Protest, Wall Street Protesters | featured news

Oakland prepared Wednesday to again become the epicenter of Occupy Wall Street movement as local organizers aided by labor unions and advocacy groups finalized plans for a broad-based call to action that was expected to include marches, pickets outside banks, school shutdowns and an attempt to close the nation's fifth-busiest port.

In what was an otherwise calm night across the country, one Occupy Oklahoma City protester was found dead and nine Occupy Portland protesters were arrested. In a press advisory Monday, Occupy Oklahoma City organizers expressed their sadness at the passing of a homeless protester who went by the name “Street Poet.” “The Poet was found dead in his tent at Kerr Park earlier this afternoon by other participants,” they wrote.

... But from the start, the movement has also gotten support from a long list of experienced, well-funded organizations, unions and political committees -- sometimes to the discomfort of more radical protesters who worry about their message being co-opted or watered down.

The city's police union on Tuesday blasted Mayor Jean Quan and city officials for sending mixed messages about the Occupy Oakland encampment and upcoming general strike.

Occupy Wall Street is trying to get protesters to descend on Iowa ahead of the Jan. 3 presidential caucuses. The Des Moines Register reports that the plan is to "occupy" the campaign headquarters of President Obama and the GOP candidates -- shutting them down if necessary -- in the week leading up to the leadoff caucuses.

Tennessee state troopers for the second straight night arrested Wall Street protesters for defying a new nighttime curfew imposed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam in an effort to disband an encampment near the state Capitol....

Filmmaker Michael Moore, who has been supporting the Occupy Wall Street protesters this week, has come clean and admitted that he is indeed among the nation’s wealthiest citizens, but without providing details of just how rich he is.

"He cannot talk right now, and that is because the fracture is right on the speech center of his brain," said Shannon. "However, they are expecting he will get that back."

The 1980s are back on Fox News today where Fox and Friends made the claim today that Occupy Wall Street was really organized by the Red Army of socialists that has infiltrated the Democratic Party.

Occupy Oakland organizers are planning to hold a peaceful vigil Wednesday afternoon for Scott Olsen, 24, a former Marine who was injured during protests Tuesday night.