Occupy Albany re-emerges
On Pearl Street this afternoon.
Occupy Albany reminded people today that it's still kicking by gathering in Lafayette and Academy parks and marching around downtown Albany. The group is planning to celebrate "May Day's historic roots in the labor movement." Also: "It is worth noting, however, that celebration is scheduled to continue past the 11pm park curfew." (This feels familiar.)
Two people were arrested by State Police today for setting up a table without a permit in the state-owned Lafayette Park. [TU]
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Comments
Sorry I couldn't make it - I was busy working so I could pay my city/state taxes.
... said Lola on May 1, 2012 at 2:49 PM | link
@Lola -- you are lucky to have a job then. Not everybody does, much as they'd like to work.
... said chrisck on May 1, 2012 at 3:21 PM | link
@chrisck I wouldn't call it luck at all.
... said Lola on May 1, 2012 at 3:40 PM | link
@Lola - don't know much about May Day or Labor history, do ya? Not to mention not everyone works 9-5.
... said Katie Vorwald on May 1, 2012 at 3:41 PM | link
Capitalism forever.
... said Ike on May 1, 2012 at 4:53 PM | link
Wow great job guys. And if the cops kick your butts, I get to pay your Medicaid bills right? The least you could do is whip up some free grub...
... said bk on May 1, 2012 at 5:33 PM | link
I was working outside and realized that in the spring you find a lot of crap on the ground you thought had gone away in the fall.
... said Eric Scheirer Stott on May 1, 2012 at 9:29 PM | link
LOL @ Lola & bk!
And I really mean @, not with.
... said B on May 1, 2012 at 9:30 PM | link
Since it is apparently too difficult to look up cursory information before some people type, here are simple but useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day
@Lola, many of the participants of yesterday's event pay city/state/federal taxes. Also, for most people(especially in today's job market) acquiring a decent job does require luck and privilege. (Why did you get the job and not another qualified applicant?) Some people have always known this. Some are learning right now. Some are still oblivious.
@bk, making fun of poor people is fun right? very good. Furthermore, these poor people should put together free food for you?
@eric, workers and supporters organizing for a national holiday that is celebrated across the globe are "crap"? I'm sure that you appreciate your own whit, but perhaps you ought to think more critically before making such dehumanizing statements.
... said Andrew on May 2, 2012 at 7:13 AM | link
I'm surprised at the rancor that previous commenters have for the occupiers. They are protesting for economic equality, workers rights, and culpability for Wall St crooks. So unless that statement made you laugh so hard you dropped your monocle and shot Dom Perignon out of your nose, that applies to you too.
... said lucy on May 2, 2012 at 8:36 AM | link
@ Andrew: Celebrating May Day is a tradition with a valid reason behind it, but lets face it, that's not really what's going on here. It isn't a one day parade, it's the opening of this year's occupation and protest season.
... said Eric Scheirer Stott on May 2, 2012 at 9:02 AM | link
Sorry If I come of as overly snarky, but a lot of the Occupy folks can get very polarized- if you're not backing them up then you're part of the "1%'. Walking out of the masonic temple down below City Hall I've been accused of being a "F*cking millionaire Freemason"
... said Eric Scheirer Stott on May 2, 2012 at 10:00 AM | link
Funny that the top 1% in the US is a household AGI of about $380k/year. Assuming a two income household, that equates to about $190k/year per person. That's hardly "Dom Perignon" territory. More like "pediatrician and a regional banker with some modest investment income", which is to say roughly upper middle class. Add in college tuition expenses for one or more kids and, well, no caviar is being eaten in that household.
So yeah, those are the people you are soooo angry with. Whatever. Stay in your filthy tents, fine with me. Just stay the f*ck off my lawn.
... said bk on May 2, 2012 at 1:18 PM | link
@bk: The problem is the disgusting imbalance of resources and the violent and subversive means of maintaining this disparity. To be fair, the 99% vs 1% dichotomy is misleading. The "1%" that Occupiers refer to are really the .05%. But "we are the 99.95%" and "tax the .05%" don't make for simple and effective memes (slogans are simple!).
Also, you seem to be misreading lucy's post: since you are not someone who casually dines on dom perignon and caviar, you are part of the "99.5%" of people in this country and therefore the problems that Occupy addresses are of concern to you and yours as well.
... said Andrew on May 2, 2012 at 8:53 PM | link
Perhaps the criticism of commenters is of some of the OA individuals and not necessarily of the Occupy movement itself. It reminds me of going on Dead Tour back in the day - the vibe was far out, but alot of the people were freeloading tools.
... said Brad on May 3, 2012 at 8:45 AM | link
@bk: The Occupiers and everyone else will be able to stay off your generic lawn for awhile, considering the fact that most people (but not necessarily you) who hold such out of touch opinions tend to live in suburbia to begin with. But, oh wait, isn't poverty in the suburbs on the rise too? Didn't a bunch of the houses of recent housing bubble/housing crash notoriety originate in suburbs where such opinions are held and such unsustainable mortgages contracted in the first place?
The problem with foolish comments like yours is that you seem to want to blame individuals when it is a systemic problem. As C. Wright Mills once said (and I am paraphrasing) in "The Sociological Imagination": one person out of work when most everyone else works is probably their fault; when many persons are out of work everywhere it is probably a structural problem.
You and the prudent pediatricians probably won't believe the problems are real until it comes around to your lawns or worse still, crashing through your windows, will you? And they will, of course, as society is run into the ground...Also, the class of individuals that you cite (professionals and local upper management) won't be wealthy enough to make it into the gated community when it happens so perhaps you might consider being kinder to your future fellow serfs, no?
... said Cincinnatus on May 3, 2012 at 7:41 PM | link
Cincinnatus is proving Brad's point. I support movement, but not necessarily the angry polarizing (borderline manic/hysterical) individuals involved with it.
... said Betty Jones on May 3, 2012 at 9:13 PM | link
@Betty Jones: and what point would that be? in case you cannot detect sarcasm and snark, I refer you to my previous post.
But in all honesty, nasty comments like BK's earn rough responses like mine--and lets face it, times are tough and getting tougher, and a lot of people have a lot on the line. If you expect people to continue to be nice in an environment where the social safety net is being gutted, opportunities for advancement via education are being cut, and the political system is a far cry from anything resembling a democratic-republic, think again.
The expectation that people will not get riled up and use harsh words is, well, stupid.
... said Cincinnatus on May 4, 2012 at 1:11 AM | link
@Cincinnatus, go right ahead and use as many harsh words as you want towards people you've never met. Call them stupid, accuse them of being willfully ignorant, etc. If that's the strategy you choose, god bless. But don't expect to win anybody over.
... said Betty Jones on May 4, 2012 at 8:35 AM | link
@Betty Jones: My initial post was in response to BK's blatant nastiness. I refer you back to that. You chimed in devoid of any awareness of the context. Your sentiments are transparent when you comment on my response and not on what prompted it.
I did not call you stupid; I pointed out that given the circumstances--which will move people toward my viewpoint faster than my rhetoric or your trolling--to expect "that people will not get riled up and use harsh words is, well, stupid."
To assuage your hurt feelings, I'll change "stupid" to "not very thoughtful."
... said Cincinnatus on May 4, 2012 at 2:56 PM | link
@Cincinnatus
I did read the whole context. The reason why I'm calling you out for nastiness, as opposed to BK, is because I support your cause and hold you to a higher standard. When you lash out in anger, instead of calmly presenting the facts, it makes it easy for haters to hate, and it thereby undermines your entire message. Imagine if the president went bananas everytime someone in the crowd heckled him. Nobody would have any faith in him or respect his authority. That's pretty much what you're doing in this case. This is my last response to you because I'm confident you're just going to tell me I'm wrong.
... said Betty Jones on May 4, 2012 at 5:09 PM | link
You would be right but were it for people who fail to recognize "facts" as such. As though it were so easy. Continue to present the "facts" to Fox viewers and let me know how that goes for you.
... said Cincinnatus on May 4, 2012 at 11:41 PM | link