Occupy St. Louis Draws Close to 1000 for Rally and March Downtown
From the St. Louis Beacon -- Occupy St. Louis briefly occupies downtown streets for rally and march:
Shouting "We are the 99 percent!," close to 1,000 sign-waving participants and sympathizers of Occupy St. Louis took to the streets Friday to highlight their belief that too much power and money is increasingly concentrated among the few.
"Corporate greed has got to go!" declared Candace Smith, who has been participating in the Occupied movement, which has transformed part of Kiener Plaza into a tent city for over a week.
Smith joined Bob Soutier, president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, and others in addressing the crowd at a rally in Kiener before all marched down Market Street for a symbolic protest outside the biggest Bank of America building in town.
"To take our money, and then doing what they do to us, it has to stop!" Soutier said, igniting cheers.
He noted that similar marches were being held Friday in about 120 cities as part of the Occupied Wall Street movement, which has attracted various progressive groups and labor organizations as spinoffs have been formed.
St. Louis police, many on bicycles, lined Friday's march route, but no incidents were reported. Vans equipped to house any rowdy protesters lined a couple side streets, but went unused.
Shouted the crowd at various points during the 90-minute event:
"We are too big to fail!"
"Whose streets? Our streets!"
"What do we want? Jobs!"Indeed, although various marchers waved signs advancing different causes -- from ending war to gay rights -- the common thread was their concern about the lack of jobs.
My friend Adam from St. Louis Activist Hub has more video from the march -- Video: 1,000 People March With OccupySTL (UPDATED With Additional Coverage) .
He also has some links to additional coverage of the event:
Update: Here's some coverage from other St. Louis area bloggers:
Fired Up Missouri:Pics From Rally and March with Occupy St. Louis
Riverfront Times: Union Workers to Join Occupy St. Louis for Major Demonstration Today
Show Me Progress: OccupySTL is a Rorschach test for politicians and media
Occasional Planet: This is What Democracy Looks Like
Dangerous Intersections:Meet the protesters of Occupy St. Louis – October 14, 2011
Great photo collection from Chuck Ramsay.
You can follow the group at their web site -- OccupySTL or on Twitter -- @STLOccupy or on Facebook -- Occupy St. Louis.
I took the video clip above and here are some additional pictures of the march and rally.
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Hey, Heather.
Here is a Flickr link to the pictures I shot. Never used Flickr before....hope it works.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/general_jack_d/
And gotta love the police Cushman-- fuck, I could out-walk that thing!
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Like that B&A sign, huh? I got a kick out of it!
Yeah, that Cushman was moving rather slowly. Can't see how it would move that fast.
Gee, I sure how these people aren't so pissed off that they'll stay home on election day. ;0)
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
...a resentment towards and mistrust of Wall Street - as well they should.
But, beyond being anti-bailout, the Tea Party agenda is for less government spending and less government intrusion into our lives.
By contrast, the "Occupy" groups seem to have no one purpose. But there are large contingents demanding they should be forgiven their personal debts, and promoting the end of capitalism. There is also a truly disturbing undercurrent of overt anti-Semitism, especially in the New York and Los Angeles protests - with few if any fellow protesters demanding the offensive signs be taken down or telling the people screaming about "Jews controlling Wall Street" to stop.
Then there is the "we are the 99%" chant - which suggests that protesters speak for all but the 1% richest people in the country. They don't.
While I can find a lot of people who identify with individual positions some protesters take about changing the system as it applies to Wall Street, taxation, etc. (me among them), I can't find anyone who wants to overthrow the system. And, happy to say, I can't find anyone who supports the anti-Semitic garbage.
Are you aware that the American nazi Party supports the "Occupy" movement? Click on http://whitehonor.com/white-power/the-occupy-... and see for yourself (bring a barf bag, you'll need it).
I'm sure most of the crooksandliars.com regulars would disagree, but a lot of people I've spoken to think the "Occupiers" are largely comprised of professional troublemakers, freeloaders looking for a handout, students with a lot of time on their hands and aging former hippies desperate to relive their "glory days" of the 60's. Personally I think they have a point.
there's never been a protest yet where the fringe element hasn't turned out. I saw more than a few truther signs at the Rally to Restore Sanity. That's about as contradictory to the spirit of an event as one could get I think.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Thank you for your concern.
They say "small gov!" but they don't walk the talk. They're more than happy to fuck up commitment arrangements entered into by consenting adults, and stick their large noses in between a woman and her doctor. And they seem none too eager to cut off the MIC, or limit spending there. They're hypocrites to a man in that group. Anyone smart enough to know what drives the teabirchers (Koch Brothers' money) wouldn't be a member. Because they LOVE the thought that they are 'grassroots.'
As for you and your pals thinking the "Occupiers" are largely comprised of professional troublemakers, freeloaders looking for a handout, students with a lot of time on their hands and aging former hippies desperate to relive their "glory days" of the 60's, you guys aren't paying attention and have NFI as to what it is you are talking about.
me-oww!
group of protesters Friday and told me he thought they all looked like street people. I told him that he only saw what had already had been projected by Fox and other MSM and that's all he wanted to see. I drove by one the previous weekend and saw people from all walks of life and age groups.
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