President Obama, during a speech at Manchester Central High School in New Hampshire, was interrupted by a group of people using the people's microphone to make a statement about the assault on our first amendment rights, the 4000 arrests (and lack of arrests of bankers) and his silence on the matter.
The protesters were shouted down after a short while but the President acknowledged them and talked about the Occupy movement.
About 3 minutes into his speech at Manchester Central High School, one person shouted "Mic Check" which was echoed by several voices. They continued shouting for nearly a minute, as Obama smiled and tried to continue on with his speech.
http://www.businessinsider.com/...
This video segment shows the part of the speech interrupted and the second video below shows his response.
Obama New Hampshire Jobs Speech Interrupted By Occupy Protesters
Here is what the protesters intended to say, according to a paper statement distributed to reporters: Over 4000 peaceful protesters have been arrested. While bankers continue to destroy the American economy. You must stop the assault on our 1st amendment rights. Your silence sends a message that police brutality is acceptable. Banks got bailed out. We got sold out.
You can hear the first part of what the protesters were saying but after that you can hear a female voice chanting "Fired up, ready to go" and after that the "Obama, Obama" chants catch on and you can no longer hear the protesters.
The President handled it pretty well. He seemed annoyed at first but then said "That's okay" and followed up with some comments asking that they let him voice his message.
For a lot of the folks who have been in New York and all across the country in the Occupy movement, there is a profound sense of frustration about the fact that the essence of the American dream, which is if you work hard, if you stick to it that, you can make it, feels like that's slipping away, Obama said. And that's not the way things are supposed to be. Not here. Not in America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
A lot of the folks who have been down in New York and all across the country in the Occupy movement, there is a profound sense of frustration, a profound sense of frustration about the fact that the essence of the American Dream feels like it's slipping away, he later added.
Families like yours, young people like the ones here today including the ones who were just chanting at me you're the reason that I ran for office in the first place.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
It's not clear yet who was at the event but from what the President says, it seems like it may have been high school students who organized the Mic Check. However the use of the people's microphone is clearly the format and message of the Occupy Wall Street movement. In NYC, high schoolers have been plugged in to the movement from early on but it is not clear yet who organized and executed the protest.
Update: Occupy New Hampshire has a post on their blog now and based on this and a number of tweets from @OccupyNH before and after the event, it is clear now that it was organized by them. See Update #6 below for more.
I'll update when some better, more contiguous video becomes available so that we can see how this played out in real time and with any notable news stories or first hand accounts.
Update 1
This video appears to be contiguous and comes from C-SPAN:
Update 2
It's interesting to see how the different news media report and spin this. The number of stories in a Google news search just rocketed to more than 2,000 from a much lower number about an hour ago.
A Washington Post report by Peter Wallsten makes sure to point out that he has given an "endorsement of sorts".
MANCHESTER, N.H. President Obama was confronted Tuesday by protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement, prompting the president to again offer an endorsement of sorts of the still-nascent movement's message.
Raw Story says:
Republicans who have been urging the Occupy movement to protest President Barack Obama finally got their wish Tuesday.
At a campaign event in New Hampshire, the president waited patiently as he was mic checked by a group of protesters.
Time posts a video and the attempted statement from the protesters that they had handed out to reporters. Their video of the protest is a bit clearer. The only commentary is:
Awkwardness ensues:
Another Washington Post article looks at the bigger picture of protests at presidential campaign events and includes a video of an OWS protest at a Ron Paul event for contrast.
Occupy Wall Street protesters move to the campaign trail
Perhaps they will move to occupying events of presidential candidates? So far, Michele Bachmann has been on the wrong end of an OWS protest, and Mitt Romney, in South Carolina, encountered an OWS protester in Columbia who was quickly escorted out of the event.
USA Today:
Obama heckled in New Hampshire
It's become a periodic sight: hecklers interrupting a speech by President Obama.
This time, followers of the Occupy Wall Street movement began yelling at the president today as he began his speech in Manchester, N.H.
CBS News:
"I'm going to be talking about a whole range of things today, and I appreciate you guys making your point, let me go ahead and make mine," he said. "All right? And I'll listen to you, you listen to me." The comment prompted applause from the audience.
He went on to reference the movement twice more in his remarks.
Update 3
From Twitter, a picture of the mic check message in print.
Text message that has been used to "mic-check” Obama in New Hampshire today. Hopefully he got that message! #OWS #N17
1 hour ago via web
Link
Update 4
The number of arrests are reported on Twitter by @OccupyArrests. Today they reported 4,643 arrests, about 95% of which were in the US.
Including 13 #occupyarrests at CUNY Baruch, today's total: 24, Globally: 4643 #ows #oo #occupywallst #occupyrochester dnainfo.com/20111121/murra…
Link
Update 5
Hat tip to
m16eib in the comments:
That note pictured above is both the words spoken by the mic check group and it was also
handed to President Obama by someone shaking hands with him on the rope line.
joe shikspack in the comments cites this federal law:
Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
For the purpose of Section 242, acts under "color of law" include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim.
The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.
Section 241 of Title 18 is the civil rights conspiracy statute. Section 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree together to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the Unites States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same). Unlike most conspiracy statutes, Section 241 does not require that one of the conspirators commit an overt act prior to the conspiracy becoming a crime.
The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.
Update 6
Occupy New Hampshire has a post on their web site now about the event saying that it was done by occupations around the state.
Occupy NH Mic Checks President Obama in Manchester
Today, Protesters from Occupations around the state widely known as Occupy NH mic checked President Barack Obama at his “American Jobs Act” speech in Manchester, NH. ONH protesters were spread out throughout the crowd. The plan was to Mic Check Obama before he got into his main speech. The Mic Check went off perfectly, silencing the crowd. Unfortunately, no more than 2 sentences into the Mic Check people in the crowd started chanting a cheer usually heard at a high school basketball game. Obama did recognize the Occupy Wall St Protesters and Occupations throughout the country and our dissatisfaction with the current economic climate in his speech at one point or another.
MSNBC's reported that Occupy New Hampshire also protested at a Ron Paul event yesterday.
'Occupy' protesters speak out at Paul campaign stop
"We are the 99%! We will be heard! There are criminals on Wall Street who walk free, there are protesters in jail," they chanted. "There's something wrong with this system. We are the 99%! We will be heard!"
When the protesters finished, the Texas Congressman -- who smiled throughout their delivery -- leaned into the microphone and asked, "Do you feel better?" The audience erupted in cheers and applause.
"Let me address that for a minute, because if you listen carefully, I'm very much involved in the 99," Paul told the students. "We need to sort that out. But the people on Wall Street got the bailouts and you guys got stuck with the bills and I think that's where the problem is."
Twitter messages from @OccupyNH:
Standing outside Central high at the OBAMA Speech. Tons of media here! #occupynh #ows #occupyboston
6 hours ago via Twitter for Android
Almost didn't make it in, now im sitting on stage behind Obama #occupynh #ows #occupyboston Solidarity!! Occupy everything! !
5 hours ago
We did our best folks. At least he addressed our mic check.
4 hours ago
@LeFill He said we got our point across. He then pointed out our chanting and mentioned the occupy movement.
4 hours ago
@dherics @DiceyTroop We're hoping to inspire other occupys to mic check Democrats too.
4 hours ago
@MattBinder We're still inside the gym. Someone will call once we're out.
4 hours ago
#Obama mentioned the occupiers in #NYC and around the country. Talked about the 1% paying their fair share. #occupynh #ows @Occupy_USA
4 hours ago
@HrtyCharjie We realize that. We thought it was more likely that we'd be pulled out than drowned out.
4 hours ago
@Roelvdwegen checking video now to see what we got. #SS told me to put my camera down as the mix check happened. #occupynh #ows
4 hours ago
@rhytonen @OccupyWallSt It was last minute. We're also a small group and were spread out.
4 hours ago
@Charmed86 We're a bipartisan group. Democrats are guilty of aiding the 1%.
4 hours ago
@Windycitygirl21 @Charmed86 We are making real change. We're doing something. We're trying to have our voices heard.
3 hours ago
@Charmed86 @Windycitygirl21 We're not at the park anymore. We were evicted.
3 hours ago
#OccupyNH Mic Checks President Obama in Manchester occupynh.org/2011/11/22/occ… #Occupy_usa #ows #obama @occupywallst @occupy_concord #miccheck
1 hour ago
@lvleph We got drowned out and weren't all near each other.
30 minutes ago
@lvleph We thought by spreading out it would be harder for them to pull us out. Instead we got drowned out.
28 minutes ago
Update 7
Looks like Rahm Emanuel was mic checked too in Chicago, late yesterday. The first video is from NBC and the camera is trained on Rahm. In the second video, there is an interview at the beginning of the video with one of the nurses who was arrested some weeks ago during the infamous night raid at Grant Park. The introduction of Emanuel begins around the 3:00 mark and the camera person is in the crowd.
The organizers played loud music after Rahm finished, but the protesters continued and were not drowned out. Rahm's speech was very short and then he left the stage. It looks like he probably cut it short. The protesters end with a familiar chant in Chicago:
One, we are the people
Two, we are united
Three, the occupation is not leaving
Occupy Protestors Heckle Rahm
Protesters interrupted Mayor Rahm Emanuel's remarks Monday at a news conference to announce new holiday lights in the Loop.
The boos and jeers began as soon as Emanuel was introduced, and he appeared to cut his remarks short.
First video is here.
Second video is below:
