This week, both coasts saw student marches on Monday and big-city police raids on Tuesday. As the chancellors of the University of California met by teleconference, students throughout the U.C. system held demonstrations and teach-ins opposing tuition hikes and police violence. At U.C. Davis, they called a student strike. Meanwhile, their counterparts at the City University of New York marched on their own board of trustees as it voted on five years of tuition hikes.
Tuesday, Philadelphia police cleared occupiers out of city hall's Dilworth plaza to make way for a $50 million renovation project. The raid followed multiple ostensible deadlines, and weeks of controversy within the camp and between occupiers and the city over whether they would relocate to a new space (many have). Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who earlier in his career was attacked for ACLU ties, drew criticism for restricting most journalists to a "First Amendment zone" as police forced out Occupy LA Tuesday night.
Occupiers targeted a tear-gas manufacturer in Pennsylvania, a meeting of the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Arizona, and Democratic Party fundraisers in D.C. and New York.
Last night began a 24-hour "Occupy Broadway" performance at Manhattan's Paramount Plaza. Wordsmith Frank Luntz held a training session at the Republican Governors Association convention on how to talk about Occupy Wall Street: Start with "I get it," and don't mention capitalism.
The five most important OWS pieces this week:
- Natasha Lennard traces the rise of indoor occupations.
- How will police respond as more people take back buildings?
- John Heilemann wants less leaderlessness.
- Allison Kilkenny argues OWS is about not seeking permission.
- Safety Committee struggles at Occupy Boston.