The pastor of a church that has housed Occupy Wall Street protesters is giving them two weeks to leave after a portion of a baptismal font went missing. "It was like pissing on the 99 percent," the Post quotes Rev. Bob Brashear of West Park Presbyterian Church as sermonizing. Around 60 protesters sleep between the pews every night, and Brashear discovered that the basin and its lid were missing before Sunday services, and demanded that they be returned later that day. Recalling the era of the crack epidemic, Brashear said that the drug addicts the church took in didn't steal the basin. "Not even the crackheads messed with that." more ›

Less than two days after the NYCLU demanded that Brookfield Properties remove the barricades preventing the public from easily accessing Zuccotti Park, the property management company has done just that. Earlier this evening, the barricades were removed and stacked off to the sides, permitting visitors to enter the park wherever their heart's desire, instead of the narrow security checkpoints. FREEDOM! But with freedom comes responsibility; according to one occupier, "Brookfield Security said unless we do something stupid the park will remain open!" more ›

The NYPD has arrested almost 2,000 protesters since the Occupy Wall Street movement began, and some of those arrested have refused to go the usual route taken by demonstrators. Typically, someone arrested for disorderly conduct at a protest will agree to an ACD (Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal), which means that the charges are dropped after six months if the individual stays out of trouble (or whatever our police state considers "trouble" these days). But some of those arrested are refusing the routine plea deal and are demanding a trial, because they insist the charges are bogus. And yesterday, prosecutors decided to back down and drop the charges against 21 of them. more ›

On Tuesday, several protesters with Occupy Wall Street were arrested during a demonstration in Grand Central Terminal. The first to be arrested was Lauren Digioia, who like the others was yelling in protest of the National Defense Authorization Act, which contains an amendment authorizing the military to detain American citizens indefinitely without due process. This new video shows her arrest in much greater detail, with the videographer following along as MTA police lead her downstairs. Once she disappears from sight in the basement, her boyfriend, Zach Kamel, raises his voice, along with other protesters, to express his outrage. Care to guess what happens to him? more ›

This morning, the few protesters who sat through the night in Zuccotti Park, along with those who called the square a temporary home for the past month, were faced with perhaps their greatest challenge yet: how to recreate a semblance of the order and infrastructure that existed before the raid. more ›

This evening, protesters returned to Zuccotti Park 14 hours after the police kicked them out of the public space. Now, those visiting—or intending stay—must go through quasi-security checks at two entrances to the barricaded plaza, with city workers (police, Sanitation workers) making sure no large items, like tents or tarps, get through. The NYCLU is monitoring the checks and has noted that seemingly normal-sized bags have been rejected, as well as drums and an accordion. more ›

"Meet New York’s newest hero," reports the NY Post this morning in a hagiographic cover story about an ex-Marine who forcibly ejected a protester from Rep. Bob Turner's swearing-in ceremony yesterday. It's easy being a hero! All you have to do is fit in with the tabloid's anti-Occupy Wall Street narrative for five minutes. Today's "hero" is former cop/Marine Kevin Hiltunen, who dragged out a demonstrator who interrupted Turner's ceremony. (The Post has a full photo spread documenting his courageous heroism.) more ›

Michael Davitt, who staged a daring direct action protest on the Tappan Zee Bridge Monday, spoke to reporters yesterday outside his Rockland County home, where he tried to explain the motivation for his demonstration. Davitt had been employed by the county for 27 years, working as a mental-health aide before becoming a substance abuse counselor in 2000. But he was suspended in 2008, and ever since he's dedicated his life to exposing the corruption that he claims cost him his job. Here he is talking to CBS 2: more ›

Three years ago, Michael Davitt was fired from his job as a substance abuse counselor at the Rockland County mental health office. And for three years, Davitt has been appearing at legislative sessions and allegedly disrupting meetings by accusing officials of a "cover-up" and corruption. But Davitt's protestations failed to win him his job back (a Rockland County spokesperson tells CBS 2 he "couldn’t perform his duties"), so yesterday he kicked it up a notch by staging a dramatic protest on the Tappan Zee Bridge. They're sure to rehire him now! more ›

NYPD officers—some of whom have been caught on video pepper spraying and beating Occupy Wall Street protesters, are getting fed up with all this senseless violence! And they've got a message you nogoodnik protesters who think you can injure their fists with your faces. Yesterday the five thousand member Sergeant’s Benevolent Association of the NYPD announced it will take legal action against Occupy Wall Street protesters who cause harm to any of its members. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] During the chaotic Occupy Wall Street march through the financial district this morning, we witnessed a protester on William Street get punched in the face by a police officer, seemingly without provocation. He says the officer hit him so hard his earring got knocked out, but he managed to escape arrest. We caught up with the protester later: his name is Felix Rivera-Pitre, and he told us what happened and how he got away. more ›

Early this morning a contingent of 700 police swept into a park where Occupy Boston protesters had set up camp, arresting over 100 people who refused to comply with an order to vacate. The encampment is not the main OWS site at Dewey Square, but a larger park nearby that protesters had recently seized. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had pleaded with the demonstrators to leave the park by midnight, and the Boston Herald reports that "the park’s patrons had just spent $150,000 to spruce it up." Here's video, via Charlestown Patch, of police clearing the park around 1:30 a.m., as the crowd chants "the whole world is watching!": more ›

Occupy Wall Street is streaming footage of Oscar-winning actress and activist Susan Sarandon at the camp site. Via Christie Rotondo, Sarandon said, "It never changes from the top, it only changes from the bottom, and this is great." more ›

At a Democratic fundraiser at the Roosevelt Hotel last night, demonstrators disrupted President Obama's speech to demand more AIDS funding. Holding signs and shouting "Broken Promises Kill," the activists blasted Obama for, in their words, "failure to make a concrete commitment of US funding to the Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria... and called on him to contribute $6 billion over 3 years to the Global Fund." The Daily News notes that the elitist "Cabernet-sipping crowd"—which included Barbara Streisand—tried to drown out the protesters by chanting their dear leader's name: more ›

Here's a video showing our favorite State Senator from Bronxchester staying real classy in the Capitol. Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., who has come out against rent stabilization and other tenant’s-rights measures, has been targeted by tenants-rights activists for some time now. They hold rowdy protests outside his office, heckle him at public appearances, and even photobomb him at City Hall. It's all good sport, but from the looks of this video it seems Espada's cracking: more ›

Late last night an American Apparel rep informed us that a group of teenage protesters smashed windows at their flagship store on Broadway this past Saturday. After the group took out two windows there, they moved along and ended up smashing windows at several other stores, including a nearby GNC. more ›

In spite of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's warning that opposition leaders would pay for any "bloodshed and chaos" from protests over the Iranian presidential elections, thousands of protesters, supporting opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi who disputes his loss to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took to the streets in Teheran. (Khamenei has endorsed Ahmadinejad as winner of the election, with 63% of the vote.) Witnesses tell the AP that militia used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. The NY Times reports, that so far, "the Obama administration has fended off pressure from both parties to respond more forcefully... But if Iranian authorities carry out their latest threat of a more sweeping crackdown, the White House would reconsider its carefully calibrated tone." Today, there is a gathering to protest the elections today at 2 p.m. outside the U.N. more ›

The Ringling Bros. brought their circus through Manhattan last night, as they headed to Madison Square Garden to set up shop through April 13th. While many were on hand to see the elephants walk through the city, others showed up in full force to protest the circus and their acts of cruelty towards the animals. If you're in the latter group, today you can attend "The Greatest Showdown on Earth: New York League of Humane Voters vs. Ringling Bros. Circus," which is an exciting name for a press conference being held outside of MSG at noon. more ›

With activists and citizen journalists pouring into Minneapolis in advance of the Republican National Convention (which starts September 1st), police there are already getting warmed up for what's sure to be another full-frontal assault on the bill of rights – which won't surprise anyone who protested the GOP's last convention in New York City. more ›

With the Beijing detainees now out of reach of the Chinese government, they're doing some talking. Animal spoke with New Yorker Jeffrey Goldin last night, one of the ten American activists released earlier this week. Like James Powderly, Goldin was also taken in V for Vendetta-style, but he goes further into the details about the 2 a.m. wake up call, saying the eight secret police were asking a lot of questions about “Earth Mouse."

Goldin had met with Powderly and the others earlier in the day in Beijing to discuss the high tech L.A.S.E.R. protest, but eventually trouble came. "That's the night they picked us up." After being taken to a basement of a hotel and interrogated one by one in conference rooms, the six were then put in vans and told they were going to be deported. However, the mini-caravan drove past the airport and continued on, straight to a prison. more ›

Last week it was announced that James Powderly and 9 other activists are being held for 10 days after protesting at the Olympics in Beijing. Now U.S Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt Jr. has asked that the protesters be released. The activists will be held until August 30th and 31st, and Randt Jr., who met with the detainees, said there were no claims of "maltreatment at the hands of Chinese officials," but noted "We are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness." While China agreed to allow protests in three designated areas, in which activists could apply for permits, no applications turned in were approved. Meanwhile, GRL has word from Powderly (being held for “upsetting public order”), saying he "is in good health and eager to get back home." UPDATE: This afternoon Students for a Free Tibet tell Boing Boing that the protesters have been released. "James Powderly, Brian from Alive in Baghdad, and everyone else all arrive at LAX around 6 or 7pm tonight," says an SFT rep. more ›

There have been several Free Tibet protests happening around town this month; one of them even featured city council member Tony Avella. While Tibetan protesters are routinely beaten, imprisoned and even killed by police in China, police brutality is something you might be surprised to see in New York City, unless of course you've attended demonstrations over the years and experienced it first hand. During a Free Tibet protest near the UN on March 14th, some NYPD officers were documented threatening, arresting and clubbing activists seemingly without provocation. In the below video it appears the protesters do nothing more than carry flags, walk on the sidewalk and chant. Yet officers identified as Leroy, Delgado and Serano, and others are depicted clubbing them even when they're down. more ›