Occupy Everywhere - Sept 17th - Day of Rage Against Wall Street and what it stands for!

[Peter Lemkin]

"Occupy" protesters make case for change, plan to occupy campaign offices
Des Moines Register
9:05 PM, Dec 27, 2011



A speaker addresses the crowd at a "People's Caucus" event Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, in downtown Des Moines. (Andrea Melendez/The Register)

By PERRY BEEMAN and REGINA ZILBERMINTS / The Des Moines Register

Demonstrators will meet at 10 a.m. today in Des Moines to begin planning three days of protests, campaign office occupations, and acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.
About 250 protesters from at least 11 states turned out Tuesday night for the first event of Occupy Iowa's most aggressive attempt to influence the presidential campaign.
The protesters ramped up for demonstrations at the candidates' local headquarters and the offices of the Republican and Democratic parties. They were prepared to be arrested en masse, and they were fired up.
"I'm sick of it," said Lisa Bonar in her introduction to the People's Caucus, held by Occupy Des Moines. "I am sick of watching and worrying that there's nothing we can do to stop this downward slide."

• Gallery: Photos from the "People's Caucus"
  

Occupy Iowa is a loosely organized movement related to Occupy Wall Street, a nationwide movement to protest corporate greed and other elements of government and the economy.
Protesters are hopeful that the media spotlight on Iowa leading up to next week's caucuses will also provide an opportunity to draw attention to the movement's concerns.
Local organizers had hoped the People's Caucus would draw 500 to 1,500 protesters from across the country. While the caucus had a strong showing from Des Moines residents, turnout was not as good as hoped from other cities.
Some groups told organizers they would bring 10, 12 or even 25 members but only brought two, said David Goodner of Occupy Des Moines.
However, Goodner said the overall showing from the community is a highly positive sign.
The movement will expand "by strengthening the local connections and the local community," he said.
More protesters are expected to arrive as the weekend approaches, Goodner said.
On Tuesday, the stream of speakers at the caucus addressed varied topics: bank bailouts, homelessness, defense legislation, taxes and money in politics.
As the evening wore on, protesters split into groups based on which candidate dissatisfied them the most. People mingled among groups, and many changed alliances. Some bartered, agreeing to protest at offices drawing smaller crowds if people at those sites would join the larger demonstrations.
A little more than 100 of the people at the gathering indicated they would protest at the offices of presidential candidates. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney each were targeted by 30 protesters; Ron Paul drew the next highest with 18.
There were plenty of complaints for each campaign.
For example, Des Moines resident Nathan Harrington fears Paul's plans would remove important social programs.
Two of Harrington's children are disabled. While waiting for Medicaid funding, one son had no insurance for 18 months. Medical bills eventually caused the family to give up their home, forcing the son to move into a group home.
"Ron Paul seems to think that's it's not the government's job to provide for the collective good and promote the disadvantaged," Harrington said.
Paul's campaign said the protesters misunderstand his positions. "Ron Paul is actually one of the most sympathetic to the poorest of society because he favors traditional government," campaign chairman Drew Ivers said. "It was traditional government that brought us to being the most wealthy nation in the world. When a nation is wealthy, even the poor prosper."
The People's Caucus was a decidedly low-tech operation. Messages were scrawled on homemade posters and chalkboards. Google maps gave way to a paper map with colored pins showing where protesters live.
Audience members shouted approval as speakers from Washington state, Missouri and California implored the government to support "green" construction, limit campaigns to public financing and support consensus building.
A baby slept in a stroller. A dog in a corner occasionally yelped. On stage, former Iowa state lawmaker Ed Fallon kept things moving as old standbys such as peace activist Frank Cordaro joined new faces from New York, Wisconsin, Colorado and Minnesota. Volunteers sold T-shirts.
"That's right!" many of the throng said as speaker after speaker made points about what they considered the fallacies of today's American government. A woman from Massachusetts preached the necessity of spending caps for campaigns. Another talked about foreclosures.
Many talked about the military and the role of money in politics.
Des Moines police officers, who expect to make arrests later this week, observed the proceedings.
Tuesday's event was the kickoff of a planned weeklong series of protests leading up to the Iowa caucuses.
Nathan Davis, 31, had arrived at 1 a.m. from Omaha in a car with three others. He said the group had come to Des Moines because it was a good opportunity to bring protesters from disparate cities together.
And he didn't pause when asked what he wanted to accomplish this week.
"Real change," Davis said. "I want to get people thinking, talking around their kitchen tables. Talking about their grievances and about the solutions."
Although he was in Des Moines for last week's protest in front of Obama's campaign office and was arrested during protests in Omaha, the Army National Guard member and veteran of Afghanistan said he couldn't get arrested again. His sergeant had been clear about that.
Before the evening sessions, people trained in nonviolent civil disobedience techniques and took other mini-classes.
Some showed off new red T-shirts from Des Moines' Raygun store, printed Tuesday, that read, "The Occupy Iowa Caucuses. Pulling the levers of power since 2011."
The Rev. Peter Dougherty, a Catholic priest from Michigan, came to the headquarters, rented for $1,500 for the week, to assist in the civil disobedience training and to participate in the protests.
Nonviolence has been a theme for Occupy Des Moines members, and organizers have stressed that the campaign office occupations today, Thursday and Friday should be peaceful as well.



Grant Rodgers and Matt Woolbright contributed to this story.