"The police have several demonstrators detained behind their lines, calling for medics. Bloodied protesters being dragged out of sight now," Occupy Chicago group wrote on its Twitter page earlier in the day.
A city official, who was not authorized to talk to the media on police matters, told CNN that between 75-100 protesters had refused to leave the area after being told to disperse.
In an unexpected turn of events, some activists for LGBT equality have begun to offer support for Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers University student, who was convicted of invading the privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, in an act that some described as bullying against an LGBT student, which culminated in Mr. Clementi's suicide. In rallies that have been being held in support of Mr. Ravi, a new worldview has been growing among LGBT activists, one that is based on a premise that Mr. Ravi has been the subject of a "judicial witch-hunt." From articles in The New York Times, to blog posts on Towleroad, to Reuters wire stories, there are emerging prominent voices among LGBT equality activists, including William Dobbs, that Mr. Ravi should not be scapegoated for Mr. Clementi's suicide. At a rally in support of Ravi outside the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton this week, Mr. Dobbs ... told the crowd that Ravi was "overcharged" in the incident. "The hate crime law in New Jersey has got so many problems that it should be repealed," Dobbs said. "It has become a dangerous weapon that is not necessary."
Credit : Pool photo by John Munson
Judge Blocks Controversial NDAA
U.S District Judge Katherine Forrest granted a preliminary injunction last week to "block provisions of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would allow the military to indefinitely detain anyone it accuses of knowingly or unknowingly supporting terrorism," the Courthouse News Service reported.
2012 05 16 Preliminary Injunction Against Ndaa Indefinite DetentionSigned by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve, the 565-page NDAA contains a short paragraph, in statute 1021, letting the military detain anyone it suspects "substantially supported" al-Qaida, the Taliban or "associated forces." The indefinite detention would supposedly last until "the end of hostilities." ...
"There is a strong public interest in protecting rights guaranteed by the First Amendment," Forrest wrote. "There is also a strong public interest in ensuring that due process rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment are protected by ensuring that ordinary citizens are able to understand the scope of conduct that could subject them to indefinite military detention."
Weeks after Obama signed the law, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges filed a lawsuit against its so-called "Homeland Battlefield" provisions.
Several prominent activists, scholars and politicians subsequently joined the suit, including Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg; Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Noam Chomsky; Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir; Kai Wargalla, an organizer from Occupy London; and Alexa O'Brien, an organizer for the New York-based activist group U.S. Day of Rage.
Thousands in Chicago Protest War and Austerity
From Occupy Wall Street :
"You wouldn't know it from watching CNN, but thousands of people have gathered this week in Chicago and elsewhere to peacefully express their indignation at a political system dominated by war and austerity. While world leaders gather for the G8 and NATO summits -- where they are discussing war plans and addressing their failed financial system with rhetoric alone -- Occupiers and our allies are not only holding our own workshops and discussions on the financial crisis, we are taking direct action to create a world that does not need their warfare or austerity. "
Following are examples of what just some of the Chicago protests looked like on Friday, May 18, 2012 :
The very next day, The New York Times published an article that reported that President Barack Obama suddenly began to press for a growth and jobs programs -- totally ignoring the Chicago protests and the activists' messages. Additional videos of the May 18 Chicago protests follow :
Activists from the Coalition For a New Village Hospital protest against New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Is Attorney General Eric Schneiderman corrupt ? Activists didn't ask that question, but they do demand to know why the Attorney General's Office never investigated the shady closing of St. Vincent's Hospital.
Private health insurance is eating us alive. We need single payer in New York State.
Assemblyman Dick Gottfried and State Senator Tom Duane are introducing a new-and-improved single payer bill. Join doctors, nurses and patients across the state in advocating for a truly universal and affordable health care system for New York !
#MayDay: Parts 1 and 2 : Die-In @ St. Vincent's Hospital
On May Day Healthcare for the 99% and members of the community participated in a March, Speak-Out, and Die-In protesting St. Vincent's Hospital being closed and replaced by condos.
Die-In : Part 1
Die-In : Part 2
May Day Protest At O'Toole Building (St. Vincent's)
Members of Demand a Hospital and Healthcare for the 99%, an official working group of Occupy Wall Street, staged a picket, an OWS-style “speak-out,” and a “DIE IN” to draw attention to “A COMMUNITY WITHOUT A HOSPITAL” at the former St. Vincent’s Hospital’s O’Toole Building at 30 Seventh Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets) on May Day from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Community groups cite the closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital as a public health crisis. The closing of the hospital has left more than a million residents, guests, and tourists on Manhattan’s Lower West Side without either a full service hospital or a Level 1 Trauma Center. Doctors, nurses, and patients will picket and stage a die-in to symbolize those who will die without access to necessary healthcare in the U.S.
While New York City, New York State, and the Medicaid Redesign Team make budget cuts to healthcare and close more and more hospitals, activists question why real estate developers and healthcare corporations can make large profits. In the face of public healthcare budget cuts and irresponsible and dangerous hospital closings, activists are organizing around the idea that a truly universal, single-payer healthcare system is the only viable option that will provide healthcare for all.
DALIDA at Carnegie Hall in New York (29.11.1978)
Photographs and video of Dalida in New York City, with excerpts of one of her most amazing concerts abroad, on November 29, 1978, when she performed in concert at Carnegie Hall.
Dalida sera toujours dans nos coeurs.
Read the "Information Document" filed in the case of State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman
Special Prosecutor Angela B. Corey filed an Information document in the case of Trayvon Martin's murder case. The document brings charges of Second Degree Murder against the defendant George Zimmerman. The Information document was signed on Prosecutor Corey's behalf by Bernardo de la Rionda, the designated Assistant State Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in the State of Florida.
Seminole County Court: George Zimmerman Information Document
