Revolution Day on Fremont St. - Occupy Las Vegas - October 15, 2011

( http://occupylasvegas.org/ and http://www.facebook.com/occupylasvegas for updates, pictures, and videos.)

Occupy Las Vegas Hits Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada

LAS VEGAS - Channel 8 News Las Vegas - Fremont Street is known for its unusual sights, but it's not often that hundreds of chanting, shouting protesters march up and down the tourist destination for hours.

The Occupy Las Vegas movement is in its second week, with a wide range of political opinion. Most of their frustration and anger is at the massive corporate profit of financial institutions in the midst of Nevada's foreclosure crisis.

Local union laborers joined forces with the Occupy Las Vegas Movement, wearing their yellow shirts in solidarity.

Metro police reports no incidents of disorderly conduct during this protest. There was an increased presence of officers, but the department says due to scheduling changes, it does not come at an additional cost to county taxpayers.

March Path for Revolution Day on Fremont St. (Click photo to enlarge)

IN THE NEWS

Las Vegas Sun - Occupy Las Vegas comes out for Round 2

CBS - Occupy Wall Street: More popular than you think

Fox News - 'Occupy Wall Street' -- It's Not What They're for, But What They're Against

Occupy Las Vegas Blvd -(The Strip) - From October 6, 2011 - Video and photos

My video of Fremont Street from previously where I make a cameo appearance at 1:50 into the clip)

Occupy Las Vegas Mission Statement  (Spanish Version Below) WHO are we? We are the 99% of Americans who have not benefited from the various financial bailouts, tax breaks, and other subsidies that the dominant 1% of the population have gained over the past several years. We are students, workers, veterans, the unemployed, those on Social Security benefits, and those whose savings and investments were either wiped out or greatly diminished by the economic fluctuations starting in 2007. We are those who have had our homes foreclosed upon or are about to have it done to us, those whose homes are now worth a fraction of what we paid for them, and those who have never owned a home and now don’t expect to ever be able to. We are the newly poor who wonder how everything for which we worked hard vanished so quickly and how we and our families are going to survive. We are the long-time poor, who have never had much of a chance, let alone a voice, to make our own way in our current social and economic system. We come from all backgrounds, races, and religions. We are concerned about, and more than a little scared by, the directions in which we see our lives, and the lives of our families, friends and neighbors going - and the directions in which we see our nation and the whole planet going. And we are angry with those who have taken us in those directions. We are part of a much larger global and national movement that wants real changes in how the world is run. In short, we’re you, and you are one of us. WHAT do we want? We want an end to corporate money’s influence in politics, whether through campaign donations, PACs, or other groups. Money is not speech. We want truly effective campaign finance reform, so that corporations and other interests have no overwhelming advantage over the rest of us in any part of American politics. We want far greater legal accountability for public officials and corporate executives, and we demand that, if found guilty of committing crimes while in office, they are made to pay for those crimes in full, like anyone else. We want equal treatment from our justice system at all levels, and at every stage from investigations, through trials and sentencing for everyone, regardless of origins or social class. We want a moratorium on foreclosures, an end to the continual attacks on our social safety net and on the rights for workers to organize themselves and, if need be, to strike to get better pay, benefits, and working conditions. We want secure and sustainable investments and improvements in our social infrastructure, like schools and libraries, and to create an America where everyone may actually live in a decent and dignified manner, an America where everyone's rights count and are respected by all. This is who we are and what we want. We ask for no more and shall take no less. We are the 99%, and we will not be silenced.

¿Quiénes somos?

Somos el 99% de los estadounidenses que no se han beneficiado de los rescates financieros diversos, exenciones fiscales y otros subsidios que el discurso dominante del 1% de la población ha adquirido en los últimos años.

Somos estudiantes, trabajadores, desempleados, y los que benefician de la Seguridad Social, aquellos cuyos ahorros e inversiones fueron eliminados ya sea con o reducido en gran medida por las fluctuaciones económicas a partir de 2007.

Nosotros somos los que hemos tenido nuestras casas en ejecución hipotecaria, están a punto de tener que hacer a nosotros, o cuyas casas ahora valen una fracción de lo que pagamos por ellos.

Somos los nuevos pobres, que se preguntan cómo todo lo que hemos trabajado duro desapareció tan rápidamente, y cómo nosotros y nuestras familias van a sobrevivir.

Somos los pobres desde hace mucho tiempo, que nunca han tenido mucha oportunidad, mucho menos una voz, para hacer nuestro propio camino en nuestro actual sistema social y económico.

Venimos de todas las procedencias, razas y religiones.

Nos preocupa, y mucho más que un poco de miedo por las direcciones en que vemos nuestras vidas, las de nuestras familias, amigos, vecinos, nuestra nación y el planeta entero se va, y estamos enfadados con ellos, como todos nos han sido tratados en el pasado, y están siendo tratados ahora.

En resumen, usted, y usted es uno de nosotros.

¿Qué queremos?

Queremos poner fin a la influencia del dinero corporativo en la política, ya sea a través de donaciones de campaña, los PAC y otros grupos.

Queremos una reforma de financiamiento de campaña realmente efectiva, por lo que las corporaciones y otros intereses no tienen ninguna ventaja abrumadora sobre el resto de nosotros en cada parte de la política estadounidense.

Queremos que la rendición de cuentas mucho mayor seguridad jurídica para los funcionarios públicos y ejecutivos de empresas, y exigimos que, si son hallados culpables de cometer crímenes durante su mandato, se les hace pagar por ellos en su totalidad, como cualquier otra persona.

Queremos igualdad de trato de nuestro sistema de justicia en todos los niveles y en todas las etapas de las investigaciones, a través de juicios y condenas para todos, independientemente del origen o clase social.

Queremos poner fin a los continuos ataques a nuestra red de seguridad social, y sobre los derechos de los trabajadores a organizarse y, si fuera necesario, a la huelga para conseguir mejores salarios, beneficios y condiciones de trabajo.

Queremos inversiones seguras y sostenibles y la mejora de nuestra infraestructura social, como escuelas y bibliotecas, y para crear un país donde todo el mundo realmente puede vivir de una manera decente y digna, y contar con sus derechos y sean respetados por todos.

Esto es lo que somos y lo que queremos. Pedimos nada más, y no tomará menos. Somos el 99%, y que no será silenciada. "

Why Occupy?

by Bill Motzel

Why are we here?

Our political and financial systems are corrupt and increasingly becoming one entity. The worldwide banking system has become little more than a tool to suck the wealth out of the common man. Financial capital, the means by which a healthy economy is able to function for the good of all, is being concentrated among a small segment of the population, the elite, the 1 percent. So we, the 99 percent, are gathering together to voice our displeasure. Regardless of age, race, political affiliation, religious beliefs, we gather together to be heard.

The critics of this movement say that we have no coherent central message. It's true that we are many different people from diverse backgrounds, here for a multitude of reasons. What we have in common is a deep and intense frustration with the direction our country is headed, and a sense of disenfranchisement as citizens of a country whose leadership is operating for the benefit of a tiny fraction of the population. Our dissatisfaction has reached a tipping point, and can no longer be ignored. We will be heard. Social media literally puts the irrefutable truth in the hands of everyone, everywhere, instantly and without the involvement of the corporate media. We are not going to go away.

Our message is simple: We want our future back. We want a future for our children.

When the corporate giants and profiteers of war, banking, energy, chemicals, and agribusiness are so focused on how much money they can make as fast as they can -- right NOW, in the present -- they forget the most important thing that all of us need to remember: The future is infinitely more valuable than the present because THERE IS SO MUCH MORE OF IT!

We need an open dialogue, because we’re all in this together.

And the whole world is watching.

The beginning is near.

Occupy Wall Street reaches Europe (Protests taking place beyond Manhattan - INTER-ACTIVE MAP)

Below: More photos from Occupy Las Vegas

Occupy Las Vegas (photos, news, and video)

"To the one percent who wish to flee the occupation of Wall Street. You can not escape the occupations. We are at your vacation destinations. Expect us".

The local Fox News affiliate reported on the protest. And someone posted a short video at YouTube too.

The local newspaper reported over 1,000 at the very first Occupy Las Vegas march - The media estimated the crowd between 500 and a 1,000 - - - but to me, there were many more. For one thing, the march started 30 minutes earlier than originally planned, so there were a lot of stragglers and a few smaller groups following far behind the main group. I estimated closer to 2,000. But no one was actually "occupying", and it was only Las Vegas' first event, so it hasn't had time to really grow as of yet.

The march lasted from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM - I didn't participate in the 4-hour march from the New York-New York casino to the Bellagio and MGM Grand casinos (all owned by MGM). I just spent about 30 minutes taking pictures by the New York-New York casino's "Brooklyn Bridge".

- - Updates - -

One man who was in Las Vegas on business wrote, "Sadly no stick time or pepper spray was seen. All in all it was well organized and under control." (See his pictures and video here)

Video - from Local NBC news crew - Occupy Las Vegas 
http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/2011/oct/06/5799/ 

Video - On October 6, 2011, the Nevada Policy Research Institute went to the Occupy Las Vegas rally held in front of New York New York. (For Reason TV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2shIiAn-zk 

Occupy Wall Street Spreads Beyond NYC - Great pics
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-spreads-beyond-nyc/100165/

A few smaller pictures here, and larger pictures further below. Click on any one to enlarge.

Larger photos below

Yours truly

Occupy Las Vegas WHO are we? We are the 99% of Americans who have not benefited from the various financial bailouts, tax breaks, and other subsidies that the dominant 1% of the population have gained over the past several years. We are students, workers, veterans, the unemployed, those on Social Security benefits, and those whose savings and investments were either wiped out or greatly diminished by the economic fluctuations starting in 2007. We are those who have had our homes foreclosed upon or are about to have it done to us, those whose homes are now worth a fraction of what we paid for them, and those who have never owned a home and now don’t expect to ever be able to. We are the newly poor who wonder how everything for which we worked hard vanished so quickly and how we and our families are going to survive. We are the long-time poor, who have never had much of a chance, let alone a voice, to make our own way in our current social and economic system. We come from all backgrounds, races, and religions. We are concerned about, and more than a little scared by, the directions in which we see our lives, and the lives of our families, friends and neighbors going - and the directions in which we see our nation and the whole planet going. And we are angry with those who have taken us in those directions. We are part of a much larger global and national movement that wants real changes in how the world is run. In short, we’re you, and you are one of us. WHAT do we want? We want an end to corporate money’s influence in politics, whether through campaign donations, PACs, or other groups. Money is not speech. We want truly effective campaign finance reform, so that corporations and other interests have no overwhelming advantage over the rest of us in any part of American politics. We want far greater legal accountability for public officials and corporate executives, and we demand that, if found guilty of committing crimes while in office, they are made to pay for those crimes in full, like anyone else. We want equal treatment from our justice system at all levels, and at every stage from investigations, through trials and sentencing for everyone, regardless of origins or social class. We want a moratorium on foreclosures, an end to the continual attacks on our social safety net and on the rights for workers to organize themselves and, if need be, to strike to get better pay, benefits, and working conditions. We want secure and sustainable investments and improvements in our social infrastructure, like schools and libraries, and to create an America where everyone may actually live in a decent and dignified manner, an America where everyone's rights count and are respected by all. This is who we are and what we want. We ask for no more and shall take no less. We are the 99%, and we will not be silenced.

What is legal to do on the Vegas strip? An interview with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department about the October 6, 2011 protest.