Spokane's version of the Occupy Wall Street protest has dwindled to only a handful of demonstrators, just a few weeks after a march through downtown drew some 300 people.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, Occupy protesters at Westlake Park voted yesterday to move from the park to Seattle Central Community College.
While the protests have drawn big crowds and led to mass arrests in some cities, no more than a dozen activists at a time have occupied a small downtown traffic island in Spokane since early October. The group's numbers shrank to just one or two people during early morning hours this week as colder weather moved into the area.
Move to college?
And in Seattle, The Seattle PI reportedthat Occupiers have planned a tent ceremony for Saturday and to camp at the community college on Capitol Hill overnight. However, while the operational base will move from Westlake Park, protesters still plan to "occupy" downtown during the day.
There was no immediate response from the school, although last TuesdaySeattlest reported representatives from the school made it clear that the protest would be a distraction to its students, and that the protesters would not be welcome on the campus.
Occupy Seattle's intention in moving to the school is to both attract student attention and lessen tensions with the police. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has voiced his support of the Occupy movement in the past weeks, but also maintains that camping overnight in Westlake Park is illegal. This has led to clashes with police and the city.
Police arrest 75 protesters at Oakland's City Hall
Police in riot gear cleared anti-Wall Street protesters from Oakland's City Hall on Tuesday morning, leaving a sea of overturned tents, protest signs and trash strewn across the plaza.
Hundreds of officers and sheriff's deputies from more than a dozen agencies went into the two week-old encampment with tear gas and beanbag rounds at around 5 a.m., police said. Seventy-five people were arrested, mostly on suspicion of misdemeanor unlawful assembly and illegal camping.
About 170 protesters were at the site, but no one was injured, according to police.
MTV trains its cameras on Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street movement will occupy MTV for an episode of its documentary series "True Life."
The network says the show will follow three young people on the front lines in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan. MTV embedded its cameras over a two-week period to capture protesters' activities and explore what motivates them.
Bryan joined the protest to express his disgust at the relationship that government has with big business. Kait and Caitlin are college students worried they won't be able to find jobs when they graduate.
The episode is scheduled to air Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Occupy Wall Street began a month ago in New York. It has since grown to encompass hundreds of protests around the U.S. and the world.
On the Web:
- Tracking the Occupy movement in Seattle and around the globe
- Slide show of protests in Seattle and around the world:
