you say "investment bankers" as though there's something wrong with investment bankers, or that investment bankers are something to be ashamed of. I'd rather hang with them than a bunch of hippies. Do you have a 401(k)? A 403(b)? An IRA? A 509 plan? Some money in the MET? Where is that money, under your mattress? Or is in a mutual fund, where investment bankers work to grow it for you? Darn those evil investment bankers!
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:11 p.m.
I'm not homeless. I have a job. I'm heading up to Liberty Plaza around 5 this afternoon. After work. Why not drop by and widen your perceptions about your town?
cinnabar7071
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
They are one and the same.
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:01 p.m.
You say "homeless crowd" as though there's something wrong with homeless people, or that being homeless is something to be ashamed of. I'd rather hang with them than a bunch of investment bankers.
Mike
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:54 p.m.
Was there a first installment of occupy ann arbor? I must have missed it..........
Bob Carlin
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.
There are about four million people in foreclosure, ten trillion dollars in financial industry bailouts, and Wall Street paid it's workers $160 billion in bonuses the year after the crash for which it was responsible. If you don't like it, Liberty Plaza is a good place to be.
David Paris
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 2:01 a.m.
Hey Bob, don't tell anyone I told you this, but just between you and me... are four Fox Loyalists in Denial! Shhhh, it's a secret.
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:01 p.m.
what is the overall foreclosure percentage for those 4 million mortgages in respect to mortgages not in forclosure? What about the people that overborrowed on their homes? You can't spend $15 if you only have $10...that's just common sense...and no one held a gun to anyone's head to buy houses they couldn't afford...
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:56 p.m.
If the world were a zero-sum game, the population would have stopped increasing long ago.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.
Wealth is not like matter. Matter cannot be created, but wealth can. When a person works hard and produces a product or a service, he creates wealth. This does not prevent anybody else from doing the same. Everybody can do it - simultaneously - but it requires hard work. The left wants people to believe that when one person gets rich it is at the expense of another person - that he is taking something from somebody else, as though wealth is a finite resource. This is the basis of their hate-the-rich, class-envy formula. The problem is that, just like their race-baiting formula, people are more and more getting wise to it and it's not working anymore.
Terry
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:52 p.m.
Or if you would like to follow the lessons taugh to all of us as children and focus on your own well being instead of worrying about what everybody else is doing, you could skip this protest and look for a job.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.
We wanna be free! We wanna be free to do what we wanna do. We wanna be free to ride. We wanna be free to ride our machines without being hassled by The Man! ... And we wanna get loaded. And we wanna have a good time. And that's what we are gonna do. We are gonna have a good time... We are gonna have a party.
toofmullets
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:34 p.m.
Keep up the good work #occupy!
Hmm
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 2:25 p.m.
They have chickens at the protest now??
Jhonny
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 7:02 p.m.
Do you think the fowl smell will begin to offend?
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.
Excuse me, but "#occupy" and "work" are mutually exclusive.
Terry
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:24 p.m.
Did anybody catch the ironic statement made by one of the organizers of this Occupay group? He said they are seeking Corporate Backing............. isn't it corporate America they are protesting? On other ironic news, they had a speaker in California (I believe it was Cali, but don't quote me on this) speak at one of their events who is part of the communist American party. Oh and they are now gaining outgoing support from the Nazi party. I call this ironic because it is mosty Liberals who are joining this group and it was mainly liberals who were accusing the Tea Party for being Nazi racist etc.... Don't take my word for it though, go ahead and research it for yourselves you might be surprised with what the news tends to leave out of their nightly reports.
sh1
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
Could you cite your references for your claims of Nazi support? All I heard was the current chairman of the American Nazi Party expressed his sympathy for the movement. There is no involvement from the OWS side.
Mike
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:51 p.m.
The reason they have communist and nazi support is because their philosophical beliefs are similar. Bottom line is they need the same money that Barack Obama is getting (corporate). There will be corporations and individuals who will be spared i.e. Bill Gates, George Soros, Warren Buffet, et al. because they are playing ball with these socialists. You can be at the table or be on the menu. This has happened throughout history because without the support of people or corporations there is no money available to support the changes the "progressives" desire. Think Volkswagon in Germany, Mitsubishi in imperial Japan, all of the corporations who get into bed with middle eastern tyrants, individuals who have sold out to the chinese, etc... The problem is the very greed these people are protesting about is the same greed that pushes these individuals to sell their souls for a piece of the pie. These protesters are what the left would call useful idiots (not my words) who will be used until they are no longer needed. Hitler used the brown shirts until he came to power then had them killed off. The "news" media is not reporting the news, they embelish and distort thwe facts to fit the story they hope to sell. Most don't question what they hear, they just take everything as fact, especially if it's on TV; especially the Colbert report or Jon Daly
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:20 p.m.
Must be nice to have all that spare time on your hands while the rest of us work for a living to support you.
jinxplayer
Wed, Oct 19, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
How are you working to support them? Oh that's right, you are on this messageboard all day. Good point.
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:56 p.m.
Like misterangybear...I'll go by there after workl, but only to laugh at the hypocritical protestors that want to make sure their "pensions' from teaching or government jobs aren't taxed...to maintain their level of comfort...all the while feeling they have the right to infringe on other people's levels of comfort and security.
grye
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:33 p.m.
Amazing how people can be so jealous of success. No reason to try harder when you can just take from someone else. Kind of like robbery, only they think it's legal.
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:59 p.m.
I'll be there. And I have a job, thanks very much.
Roy Munson
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:10 p.m.
"The protestors in Detroit are planning to sleep at the protest site until mid-December, according to reports." Lol. Wouldn't all that time be better spent doing something productive? As in maybe looking for a job???
Goober
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 8:36 p.m.
Terry What kind of jobs are the recruiters calling you as needing filled?
Terry
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:56 p.m.
Actually Bear there is a major shortage of quality workers in Michigan right now and many companies are being forced to relocate workers from other states just to fill positions. The key phrase is QUALITY workers. If somebody is looking for the well off boss just to give them money because the boss has more, well I don't think they will be a good fit. I have recruiters calling weekly (5 or 6 per week) offering jobs in state and accross the country so I find it extremely hard to believe there are no good jobs out there. In fact I do not believe it at all, because I know you are wrong.
grye
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:31 p.m.
There are jobs elsewhere in the country. No one has there feet chained to Michigan. Go elsewhere if necessary but be responsible.
MisterAngryBear
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
Because there are so many well-paying positions that are going unfilled in Detroit these days. They're having a really hard time finding people to work, I hear.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:09 p.m.
Liberty Plaza is the perfect place for them.
genetracy
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 : 1:48 a.m.
I wonder if they will give any of their pocket change to the homeless panhandlers.
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
oh cinn...you funny! ranks with sleeping outside in the D...lol
L'chaim
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 5:03 p.m.
Keep the faith, Ann Arbor! Let the redistribution of wealth begin!
djm12652
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 6:52 p.m.
yeah, I'm gonna take what little I have invested for my retirement and share...not on a double dog dare! I hope that my investment account continues to do well and grow...so I say...GO WALL STREET! Make me some more money!