I would disagree that Portland police "play rough" - they are constantly baited, blamed, maligned and ineffective fearing a political backlash.

Check out Chicago or NYPD

Tenacious, but without focus or direction. A possible recipe for a showdown, but more than likely a shutdown.

It is one thing to enjoy a big show downtown now and then, quite another to let the area become a permanent part of the circus.

I would disagree that Portland police "play rough"

Look again.

So far the Portland Police have shown a lot of restraint. I think the protestors have overstayed their welcome in the parks downtown and have pretty much negated any agreements they made with the city. The people they claim to represent, meaning the 99%, are the ones they are antagonizing now. By barricading SW Main they cause lots of delays for people who are just trying to get to work. What purpose does it serve to keep SW Main blocked?

I'd just like to know why Mayor Creepy seems to think that a tiny minority right to express themselves overules the right to commerce, free movement, etc, of the majority?

The city closed Main Street.

On one of the network channels last evening, I saw an interview with an occupier at the park saying he hasn't eaten this well in years.

When the conditions at the park are an improvement over people's every day lives, they will stick around indefinitely.

It is gross down there. Saw a drunk 20 something puking his guts out this morning. Those parks are going to be biohazards by the time these people clear out. Sad thing is, a valid protest against a bailout of the institutions that helped drive this country into economic ruin had a lot of support, but this is just slackers/burnouts playing in the park now.

'I'd just like to know why Mayor Creepy seems to think that a tiny minority right to express themselves overules the right to commerce, free movement, etc, of the majority?'

You mean like everything else they've done for a decade?

Well, Sam's forbearance seems to be in line with the affectionate political nudge they've received on a national level.

According to a friend of mine who works downtown, the nurses on duty at the camp are kept busy treating the slackers for dehydration due to drugs and booze. Say what you want about tea partiers but at least when they rally, it's not an excuse to get wasted.

How many laws do the occupiers have to break before some adult stands up and says no more? Why do we have laws if they are just selectively enforced?

Seen today:

What if...a bunch of Tea Party faithful went to downtown Portland and cleaned up after the children? Could wear t-shirts that say, "Tea Party - Standing for what's Right and cleaning up what's Left'.

I took a stroll down memory lane after lunch today in Lounsdale Square, and whatever the other park to the south is called. Things were peaceful and relatively neat. There is a huge kitchen in the park to the south, around that white Oregon Pioneer Family statue that was so unpopular when it used to be in front of Tri-Met's office in NE.

Somewhere in there was a piece of rope afire.

In the spring of 1970, the week after dead kids at Kent State and Jackson State, a camp looking very like this sprung up in the PSU park blocks. Police Commissioner Frank Ivancie sent the Porland Police TAC Squad headed by Jim Broulette in to bust heads and take out the camp. The TAC Squad were all over 6'5" and, as I recall, rode motorcycles. In any event, and I was not present, they marched shoulder to shoulder in riot gear with billy clubs poking foward in unison and kicked the living shit out of some pretty gentle people.

The next day, at noon, and I was there, 6000 strong marched to City Hall and gathered where the PacWest Builing is today, demanding Ivancie's head.

I saw Frank on the second floor, hiding and peeking out around a big marble column.

While Frank eventually became mayor by default for a term, busting up the camp gained him a lot of enemies, and really was the end of a political career that looked like it might lead to the U.S. Senate.

Knocking off these campouts could be a very bad idea. Let winter come to them. Ask Hosni Mubarak.

leaving - So that makes violating the law by refusing to get parade permits, impeding traffic, and violating the City's anti-camping ordinance o.k.?

Today, three counter-protests from a church west of PDX (St. Helens, I think) took up a position in front of MCDC. They were on a public sidewalk, directly east of Chapman Square.

They were immediately contacted by uniformed officers at the scene, who questioned the individuals as to how many in their group. They were informed that if they had more than three persons present, without a parade permit, they would be arrested. So much for the antiquated notion of "equal protection under the law."

Funny thing, from the location where this occurred, you could have thrown a rock and hit the inscription of MLK's quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat justice everywhere."

Maybe they should set up a wrestling ring and let the tea party and the occupiers send combatants in one at a time.

"Mad Sam, beyond Thunderdome!" It'd make a gazillion on pay per View.

HMLA - no, I am in agreement with you.

Just so used to being steamrolled by the uncaring electeds that nothing surprises me anymore.

I don't expect Mayor Chamberlain to do much of anything but make concessions.

Want to protest big business involvement in government?

Simple:

Step 1: Form human chains around Portland City Hall, the Portland Building and Metro. Handcuff protestors to all entrance doors and prevent entrance to said buildings. Throw in Milwaukie and Lake Oswego city halls, and the Clackamas County Courthouse (see Step 2).

Step 2: Barracade the Portland Streetcar and MAX lines.

Step 3: Protest at Mayor Creepy's house.

Step 4: Oh, for good measure, protest the Port of Portland. Let the good passengers have no problem at PDX, but make sure that the maritime ports and the cargo business are shut down. Surely we don't need to subsidize an airport for Nike and Intel's corporate jets in Hillsboro.

Step 5: Raid and shut down the PDC.

Step 6: Since this is www.bojack.org, shut down the OLCC using the same tactics.

Problem solved. Big business would no longer have influence in government because they'd effectively prevent the government that caters to business from even functioning; while ensuring that the services that we the people use - you know, police, fire, parks, libraries, schools - are untouched.

Occupying a park and blocking one block of a city street? Yawn...grow up and get a life you smelly pot-smoking beatniks.

Dear 'protesters' - A lot of us are pissed off about the administration's inept and corrupted destruction of our economy.

But we are too busy working to try and scrap by to play in the mess you are making, that we are working to clean up and get through.

Sorry Leaving - friendly fire...

PERSONALLY - Don't care for these slackers one bit. Yes, you have the right to assemble and be heard, you've already done that. I heard some of your incoherent ramblings, I've seen a bunch of people who are in your midst which give your 'cause' less and less meaning. We still DO have laws, we still try to run a society based on laws and this is not the way to change things. Personally, I AM one of the 53%ers.

http://the53.tumblr.com/

Oh and before someone says that I'm smarmy or have no empathy. Without going through the litany of my life - the most recent events include being laid off in 01/2009 at the age of 54 (soon to be 55) - scouring the NATION for a job. Selling absolutely everything I owned, moving in with a relative and finally finding a job, 5 months later and 2600 miles away. Two and a half years later I'm getting ready to buy a house. I will be working until the day I die, but that's okay. The world, the nation, Wall Street don't owe me one little thing. As I said before, I AM a 53%er and happy and proud to live in a country where I can and do have that opportunity and ability!!!

Our educational system doesn’t teach that behavior, social skills and personal appearance have a lot to do with getting a job. I wish they would. These kids moms and dads certainly haven’t.

Erik H. - Hillsboro airport exists for the CIA, er Evergreen Aviation, and others get to use it to keep that front up. Now shutting down the Troutdale Port of Portland extension might acutally make more sense.

As for the protesters, whether you like them or not, they are taking some action on their discontent rather than whinging day in and day out on the interwebs. If my job prospects were not good, I might well be down there too.

Sam and Randy haven't got the word from up above to bash this thing.

These mass experiments are rudderless for a reason. Once frustration with the lack of purpose sets in, then the stage is set for a new Jim Jones. And we all know how that ended up (or did we?)

Stay tuned...

Erik H. - Hillsboro airport exists for the CIA, er Evergreen Aviation, and others get to use it to keep that front up. Now shutting down the Troutdale Port of Portland extension might acutally make more sense.

Since when did Evergreen use Hillsboro? I'm pretty sure Evergreen has never used Hillsboro as an operating facility.

Now, McMinnville (where their headquarters are located, right adjacent to the airport), is another story...but McMinnville's airport is owned by the City of McMinnville and not the Port of Portland. And even then, most of Evergreen's operations are based at Marana, Arizona - the former airport owned by a little known outfit called Air America that was later taken over by the CIA...and then the CIA sold the facility to Evergreen.

I've been here in Manhattan for the past 4 days and spent a little time on Monday observing the protesters. It was interesting for a few minutes and then the constant drumming just became part of the background noise, along with construction and sirens.

I guess if protesters are getting fat from all the donated food it just reinforces the old cliche about how well socialism works as long as you have capitalists to pay for it. I'm sure the novelty of sending food will soon wear off and then the occupiers will have to find something else to do.

I just came back from there and I think the Police are going to act on clearing the street so traffic can proceed. There is a big debate going on amongst the tribes and a Police presence around the area.

Occupiers?
Well, which ones?
Those who occupy our publicly elected positions for reasons other than representing the public?
If we had a preponderance of statesmen/stateswomen, working for the public good and making wise decisions, doubt we would be seeing much of street occupiers now.

The incapacity of media personnel to truly report from the scene the clear-language quotes and message signs, the incapacity of media personnel who say they do not understand the meaning of 'public good', the public fraud of massmedia smearing constitutional rights of free speech, press, and assembly, and gagging the voice of 99% of the public, for 30 years, defaming equal time, makes evident the moral shame of massmedia employees.

The 'message' of those who Occupy Public Grounds is:
Broadcast 'news' media are liars.
Every time I see a lying 'news' face on TV he or she looks guilty and ashamed.

Protesters March On Murdoch Penthouse, by Alexander Zaitchik, Media Matters .org, October 12, 2011

Eventually the policemen's and policewomen's families, being in the 99%, are going to join the crowds protesting systemic capitalist corruption, and then we shall see whose legal rights the poverty-ridden and pension-robbed police uphold, and whose they bash.

As they Occupy Public Grounds, the Masses is the message.

Put that on the public's airwaves which are regulated and licensed through public oversight, and audience as jury may judge whether massmedia lies saying there is no message in mass protest -- growing larger, bringing forth the laid-off, put-out, idle unemployed. The thousands of people in the streets, Main Steets USA, are the faces and voices denied appearance and existence for 30 years without balanced attribution of 'equal time' fairness in privately-enriching corporate massmedia. No duh the media personnel 'dogma bimbos' never heard of nor practiced civil decency, fairness, or moral public good.
'TalktalktalktalkICAN'THEARYOUtalkticktalkticktalktick ... tick ... tick...'