by Steven Whitney

In Chinatown, private detective Jake Gittes puts those two questions to Noah Cross, perhaps the richest man in 1930s California. Those same queries, and others like them, resonant more than ever in today’s America.

How many cars can you drive? How many McMansions can you live in? How many diamonds and jewels and designer clothes can you wear? How many black Escalades filled with bodyguards does it take to make you feel important? Why do you need more when you already have so much more than enough? And most tellingly: how much do you fucking want?

The movie doesn’t provide answers – after all, who can explain rampant and uncontrolled greed? But it does offer a symbolic confrontation between the 99%, in the persona of Jake Gittes, and the 1%, represented by super-rich Noah Cross.

Jake is Everyman working hard to earn a decent living, perhaps with a dodge or two here and there, but living by a code in keeping with Raymond Chandler’s “hero” – a man who walks the mean streets who is not himself mean, a common man, a man of honor.

During a short stint with the police, Jake came to know Chinatown – a dark and dangerous place controlled by a few and impervious to change.

Why? Because he knew it was a game played with a stacked deck, one he couldn’t win…and he never knew if he was helping or hurting.

As the story begins, Jake is hired to expose a love nest that will ultimately determine control of the Los Angeles water supply. While the scandal is false, it leads to an apparent suicide. But Jake senses that he was unknowingly set-up and that the victim was murdered. So he unexpectedly wades deeper into the murky waters and runs straight-on into Noah Cross.

Cross has gotten rich as Croesus by not making any positive contributions to society. He doesn’t create anything – he just buys things, forces up their value (often by illegal means), and then sells them at an obscene profit. Sound familiar?

To make matters worse, he’s everyone’s Moriarty – an old man of gross and unchecked appetites. Indulging in land fraud, assorted swindles, mayhem, murder, and incest. He is both father and grandfather to the innocent girl he now lusts after. This, of course, makes him the worst kind of fucker – worse than a motherfucker and even worse than South Park’s notorious unclefucker (but probably still not as bad as Dick Cheney). By every measure, Noah Cross is an uber-villain.

Imbued with a sense of fairness, of right and wrong, and of common decency, Jake tries to rescue a woman and the daughter who is also her sister from this psycho-sociopath. Tough, smart, and relentless, if anyone can stop Cross, it’s Jake. And, against all odds, he seems at times almost on the verge of winning.

But he can’t win. He can never win because the game is rigged from the top, with scant trickle-down benefits. You can’t fight City Hall, especially if Noah Cross owns it. Jake gives it his best, but he’s a man alone, fighting phantoms he can feel but cannot see as Cross wages scorched-earth warfare. Too late, Jake realizes the only way he can win is to kill Cross. But Jake’s not a killer…so he winds up back in Chinatown, impotent, losing everything, and bone-tired of the whole damn mess.

Cross manipulates Jake (and everyone else) like Republicans maneuver their base – holding out the carrot of the American Dream only to snatch it away at the last second, keeping all the spoils of victory for themselves. Jake, like the rest of us, has been played for a sucker.

In 2012, it’s not morning in America. It’s fucking Chinatown.

Unlike Noah Cross and his ilk, we don’t want it all, we just want a level playing field…with more education, equal access to quality healthcare, and economic parity. We want the freedom to create and control our own lives.

But freedom comes at a high cost. It can neither be given nor bestowed, and it must be fought for and earned, now and forever. If we don’t get angry, if we don’t fight as hard and as relentlessly as the opposition, if we don’t learn to vote for our own interests, if we don’t deploy every weapon at our disposal, our lives will become mere ceremonies of loss in which our rights, our freedoms, and our opportunities are eroded, little by little, until the final whistle blows…and the American Dream is officially dead, stolen by Noah Cross and his brethren of the 1%.

And then we’ll all suffer Jake’s tragic fate – a purgatory of futility.

DARKNESS DESCENDS. MUSIC UP: A noir melody, light tinkling on a piano, backed by lush woodwinds, and then…a mournful trumpet solo, wailing a plaintive cry of helplessness.

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by Tim Hardy

The livestreams and photographs coming from the May 12th Occupy London action outside The Royal Exchange are deeply distressing. The police are acting with impunity, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that their behavior is being witnessed. There are many images to review and videos to watch but the sequence in this video from 8.52-9.22 stood out immediately.

As the policeman in the front pulls back at 8:52 you can see one of his colleagues in the background has his gloved hand clamped over the mouth of a woman who is seated. As the video continues, you can see quite clearly how distressed she is by police behavior.

Whatever you think of Occupy, whatever you think of protest, whatever your politics – this is unacceptable behavior and the police officer in question should be suspended from duty immediately. There needs to be an urgent review into policing of peaceful protest like this.

With the police behaving with such open aggression towards peaceful protesters, how long will it be before they kill another innocent?

There were further reports of excessive force being used against women on May 12 including this tweet from @jjarichardson:

And this video from @wyrdsisterz:

The above video was upload by YouTube user yetanotherwyrdo who writes:

May 12th 2012 peaceful protest against global economic injustice outside Bank Of England, women targeted, pulled from peaceful assembly, arrested and being man-handled by 8 x City Of London Police, arms handcuffed behind back, 4 on top of her, Police kneel on her neck and then neck braced by 4 x City Of London Police, she unsurprisingly has an anxiety attack.

Another video, below (via occupylondon.org), includes an interview with a woman who was threatened by the police with having her children put into the custody of social services because she was a protester.

If you were involved in or witnessed any of these incidents please contact the Green and Black Cross legal team at gbclegal@riseup.net.

Tim Hardy is a software engineer, activist and writer from London with a particular interest in the role of technology in driving social and political change. He is the founder and editor of beyondclicktivism.com and can be found on twitter at @bc_tmh.

by Blogbot

We last had the folks from OccupyLA in the SG Radio studio on October 6th, 2011. Since then, a lot has happened for them – and the Occupy movement as a whole.

Back then, OccupyLA’s occupation of the grounds outside City Hall was barely a week old, and no one had much idea of what the future might hold. Certainly few outsiders would have predicted they’d be alive and kicking seven months on.

Though they lost their permanent encampment in early December, 2011, after a brutal police raid, you can’t evict an idea – and OccupyLA had a big one – to mark International Workers’ Day with a massive day of action.

The resolution, which was first tabled by members of OccupyLA in a General Assembly (GA) held in November 2011, was taken up by other occupations nationwide, and on May 1st thousands of people in well over 100 cities participated in the May Day General Strike.

In Los Angels, the day was marked with marches from the 4 Winds in the North, South, East, and West corners of the sprawling metropolis, which converged with other immigrant/workers rights protests in Downtown LA. A special OccupyLA May Day GA was then held in the evening in Pershing Square, where it all began.

By sundown, Pershing Square was packed, with many new and perspective occupiers experiencing a GA for the first time. The overwhelming sense of camaraderie emitted by the large crowd was palpable, as strangers were quickly united by a common goal and the process of radical and truly representative democracy.

The momentum of the movement (that most in the mainstream seriously underestimate) continues as the focus shifts to Chicago, with large gatherings and protests planned in honor of the People’s Summit, NATO, and the (hastily relocated) G8.

On Sunday, as OccupyLA encamps in the SuicideGirls Radio studio, we’ll be reflecting on May Day, celebrating the many triumphs of the movement, and talking about its future hopes, dreams, and grounded, pragmatic and attainable goals.

For more on OccupyLA visit their website, Facebook and Twitter.

We’ll also be hearing from our good friend George from Occupy affinity group 99% Solidarity. He’ll be calling in from NYC to give us the skinny on the FREE Chicago bus trips the group is organizing to coincide with the various planned protests there later this month. For more details visit: 99solidarity.com/chicago/

Tune in to SuicideGirls Radio live on Sunday May 6 from 10 PM til Midnight PST at: suicidegirlsradio.indie1031.com/
(hit the top right “listen Live” button)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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by Aaron Colter

As unpopular as black bloc tactics are with the general public following vandalism across the country during May Day, the Occupy movement still needs support from more radical members if it’s to continue to be effective.

First, understand that black bloc isn’t just a handful of young punks dressing in all black to smash windows. Unfortunately, all black bloc members and anarchists have been categorized as people who engage in ill-targeted property destruction. In fact, however, one core idea of black bloc is to act as a wall of protection against potential police brutality at non-permitted marches — a human circle of sacrificial activists who are willing to push the line forward and become the first to defend protestors from riot cops.

There are many who considered the entire notion of having to request a permit in order to protest to be absurd given the language of the Constitution and the rights guaranteed within, and have no desire to be financially liable for any potential expenses appraised by the city following such a protest or march.

Considering the aggressive, indiscriminate, and, at the very least, excessive use of force by police departments against protestors in nearly every major city in America during non-permitted marches, at least some black bloc tactics seem necessary in order to engage in any form of mass public protest today.

Second, while it’s true that the adolescent, mostly male contingent that has been breaking windows of late negatively effects the perception of the Occupy movement as a whole, the aggression and desire for destruction should be understood.

Like in London, when mass looting engulfed portions of the city in the summer of 2011, the smashing of windows in American cities in the spring of 2012 can be seen as natural, albeit ignorant, physical projections of a society that has raised its children under the absent culture of unchecked capitalism and the systemic corruption of nearly all leaders.

But just as both the looting in London and the smashing of windows in America is a failure of society as a whole to install civic responsibility in its youth, it is also a horrendous failure on the part of the Occupy movement for not properly channeling the anger of its more radical protestors into actions that have a more substantial effect towards the goals of abolishing economic injustice.

Furthermore, the misguided actions of the youth today are not necessarily the foundations for a violent and unproductive future. Consider, for example, Bill Ayers.

While aggressive male behavior is a serious issue for public safety in modern culture, there are strong tones of hypocrisy in what is considered acceptable forms of these outburst on the part of society when reflecting on the response of police towards vandals following a sporting event riot compared to the outcry when similar destruction is born out of political outrage.

Those who have become disenfranchised may not see any hope or value in appealing to government representatives inside the legislative process. Still, there are types of vanguardism that could satisfy the primal urges of frustrated individuals unquenched by standard marches, and even some tactics that can be employed by individuals too indifferent to work on projects both within and outside the established system to cause incremental change.

Guidelines for defending against agents of the state, engaging in property destruction, and other radical actions are necessary to encourage the following:

1. That supporters and other members of the community who have not sanctioned such actions are not physically harmed. The idea that provoking police brutality will call attention to the violence of the state is false as such brutality is well-known and often ignored in the mainstream media, and also because it creates a sometimes lasting rift between individuals who might otherwise become collaborators.

2. That targets selected be those that are the worst violators of community sustainability, those that are activity contributing to the demise of workers’ rights, organizations profiting off the erosion of personal liberty, and global corporations continuing to economically exploit underprivileged people.

3. That actions are intelligently focused on spreading a message that will ultimately convert more people to the cause of ending oppression.

By considering the above ideas, a wide range of tactics can be adopted by those who wish to directly confront organizations they see as damning to their well-being through subversion without compromising the security of less extreme individuals or the much-needed populist support.

Breaking the windows of random cars owned by ordinary citizens during a mass gathering is not a tactic that falls within any of the guidelines above. A well-positioned display of graffiti art on a billboard, corporate bank, or police station that is deployed during the night, however, could be a worth-while action depending on the values of the community and possible support the movement could gain from such a tactic.

Marches, rallies, and other large public display of dissidence are ways to encourage the amiable base of current supporters and perhaps a way to change the modes of thinking of potential comrades, but such gatherings and actions are rarely a way to provide concrete alterations in the economic structure of our society.

In the end, if a successful revolution is to happen – one that does not completely destroy the framework of a functioning community, but dynamically changes the systems in which we as humans relate to one another through the exchange of goods and services in harmony with the environment – then a great and diverse amount of support will be needed.

Never in the history of mankind have the rich and powerful given up government control, the means of production, or positions of unearned entitlement willfully. Only a well-coordinated effort on the part of all working class people can alleviate the burden the classist machine now in place. To do so, we much embrace different approaches, but always be mindful of our common goals.

“Anything you can do to rebel against economic tyranny and financial oppression in a nonviolent manner is welcome. You are the leader!”

This phrase was one of the founding calls to action when Occupy Wall Street first began in October of 2011. Now, tactics must advance to ensure actions undermine the structure of global dominance born from the unholy marriage of big business and big government while converting hearts and minds to the cause of personal liberty and communal happiness for all people.

Engage. Educate. Evolve.

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by David Seaman

Iconic painting ‘The Scream’ sold in New York at Sotheby’s last night for nearly $120 million. Money Well spent? SG’s political correspondent thinks not.

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by Nicole Powers

This #M1GS post will be updated as news comes in throughout the day. We’re working with Media for the 99 Percent to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage. If you have a photo, link, or news item you’d like us to diseminate, please Cc. @SuicideGirls and include the #M1GS hashtag in your tweet.

Occupywallst.org have put together an excellent Checklist for May Day protesters, which includes advice on what to bring, how to deal with the police, and what to do if you find yourself facing arrest.

For a nationwide directory of May Day actions visit: occupywallst.org

Catch the OccupyLA #M1GS Action Via The Following Livestreams:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/crossxbones
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/savagetruth
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spiritanimalsola
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/PMbeers
http://www.ustream.tv/occupyfreedomla
http://www.ustream.tv/willyforeal
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Occupyminds
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy-fights-foreclosures
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupysfvmedia

Catch the OccupyNYC #M1GS Action Via The Following Livestreams:
http://www.ustream.tv/timcast
http://www.ustream.tv/user/OccupyCarlisle
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupymusician
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

3:03 AM PST: May Day gets off to a flower-powered start as masked protesters distribute thousands of roses and carnations to commuters at London’s Liverpool Street Station. Attached were tags which read: “This flower is a May Day gift from Occupy London. Please put it in water and enjoy it. There is something better out there.”

3:46 AM PST: The NYPD have been doing their homework and studying the history of #M1GS. In a report titled “NYPD Shield: Countering Terrorism Through Information Sharing” (fo’ realz!) they note:

The “General Strike” was initially proposed by the Los Angeles node of OWS in November 2011, endorsed by Occupy Oakland at the end of January 2012, and subsequently endorsed by the OWS New York General Assembly on February 14.

3:53 AM PST: The media lineup to report in NYC (but will their coverage be fair and balanced?). @Occupied_Air reports that “At least 18 Media Vans already line the streets around #BryantPark In preparation for #Mayday events.”

4:18 AM PST: Embrace your inner Pagan and get your Wicker Man on! (But watch the original 1973 version featuring Britt Ekland and not the well dodgy 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage.) May Day is an ancient holiday which celebrates fertility. In Europe traditional rituals include Maypole and Morris dancing.

4:28 AM PST: And tents will fly!. A flying tent is spotted rising above London’s Barbican heading towards Paternoster Sq. Let the spring silliness begin.

5:35 AM PST: We’re with the band. @macfathom reports that unofficial #OWS house band the Rude Mechanical Orchestra is jamming out on “Which Side Are You On.”

6:12 AM PST: First reported #MayDay arrest in NYC at the protest outside the Bank of America at 6th Ave and 50th St. Vietnam vet stands in the middle of street as an act of pre-planned civil disobedience. Keep moving if you don’t want to enrich the prison industrial complex folks.

6:48 AM PST: A woman’s place is in the revolution. Great pic from NYC via Laurie Penny a.k.a. @PennyRed.

9:59 AM PST: 4,000 registered nurses strike in Northern California. Nurses at 10 Sutter Health hospitals walk off the job following a contract dispute that has lasted over a year. CBS reports that “though the strike is only supposed to be one day, the nurses have been told they won’t be allowed back to work until Sunday.”

10:19 AM PST: “Twitter is over capacity.” A sight I haven’t seen in a while – the Twitter fail whale blows.

10:36 AM PST: Occupy Oregon in da house. Portland schedule is in full effect. PDX students take the Broadway Bridge before marching on City Hall, and a foreclosure liberation is underway. This is what effective resistance looks like! A Roving Dance Party is to be held at 6 PM in the South Parks. Wanna tune in? A full list of PDX streams can be found at: http://www.opdxlive.org/#1

11:04 AM PST: Tom Morello and his big band stage in Bruyant Park before marching to Union Square for an epic performance of “Worldwide Rebel Songs” featuring the OWS Guitarmy.

11:17 AM PST: Time for a sleep-in at London’s Stock Exchange. Tents now occupy Paternoster Square.

11:41 AM PST: #M1 protesters and the Guitarmy take 5th Avenue. Protesters spill from the pavement onto the street.

12:02 PM PST: Occupy Denver rally at Civic Center Park. See pics via @EisMC2. The Wikileaks truck arrives – “Now the party can officially start!” A sleep-in protest on 16th Street Mall is planned later (9.30 PM thru 5.30 AM).

12:22 PM PST: Solidarity rally/concert feat. Tom Morello, Dan Deacon, Immortal Technique, Das Racist, Bobby Sanabria, and more is underway. NYCs Union Square in packed. “Let Freedom Spring!”

12:31 PM PST: Things have taken a turn for the worse in Oakland. Mother Jones writing fellow @garonsen reports that tear gas has been deployed and that arrests have been made. In his latest tweet he states “Police have backed off again and are warning protesters to clear the street. Unclear how many arrested.”

1:03 PM PST: Mother Jones has posted some powerful pictures from earlier on the Williamsburg Bridge. They report that 200 people marched from Brooklyn to Manhattan and were met by 100 cops “in varying degrees of riot uniform.” Nice police to protester ratio! #YourTaxDollarsAtWork

1:37 PM PST: Two arrests reported at Occupy Philly during action to close Wells Fargo branch. @GoPHARE says “All Other occupiers evade arrest” as they “Shut It Down!” @OccupPhilly says they’re now “Regrouping at rittenhouse.” More Philly #M1 action is planned for later in the day – see schedule.

1:54 PM PST: Stream is now live at London’s Paternoster Square sleep-in. (Watch at: http://bambuser.com/v/2604128) Police tell protesters they are “blocking the highway” and have just given them a second verbal warning. Having been threatened with impending eviction in 10 mins, sleepers are currently deciding how to respond. Should they stay or should they go? *Update* Protesters cautioned that if arrested they may be subject to an injunction which will ban them from the UK’s capital for 6 months.

2:27 PM PST: Union Square crowd estimated to be 8,000+ strong by Guardian and Independent writer Laurie Penny.

2:51 PM PST: Massive march snakes away from still packed Union Square. @OccupyWallStNYC reports that NYPD was “totally confused about how 2 let this huge permitted march happen” and that cheers erupted “as police finally back off and allow marchers to enter onto Broadway from Union Square.”

3:31 PM PST: OPD declares “unlawful assembly” and issues a dispersal order for Broadway & Telegraph. Watching livestream as instructions for leaving are given: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pfailblog “You must leave now. If you refuse to move you will be arrested. If you refuse to move chemical agents will be used.”

3:49 PM PST: Occupy Chicago own the banks. @occupychicago tweets: “just shut down the 5th boa of the day!” Strong turnout too – check out this great shot from above the streets posted on their Facebook.

4:09 PM PST: Thousands make their way down NYC’s Broadway and yet more are still stuck at Union Square – and Reuters just said “Occupy Wall Street resurgence a dud.” Call yourselves reporters; Try looking out your window people!

4:39 PM PST: NYPD has barricaded Wall St. even though unions apparently had permit for their Solidarity March there. Thousands of protesters are heading down from Broadway; The NYPD is telling them to move on, but there’s no where to move on to.

5:44 PM PST: Thousands converge for celebratory People’s Assembly at 55 Water in NYC’s Financial District – and more are on their way.

We’re signing off now, and heading down to Pershing Square for OccupyLA’s special May Day GA.

In Solidarity.
SuicideGirls
XOX

11:48 PM PST: Just got back from the special May Day Occupy LA GA. Following the 4 Winds marches, a massive crowd converged at Pershing Square in DTLA. A truly inspiring way to kick off the American Spring.

For more images from Occupy LA’s May Day GA visit our gallery.

Support Media for the 99 Percent by donating here.

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by Blogbot

SuicideGirls just got back from Occupy LA’s final pre-May Day General Assembly. The assembled 99 percenters noted with some pride that the motion to mark International Workers’ Day with a General Strike, which was first tabled by the group in November 2011, has become a reality, with occupations in 100+ cities poised to join in the May 1st action.

At the meeting, held in Downtown LA’s Pershing Square, a last minute resolution to take action against employers who retaliate against striking employees was unanimously passed. This was followed by a refresher course in what to do if you are stopped and searched or questioned by the police tomorrow. The three key phrases to remember being:

• “Am I being detained?”
• “I do not consent to a search.”
• “I would like to speak to a lawyer.”

As Los Angeles occupiers march from the 4 Winds in the North, South, East, and West corners of the sprawling metropolis to converge at 6th and Main at 2.30 PM, hopefully these phrases will be surplus to requirements and the subsequent afternoon actions in the Financial District will be peaceful. Occupy LA plans to close the day out with a special General Assembly at 7 PM. All are welcome. For more info visit: occupymay1st.org/

For a nationwide directory of May Day actions visit: occupywallst.org/article/may-day/

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