Posting from Phoenix Arizona on the Protest events taking place here against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over the past few days.
On November 29th there was a joint press conference held by Common Cause, PFAW, CMD, DFA, PDA, union representatives and other organizations. It was to inform Arizonians about ALEC and the impact upon their state due to ALEC's writing, dissemination and support of terrible legislation involving several key issues important to AZ. residents and voters. Below are some of the pictures from that event:
DK Members of VLTP who attended the ALEC protests, speeches, Marches and demonstrations, had to choose whether to attend the Press conference or go to the Westin Kierlan in Scottsdale where the ALEC meeting was being held behind barricades set up by the Phoenix and Scottsdale police department. We chose to attend the conference and travel after to the Westin for some pictures. During the Press conference we got word from MNDem999 and Azazello Kossacks that the police had begun to form up at the resort and face off with protesters who marched upon ALEC. By the time the conference wrapped up at a little after noon, we were getting reports from MNDem999 and Azsazello that some of the protesters had been pepper sprayedand the police had brought in water cannon trucks in case they were needed to disperse the Anti ALEC Protesters. Several arrests were made at the side entrance to the Westin Kierland.
We rushed over there and got the pictures below:
Some of you who were in Cincy and NOLA at the Protest ALEC event may remember this sign being held by a protester and myself outside the barricaded Resort:
After a long day of attending the press conference and several trips back to the Westin Kierland we were ready to call it a day, tired but glad that others had taken up the call to oppose and abolish ALEC. We have been gaining strength and numbers since April when the first protest took place. Now ALEC private "security" and hotel security are not enough to protect ALEC staff and members from voters who have been awakened to their activities. Now the local authorities have been called upon to spend taxpayer dollars to protect them from the 99% - while the same authorities attack those of us who protest them. Seems as if the police are not only necessary to protect them, but to do their bidding and break up the Occupy and ANTI ALEC protests and marches.
The following day we were scheduled to speak in the evening at the Occupy site along with other speakers, including CMD's Lisa Graves. Around 1:00 we got word that Reverend Jesse Jackson was arriving in Phoenix and planned to lead a protest march from the Occupy site to a business - McMoRan (an ALEC member company/sponsor). We hurried up and traveled downtown Phoenix to record the event and take part in the march.
Below are some of the pictures from the actual march, confrontation at the McMoRan Office Center (Also situated in a Westing building):
Drums of the lead marchers announced their approach to the Westin building center.
Within a couple of minutes the marchers approached where we were filming, Reverend Jackson in the lead.
Code Pink was in attendance, protesting and holding up signs saying "Stop ALEC":
There was a tremendous amount of policemen, vehicles and equipment presence. Behind the Westin Center were dozens of policemen present at the Westing Center as the marchers approached. Behind the Building were dozens of police cars and an equal number of policemen. As the crowd approached the side streets were blocked and police manned barricades in front of the Freeport McMoRan entrance.
This was a picture down the side street:
Here are pictures of police inside the office building and donning riot gear to stand ready when the protesters arrived.
.
Below are pictures of Reverend Jackson marching to the McMoRan building and away, back to Occupy Phoenix:
:
Reverend Jackson constantly called for non-violence a;png the length of the march:
After the march Reverend Jackson and several others spoke at the Occupy site:
Lisa Graves:
Ron1951:
.
By the time the march got underway it was getting darker by the minute as rain began to fall. We all wound up back at the occupy site tired, cold and wet as heck.
Please visit out Facebook site for a complete listing of the pictures I took over thje past two days of protest. I am on a borrowed puter and have to wrap this up for now.
Thanks for all the help, assistance and moral support of MNDem999,Azazello, Ron 1951 and other Kossacks who showed up and turned out to help us Protest ALEC. More later...