Critical Question: Who were the 18 mayors, and was DHS on the call?

[grasswire]

Diligent journalism required here. Important question.

Who were the 18 mayors on the coordinated conference call regarding Occupy, and was DHS on the call? Who arranged the call?

[MADem]

1. What call? Link? nt

[PETRUS]

2. Conference call with other cities about OWS

Here's one link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2313877

[MADem]

10. Thanks--sounds like it may have been a US Conference of Mayors thing.

You'll find nothing of any real substance at this link, but it's their organizational page: http://www.usmayors.org/

Non-partisan gaggle of mayors, they use the conference to trade tips/exchange ideas/coordinate strategies and talk about public safety/public works type issues. The current president of the organization is Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the LA mayor. The Philly mayor is the VP.

I'd be surprised if this thing had a federal blanket over it, but you never know.

[truedelphi]

7. Mayor Quan of Oakland forgot to keep it a secret -

She has been on the phone with a total of 18 other city administrators and security people, discussing the Occupy movements and how to deal with them, while she was making her decisions about Oakland's occupy movement.

A few stories about it here and also over at Firedoglake

[trueblue2007]

16. if you are gonna put something SO IMPORTANT UP HERE... at lease supply information!!

[MADem]

62. Tell the OP, not me--I just asked for a link, and was given one.

The CBS news tonight reported that it was as I suspected--a Conference of Mayors thing. They do that kind of stuff often.

Bloomberg wasn't on the line for that one, though, per the news.

[LiberalEsto]

3. Could ALEC be involved in this? nt

[LeftyMom]

4. Try the administration. nt

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

5. good point, what/who were the other

cities. And was DHS involved. Inquiring minds want to know.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. I am anxiously awaiting the answer to this.

It will tell us a LOT about what is going on. :mad:

[MADem]

63. US Conference of Mayors, per CBS. No "national" coordination. NT

[xiamiam]

8. who has been raided this week?

oakland, new york, portland..there is 3..san diego has issued eviction notice..

[TeeYiYi]

48. Salt Lake City...

...OWS Salt Lake at Pioneer Park torn down Saturday night;...18 arrested.

TYY

[dixiegrrrrl]

60. Occupy Chapel Hill, NC was raided at gunpoint.

[dixiegrrrrl]

61. Camps in Oakland, Portland, Denver, Albany and Chapel Hill were raided by police this weekend.

This week, also San Francisco.
And Mobile, Alabama was raided ( read that in my local newspaper)

http://rt.com/usa/news/occupy-oakland-camp-dismantled-305/

[Uncle Joe]

9. That's a good question, I would be willing to bet other than Oakland, New York

had one of the mayors.

Thanks for the thread, grasswire.

[grasswire]

11. Portland?

I'm going to call the mayor's office and ask.

[MineralMan]

14. I'm sure the Mayor of Minneapolis was in the call.

I'm still not sure why this surprises anyone. There's no law prohibiting mayors from talking about their common issues. I'm sure they do it all the time.

[Uncle Joe]

18. There is, if they were conspiring on how to shut down peaceful protests and violate

the American People's First Amendment Rights.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2313672

"Judge who issued injunction to stop Zuccoti evictions removed from case."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2313672&mesg_id=2314433

""Mayor Quan Admits to Collusion of Multi-City OWS Evictions"

""TITLE 42 > CHAPTER 21 > § 1985. Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x5058942

"Quan's Top Legal Advisor Resigns Over Occupy Oakland Police Raid"

[MineralMan]

21. The odds of any criminal charges being filed against the mayors

are on a par with the odds of winning a multi-state lottery. Reality sucks, but it remains reality. Who's going to be making the charges?

[Uncle Joe]

24. I was replying to the premise of your post, not making a statement as to the odds of indictment.

"I'm still not sure why this surprises anyone. There's no law prohibiting mayors from talking about their common issues. I'm sure they do it all the time.

[MineralMan]

28. And I was correct. The assumption that there was a violation of

the law is way premature. Never mind the likelihood of a prosecution. Reality.

[Uncle Joe]

49. The mayor of Oakland admits to the conference call with the cities facing the same "situation."

The crackdowns in several cities begin with coordinated precision, her legal adviser resigns and the judge ruling in favor of the Occupiers is dismissed from the case within hours, and the assumption that conspiracy took place to violate the People's civil rights is "way premature," nothing to see here folks, just move along.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5060418&mesg_id=5060418

"Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, speaking in an interview with the BBC casually mentioned that she was on a conference call with leaders of 18 US cities shortly before a wave of raids broke up Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country. “I was recently on a conference call with 18 cities across the country who had the same situation. . . .”

Read more: http://capitoilette.com/2011/11/15/oakland-mayor-jean-q... /

If the odds of indictment are a long-shot as you and I both seem to agree on, I suggest your easy dismissal of a fair amount of circumstantial evidence to be prima facie evidence of the general mentality that will make this a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[MineralMan]

54. I'm not saying that they didn't decide to act simultaneously.

I'm sure they did. I'm saying that no prosecutions will come of it. I'm waiting to see what the new judge rules. From there, the situation may change quickly.

I think the mayors acted improperly. It's just that I'm a realist about the consequences. Anything that happens will be a civil case, not a criminal one, and it will take a long time.

[xiamiam]

58. that is why the kids are sleeping at wall street and being beaten and arrested

they believe things have got to change..so do i..we have a document to follow..somehow we need to get back to that..realists dont change things..dreamers do

[ljm2002]

53. Thank you!

Important links to back up the illegality of what is happening.

[myrna minx]

30. I thought the Government Center was under the purview of Hennepin County Sheriff

and not under the mayor's office. :shrug:

[MineralMan]

64. It is, but the Mayor is still involved, for obvious reasons.

[grasswire]

12. can you help by contacting a reporter?

Please urge any reporter you are in contact with or follow on twitter to ask the question.

Who were the mayors, and was DHS on the call?

[EFerrari]

19. They must be working on it. I've seen several

post about that call.

What I want to know is what Greenwald or Turley or other civil rights lawyers have to say about a plan to deprive protests all over the country of speech rights.

[sabrina 1]

25. Yes, me too. That kind of takes away the 'the Government can't

interfere with States and cities'. If this was coordinated by Homeland Security, eg, then that blows away that argument totally, it makes it a Federal Government decision.

[EFerrari]

34. Someone suggested to me that the decision to close air space

above NYC is a federal one.

[sabrina 1]

37. Did they close the air-space?

[EFerrari]

41. It was closed at one point because the press was complaining

about their choppers being denied access.

[sabrina 1]

44. So they were trying to keep the press choppers away

from covering their pre-meditated crimes? I don't know if the city alone can make that decision, I would think it would have to be coordinated with, eg, the Military, NORAD at least.

They really are frightened of the People, aren't they? So much force against the American people. And still, not a single arrest of anyone who destroyed this country's economy.

[EFerrari]

45. If DHS was trying to keep their own hand hidden in these crackdowns

I think they just blew it. :shrug:

[MineralMan]

13. It's not a surprising thing, really.

Occupy movements in all of the cities. I'd be surprised if the mayors didn't talk to each other, so such a conference call isn't surprising. Was DHS in on the call? It wouldn't surprise me if they were. Are the mayors coordinating their response? That wouldn't be surprising either. I'm not sure what would be discovered that would be surprising about it.

[EFerrari]

17. It may not be surprising but it's probably criminal conspiracy. n/t

[MineralMan]

20. Probably not. As much as it would be nice, it's probably

not a criminal conspiracy. Mayors talk about issues in common that concern them all the time. While the actions the cities are taking may violate people's rights, it's extremely unlikely that any charges against elected officials will come from those actions. Who would the prosecutors be who would make the charges?

Criminal Conspiracy is a legal term. It has a pretty strict definition, really. This doesn't fit that definition.

[EFerrari]

22. It seems to be called "Conspiracy against rights".

TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 13 > § 241
Prev | Next
§ 241. Conspiracy against rights
How Current is This?
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or
If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—
They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.


http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000241----000-.html

I'd like to see what the CCR has to say about this.

[MineralMan]

27. I know the law. Who's going to file the charges, do you suppose?

Ain't happening. Not now. Probably not ever.

[EFerrari]

32. ACLU, National Lawyers Guild and / or the CCR. That's what they do.

And that you can dismiss this out of hand really only shows how far down the rabbit hole we are.

[MineralMan]

36. That would have to be a civil suit, not a criminal action.

That's certainly possible, and there might be a ruling some year.

[EFerrari]

39. Yes, and that suit would force a criminal investigation.

That's how it usually works.

[MineralMan]

42. Not really. Right now, a decision is about to be handed down

about the NYC eviction and confiscation of property. That's a civil proceeding. If a criminal investigation begins, that will be a decision by an Attorney General, either of the state or U.S. Department of Justice. There's no requirement that they do so. Most civil proceedings do not lead to criminal investigations or charges.

[EFerrari]

46. But we aren't talking about most civil proceedings, are we?

[MineralMan]

50. I don't know.

Are we? :shrug:

What happens will happen. I'll be watching to see what happens.

[sabrina 1]

26. Yes, it is surprising, assuming you believe in the people's right

to free speech. We now have three courts ruling in favor of the people. And hopefully more will be forthcoming. It's way past time to start reestablishing the Constitutional rights of the American people.

As for the mayors, even more surprising and devastating to those of us who thought we were electing DEMOCRATS, is how many of them WERE Democrats, or so we thought.

Now for the next phase. The OWS has fully exposed what their claims have been all along, and all that will happen now is this movement will grow even bigger. Big mistake on their part, and we thank them for proving that the Government at all levels, with a few exceptions, works for the 1%.

[MineralMan]

29. I do believe in their rights. I also know reality when I see it.

If the courts restrain the cities, then that's what happens. It's still no surprise that the mayors discussed it in a conference call. I'd be very surprised if there hadn't been several such calls.

[sabrina 1]

35. If a Mayor cannot handle the affairs of their own city

as many have btw, then they do not belong in that position. Very happy to see that the 'democrat' in Oakland's legal adviser, has quit in protest of her actions, good for him, I hope we see more of this. This movement is separating the corporate tools in government from those who truly represent the people.

This was a simple decision for any Democrat. S/he did not need to consult with the DHS, if that indeed did happen and I hope we will find out soon, or with the Mayors of any other city.

Anyone who did that was not on the side of the people, it is pretty simple. And they need to go and people are now pretty motivated to remove them, by recall wherever possible.

If they thought this coordinated, military-style action against the people was going to end this movement, which was clearly the intent, they could not have been more wrong. It has now become stronger, as these actions, these horrific images of the police abusing citizens, have only angered even those who were not sure at first.

[MineralMan]

40. OK, but mayors talk to each other all the time about issues they

have in common. They even have regular conferences. That's why it's not surprising. I didn't say it was a good thing, just not surprising.

[saras]

15. More important, how come the 18 decided on stupid and evil when other tactics were working better?

[myrna minx]

23. These are critical questions. K&R n/t

[Matariki]

31. I think that is very likely.

I have a friend who worked for Seattle City Council during and after the WTO, and I'm told that some Federal agency prepped the police before the conference and protests - scared the shit out of the police actually, told them to expect that some of them would be killed. I'm not making that up.

[bobthedrummer]

33. K&R

RECALL SCOTT WALKER!

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. And when we speculated on this

we were called conspiracy theorists

[suffragette]

43. Interesting comment from Dan Siegel in relation to that

Not the answer to the question in the OP, but points to some directions.
Dan Siegel is the Oakland mayoral legal adviser who resigned in protest of how OWS is being treated in Oakland.


http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2011/11/15/top_aide_to_oakland_mayor_resigns

AMY GOODMAN: And what do you think of what has taken place in New York, as you observe from afar following the Oakland raid, right here in New York, just this—in the last hours, the clearing out of Zuccotti Park?

DAN SIEGEL: Well, you know, it’s people around the country have made a decision to crack down on the Occupy movement. We’ve seen it, as you say, today in New York, yesterday in Oakland, over the weekend in Portland and Denver and other places. And clearly, this movement is striking a nerve, because it is so powerful. And it seems like there must be some coordination, perhaps at the level of national security and the fusion centers and so on, to put the word out to local police and politicians that it’s time to move against us. But, you know, at the same time, I think this will be a losing strategy. Every time they hit us, our movement grows stronger.


Fusion Centers?

Looked that up and found some info here:
http://epic.org/privacy/fusion/

[annabanana]

47. eek . . . .n/t

[suffragette]

51. My reaction, too, anna

Especially since this is coming from someone who was presumably in the loop on this days ago.

[EFerrari]

55. Yep, "fusion" centers.

Remember, I thought I was being paranoid about BART shutting off cell service, thinking I saw DHS's hand -- until Anonymous posted a photo of a DHS agent at one of the BART stations.

Reality has far outstripped my ability to fantasize.

[suffragette]

56. Somehow I missed hearing about these "fusion centers" before

at least by that name.
And this is someone who was an insider in Oakland until just days ago saying this is likely.


I do remember about BART. This is looking like quite the collaboration.

[EFerrari]

57. Amy reported on them in the run up to the DNC.

that's where I first heard of them.

http://www.democracynow.org/search/fusion%20centers/1?relevance=1

[suffragette]

59. Yikes!

Thanks.

[Ken Burch]

66. Weirdly enough, the episode of "Burn Notice" began with an explanation

of "Fusion Centers".

(I was expecting it to mean places where the cops got together and listened to Miles Davis albums from the Seventies).

[ljm2002]

52. Yes - absolutely crucial to find out who was on that call...

...and who organized it!

The thugs are showing their faces at long last, time to take the hammer to them. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

[Tx4obama]

68. The U.S. Conference of Mayors --- see comment #67

The call was a normal event that happens ALL THE TIME.

There is no conspiracy to uncover.

Everyone should take a deep breath and get a grip ;)

[woo me with science]

65. K&R nt

[Tx4obama]

67. Why don't folks stop with the DHS BullShit? There was NO coordination during the conference call...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45312298/ns/us_news-life/#.TsMlFT1Fu7s

Excerpt:

SNIP

Ruiz said mayors on the Nov. 10 conference call merely traded notes about what was going on with Occupy protests. News of an overdose in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a hit-and-run in Washington, D.C., were among the topics.

The mayors also noted that in each of their cities residents were asking about endgames and timelines, of which there were none, Ruiz said.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors says it schedules calls more than once a month but less than weekly so city leaders can discuss issues or whatever is on their minds, organizers said. Email invitations are sent to members, who are free to phone in or ignore the calls.

Regarding the Nov. 10 meeting, the mayors talked about protesters during a round-robin discussion after a short business agenda, the group said.

SNIP



Edited to change 'is no' to 'was no' in the subject line.

[elleng]

69. As they should. Thanks.