"They're Arresting Us One by One": 700 Thrown in Jail as Wall St Protest Grows - Labor Supports

[marmar]

from AlterNet:



"They're Arresting Us One by One": 700 Thrown in Jail as Wall St. Protest Grows -- Labor Declares Support
700 reported arrests and still Liberty Plaza remains occupied by protesters declaring, "We Are the 99%."


It's raining in Liberty Plaza Saturday afternoon as the shrunken crowds fall in around the Occupy Wall Street media center, which still isn't allowed a tent. They're keeping the laptops and livestream (which reports 13,000 viewers at one point, from around the world) under a large picnic umbrella and some tarps, and every now and then the call "mic check!" rings out and someone jumps atop a table to relay the latest from the protesters kettled on the Brooklyn Bridge, cuffed, and being loaded onto giant NYPD buses for dispersal to various locations.

The "People's Mic" is one of the most striking features of the "Occupy Wall Street" community that has sprung up down in the heart of New York's financial district. Because NYPD hasn't allowed amplification, speakers confine themselves to short half-sentences, that are repeated back by the crowd. It makes every statement communal--in addition to wiggling your fingers downward if you disagree, or rolling your arms around if you want the person to hurry up and finish, you often simply stop repeating. There's an engagement, a type of consent that it creates, which is demonstrated when Congressman Charles Rangel shows up just before the march to show his support--Rangel is greeted by the horde of reporters thrusting the microphones not allowed protesters in his face, but Rangel's words don't get repeated to the crowd--instead, the most striking feature of his attempt to speak is the crowd's reaction to a heckler who got in Rangel's face. The crowd immediately took up the chant "Sit down!" and then "This is a peaceful march!" echoing across the plaza.



There's only one round of shout-backs necessary in the small crowd during Saturday afternoon, but later that night, at about 7:30 PM, the reports from the legal team are echoed back in waves. It's almost soothing; combined with the professionalism from the legal team volunteer, who tells the crowd that they have names of 100 confirmed arrested and have dispatched lawyers to get them out, you almost forget that friends, colleagues are standing in the rain on the bridge. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/674826/%22they%27re_arresting_us_one_by_one%22%3A_700_thrown_in_jail_as_wall_st._protest_grows_--_labor_declares_support/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. That human microphone idea is sheer genius.

I have no idea where it came from, but it blew me away.

[sam11111]

2. was kettleing done as in britain? crowding for hours?

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Yes.

Police closed both ends of the bridge, would not let the people on the bridge leave, the arrested them for obstructing traffic!
The people were kept trapped on the bridge so that they could all be arrested, one by one, it took hours.

the orange nets are also part of the kettleing process that USA learned from Britain.