DAILY GRINDER: New ‘Occupy Philly Guilt Number’ is $400,000
OK, new “Occupy” number: The city says it’s spent $400,000 on police surveillance of the protest, including overtime and uniformed and undercover police on Dilworth Plaza. We’ve heard protesters publicly share their grievances about undercover police more than once. This is how he’s getting the votes! Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey introduced legislation...
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Urban Planner Says Occupy Philly “Glamorizes Homelessness” at City Hall
"Caring about social good is not just buying a reusable tote bag at Whole Foods. Stop going to Whole Foods!" -Jillian Penrod-Krause, urban planner Occupy Philly is an unusual creature of a political party when it comes to reform. Members hold these daily meetings called “General Assemblies,” in which citizens of Tent Town over at City Hall hold...
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Camping Out with Occupy Philly, Day 6
It was a good time to show up at Occupy Philly. At about 5pm, everyone getting out of work in Center City is on the move, and many are walking through Dilworth Plaza to get to their train. Take Rick. Rick didn’t provide a last name, but his black suit, white shirt and purple tie told the 500-or-so people at the Plaza he didn’t belong. He told us he worked...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: (Live From a Tent at City Hall.)
Note: Today’s morning blog comes to you from a tent at City Hall, where there’s free Occupy-Fi. Man, did we have fun sleeping over at Occupy Philly! (It was actually just OK.) My laptop has very little juice left in it, and rain seems to be seeping into my tent, so we’ve gotta be quick, but there’ll be a ton of information about what last night’s...
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Right Wing Counters Occupy Protests With ‘We Are the 53 Percent’
You may not know this, but there’s a right wing talking point that says only 53 percent of American households pay taxes. (The patriotic 53 percent.) It’s the GOP’s way of saying, “You’re lazy; I subsidize your life.” It’s completely untrue, but, uh, whatever! With that in mind, founder of right wing blog ‘Red State’ Eric Erickson has started...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Ed Rendell Tells Occupiers to ‘Go Home’
Former Governor Ed Rendell does not think the Occupy Movement has any Flight 93 people on board. All the occupiers need to “go home, clean up, organize and go” he told…Laura Ingraham the other day. Because he assumes the movement is going to turn violent and will be similar to the riots at the Democratic Convention in 1968 where, “everything blew...
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Black Activist Points Out Occupy Philly’s Racial Disconnect
Black activists within Occupy Philly have created a “People of Color Committee” last night, largely because of (surprise!) differing views on the movement. Pan-African Channel Andrews, a Philly native who has been watching Occupy Philly from the outside while studying law at Barry University in Orlando, Fl., says the PCC was created, in part,...
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Camping Out With Occupy Philly, Day 4
By Nicole Finkbiner When I returned to City Hall yesterday evening, I assumed the crowd would be less impressive than that on Saturday. I was wrong. The number of tents, hammocks and other makeshift living quarters (including two hutlike structures and a teepee made of tarp and cardboard) had now started spreading to the other side of the concourse. The 7 p.m...
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Occupy Philly, Day 5: Love for the Police
The police guarding Occupy Philly have been acting like real stand-up citizens. That’s according to some speakers at today’s General Assembly in Dilworth Plaza. The meeting addressed issues of behavior, cleanliness and general solidarity, as the movement goes on and gets a bit quieter than it was its first afternoon. A march is planned to the Market Street...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Tom Corbett for President?
Governor Tom Corbett signed some wingnut demands during the 2010 election season. Some of those demands—like the “Don’t raise taxes” thing—were brainchildren of one Grover Norquist. Old Norquist is happy with the monster he’s created in the Pennsylvania governor. So much so, he recently Tweeted, “PA gov Tom Corbett. Pledge taker and keeper....
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