Occupy Little Rock: Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Federal security objects to Occupy LR demonstration

Max Brantley — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:32:43 -0600

Jennifer Pierce reports that federal security officers objected to a small Occupy Little Rock demonstration on the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse at Capitol and Broadway last night.

She reports filming of the demonstrators and repeated suggestions — absent citation of law — that the four people were prohibited from demonstrations on the sidewalk and from taking photographs there. No arrests were made.

Not an encouraging episode. Wonder if the gun nuts could be encouraged to join Occupy Little Rock in a demonstration in behalf of the 1st Amendment?

Pierce's account follows:

BY JENNIFER PIERCE

Just wanted to let you know what happened on a sidewalk near the U.S. District Court at a demonstration last night. Myself and four other Occupy Little Rock members were doing a sign-wave to raise awareness of the indefinite detention provisions of last year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and to stand in solidarity with the case that is being fought against it in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York today (Hedges v. Obama).

Trey Weir, Caleb Baumgardner, and Crystal Marie Dore, and I had been on the sidewalk for about two hours at the corner of Capitol and Broadway when a federal officer approached Trey, Crystal, and I and started taking notes; asking what we were doing, if we had invited others, how many more people were expected.... He then told us we could not be on federal property. We explained that we believed we had a right to be on the sidewalk as public space and I began to take pictures of him. He then informed us that it was against the law to take photos on federal property. I asked for the specific law and he said it was Title 18 but when I asked again exactly what the law stated, he said he would have to look it up and get back to me. We continued to protest on the sidewalk and the officer returned with another federal officer who once again told us we couldn't be there and could not take photos but still didn't have the specific code saying so. We refused to leave again and they said they would check on it and let us know. They walked off about a hundred yards and continued to watch us, then walked back by videotaping us. We stayed another two hours but they never brought any code stating we couldn't be there. They can videotape us, but we can't take pictures of them?!!

They must have missed this directive: New York Civil Liberties Union sued the U.S Department of Homeland Security in federal court and a settlement was reach in October 2010 in which the government agreed that no federal statutes or regulations bar people from photographing the exterior of federal buildings. The Federal Protective Service issued the attached directive to officers that the regulations "do not prohibit photography by individuals of the exterior of federally leased or owned facilities from publicly accessible spaces such as streets, sidewalks, parks or plazas."

The plaintiffs challenging the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA are Chris Hedges, Daniel Ellsberg, Noam Chomsky, Brigitta Jónsdóttir, Jennifer “Tangerine” Bolen, Kai Wargalla, and Alexa O’Brien. You can visit http://www.stopndaa.org/ for more info and all of the court filings.

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Occupy Little Rock busted again on anniversary

Max Brantley — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 06:15:24 -0500

Seven members of Occupy Little Rock marked the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement by demonstrating Sunday night at the city-owned parking lot at Fourth and Ferry where they camped until swept away in a huge city bust.

Deja vu all over again. Little Rock cops were out in force to prevent demonstrators from standing on the parking lot and, according to participants, told them they'd be arrested if they stopped walking along the sidewalk. Before it was done, several have told me by e-mail, cops issued citations. Robert Nunn provided the photo of cops writing up Kaitlin Lott and Greg Deckelman.

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Lance Hines' real beef with Occupy Little Rock

Max Brantley — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:15:22 -0500

I've written before that City Director Lance Hines got the Occupy Little Rock eviction movement going by complaining about the unslightly appearance of their tent camp at 4th and Ferry. As a member of the architectural control committee of the Villages of Wellington out in rigidly conformist western Little Rock, Hines didn't surprise, even though the camp was on a gravel parking lot barely visible from anything but speeding traffic on I-30.

Now it appears Lance Hines had a deeper concern — anarchy and revolution. Which means, of course, that it really was a political move on his part to squelch the protest. Which the city did. Hines doesn't call me, so I'll just let his e-mail exchange with one of the arrested protesters speak for itself on the issue. It won't lift your confidence in our City Board of Directors.

Hines said he saw a self-proclaimed Occupy Wall Street anarchist on the Sean Hannity show and that was proof enough for Lance Hines of what the Occupy movement is about. Occupy LR may not be a bunch of anarchists — maybe they're merely unaesthetic blights on the landscape — but Hines said in a note to Mac Miller, arrested in the Occupy LR eviction, "You are the friends you keep, in other words."

Miller, a military veteran with cogent thoughts on why Occupy is protesting, wasn't happy about Hines' description of him.

The exchange was provided to me by Robert Johnston.

E-MAIL FROM MAC MILLER TO CITY DIRECTOR LANCE HINES

Director Hines.

I am Glen "Mac" Miller. I am a member of Occupy Little Rock. I want to let you know how inappropriate your remarks were concerning Occupy being filled with "worthless Revolutionary Anarchists." I don't know if your purpose was to engage in demagoguery or if that is your heart felt belief.

I am a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans. I served twelve years in the Army, the last six months as a patient in Walter Reed Hospital recovering from wounds. I won't go into details, but I did graduate in the top 5 of every Army School I attended and was nominated as the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year while stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Upon my retirement, the Veterans Administration permitted me the chance to pursue a degree. I chose the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Health Science and worked for seven years as a Project Manager and Health and Safety Manager in a hazardous materials remediation company. I was involved in the clean up of Flight 1420 in Little Rock and the recovery and cataloging of material from the space shuttle crash in Texas. I have trained fire, police and other emergency responders throughout the state to include the Little Rock Air Base bomb squad.

As the injuries I had sustained in the Army took their toll I was forced to get a job that was not so physically demanding. I took employment at the Veterans Hospital as an Engineering Supervisor. After five years the VA determined I was physically unable to continue that work and retired me. I have since turned my attention to politics and the problems this nation is facing.

Since then I have seen my investments decline do to the actions of the banking industry. The houses I was flipping would no longer sell because banks wouldn't lend money that we, the tax payers provided them. I have seen my constitutional rights eroded. I felt it was important to do something to change, what I saw as a diminishing of my nation and constant attacks against the document this nation was built on. The Constitution is America. It isn't a political party or a flag. When that document is diminished, so is my nation. I swore an oath several time to "Defend and Protect the Constitution of the United State..." I have taken that oath very seriously. With the full force of our rights, we are diminished as a nation.

You, sir, call me a revolutionary anarchist. You could not be further from the truth. I have seen revolution up close and personal. It is the last thing I want to see here. You call me an anarchist. I want nothing more than for my elected officials to put the welfare of the entire nation at the forefront of their deliberations and law making. My heart felt desire is for my elected officials to respect, support and defend the Constitution. You have offended citizens who work and have concern about their country, state and city. You, sir, are wrong.

Glen M. Miller
US Army, Retired
Infantry
Disabled American Veteran

E-MAIL FROM LANCE HINES TO MAC MILLER

Dear Mac,
First and foremost, I want to thank you for your service to our country. It is one of the highest callings I know. My father and uncles have all served and I fully understand the sacrifices you have made. Thank You.

I would like to clarify what I have said about the Occupy movement. I never called anyone in the Occupy movement "worthless" but, I do truly believe that the basic premise of Occupy Wall Street and it's offshoots is founded in Revolutionary Anarchy and have self proclaimed Anarchists within the movement. You can go to many news outlets and several of the OWS leaders have professed their beliefs in anarchist manifestos. One was recently on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News. I first read the OWS manifesto published on the original OWS website when this movement began. Based on what I read I believe the Occupy movement is bent on overthrow of the US Government using anarchist beliefs and the play book " Rules for Radicals" written by Saul Olensky. You and others involved in OLR may not be an anarchist but, the movement OLR professes to support, OWS, is and by virtue of that support is how I come to my belief. You are the friends you keep, in other words.

I would like to make one observation based on your email. It appears to me that your belief system is more in line with the Tea Party and not the Occupy movement.

I appreciate you contacting me and please feel free to any time.

Sincerely,

Lance Hines

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Occupy Little Rock occupies Clinton Library grounds

Lindsey Millar — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:36:00 -0500

Members of the Occupy Little Rock group have set up camp outside the Clinton Library, video contributor Gabe Gentry reports. Around 65 are gathered currently with chimineas and grills and pizzas. Thirty plan to camp and remain indefinitely, Gentry said, though a police cruiser had just arrived on the scene to idle 30 yards from the protesters around 8:15 p.m.

I'm going to go take a look as soon as I'm able. More when I've got it.

UPDATE: It looks like the police aren't going to try to disperse the crowd. The protesters have a chiminea going now that they lit only after first getting permission from one of the police officers on the scene.

UPDATE II: Gentry, with Mindful Media Productions, sends along this video from last night.

UPDATE III — In response to a question: The grounds and parking lot are all part of the 30 acres owned by Little Rock on which the Clinton Presidential Center sits. A Clinton Foundation spokesman said it would not be commenting because it's essentially a political matter. I've sent a note to City Hall about the city's outlook on a long-term encampment, but haven't gotten a response yet. 1st Amendment assemblies put the group in a different category than transient campers (though if the transients though to assert that they were making a political statement by their sleepouts, they, too, would have some protection. Same with city's curfew ordiinance. A smart-tbinking youth can assert he or she is making a political statement by staying out late and defeat an arrest.)

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Video of Occupy Little Rock march

Lindsey Millar — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:48:38 -0500

More from Saturday's protest from Gabe Gentry, a local filmmaker who works with video production company Mindful Media Productions. Lots of good footage of signs.

ALSO: Nate Silver of the New York Times takes a try at a worldwide crowd count, which includes 500 in Little Rock.

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VIDEO: Occupy LR planning meeting, part 2

David Koon — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:37:00 -0500

Videographer Gabe Gentry with Mindful Media Productions made it out to the second planning meeting for Occupy Little Rock last night, and came back with some very enlightening video from the proceedings. At that meeting, OLR voted on a time and locations for this Saturday's protest march and anti-corporate picket (Riverfest Amphitheater at 9 a.m.).

I attended last night's meeting as well, and have some editorial comment on the jump. From Gabe's video, it sounds like my feelings dovetail fairly well with those of some of the other folks in the crowd.

On attending the Occupy Little Rock meeting last night...

First things first. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to out myself as an Occupy Wall Street supporter.
Hate's a strong word, and I never use it lightly, but I'm going to use it now. I hate what has happened with income inequality in this country over the last 30 years. I hate that this country doesn't seem to make anything anymore except burgers and fries. I hate that there is literally nothing within my reach right now, at this moment, that doesn't have "Made in China" stamped on it somewhere. I hate that I can't tell my son for sure that he will grow up in an America that is as prosperous, free and stable as the one I grew up in. I hate that in any election — from dog catcher to president — it's the guy with the most money on hand who usually wins. I hate that, even though I have insurance, becoming ill enough to need long-term hospitalization would likely lead my family to bankruptcy. I hate that I paid more in taxes last year than GE, Bank of America and Merck combined. (How do I know? Because they wound up paying nothing. Some of them even got at billion-dollar refund). I hate that almost every week of my life, my family is being screwed over, in ways large and small, by the corporations — be it from the exorbitant prices for medical care, or the fees on my checking account, or the student loans whose principal was long since paid off (and which I can't even file bankruptcy on in a dire pinch), or just the bought-and-paid-for politicians in Washington who work hard to make sure their rich donors stay that way.

It pisses me off. All of it. And if somebody is trying to do something about any of that, even if it's just spitting in the wind, even if it comes to nothing, I'm with them.

I say all this to let you know that, even though I'm about to lodge some criticism of the Occupy Little Rock meeting I attended for the Arkansas Times last night at the Riverfest Amphitheater downtown, I still support them. Constructive criticism is a far cry from the hateful brand of destructive trolling a lot of folks in politics and on the Internet practice these days. True constructive criticism is a good thing, because it comes from a place of respect and love. Here goes:

1) JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS THAT WAY ELSEWHERE, DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO IT THAT WAY HERE: Up in New York City at the Occupy Wall Street protests, a system has been developed called the "Human Microphone." It grew out of necessity. The NYPD won't let the protestors there use sound amplification — no bullhorns, no speakers, no microphones — so they devised an ingenious solution. When a person gets up to speak, they say "Mike Check!" and everybody within earshot shouts it back. They go on like that, with the speaker speaking four or five words, which are shouted back at him, thus amplifying the words enough that a crowd of thousands can hear it.

Last night at Occupy Little Rock, there was a crowd of maybe a hundred folks, most of them passionate about doing something about the oncoming plutocracy. Even in a crowd that small, though, the clear leaders of the meeting (a group of maybe five or six earnest young people at the rail in front of the crowd, passing a microphone back and forth between them) were just bedamned that the crowd was going to use the "Human Microphone" system, a fact that obviously frustrated many in the assembly who wanted to speak. It just didn't work, mostly — I suspect — because people in the crowd recognized that it was inane to do it that way. But, instead of trying something different that might work better (inviting people who wanted to speak to come down to the front and use the microphone, for example) they kept on with it, apparently for no other reason than: because that's the way they do it in New York.

Ditto on the overly-complicated and kinda dumb-looking system of hand-signals used for voting: two hands up and fingers waggling for "agree," two hands down and fingers waggling for "disagree," arms in an x in front of the chest for "block" ("I'm totally against this idea, and might leave the protest if it passes") and fingers tented in a triangle for "point of order" (a concept which, to my knowledge, was never quite explained). What's wrong with: "All in favor, raise your hand. All opposed, raise your hand." That's the only way I've ever voted in a group in my life. If you asked 20 first-graders to vote on ice cream vs. carrots, that's the way they'd do it. So why is Occupy Little Rock trying to fix what ain't broken?

All this might sound old-fart crotchety, but I say it to make a bigger point: Those who seek to fight 30 years of corporate and political dogma ("The job creators must be protected at all costs!") would be smart to beware the urge to turn to dogma themselves ("Making goofy jazz hands is the way we vote, because that's how they do it in New York!"). Way too early to tell how all this is going to go, but an unwillingness to adapt to realities on the ground when they're clearly not working makes me fear for the survival of the Occupy Little Rock movement long term, not to mention the fact that trying to reinvent the wheel based solely on how they do things at a protest 2,000 miles from here sounds like a good way to make Joe and Jane Q. Public think you're the bongo-beating, short-attention-span, brain-dead hipsters the mainstream media has made the protestors out to be. Resist.

2) DON'T BE AFRAID TO HAVE LEADERS: One of the things that was kicked around last night was the idea of Occupy Little Rock and the Occupy movement in general as being "leaderless" — a movement that's about the movement, not about a person. I get it. Nobody wants a cult of personality. Nobody wants to be the person cops and prosecutors can point a finger at if things go south. Nobody wants a movement built around a central human tent pole, because that kind of group can easily collapse, split or be weakened if somebody decides to take their toys and go home.

But listen: when you've got five or six leaders at the front of Riverfest Amphitheater, literally leading the discussion — clearly smart, educated, determined young folks, who have already poured a lot of time and energy into getting OLR off the ground — why not just call a spade a spade and run with that? All this talk of a leaderless revolution might sound like a good idea on paper. Maybe it's about the fear of resorting to the undemocratic notions that drive the mega-corporations. But talking leaderlessness when you clearly have leaders is going to seem confusing and weird to people, especially given that most of them grew up looking to teachers, bosses, coaches, preachers and others for, well, leadership. There's a reason successful movements have their Gandhi or Daisy Bates or Martin Luther King, Jr. Some Master of My Own Destiny types would like say it ain't so, but the fact is that most human beings are wired, deep in our brains, to look to a chieftain. A leader or group of leaders gives the people somebody to glance at for strength in the still watches of the night, when things are darkest. Leaders are something around which raw passion can coalesce, and from that, good things can grow. You might want to deny it, Occupy Little Rock, you've got leaders. Don't be afraid to let them lead.

3) WHY ALL THE STRUCTURE?: People in this country, like me, are pissed about the power and influence of the wealthy, the corporations and the banks. They want to do something about it. What most of them DON'T want to do, however, is join the Pissed-Off People Club, and sit on the Select Committee on the Care and Feeding of the Pissed-Off, which meets at the library from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturdays. Given that, there's part of me that thinks: What's with all this focus on structure, Occupy LR? A large portion of last night's meeting, for example, was spent mass-voting on which committees to have: the medical committee, the publicity committee, the tech committee (I kept waiting on someone to suggest the Compassion for Non-Human Animals Committee so I could take that opportunity to crawl under my chair and examine the collection of lint and cigarette butts that had collected there since the construction of Riverfest Amphitheater).

For the love of God, why do you even need a committee-driven structure in the first place? What would be wrong with just printing and distributing some handbills that say: "Saturday, October 15, 9 a.m.! Riverfest Amphitheater! Occupy Little Rock will march in opposition to out-of-control corporations and income inequality! Be there, or be unable to bitch someday when your 9 year old grandkids are working 12-hour shifts in the Halliburton coal mines!" If that's too slow or low-tech, what's wrong with saying all that in a Facebook post and asking others to pass it on via Facebook and Twitter if they feel the same way? Worked in Egypt. Worked in Syria. No reason it can't work here.

I understand that last night's planning meeting was, to a large extent, solely to iron out the boring details so that more free-form movement can take root, but why did basic stuff like time and place for the march have to be voted on? What's wrong with that group of clear leaders (see above) just getting their heads together and setting a date, time and location and then focusing on getting the word out about it, instead of spending two hours at Riverfest Amphitheater discussing and voting and discussing some more about every gatdamn element of the plan? Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH democracy, especially when the success or failure of the movement depends on keeping people engaged?

Long story short: spend your precious energies where they will make the most impact, folks. Twitter. Facebook. Word-of-mouth. Planning the actual march. Getting together a clear, succinct platform of issues and goals to help mute the growing contention that you have no point. If you need somebody to help create a website, rather than gin up a committee to discuss and vote, why not just look at the crowd of 100 people and say: "Does anybody here know enough about IT to help us get a website up and running?" If you need a medic for the march: "Is anybody here a doctor, nurse of paramedic?" If you need legal advice: "Is there a handsome and daring lawyer in the house?" I'd pretty much bet my right thumb there would be somebody there, or somebody who knows somebody, on all counts.

As I said: you have leaders. You also have an army of folks out there, in all walks of life, many of whom would probably be happy to donate their time, energy and expertise to the cause. Ask them to do their part, and they will step up. These are people who, by their very presence, have signaled their unwillingness to sit on the sidelines anymore, and they are as angry about what America has become as I am. What I'd bet they don't want, however, is to feel like their time is being wasted on a movement that's going to get bogged down and drown in the murk of useless bureaucracy.

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Occupy LR picks time and locations for protest march

David Koon — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:22:00 -0500

Around 100 were on hand for tonight's Occupy Little Rock planning meeting, the second since the group formed in Little Rock earlier this month. Organizers and attendees struggled with a somewhat complicated voting-by-hand-signals process, but the assembly did get some key points ironed out, including the start time and place for this Saturday's march, and locations the group plans to picket.

Protestors with Occupy Little Rock will assemble this Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Riverfest Amphitheater near the River Market. The march will begin at 10 a.m., with the group proceeding to the headquarters of Stephens Inc., the Little Rock branch of Bank of America, the U.S. Federal Building and the Arkansas State Capitol.

The group is currently compiling membership lists and plans to vote soon to choose leadership for a number of working groups within the larger Occupy Little Rock movement, including legal, medical, public relations and tech teams. Organizers said they're also currently looking for a place in Little Rock where they can camp out overnight, which will serve as a central hub for what they say will be an ongoing protest.

Those interested in signing up for a group or learning more about the movement can visit the Occupy Little Rock Facebook page.

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VIDEO: Occupy Little Rock planning meeting

David Koon — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:25:00 -0500

Videographer Gabe Gentry caught some video of the Oct. 4 planning meeting of Occupy Little Rock — our home-grown offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City — as the local movement continues to gel. Earnest young folks and seasoned old-timers coming together in solidarity against the slow slide to Plutocracy? Sounds like a plan to us.

Occupy Little Rock will be holding their next meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, October 10 at Riverfest Amphitheater near the River Market.

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Krugman cheers Occupy Wall Street

Max Brantley — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:27:05 -0500

The NY Times' Paul Krugman cheers the Occupy Wall Street movement. He offers some caveats, but his core explanation of the justification for demonstrations is worth noting:

In the first act, bankers took advantage of deregulation to run wild (and pay themselves princely sums), inflating huge bubbles through reckless lending. In the second act, the bubbles burst — but bankers were bailed out by taxpayers, with remarkably few strings attached, even as ordinary workers continued to suffer the consequences of the bankers’ sins. And, in the third act, bankers showed their gratitude by turning on the people who had saved them, throwing their support — and the wealth they still possessed thanks to the bailouts — behind politicians who promised to keep their taxes low and dismantle the mild regulations erected in the aftermath of the crisis.

Given this history, how can you not applaud the protesters for finally taking a stand?

FYI:

Occupy Little Rock Facebook page.

Occupy Fayetteville, Facebook page.

Occupy Arkansas, Facebook page.

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Occupy Little Rock organizing

Max Brantley — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:00:45 -0500

An organizer for Occupy Little Rock, an outgrowth of the Occupy Wall Street effort, says the group will hold an organizational meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at the River Market amphitheater.

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