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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Occupy Dallas "Bank Protest march " [video #3]

Occupy Dallas 'Move Your Money' march arrest [video #2]

Occupy Dallas Move you Money Protest Today ...[video]

Press Release: Off-duty officer instigates violence at OccupyDallas protest


Off-duty officer instigates violence at OccupyDallas protest

Dallas, TX, November 5, 2011 — OccupyDallas has secured video footage of off-duty officer Jay Hollis, badge #6896, after he shoved a protester while moonlighting security for Bank of America. The events which followed, leading to several arrests, were instigated by Hollis when he pushed his way through protesters outside of the bank.
Today, the fifth of November, is definitely now a day which will not soon be forgotten. OccupyDallas protesters marched to the Bank of America Plaza in support of Bank Transfer Day, a national event which calls for supporters to close their bank accounts with large corporate banks and move their money into community credit unions. As protesters held signs and chanted in unison, Hollis, working as a security agent on behalf of Bank of America, made his way through the crowd. After a protester refused to move out of his way, Hollis shoved the man and instantly sparked tensions between protesters and police officers. One protester, carrying the flag of the United Steelworkers union (USW), was standing a few feet away on the sidewalk when an officer grabbed at the flag and pulled him onto the street. The altercation resulted in one officer stumbling to the ground after attempting to tackle the protester. A police bicycle was also knocked over during the scuffle. As the protester returned to the sidewalk he was chased by several other officers and arrested. He has been charged with a felony and is currently being held at Lew Sterrett jail.
Protesters then interviewed Hollis asking him why he instigated the aggression. Shortly after the interview, two other protesters were also violently dragged from the sidewalk and arrested. One of the protesters, Paul Penny, was arrested two weeks ago during a protest outside of Chase bank. He sustained minor injuries to the face when officers pulled him out onto the street and sprayed pepper spray in his face.
These events come just a day after a flash mob of protesters descended upon Rosa Parks Plaza and ‘dropped dead’ to bring awareness to the use of excessive force by police. Hundreds of peaceful protesters in the US have been injured as a result of police brutality. Overseas, thousands have been injured and killed as a result of violent attacks on protests.
For more information, contact Michael Prestonise at 214-293-0548 or news@occupydallas.org. More information, including additional multimedia content, can also be found at www.occupydallas.org.

Image: Protester Paul Penny after being sprayed with pepper spray, by Barry Hardin

Occupy Dallas
Protester that was pulled off sidewalk and thrown to ground. We are currently uploading the video of this event.


http://www.facebook.com/OccupyDallas 

City, Occupy Dallas at Odds Over Who Began Melee That Ended With Eight Arrested

​An Occupy Dallas march and protest turned ugly this afternoon when police used pepper spray to subdue the crowd outside of the Bank of America building on Main and Lamar, protesters told Unfair Park. Eight people were arrested from the crowd of about 150. After the arrests, protesters continued marching through the West End, where we witnessed a standoff between them and police, dozens of whom were following the march on foot, bicycles and motorcycle.

Protesters said the arrests began when one of their members, Stephen Benavides, 30, was shoved off a four-foot-high wall outside Bank of America. He landed on his back, the protesters said, and was then hauled onto his feet by police and arrested.
"People got upset about police officers shoving people," Whytney Blythe, 22, said. She's a main organizer in the group and the person who tweets at @OccupyDallas. "The cops told them to back up, but there was nowhere for them to go. They were already on the sidewalk." Police began arresting others in the crowd, and several police, she said, opened up their batons but didn't use them.

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Press Release: Flash mob descends on Rosa Parks Plaza

Flash mob descends on Rosa Parks Plaza

Dallas, TX, November 4, 2011 — More than a dozen OccupyDallas protesters took part in a flash mob Friday at Rosa Parks Plaza to protest the violence perpetrated against peaceful demonstrators around the world.
Around 2:15 p.m., protesters who covered their clothes in fake blood ‘dropped dead’ in the middle of the plaza. Meanwhile, a masked protester spoke to on-lookers about the thousands who have been killed overseas in violent attacks conducted by police and military.

      Since the beginning of their occupation, members of the OccupyDallas movement have employed a wide variety of protest tactics to spread their message. Rallied together in opposition to corporate greed and the influence of private money on politics, protesters continue to occupy City Hall Park and use the downtown location as a base for protests throughout the city. The protest today highlighted issues concerning the violence which has been carried out on peaceful civilian protesters in countries around the world. From Boston to Oakland, police have employed excessive force in breaking up protests. In countries around the world, police have responded violently to protesters. An estimated 30,000 protesters have been killed during the ‘Arab Spring’ revolutions. In Syria alone, an estimated 4,027 protesters have been killed since their movement began in late January. OccupyDallas plans to march Sunday in solidarity with Syrian protesters and will be meeting at 4 p.m. in Pioneer Plaza.

Occupy Dallas's Guidelines for Occupation

WFAA ran a piece last night about Child Protective Services taking an 11-month-old from the Occupy Dallas encampment behind Dallas City Hall yesterday; per Rebecca Lopez, investigators "already had an existing case." But between that and the news about a registered sex offender occupying one of the more than 60 tents downtown, Occupy Dallas early this morning posted to its website some ... well, not ground rules, not exactly. More like guidelines, suggestions for those doing the camp-out or considering moving to the great outdoors.

One thing of note: The group is asking all comers to register at the Welcome Tent. The reason:

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After a month, Occupy Dallas gets more organized



DALLAS - The Occupy Dallas movement is putting new guidelines into effect to become more organized.
The group has been staging protests for the last month around downtown Dallas.
In the coming days, organizers say they plan to put new programs into place.
The group plans on taking better accountability of its members, including registering them at a "Welcome Tent" and knowing where they're staying on the grounds.

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CPS Seizes Baby From ‘Occupy Dallas’ Site


DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A homeless family living at the ‘Occupy Dallas’ camp said that they will find a new place to stay in order to keep their baby. CBS 11 News was on the scene as officers with the Dallas Police Department and Child Protective Services took custody of the 9-month-old boy on Thursday afternoon.
Brian and Cathy Carpich said that they met with CPS and were told that the camp was, in their words, an unhealthy living environment. The couple cannot get their boy, Zachariah, back until their living situation improves.

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North Texas Infant Removed From Occupy Dallas Camp KERA [audio]

(KERA) - State child welfare officials say they have taken a 9-month-old boy from his homeless parents at an Occupy Dallas camp. KERA's Bill Zeeble witnessed yesterday's event and has more.

On a sunny, cold late Thursday morning, a Dallas Police Crisis Intervention van pulled into a nearby parking lot next to the Occupy Dallas camp. Officers were seeking parents and their child who had reportedly been crying day and night.

The father told KERA and others the baby was well cared for and he had done nothing wrong. As temperatures threatened to drop near freezing, he said the tent even had a space heater.



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