Occupy Los Angeles

Last updated
Occupy Los Angeles
Part of the Occupy movement
Protest at Los Angeles City Hall (6248466227).jpg
DateOctober 1, 2011 – August 25, 2014
(2 years, 10 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Caused by Economic inequality, corporate influence over government, etc.
Methods Demonstration, occupation, protest, street protesters
Resulted inEviction by LAPD
Arrests and injuries
Injuriesunknown
Arrested373[ citation needed ]

Occupy Los Angeles (also referred to as Occupy L.A.) was one of the many occupy movements in the United States, following the original Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protest. Participants of Occupy L.A. first met at Pershing Square on September 23, 2011. [1] Activists came to consensus to occupy public space in solidarity with the growing movement. Occupiers first marched in Los Angeles on September 24, 2011. [2] They next protested a fundraiser being held in Hollywood at the House of Blues for President Obama. [3] Participants met at Pershing Square every subsequent night to plan out the logistics of an occupation set to begin on October 1, 2011. [4] After debating potential locations [5] around Los Angeles, people decided on the lawns around City Hall. [6] Tents first manifested on October 1, 2011 on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall.

Contents

The camp experienced a relatively uncontentious relationship with the city through its duration. [7]

On November 17, Occupy Los Angeles joined with a permitted organized labor march through downtown Los Angeles. The parade was generally orderly, though a circle of about twenty protesters surrounded three tents in the middle of a street in deliberate disobedient behavior and were arrested. Later in the day, an unpermitted march went to a plaza at the base of the Bank of America tower, when police brought the march to a halt. More protesters were arrested for trespassing, 73 total for the day. [8] [9]

Overview

Supporters

The movement had several celebrity appearances including NOFX, Amanda Palmer, Jesse Jackson, [10] Bill Maher, [11] Shepard Fairey, [12] Tom Morello (from Rage Against the Machine) [13] Jeff Ross. [14] and Danny Glover [15]

Some of these visitors were interviewed by InsightOut News, a grassroots journalism website that emerged from Occupy LA. These interviews were sometimes critical, raising the issue of whether wealthy celebrities could really be aligned with the working class. [16] [17] [18]

City Hall eviction

Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, announced an eviction order deadline of Monday morning, November 28, at 12:01 a.m., giving the reason that "It is time to close the park and repair the grounds so that we can restore public access to the park." [19] [20] [21] [22]

Early Monday morning protesters and the encampment remained after the city ordered an end their protest. Four people were arrested for unlawful assembly. [23]

On Tuesday, November 29, 1,350 police raided Occupy Los Angeles. Five hundred police officers quickly entered the park out of City Hall doors. At 12:30 a.m. LAPD declared the Occupy L.A. site an unlawful assembly, and told demonstrators they had 10 minutes to clear the area or be arrested. A total of 292 people were arrested. [24] [25] After the encampment was empty, 30 tons of trash was removed. [26]

Report of Patrick Meighan

Patrick Meighan, writer for the Fox animated sitcom Family Guy, was one of the 292 arrests made on November 29. He posted an account [27] of his arrest. He also participated in an eight-part YouTube interview chronicling, in more detail, his experience the night of the raid. [28] [ non-primary source needed ]

May Day

On May 1, 2012, Occupy Los Angeles resurfaced publicly joining general May Day protests all around Los Angeles. The Occupy supporters organized as "four winds" coming in to downtown Los Angeles from the four directions, starting in Van Nuys in the north, Santa Monica in the west, Cal State Dominguez Hills in the south and East Los Angeles College in the east. [29] A General Assembly was conducted in Pershing Square. Occupy San Fernando Valley, Occupy Rose Parade and Occupy the Hood were all represented. [30] Numerous other protesting groups joined. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Occupy Wall Street</span> Order of Events of "Occupy Wall Street" (2011)

The following is a timeline of Occupy Wall Street (OWS), a protest which began on September 17, 2011 on Wall Street, the financial district of New York City and included the occupation of Zuccotti Park, where protesters established a permanent encampment. The Occupy movement splintered after NYC Mayor Bloomberg had police raid the encampment in Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. The timeline here is limited to this particular protest during this approximate time-frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Portland</span> 2011 American protest movement

Occupy Portland was a collaboration that began on October 6, 2011 in downtown Portland, Oregon as a protest and demonstration against economic inequality worldwide. The movement was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City on September 17, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Seattle</span> Series of demonstrations in Seattle, U.S.

Occupy Seattle was a series of demonstrations in Seattle, Washington, United States in 2011 and 2012, that formed part of the wider Occupy movement taking place in numerous U.S. and world cities at that time. The demonstrations were particularly focused on the city's downtown area including Westlake Park and Seattle City Hall; their stated aim was to oppose wealth inequality, perceived corporate greed, and corruption in the banking and economic systems of the United States.

<i>Occupy Boston</i> 2011 protest movement

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Canada</span>

Occupy Canada was a collective of peaceful protests and demonstrations that were part of the larger Occupy Together movement which first manifested in the financial district of New York City with Occupy Wall Street, and subsequently spread to over 900 cities around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Philadelphia</span>

Occupy Philadelphia was a collaboration that included nonviolent protests and demonstrations with an aim to overcome economic inequality, corporate greed and the influence of corporations and lobbyists on government. The protest took place at Thomas Paine Plaza, which is adjacent to Philadelphia's City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Oakland</span> Protest group against economic inequality

Occupy Oakland refers to a collaboration and series of demonstrations in Oakland, California, that started in October 2011. As part of the Occupy movement, protesters have staged occupations, most notably at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy D.C.</span>

Occupy D.C. was an occupation of public space in Washington, D.C. based at McPherson Square and connected to the Occupy movements that sprung up across the United States in Fall 2011. The group had been demonstrating in McPherson Square since October 1, 2011, and in Freedom Plaza since October 6. Despite crackdowns on other Occupy projects across the country, federal authorities claimed on November 15 that they have no plans to clear McPherson Square Park. The National Park Service decided against eviction after meeting with activists and discussing health and safety conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Melbourne</span> Social movement in Australia, part of the global Occupy movement

Occupy Melbourne was a social movement which took place from late 2011 to mid 2012 in Melbourne, Australia as part of the global Occupy movement Participants expressed grievances concerning economic inequality, social injustice, corruption in the financial sector, corporate greed and the influence of companies and lobbyists on government. Protests began on 15 October 2011 in City Square with a 6-day-long protest encampment, from which people were forcibly evicted by Victoria Police at the request of the City of Melbourne CEO on 21 October 2011. From 2 November 2011, Occupy set up camp in Treasury Gardens before being moved on from that location in December. A significantly diminished number of protesters set up camp at Father Bob's church at his invitation until his retirement in January 2012. Physical manifestations of the movement had largely dissipated by mid-2012 though it adopted a strategy of decentralisation and became influential in the creation of new community networks, affinity groups and collectives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy San Francisco</span>

Occupy San Francisco was a collaboration that began with a demonstration event located at Justin Herman Plaza in the Embarcadero and in front of the Federal Reserve building on Market Street in the Financial District in San Francisco, California. It is based on the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City on September 17, 2011 and is one of several "Occupy" protest sites in the San Francisco Bay Area; other sites include Occupy Oakland and Occupy San Jose.

Occupy San Diego was one of the many occupation protest movements in the United States. Located in San Diego, California, the protest movement initially began in the city's downtown district at the Civic Center. According to authorities, it had "a growing problem with violence and mounting trash". However this assertion was disputed by protesters and eyewitnesses, since Occupy protesters have been actively cleaning the site since October, 2011. It is based on the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City on September 17 and is one of several "Occupy" protest sites in the Southern California, including Occupy Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy movement in the United States</span>

The Occupy movement began in the United States initially with the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, but spread to many other cities, both in the United States and worldwide. This list article is an alphabetical, non-chronological summary of Occupy events that have occurred in cities in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy St. Louis</span>

Occupy St. Louis (OccupySTL) was a postpartisan people's movement that began on October 1, 2011 as a peaceful protest against corporate greed, its influence over the economy, its corruption of government, and ensuing inequality. Although people possess differing viewpoints and diversity of views is a central tenet, commonly held themes seek an equal playing field in the economy with more equal opportunities for all people as well as accountability for corporate and financial malfeasance. Many of those in the movement argue that structural, systemic change is necessary and that incremental reform is insufficient and in any case not possible without popular countervailing power to the power of moneyed interests. Occupy St. Louis is in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. It is located at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis near an area which includes many financial institutions such as commercial banks and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Glasgow</span> Protest group against economic inequality

Occupy Glasgow was a protest in Glasgow, Scotland, and an offshoot of the Occupy movement. The protest started on 15 October 2011 opposite the City Chambers in George Square, but due to possible conflict with Remembrance Day events, Glasgow City Council granted an eviction warrant, in force from 7 November, and protesting was moved to Kelvingrove Park in agreement with the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Occupy Oakland</span>

The following is a timeline of Occupy Oakland which began on Monday, October 10, 2011, as an occupation of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza located in front of Oakland City Hall in downtown Oakland, and is an ongoing demonstration. It is allied with Occupy Wall Street, which began in New York City on September 17, 2011, and is one of several "Occupy" protest sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. Other sites include Occupy San Francisco and Occupy San Jose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Baltimore</span> Protest

Occupy Baltimore was a collaboration that included peaceful protests and demonstrations. Occupy Baltimore began on October 4, 2011, in Baltimore, Maryland, in McKeldin Square near the Inner Harbor area of Downtown Baltimore. It is one of the many Occupy movements around the United States and worldwide, inspired by Occupy Wall Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Sydney</span> Protest group against economic inequality

Occupy Sydney was a social movement and protest as part of the global Occupy movements, in Sydney, Australia. The occupation began on 15 October 2011 outside the Reserve Bank of Australia in Martin Place. The Martin Place occupation was first evicted by NSW Police on 23 October 2011. This eviction and later police action was named Operation Goulding. Another eviction attempt occurred on 2 February 2012. The protest site was removed five times in early July 2013, only to re-establish itself each time within hours.

<i>InsightOut News</i>

InsightOut News was a grassroots journalism website based on the idea that news is "not entertainment nor a commodity." It grew out of covering Occupy Los Angeles and now also covers international events, particularly in the Middle East. Original content from the site is often featured by other media outlets, such as the LA Progressive and Crooks and Liars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Minneapolis</span>

Occupy Minneapolis (OccupyMN) is a grassroots collaboration that began in October 2011 with a series of demonstrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters have staged numerous occupations, most notably of the Hennepin County Government Center plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy ICE</span> Series of protests

Occupy ICE is a series of protests, modeled on the Occupy Movement, that emerged in the United States in reaction to the Trump administration family separation policy, with a goal of disrupting operations at several U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) locations.

References

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