day 15 of arrests

we had an amazing turnout of folks, both kidnapped and in support of the occupiers. there were 15 of us this time, bringing the arrest total to 93, i believe. the sheriffs were either unprepared, or didn’t believe it was necessary to begin arrests until 145-2am. the last of us got out a little after 6am.

since it took them so long to get to us, those of us at the freedom fountain began playing games, such as patty cake and ninja. when the sheriffs marched toward us, we all started humming the star wars imperial stormtrooper theme. it. was. epic.

while we were being processed, they apparently forgot to uncuff one of our girls and when they called her up to sign for her belongings, i made a comment along the lines of “you should probably uncuff her first.” and sheriff little, one of the deputies in the booking area asked me for my name. when i told him, he said “okay, well i’ll make sure you get out last. don’t tell me how to do my job.”

i was one of the first out. ;)

we had a nice group of occupy fresnans waiting for us to get out with donuts. :)i think our three new arrestees appreciated it.

our occupation is as strong as ever, and last night proved that. thank you, everyone, for coming out and supporting, and to those who were arrested with me, you made jail a lot better. :) ♥

ohhh. the editor of the community alliance and one of his reporters played ninja with us, and i was told they were scolded by the sheriffs after we were hauled off. what a joke. they threatened them with arrests, saying they weren’t media but occupiers if they continued interacting with us that way.

day 13 of arrests

last night, there were three kidnappings: michelle, mike 5, and a new face, lyn. they were snatched at 1230am, and released around 630am. i noticed they’re keeping us in longer.

earlier today, a group of us went to fresno state for a meeting about the cuts and the merging of departments. it was quite an interesting meeting. there were a lot of pissed off staff members who came up to us after to thank us, as occupy fresno, for being there.

after the meeting, we used the people’s mic in front of the madden library and passed out fliers. we used the people’s mic again at noon in the student union. then a third time on the balcony of the student union. it was very exciting.  ;)

i absolutely loooove the people’s mic. it’s my favorite kind of mic.

occupy sf

today, a group of us went to san francisco for occupysf.

it.

was.

amazing.

i almost didn’t come back. the energy was incredible and the people were so awesome. we rallied against the cuts and merging of departments in the CSU systems, but we found ourselves in front of a BofA. we occupied the hell out of BofA, and so many riot cops showed up. i was almost hit with a baton and arrested. we created a human barricade in front of the entrances, and then in front of the paddy wagons. it was intense and a little scary, but so exhilarating. i had gotten arrested earlier today in fresno, and i was down to get arrested in sf.

i hadn’t been to any other occupies since the movement started and i’m sooo glad i went to OSF. they had so many amazing chants and really neat ideas for us to bring back to OF.

i’m so stoked, i can’t wait for tomorrow’s GA so we can talk about it. C:

occupy fresno forever stands in solidarity with occupy san francisco. ♥

a msg from our lawyer

i just received the Order from Magistrate Judge Austin approving all the in forma pauperis applications, so OF and all the individuals are officially plaintiffs against the Fresno County defendants.  I expect the summons to be issued sometime later today, and the defendants will be served. 

day 9 of arrests.

there were six kidnappings. five of them were at the freedom gazebo, and the last one was at the city sidewalk. they came over to him, wrestled the american flag from his hand and arrested him. i was told it was fresno PD that arrested him. apparently, the sheriffs and PD are in cahoots.

we filed our lawsuit and restraining order today against the county. a press release is scheduled for sometime after 5pm.

we’re not going to make it easy. not at all.

day 8 of arrests.

five arrested. one of the five was actually walking home. they ran after him, grabbed him, kicked his legs out from under him and slammed him into the sidewalk. then they charged him with jaywalking and impeding an officer. :|

last night was just full of bad vibes. our people were followed by sheriffs, as they walked through the park. people are being followed home by unmarked vehicles. the sheriffs are citing our people left and right for tedious things, but turn a blind eye when someone who isn’t associated with us does the same thing.

anyway, this is very important:

if you’ve been arrested at the gazebo, please email me your info, which includes contact info, citations, name, date of arrest, etc. our lawyers want the information.

my email is occupy559@gmail.com

thanks!

~v

day 17/18 of arrests.

actually, there were no arrests the last couple nights. we’ve been very tired, being in and out of jail. but we’re still going strong. it just kinda sucks with the holidays coming. it’s like the movement wants to take a break. -___-

i don’t celebrate xmas so i’ll be out there. :)

day 14 of arrests

today would have been day 14, but luckily, nobody was kidnapped. we still continue to maintain a 24 hour presence at the park. we kindly thank the sheriffs for wasting money and stopping all the crime ever. michelle made quite a lovely speech about how useless the sheriffs are. hopefully, we can have that footage up soon. it was enjoyable. ;)

tomorrow (or today, saturday) is going to be a very exciting night and we encourage everyone to come out and hang out with us. C:

we’re holding a VERY special general assembly. we’ll also be showing michael moore’s film capitalism: a love story, at 8pm.

pleeeease come out and join us! spread the word! bring a friend, and dress warmly. it gets very chilly out there. :)

we hope to see a lot of people out there! ♥

day 12 of arrests

i was not present at the time, but i believe there was only one arrest: mike 5. i had been in san francisco, and i was tired so i went home instead for the night. he was let out around 5-6am, if i’m not mistaken.

day 11 of arrests

last night, day 11, three were arrested. joseph, pat, and myself. they walked us to the underground parking garage where they keep their cars and we rode to the jail. pat was the last one out this morning. i’m not too sure what time he got out, but i got out around 630. we were arrested around 1215ish. i was super pissed because a woman with a DUI was processed after me and released hours after me.

my arresting officer was incredibly friendly and knew all of my information. he said the first time he arrested me, the computer glitched and he had to retype all my stuff like a 100 times.

day 10 of arrests.

2 kidnapped from OF tonight: michelle and pat. Pat wanted to go for round 2 since they were released within a couple hours of being arrested. -___-

Occupy Fresno stands in solidarity with occupy wall st. They got hit, hard. Stay strong, OWS. ♥

day 7 of arrests.

one person kidnapped.

during one GA, we came to a consensus about rewording arrest, and replacing it with “kidnap,” as that it what is happening to us. sheriff mims is thankful things have not turned violent? 50 officers in riot gear, kidnapping peaceful protesters, is a type of violence occurring all over the nation.

anyway, it was raining and it was freezing, but stan stood his ground. there were no riot police, but 10-15 sheriffs were used to make the arrest.

one of our guys was cited for honking in support of occupy fresno. they said he made improper use of his horn. one of our ladies was cited for an illegal left turn that just about everybody makes. we got footage of a local news crew making the same left turn shortly after, and the sheriffs did nothing.

outernational, a band from new york, touring different occupies, came out last night for a meet and greet. they gave us, and the occupying sheriffs, a wonderful performance. :)

we, at occupy fresno, would love to thank outernational for gracing us with their presence. it. was. AWESOME.