Tag Archives: Michael Bloomberg

Recovery for Occupy Wall Street’s library

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

In the weeks that Occupy Wall Street created a protest village in lower Manhattan, activists put together a lending library of more than 5,000 volumes.  When the police cleared the demonstrators out of Zuccotti Park, contractors hauled all of the … Continue reading →

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Threat, polarization, and mobilization in the gun debate

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

Until just a few weeks ago, the notion of a policy-relevant debate about access to guns seemed fanciful.  Supporters of relatively easy access to firearms of all sorts were resolute, and advocates of limits of any kind were either silent … Continue reading →

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Crisis and opportunities: Superstorm Sandy and climate change

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

Catastrophes can be opportunities for activists prepared to exploit them.  Hurricane Sandy looks like a good chance for climate change activists to put their concerns on a national political agenda that has been incredibly inhospitable.  Their challenge is to attach … Continue reading →

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Protest makes it harder to ignore injustice

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

Full Disclosure: I started wearing hoodies in high school and they’ve been a staple part of my wardrobe since. That’s not the only reason, of course, I was disturbed when Geraldo Rivera suggested that Trayvon Martin’s attire was responsible for … Continue reading →

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A protest is a threat (the Komen debacle)

Posted on February 5, 2012 by

It’s never just the demonstration that brings about change.  Rather, it’s the larger actions that demonstrators promise (and authorities fear) that lead to concessions.  Demonstrators threaten to storm the barricades, stop paying taxes, or vote, or contribute money.  Their targets … Continue reading →

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Occupy without the Occupation

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

The police in Oakland and New York City have cleared out their local Occupy encampments.  Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who claims to be a supporter of Occupy efforts, saw the downtown encampment as unsustainable–and dangerous.  The shooting death of one … Continue reading →

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Occupy, sexual assault, and internal control

Posted on November 3, 2011 by

An ABC News reporter called me yesterday to ask about the spate of sex crimes taking place in the Occupations (here’s Alyssa Newcomb’s story).  I didn’t know anything, but a moment of online searching generated plenty of stories. A lot … Continue reading →

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The politics of deflection; Occupy and local politics

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

While most of the physical confrontation of the nearly two months of Occupy protests has been between demonstrators and local governments, particularly police, the conflicts aren’t very well connected to the substance of the grievances.  It’s not clear that mayors … Continue reading →

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Wall Street still occupied!

Posted on October 14, 2011 by

Maybe it was the petitions to stay the eviction bouncing around the internet (Moveon.org had one) and gathering tens of thousands of signatures in short order.  Maybe it was the Occupiers’ new Good Neighbor program–accompanied by vigorous cleaning efforts.  Maybe … Continue reading →

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Pushing out Occupy Wall Street

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

Political and practical opponents to the Zuccotti Park Occupation are now visible on the horizon. The political opponents probably help.  National Tea Party organizations have begun to use Occupy as an occasion for fundraising (as Robin Pravender and Kenneth P. … Continue reading →

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