This just in from Demand Progress:
Don’t ask for your privacy. Take it back! Today we #ResetTheNet to stop mass spying!
Encrypt everything! Learn more here on this Thunderclap page.
There is supposed to be a special announcement from Edward Snowden tomorrow too! 🙂
Updated Jan 22, 2012: FINAL VERSION OF THIS SONG
12:15 pm – SONG FIXED NOW – HAD A BAD MP3 for a while – sorry!
EXPECT US – SECOND DRAFT – NOVEMBER 5, 2011
This version is way closer to my grand vision of this thing. It still needs more tracks and mixing but… it’s getting there.
Seems like it’s worth listening to now – and a lot of you are freezing yer asses off out in the streets right now, so I felt like maybe this could cheer you up a bit.
October 25, 2011 - Snow Park, Oakland, California
This work (Expect Us – September 17, by Lisa Rein), identified by Lisa Rein, is free of known copyright restrictions.
Updated Jan 22, 2012: FINAL VERSION OF THIS SONG
I still have to add a lot more vocals, base, and guitar to it, but it’s coming along nicely, and was so much better than the old version, I wanted to let you hear it right away.
Lyrics
Time for a Reoccupation
Across the Nation
Reactivation of Peaceful Demonstration
Reoccupation Across the Nation
And Around the World
Around the World
You can Expect Us
Expect Us
Expect Us
It’s time to see what’s really going on.
We’re trying to tell you something; YOU ARE STRONG
And if we work together we can get things done
And make it fair for everyone
Time for a Reoccupation
Across the Nation
Reallocation of the financial situation
Reoccupation
Across the Nation
And Around the World
Around the World
You can Expect Us
Expect Us
Expect Us
Expect Us
11:20 – Updated Here’s a Huffington Post Blog Story about it, with a lot of other good articles underneath it.
8:54 AM: So the Oakland Police Department, and many other police departments, joined together to tear gas and rubber bullet (and don’t forget the Flash Concussion Grenades) the peaceful non-violent protesters into leaving. Then they kept it up all night. Turning the lights off before conducting the later attacks, so the news helicopters couldn’t see what was going on below.
I was not there. Frankly, I was afraid to be there, and with good reason, after hearing about what took place. Plus, arguably I’m more useful retweeting from my post – producing a stream of relevant tweets for those following along. Last night, they were following along in horror, and there were as many comments about how sad and horrible the current state of our country was for this to be taking place at all, as there were about the events themselves.
I have two first hand accounts from the Snow Park extension. I will keep them anonymous (heh! what a loaded word that has become :-], but they are probably available for comment if you are a member of the press and would like to talk to them.
Person 1: Young Male, Black – He was arrested in the Snow Park Camp at 6:10 am, when the cops rushed in. He was released this morning at 2am, and has been charged with “refusing to leave a park.”
Person 2: Young Male, White – Was not arrested (I know how it looks, but that’s not my point right now.) He went back to join the others at Occupy Oakland after the Snow Bank extension had been decimated. They tried to set up again yesterday, but were immediately Raided. He was downtown all of last night and said “cops have shooting us with bullets and tear gas pretty much all night and day.”
Updated 7:31 pm
This is Snow Park right now:
Snow Park - Oakland, CA - October 25, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Photo by @jankyhellface
Updated 5:23 pm
(This is amazing front-line footage with the video guy calling out badge numbers from time to time.)
Here’s a video of the Razing of Occupy Oakland. I mean they leveled the place. Tore it to the GROUND – Crusades style!
Here’s a video of the Attack on Snow Park.
***
The Snow Park Occupy Oakland Extension called me this morning at 6am to let me know they were being attacked. The next two hours were pretty horrible, as I watched first hand accounts of police brutality of ever flavor imaginable pouring over the feeds.
Tear Gas, Flash Grenades, Rubber Bullets, and LRAD sound cannons ALL USED EXCESSIVELY. (A lot to use to just round up people that are lying there in their sleeping bags – Arguably, by anyone’s standards.) They went out of their way to destroy whatever property they could with boxcutters and other tools. It was a real disgrace. It makes my stomach turn, and makes me not want to vote for Mayor Quan ever again, if she’s capable of pulling off something like this with a clear conscience.
There were cops from a number of different police forces. Here’s an SFGate article with details on that.
WE ARE GATHERING AT 14TH AND MADISON IN FRONT OF THE LIBRARY TODAY TO RESPOND TO THIS.
This just in from Anonymous:
Occupy Oakland – URGENT CALL FOR ASSISTANCE
Last night we faced an absolutely brutal assault by an army of the Oakland Police (with the help of cops from all over Northern California). Tear gas and flash bangs were fired into the camp where children were sleeping, people were beaten and shot with rubber bullets. The assault was also levied against our property in the camp, and the cops tried their best to completely destroy everything we had there. Almost every tent has been destroyed, many slashed with boxcutters, structures smashed, basically this was not an eviction, they came in to destroy everything we had. After they flattened our main camp, they also went to our small camp in Snow Park and repeated the process there.
Though we may be bloodied, we are even more determined to keep going. As we agreed upon in General Assembly, on the evening following any police assault on our camp, we will reconvening at the Oakland Public Library, on the steps. We will discuss our options and pick one, and then take action as a community to respond / rebuild our occupation. This is a big deal, we need everyone and their mother to come out, to help us reestablish and recommit to the occupation. They will not stop us. We will overcome this attack and emerge even stronger.
Snow Park, 19th and Harrison, Oakland, California, October 19, 2011
Updated 10/22/11: Facebook page here – The camp is still alive and well. (Page includes video of conversation with the cops and other details about this camp.)
Oakland’s SNOW PARK occupation lives!
I work nearby in downtown Oakland, and heard that they had set up shop last night when a fellow worker warned me about extra cops she had seen in the vacinity.
Eager to find out what was going on, I walked over to the park and asked what the story was.
They informed me that a representative from Oakland’s City Government brought them a letter saying that, although the occupiers in front of Oakland City Hall were allowed to stay, due to historical precedence, the Snow-parkers would have to be out by 10pm for breaking the usual camping after 10pm laws.
“We’re making history now.” The supporter reasoned. (I postulated if, in ten years, it would then be OK to camp out in the park, due to the previous generations historical precedence. ) But none of that mattered, the peaceful demonstrators were told in the letter from Oakland, and from several Police Officers who were sort of driving by and hanging around all day. (In a friendly way, I am told.)
So I tweeted about it and decided to show up myself at 10pm. To everyone’s surprise, nothing happened. No cops. No confrontation. There were at least five different news vans there, about 50 people that were not associated with the protest necessarily, watching. And a number of writers and reporters that had shown up on their own.
I finally left around 10:45, as I felt comfortable that we’d done all we could do to show support and solidarity with the protesters and also to show up with cameras to remind them the world is watching.
I was so pleased this morning to see the camp still standing.
So the struggle continues! But it kinda feels like we held our ground 🙂
Update Jan 22, 2012: FINAL VERSION OF THIS SONG
I’m recutting the whole thing Saturday, but I’m honestly looking for feedback on the song I’ve been writing as a tribute to the Wall Street Protesters and Anonymous.
Here’s a more upbeat, “Austin Powers” version that I’m leaning towards for the re-do on Saturday. It will actually be easy for me to do the acoustic hippy remix version too 🙂 And I’ll be creating an arrangement for an elementary school choir, is going to be my favorite…
Don’t worry… there will be far too many versions of this song!
D. Benjamin Satkowiak has written a concise, extremely objective piece about the last week of events, he links straight to some of the most important videos – and he brings up the critical issue for filming police while they perform their duties in public — although sometimes on private property.
As I read this article this morning, one thing became clear to me:
THIS PROTEST IS WORKING PEOPLE!
You’ve got their attention. They are listening.
Pat yourself on the back people! God damn! I’m impressed.
As the article points out, this message was delivered at great expense to the participating protesters.
From the article:
‘In its second week, the “Occupy Wall Street” protests have brought forth a legitimate argument as it relates to the Federal Reserve’s role in the declining American economy. Unfortunately, it appears to have done so at a great cost to those who have voiced their opinions at the Manhattan event.
On Saturday, things turned ugly as police arrested approximately 100 demonstrators. Some of which, as numerous videos and photos from the event show, were met with extreme prejudice and blatant police brutality, furthering the demonstrator’s cases that the government and its economic arm at the Federal Reserve are delivering the nation into a tyrannical “police state.”
we petition the obama administration to:
You have to create a Whitehouse.gov account (only asks for name, email, city, zipcode) – took me a minute because the stupid confirmation email doesn’t come immediately (bad whitehouse tech ouch 🙂
Updated Jan 22, 2012! Final version of this song HERE
Updated! October 30 – Latest re-recorded Studio Half-finished version here.
Updated! September 24, 2011 – Here’s an MP3 of a rough mix of a new recording of this song! (An actual mixed version coming soon 🙂
New! September 28 – Austin Powers Remix – Very Rough – Being Re-recorded 🙂
I was kinda pleased that it almost came out like a chorus arrangement. I’m not sure how the final mix will be yet – but for now, I like the idea of a chorus of people singing this walking down the street with all the different parts.
We have a percussion and bass coming too.
I have all the words now, but there’s only one “verse” – and it’s in the Public Domain, so feel free to grab it and run with it.
It’s very easy to play and sing to, and write more lyrics to. I wrote it that way on purpose. So a group could walk down the street and people can hear the singing from blocks away.
You don’t even need a guitar to sing the vocal part – and there are lots of harmonies — I put a couple in every range (tried to) — you can hear some more than others in this mix.
The chords are “C, G, D, A and E” — If you every strummed a guitar in your life; Or thought about strumming one – you can play this song!
Expect Us
Words and Music By Lisa Rein (Special Thanks to George Kelly for helping me record it.)
C G
Time for a Re-occupation
A E
Across the nation
C G
Reactivation
A E
Of Peaceful Demonstration
C G
RE occupation
A E
Across the Nation
G A
and around the world
G A
around the world
D
You can
E G A
Expect Us
E D A
Expect Us
E
Expect Us
G A
It’s time to see what’s really going on
E
C G
We’re trying to tell you something
D A E
You are strong
E
and if we
G A
work together, we can get along
E
C G
and make it FAIR for EVERYBODY
(then back to)
C G
Time for a reoccupation
A E
Across the nation
C G
Reallocation
A E
Of the Financial Situation
C G
RE occupation
A E
Across the Nation
G A
and around the world
G A
around the world
You can
E G A
Expect Us
E D A
Expect Us
E G A
Expect Us
E D A
Expect Us
E
ok good luck hope people like it.
It’s great with harmonies and stuff.
This work (Expect Us – September 17, by Lisa Rein), identified by Lisa Rein, is free of known copyright restrictions.
******
I hate revisionist history – but I really only wanted to have one page for this song, so I decided to include the old version of this post at the bottom:
Here’s an MP3 of a rough take of this song. (A more polished version is coming soon 
This song is still being “finished” – 11:06 pm, 9/22/11. Feel free to grab it and run with it. It’s very easy to play and write lyrics to (I’m just too tired to whip a bunch of verses up tonight.
The chords are “C, G, D, A and E” — If you every strummed a guitar in your life; Or thought about strumming one – you can play this song!
I’ve never done this with a song I was in the process of writing before, but I’ve sure thought about doing it a lot, so here goes…