Occupy Wall Street Gets Its Generators Back

[kpete]

Source: The Atlantic

Occupy Wall Street Gets Its Generators Back

Occupy Wall Street got its confiscated generators back on Tuesday after its legal team pressed the Fire Department of New York to release them.

The machines were picked up from the New York City Fire Academy at Randall's Island by the Wikileaks truck, which has been stationed next to Zuccotti Park since the protest's inception. The vehicle with the generator on board made its way back to Zuccotti Park hours before a planned concert by Graham Nash and David Crosby.

...................

The protesters have been without machine-generated power since Oct. 28, when police and firefighters seized their gas and biodeisel generators on the grounds that they were a fire hazard. Protesters have been using bicycle-powered generators to charge batteries in the park, but they were without steady power as a freak snowstorm hit on Oct. 29.

Lawyers for the protesters sent the FDNY a letter on Oct. 29 demanding the return of their equipment. Last week the fire department gave in. "I believe they gave the generators back because they had no basis to confiscate them," Kurland said. "When there’s a fire inspection, the normal procedure is for the FDNY to give corrective feedback ... That didn’t happen here. Rather than saying do this or that or taking corrective steps, they simply confiscated the generators and didn’t even list on the confiscation order what the specific violations were."

Read more: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-gets-its-generators-back/44701/

[freshwest]

1. Good news. K & R.

:kick:

[nineteen50]

2. At least

I know the police cause you trouble
They cause trouble everywhere
But when you die and_ go to Heaven
You'll find no policemen there

R.I.P Woody Guthrie

[freshwest]

3. That's a good quote there. Thanks. Welcome to DU

[nineteen50]

5. Woody was the real deal union man.

[freshwest]

7. Grew up listening to him and Seeger who was at OWS a little while ago.

So much of our true history is not being taught anymore.

[grntuscarora]

9. I agree.

I gave my 14-year old my copy of Howard Zinn's "A People's History" and said, "Read your school's textbook and get what you can from it. And then read Howard Zinn."

Pete Seeger has always been one of my favorite people.

[freshwest]

10. Great! Your child will be ahead of the game. I learned 'standard' history; but all the ...

labor, civil rights, economic and social justice movements were covered in those texts. And the texts I had were all positive about these subjects, but that was long ago.

Now that the RW has taken over the school book companies, and so many kids are not going to public schools, there will be little knowledge other than the media. It's really scary to think what decisions will be made based on ignorance.

It seems we are on the precipice of either another dark age or enlightenment. We have to be accepting of each other and supportive to survive this.

Thanks for the good news there and welcmome to DU.

[canoeist52]

11. One of my favorite songs. Here's Arlo Guthrie doing it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J72hq9kLyUQ

[freshwest]

21. Thanks for the link. And I was literally brought up on that quote you have there.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. 3 cheers for the National Lawyers Guild!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[nilram]

17. "Fighting to keep the First Amendment alive..." And you can donate right herre...

http://www.nlg.org/support-us/donate/

And of course more info at http://www.nlg.org/

[valerief]

6. Great! Now sue the city to get money to buy more generators! nt

[lindysalsagal]

8. That, AND Bloomberg wants to raise taxes.

Ok. So let's see him stop beating up on the schools...And I'm a fan.

[Marnie]

12. cops can just take anything they want, most people can't

do anything about it and the cops know it.

[druidity33]

13. OWS was getting too much positive press...

for implementing bicycle powered solutions. Do they really want to be spewing gas fumes in the park all day? Not to mention the noise these things make. I hope they don't abandon the cycle power just because the easy solution is allowable again.

:(

[femrap]

14. More good news tonight!!!!! nt

[burrowowl]

15. Good NEWS!

Makes winter stay more livable!

[defendandprotect]

16. A little sanity returning -- ???

[Javaman]

18. I wouldn't jump the gun.

remember, it took a legal team to get them back. nothing was given back willfully.

the corporate controlled police and fire dept still answer to their masters.

Those depts. just highlight how many of the 99% of this nation still work against their own best interests by supporting the 1%.

"When there’s a fire inspection, the normal procedure is for the FDNY to give corrective feedback ... That didn’t happen here. Rather than saying do this or that or taking corrective steps, they simply confiscated the generators and didn’t even list on the confiscation order what the specific violations were."

[defendandprotect]

20. Agree -- and I'd be happy to see New Yorkers targeting Bloomberg and

Kelly for what's been going on in attacks on OWS -- hope they do --

Problem is there's so much Koch $$ out there they pretty much own everyone!!

Cuomo was a shock -- but then I was kinda underinformed about him, as well!

Not that I expected a liberal!


Jerry Brown -- as well!! YIKES!

[TBF]

19. Thugs. nt

[freshwest]

22. I hope that this will help them keep warm as well.