Pajama Party

The L.A. Times reported elation in the air this morning when Bloomberg's office postponed a clean-up protesters saw as pretext for permanent eviction from Zuccotti Park.

Occupy Wall Street asked demonstraters to show up at Midnight, and no later than six a.m., in an event OWS reports as drawing 3,000 people. 

Protesters gather to stop eviction from Zuccotti Park

Courtesy of L.A. Times

Photographer:  Andrew Gombert

People across demographics gathered to stop the eviction.

Richard Borkowski, a 50-year-old software designer, said he had come from his Manhattan apartment prepared to link arms with others to preserve the protest if it came to that.

"I just see the American dream being sucked away by Wall Street and its investment banks," said Borkowski, who held a handmade sign that read in part:  "Evict Congress."

"This impacts a lot of people," he said when asked what had prompted him -- a middle-aged white man with a job and an apartment -- to join a protest movement that to casual passersby looks to be dominated by 20-somethings who are out of work and laden with student debt.

"This is not just about 400 people," he said, motioning toward the crowd that has been living in Zuccotti Park. Its rallying cry is "we are the 99 percent!" to protest the concentration of wealth in the richest 1 percent of the population. "This does affect the 99 percent," said Borkowski. "I am part of the 99 percent."

By daybreak, clean-up crews headed to where they were really needed - on Wall Street! - marching and acting up with symbolically held brooms and mops.

Protesters symbolically clean up Wall street

Courtesy of L.A. Times

Photographer:  Carolyn Cole

Occupy Colleges is spreading, targeting a U.S. economy where increasing numbers of high school students are unable to afford college and graduates face bleak job prospects, loaded with student debt they cannot pay back.  Young people, aged 16-24, face what the The New York Post describes as "an exploding rate" of unemployment - a 52.5% Labor Department stat and a post WW II high.  Occupy Colleges has a website here.

Occupy Wall Street is inviting parents and children to a Family Sleep-Over tonight at 8 P.M.

A Denver parent and children brave the shitty weather

to express their solidarity with the protest.

Occupy Denver

Occupy Denver (pictured above) faced set-backs today as the governor brought in state troopers to evict.  23 people were arrested.  Organizers state they will find another location, if necessary, and are asking for assistance in identifying who was arrested.

Occupy Denver recently gained national attention and steam with a tent city and strong turn-out by hardy Colorado community activists.  The Denver tent city had a kitchen, a center for religious worship, a library, a school, among other other micro-community centers.  Hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco visited, donating sleeping bags and other pajama party and camping supplies.