The Naked Truth, unadorned as intended.

​Taggers hit Compton Hill Reservoir Park last night in an "unofficial" response to the police action that took place there last week, spraying pithy slogans like "class war" and "cops, pigs, murderers" on statues and buildings. It's unofficial because Occupy St. Louis has denounced the graffiti in an apology made to the president of the Compton Hills Water Tower and Park Preservation Society.

Here's the problem with that: Spray painting "Class War" on the statue, The Naked Truth, is akin to painting "Serene Pacifism" on a statue of Dick Cheney.
More >>

Tony D'Souza

Occupy STL protesters gather outside the Macy's at the Galleria yesterday.

​Forcibly evicted from downtown's Kiener Plaza, Occupy St. Louis has taken its protest to area department stores. Yesterday afternoon, roughly 30 Occupiers held a meeting outside Macy's at the Galleria. Later, a few "mic-checked" -- using their collective voices as a human megaphone to shout anti-Macy's slogans -- and tossed fliers from the second-floor banisters to holiday shoppers. Though a larger mic-check had been Tweeted to supporters earlier in the day, the disruptive tactic (used recently against Michelle Bachman, Karl Rove, and President Obama) was scaled down due to police presence. Nearly a dozen mall security and Richmond Heights officers monitored the Occupiers as a police paddy wagon waited outside.

"They shouldn't be allowed," an elderly shopper complained angrily to a mall security officer as the Occupiers met.
More >>

Kiener Plaza was a tent city before Partnership for Downtown St. Louis bent the mayor's ear.

​A couple weeks ago Occupy St. Louis accused Mayor Francis Slay of kowtowing to corporate interests when he informed demonstrators (via his blog) that he would soon demand that they end their encampment at Kiener Plaza. More >>

Police arrested fourteen Occupiers for "demonstrating" when they sat on the roadway leading to the bridge and refused to budge. Those arrested were transported to the St. Louis Justice Center where some 37 other Occupy sympathizers have been booked since the beginning of the movement on October 1.
More >>

Across the nation city officials used the November 12-13 weekend to crackdown on Occupy movements camped out in urban parks. In Salt Lake City on Saturday, police arrested 19 people when evicting the movement from a downtown green space. In Denver, police arrested 17 people. And in Portland on Sunday, Occupiers and police in riot gear faced off in hours of tense confrontations following the forced removal of a camp there.

Also Sunday, Philadelphia increased police patrols, while Oakland, the scene of violent clashes earlier this month, issued Occupiers a third eviction notice, warning of "immediate arrest."
More >>

By 8:30 p.m. roughly 50 hard-line Occupiers marched to the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse, using megaphones to make their presence known. Would it be effective? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was better than sitting around waiting for the authorities to come to them.
More >>

Representatives from the St. Louis parks department and mayor's office this afternoon gave participants of Occupy St. Louis 25 hours to break down their encampment in Kiener Plaza. More >>

This week Riverfront Times profiled the people of Occupy St. Louis. Here are few additional portraits of the "99 percent."

Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

​This week Riverfront Times profiled the people of Occupy St. Louis. Here are few additional portraits of the "99 percent."

Albert Samaha

How long will Mayor Slay let the OccupySTL tents stay in Kiener Plaza?

​Forty or so OccupySTL protesters and a handful of reporters stood outside the Broadway Central entrance of the Edward Jones Dome, in the rain, waiting for someone to open the doors. They could see security guards and people in suits on the other side. The press people with big cameras had already been allowed in, to set up. This all frustrated a few of the protesters.

"If we're not allowed to live stream this," said a twenty-something man wearing rubber toe-glove shoes, "I say we get the hell out!"

"It means they're trying to hide something," said an older man with a Santa Claus beard.

The man in the toe shoes moved to the edge of the sidewalk and gathered the group in a large circle.

"Who has an issue with what's going on right now and what is your issue?" he said loudly.

There was a pause for a few seconds. Heads looking around.

"Can you be more specific?" someone in the circle finally said.

A girl in a blue fleece then spoke up.

"Hey, I'm not gonna go in because I object to the whole thing right now," she said.

She continued on, but a voice somewhere behind the circle interrupted, "Hey they're letting us all in."

As the Occupiers marched in, single file, Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis Slay's chief of staff, met them at the door, beaming with his right arm out-stretched, shaking every single hand.

"Hi. Jeff Rainford. Nice to meet you."

More >>