Wall Street Protesters, Occupy Wall Street | featured news

What do a bunch of protesters camped out in city parks nationwide have in common with people who are the backbone of the government establishment? Enough that members of at least four federal labor unions rallied in support of the Occupy movement in a Lafayette Square demonstration Thursday.

Occupy Wall Street supporters who staged rallies that shut down the nation's fifth-busiest port during a day of protests condemned on Thursday the demonstrators who clashed with police in the latest flare-up of violence in Oakland, Calif.

A day of demonstrations in Oakland that began as a significant step toward expanding the political and economic influence of the Occupy Wall Street movement, ended with police in riot gear arresting dozens of protesters who had marched through downtown to break into a vacant building, shattering windows, spraying graffiti and setting fires along the way....

Oakland prepared Wednesday to again become the epicenter of Occupy Wall Street movement as local organizers aided by labor unions and advocacy groups finalized plans for a broad-based call to action that was expected to include marches, pickets outside banks, school shutdowns and an attempt to close the nation's fifth-busiest port.

Many of those posting statements and photos on the site in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests are the children of well-off parents. While members of the so-called 99% take part in Occupy Wall Street protests, a new website lets some of the wealthy 1% declare their support for the movement.

In what was an otherwise calm night across the country, one Occupy Oklahoma City protester was found dead and nine Occupy Portland protesters were arrested. In a press advisory Monday, Occupy Oklahoma City organizers expressed their sadness at the passing of a homeless protester who went by the name “Street Poet.” “The Poet was found dead in his tent at Kerr Park earlier this afternoon by other participants,” they wrote.

... But from the start, the movement has also gotten support from a long list of experienced, well-funded organizations, unions and political committees -- sometimes to the discomfort of more radical protesters who worry about their message being co-opted or watered down.

The city's police union on Tuesday blasted Mayor Jean Quan and city officials for sending mixed messages about the Occupy Oakland encampment and upcoming general strike.

Occupy Wall Street is trying to get protesters to descend on Iowa ahead of the Jan. 3 presidential caucuses. The Des Moines Register reports that the plan is to "occupy" the campaign headquarters of President Obama and the GOP candidates -- shutting them down if necessary -- in the week leading up to the leadoff caucuses.

Tennessee state troopers for the second straight night arrested Wall Street protesters for defying a new nighttime curfew imposed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam in an effort to disband an encampment near the state Capitol....