The Night Occupy Los Angeles Tore Itself In Two

[bijou]

Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, the 300 people who have been occupying the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall for the past three weeks split themselves into two hostile camps.

Occupy LA’s decision-making body, the General Assembly, has been responsible for conducting the encampment’s business. As in most other cities, the participating members handle everything from ensuring the nightly meeting take place to doing financial research on Los Angeles-based bankers to cleaning up the trash. But on Wednesday, a large group of dissenters decided to occupy the General Assembly’s usual outdoor meeting space and assert themselves as the new regime. One man, standing at the center of the swirling and increasingly unruly crowd, yelled into a megaphone, “You don’t represent us anymore! We’re taking over! We’re the People’s Forum!” Rumblings of dissent and palpable animosity had been mounting in the camp throughout the afternoon. Informal meetings were held around the clock to hotly debate an issue that had factionalized the camp: weed.

There are two things that strike you when you come upon the Occupy LA encampment. The first is the sheer density of the tents: not a single thatch of grass pokes through; the lawn is bursting with tents and spray painted signs that carry slogans about everything from 99 percent to Wall Street criminals to 9/11 conspiracy theories. The place is packed. The second thing you’re likely to notice is the undeniable thick scent of weed smoke in the air. This is a curious aroma, given that the encampment is lodged between the California state courthouse, the offices of the City Council and LAPD headquarters.

Occupy LA is also three blocks away from Skid Row, the city’s biggest open air drug market and homeless encampment. Some people claim that the drug use in the Occupy camp is a spill-over effect. Those who buy drugs on Skid Row, especially the homeless, can smoke in a safe, free space among the Occupy tents, instead of buying an hourly room in one the crime-riddled slum hotels along 4th Street. Other people in camp claim the drug problem is homegrown. ...

http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/the-ni...-itself-in-two

[SarasotaRepub]

MOAB...just sayin.:D:D

[Elspeth]

Why are these idiots at government buildings in LA? They expect Villaragosa to change the world? He can't even fill the potholes. :D

If they were really going to be like their Wall Street counterparts, they would be sitting at the old stock exchange building (Pacific Stock exchange closed in 2001) or they would be down in front of the Fed building at Olympic and Grand. The Federal Reserve has more to do with what happened in 2008 than the LA city government.

[Tipsycatlover]

These protest sites are becoming acceptable homeless sites. As far as sites go, the LA venue is not quite as filthy as some others.

After listening to a radio show about Occupy LA on KFI, I decided to go there and talk to some of the occupiers. This movement is doomed to failure It is just like the peace and love of the 60s. The one aspect that really surprised me is that in this day and age, so few, maybe none, of the people know what democracy is, how it works, what it is supposed to do. They are convinced that the US doesn't have it.

[Novaheart]

MOAB...just sayin.:D:D

Yeah, but don't you get a mental picture of the South Park Sea People rapidly advancing through the ages of civilization?

How long until OWS/LA builds a giant stone god and parthenon, and seconds later fires a rocket?

[SarasotaRepub]

Yeah, but don't you get a mental picture of the South Park Sea People rapidly advancing through the ages of civilization?

How long until OWS/LA builds a giant stone god and parthenon, and seconds later fires a rocket?

Ha!!!

I actually thought the story was going to mention the Blood and the Crypt gangs. :D