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A walk around the Albany Bulb on 10 December 2011. Strong smells of fennel, dog and human shit. More Clearings and more encampments. Dogs and humans off leash. Invasive plants tall and strong: broome, pampas grass, acacia, the ice plant, and more …

Open University Strike and Day of Action, Tuesday November 15. Events on Sproul Plaza; Noon Convergence and Teach Outs; Rally at 2pm; March to Central High, City College and Financial District; 5pm General Assembly and encampment. Video vignettes from 11am (11/15) to 1am (11/16).

5pm November 17, 2011: UC Berkeley Landscape Architecture Students march from the College of Environmental Design to Sproul Plaza to join the Occupy Cal and participate in the General Assembly.

Some images and chants from today’s peaceful walkout and rally and march at UC Berkeley attended by 2,000 – 3,000. The general assembly voted to set up an encampment, which the police violently boke up at 4pm. See this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buovLQ9qyWQ

ReFund Public Education Chants:

Hey hey, ho ho!
Wall Street Regents got to go!

When I say ReFund you say  schools.
Refund! – Schools!, Refund! Schools!

Down with the bankers! Down, Down, Down!
Up with the students! Boom, Boom, Boom! (substitute workers)

Banks got bailed out –
Students got sold out (substitute teachers, workers, people, we)

What do we want? A Refund!
When do we want it? Now!

Money for jobs and education,
Not for Wall Street corporations!

Make — Banks — Pay!  Make — Banks — Pay!

No Refund — No Peace!

B of A you can’t hide
We can see your greedy side!

Regents, Regents you can’t hide
We can see your greedy side! (substitute Monica, for UC and BofA Board member Monica Lozano)

Bankers pay your taxes! Regents pay your taxes! (substitute Monica)

When Banks cut back education
We go into Occupation.

Late this morning I decided to take the 1R downtown to the plaza to join the 12-1 meditation session. On the way to the bus stop I encountered a group of Peace marchers. After a quick bus ride to 19th Street I walked the rest of the way to the plaza, photographing, as I went, the broken windows at the Police station adjacent to the plaza. As I entered the plaza I encountered a group of people who were discussing the relationship of violence with the occupy movement. The question arose: Is the movement being discredited by the acts of vandalism perpetrated by 20 or so individuals that occurred after the peaceful march and protest? What can be done? Is vandalism violence? Are anarchists being unfairly blamed? Who were the vandals?

I also wanted to see what Rich Lowry of the National Review described today as the “fetid encampment.” The camp seemed clean to me. It didn’t smell. I pissed in one of the porta-johns. It was passable. But then again, “passable” is a high grade for any porta-john that I have ever been in. Volunteers were sweeping up. Recycling and composting was going on. Another volunteer was doing dishes. Recently washed clothes had been laid out to dry. I also noticed that some of the planters had kale and other greens planted in them. Maybe this was the “splendid squalor” that Lowery speaks of?

Then I sat quietly “occupying the present” with the meditation group that meets there everyday.

A partial list of slogans, banners and graffiti seen on Nov. 2 & Nov. 3 in downtown Oakland:

WE GET CUT THEY GET RICH
DEATH TO CAPITALISM
TAX THE RICH!
EVERY MONSTER HAS A WEAK SPOT.
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE
99%: EDUCATE PARTICIPATE ACTIVATE THE TIPPING POINT
UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE NOW!
OCCUPY LOVE
SPEAK OUT NOW
EQUALITY FOR HUMANITY WE ARE THE 99% CORPORATIONS PAY YOUR TAXES
END PRISONS ABOLISH CAPITAL
WHO’S PORT? OUR PORT.
LET’S MAKE OUR FUTURE
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE
STOP KEYSTONE XL
UNITED FOR JUSTICE NOT DIVIDED BY RACISM ~ DECOLONIZE
THERE’S ENOUGH FOR EVERYONES NEED. BUT NOT FOR EVERYONES GREED.
OCCUPY UR HEART
OCCUPY THE PRESENT
SAVE AMERICA’S POSTAL SERVICE
BANKS: INVEST YOUR OWN MONEY
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY FUTURE
SEIZE THE BANKS!
END CORP. RULE NOW
TIME 4 POLITICAL RENEW ALL
PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY
WHO’S GEESE? OUR GEESE.
THE REVOLUTION IS REAL
FIRST THEY IGNORE YOU. THEN THEY RIDICULE YOU. THEN THEY FIGHT YOU. THEN YOU WIN.
STANDING ON THE SIDE OF LOVE
ILL BELIEVE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE WHEN TEXAS EXECUTES ONE
REFUSE 2BA COMMON AMERICAN SHIT SLAVE
INVEST IN FAMILIES NOT FIREPOWER JOBS NOT CUTS
YES HEALTHCARE NO INSURANCE COMPANIES
BANKS GOT BAILED OUT WE GOT SOLD OUT
TAX THE RICH AND THEIR CORPORATIONS
OCCUPY THE BANK
BRING BACK BLUE COLLAR MANUFACTURING SUPPORT LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS KEEP MONEY IN THE COMMUNITY
MY INSURANCE DENIES ME CARE HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYONE
BIOREGIONAL FRACTIONAL BANKING
TOGETHER WE RISE
WE ARE THE 99%
THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED
VETERANS FOR PEACE
I AM THE 99%!
REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH
KARL MARX WAS RIGHT! CAPITALISM BREEDS MISERY!
OCCUPY EVERYWHERE
OAKLAND ARTISTS MUSICIANS SUPPORT OCCUPY OAKLAND
MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIANS IN SOLIDARITY WITH OCCUPY OAKLAND
1% NEWS 99% FEAR
HONOR OUR PAST BUILD OUR FUTURE
HELLA OCCUPY OAKLAND
PUT CARE ABOVE CEO PROFITS
FORECLOSE THE 1%
TAX THE GREED
THIS SANTA CLARA SOCIAL WORKER STRIKES FOR OAKLAND!
RIP 500 DISTRICT WIDE CLASSES
TOO SMALL TO FAIL
TO THE STREETS SHUT DOWN OAKLAND BLOCKADE EVERYTHING GENERAL STRIKE ANTI-CAPITALIST MARCH
JEAN QUAN RESIGN!
BANKS GOT BAILED OUT WE GOT SOLD OUT
END CORPORATE WELFARE
DIGNITY!
POLICE BRUTALITY WON’T SILENCE THE 99%
I DON’T WANT TO ROCK THE BOAT. I WANT TO SINK IT!
HEAL AMERICA TAX WALLSTREET
JOIN A LOCAL CREDIT UNION
SICK OF BUSINESS AS USUAL? TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SHARING WILL SAVE THE WORLD
STRIKE ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
SMASH THE OLIGARCHY
THE AMERICAN DREAM YOU HAVE TO BE ASLEEP TO BELIEVE IT
UNITY IS POWER
DIGNITY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS OCCUPY BY DESIGN
DEFEND HUMAN DIGNITY CHALLENGE CORPORATE POWER
THE 99% SAYS INDUSTRY STOP POLLUTING OUR COMMUNITIES!
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR ALL!
DON’T TAZE ME BRO!
PEACEFUL PROTEST DOES NOT WARRANT POLICE BRUTALITY
LAWS ARE WRITTEN FOR AND BY CAPITAL
UC LECTURERS AND LIBRARIANS FIGHTING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
IF YOU REPEAT A LIE OFTEN ENOUGH IT BECOMES TRUTH POLITICS!
DEAR WALLSTREET THIS IS AN INTERVENTION YOU ARE A HOARDER WE WILL NO LONGER ENABLE YOUR PROBLEM
STAND WITH THE 99%
BAILOUT THE PEOPLE NOT THE BANKS!
ASK FOR CONSENT
THANK YOU DR. OMOSUPE
HOUSING NOT WARFARE
TAX THE RICH! STOP THE CUTBACKS
WAR, RACISM, POVERTY… CAPITALISM MUST GO
WHICH IS GREATER 99% OR 1%?
THIS IS OUR CITY AND WE CAME TO SHUT IT DOWN!
MARRIAGE MILITARY? FUCK THAT!
FUCK THE POLICE!
STOP POLICE BRUTALITY
MAKE BANKS PAY
RESCUE HEALTHCARE NOT BANKS
FUND PEOPLE NOT PRISONS!
SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
WORRIED ABOUT THE ECONOMY???
THE BEGINNING IS NEAR
OCCUPY WALMART
COMMUNITIES RISING! END THE DRUG WAR AND MASS INCARCERATION!
THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST!
F U GOLDMAN SACHS
LABOR STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH OCCUPY OAKLAND
OCCUPY MY HEART
PEACEFULLY PISSED
THE FUTURE OF OUR STRUGGLE IS CRIME IN THE STREETS
OCCUPY OAKLAND NOT PALESTINE
HOW CAN THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT?
AUDIT THE FED
EMBARGO AL 1%
I SUPPORT THE O.P.D.
BANQUEROS RATEROS!
CORPORATIONS WERE NOT CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD!
INTERFAITH LEADERS IN SOLIDARITY WITH OCCUPY WALLSTREET
STOP THE WAR ON WORKING PEOPLE
UN-FUCK YOURSELF
PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS
SOMOS EL 99%
NO WORK AHEAD
FUCK BORDERS FUCK NATIONS OCCUPY EVERYTHING
STOP THE WAR ON WORKERS
99>1
RIP VICTIMS OF MONSANTO CORPORATION
COMPASSION IS REVOLUTION
DON’T LET YOUR SCHOOLING RUIN YOUR EDUCATION. STAND UP. RESIST!
I’M OCCUPISSED
JESUS WAS A STREET KID
DUMP YOUR BANK NOW JOIN A CREDIT UNION
OCCUPY FROM ONALASKA TO OAKLAND
# OF PEOPLE DEPORTED IN 2011 400,000+

It  should read  “the FAILURE of our struggle is crime”. Volunteers were busy cleaning up after irresponsible and angry people during the general assembly  strike. We were particularly interested in the Traveler’s Aid building area and puzzled  how a peaceful, creative action had turned violent later in the evening and early morning. We  went down to the area to look for answers.