Tagged: Occupy Seattle

With the Occupy Seattle protests having morphed into a movement targeting banks and companies that protesters believe do not live up to progressive ideals, the local protest movement self-dubbed “Working Washington” says it will be at Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting Thursday in force.

And, with continual protests focusing on its Seattle offices, as Seattle tech blog Geekwire reports, the company is warning protesters to stay off its property.

From Mayor Mike McGinn worrying about violence to a guy on the street wondering if the ferries will run, tensions in Seattle are mounting over May Day protests.

Groups are planning May Day marches in Seattle to protest capitalism, immigration laws and labor practices, but the most consistent rallying cry is for a “general strike.” How many people will go on “strike,” how many will show up to rally and whether there will be an outbreak of violence on the streets are unknowns.

And that uncertainty appears to be jangling some nerves in the city.

In a scene reminiscent of last fall’s Occupy Seattle protests, several hundred people rallied in downtown Seattle today shouting that the 1 percent needs to pay more in taxes. 

Activists marched to the Wells Fargo Bank building on 3rd Avenue and stretched large faux yellow crime scene tape around part of it. They pretended to auction off assets such as the CEO’s salary.

SPOKANE, Wash. – Occupy Wall Street has officially endorsed "Move to Amend the Constitution" as a primary mission.

Spokane groups will mobilize tomorrow as part of a nationwide effort called Occupy the Courts. It’s a move to urge lawmakers to rethink the Citizens United decision, passed two years ago tomorrow. Concluding that “corporations are people," the Citizens United decision overruled precedents that blocked corporate spending on political campaigns. Now, corporations can support or oppose candidates and contribute freely.

"We've been doing nothing but investing in this town."

On Nov. 2, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon came to Seattle to address business leaders at an event put on by the University of Washington’s business school. The event attracted a great deal of heat from the Occupy Seattle protesters, which we wrote about: “Anatomy of a protest: Occupy Seattle vs. Jamie Dimon of Chase.”

Reporters were not allowed into the event to hear what Dimon had to say, though some were allowed to interview him before hand. KPLU was not among them.

We got a copy of a video of the event through the Freedom of Information Act. Inside, you can watch several snippets of his responses to questions as well as the full video of his speech at the Business Leadership Celebration event.

What happens when the captain of the financial industry is brought to Seattle to celebrate business leadership in the middle of a populist revolt aimed directly at the wealthy and financial companies?

Pepper spray. Arrests. Speeches. And a very nervous Seattle business school, caught in the crossfire, whose gala event of the year could be wrecked. What follows is a close look at the events and decisions leading up to the Nov. 2 clash in downtown Seattle gleaned from emails and documents obtained by KPLU. 

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Occupy Olympia has until midnight Thursday night to clear out of Heritage Park on Washington's Capitol Campus. Governor Chris Gregoire Thursday issued a cease-and-desist notice. Her move comes more than a month after the state asked for the voluntary removal of tents and two months to the day after the camp was established.

"We have allowed people to express their First Amendment rights unfettered," Gregoire says. "We have been as patient as we could. And now it's time for them to go home."

For those who are homeless, Gregoire says help is available to find other shelter. The Occupy Olympia camp includes about 60 tents and several wooden structures.

Police say "multiple" people have been arrested after dozens of protesters blocked an entrance to a Port of Seattle facility.

Police cleared a road near the entrance to Terminal 18 after about 100 Occupy Seattle protesters stopped traffic for about 20 minutes Monday afternoon. But a smaller group remained in front of the terminal, effectively keeping traffic from entering or leaving.

Anyone still camped out at the community college in Seattle this afternoon can be cited for trespassing and forcibly removed from the campus said Jill Wakefield, Chancellor of Seattle Community Colleges.

But she says she hopes it won’t have to come to that kind of confrontation with Occupy Seattle protesters at Seattle Central Community College. And, according to one Occupy resident, the protesters have been tearing down and cleaning up. They've even brought in a dumpster for the effort.