Tagged: Occupy Wall Street

Protests in Westlake Park are expected to grow in size Friday and Saturday as labor union members and Afghan war protestors join Occupy Seattle protestors.

Union representatives have visited Westlake Park and voiced their support for Occupy Seattle protesters.

Seattle’s Westlake Center continues to be a very busy place this week as the site of several protests scheduled for tomorrow.  Although the rallies are being held by separate groups, their messages are related. 

LOS ANGELES — A downtown Los Angeles march in sympathy with New York's Wall Street demonstration has spilled into an intersection and police have formed containment lines.

Some organizers of the Thursday afternoon march appear to be trying to get demonstrators back onto sidewalks.

One group also has entered the lobby of a bank.

About 500 union members, students, activists and others have been marching among downtown high-rises containing offices of banks and other financial businesses.

Occupy Seattle demonstrators vow to press on, despite yesterday's arrests of 25 protesters who refused to remove their tents from a downtown Seattle park.

Early Thursday morning roughly 30 people were in their sleeping bags huddled under awnings of businesses that boarder the east side of Westlake Park. By noon there were roughly that many protesters still in the park.

Occupy Wall Street is getting a shot in the arm, as some of America's largest unions have announced that they're now supporting the movement. The gain in momentum comes as off-shoots of the original Manhattan group plan marches and protests around the nation.

The AP notes the group's fast growth into a movement:

For the latest updates on this story see: 'Occupy Seattle' arrests hit 25; protesters still occupy Westlake Park

Police have arrested around 20 demonstrators who refused to remove their tents from Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, according to the Associated Press. Demonstrators tussled with officers as they made a last stand, attempting to block police from removing a few tents left at the park.

It may have started in New York, but now the Occupy movement is reaching to cities around the world and even starting up in small Northwest towns.

"Spokane, Seattle, Auburn, Portland, Salem, Yakima..."

That's Jason Caryl of Pasco. And those are just a few of the places that have started up their own Occupy movements in the Northwest. Others you might not expect are: Occupy Seaside, Oregon and Occupy Idaho Falls.

The movement has been mostly organized on Facebook and Twitter. It has been criticized for being too loose, with no clear message or demands.

I support the efforts of the protestors at Westlake Park to address this country’s economic situation. In my budget speech last week, I stated:

"We are facing unprecedented inequality in this country. It is always true that bad times are harder on the poor. But we have not seen income inequality this great since 1928, the year before the Great Depression started. The top 1% control 34% of the nation's wealth. The top 10% control 2/3rds of the nation's wealth. It is an unprecedented grab by the most powerful to get a bigger share of a shrinking pie."

For continuous updates throughout Wedensday see this story.

One of the early organizers of the "Occupy Seattle" protest and camp still in place in downtown Seattle says he will "absolutely" stay in Westlake Park.

Yesterday afternoon, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn told “Occupy Seattle” to take down their tents and leave the park during the night when it and other Seattle parks are normally closed to the public.

"I have a moral obligation to stay," said Pete Whipple, one of the organizers who has been staying in the park since Friday. "I don't see how I can leave now."