Occupiers Chain Open Subway Entrances in ‘General Strike’
- Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:05am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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It looks like the Occupy Wall Street group is finally living up to its reputation of being free riders.
In a stunt targeting the New York City transit system, Occupiers chained open service gates in numerous subway stations on Wednesday, using padlocks and posting fake signs announcing free rides. And now, there’s even allegations that local unions were involved.
The New York Daily News has pictures of the chains and signs:
(Photo: Pete Donohue/New York Daily News)
(Photo: Pete Donohue/New York Daily News)
According to the Daily News, eight stations were hit in the stunt.
But other details are emerging from a pro-Occupy blog that suggests this wasn’t just an Occupy incident. According to a communique forwarded to the site Strike Is a Verb, “workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union” also participated. That communique also claims the number of subway stations hit numbered over 20:
This morning before rush hour, teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street, in conjunction with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union, opened up more than 20 stations across the city for free entry. As of 10:30 AM, the majority remain open. No property was damaged. Teams have chained open service gates and taped up turnstiles in a coordinated response to escalating service cuts, fare hikes, racist policing, assaults on transit workers’ working conditions and livelihoods — and the profiteering of the super-rich by way of a system they’ve rigged in their favor.
For the last several years, riders of public transit have been under attack. The cost of our Metrocards has been increasing, while train and bus service has been steadily reduced. Budget cuts have precipitated station closings and staff/safety reductions. Police routinely single out young black and Latino men for searches at the turnstile. Layoffs and attrition means cutting staff levels to the bare minimum, reducing services for seniors and disabled riders. At the same time, MTA workers have been laid off and have had their benefits drastically reduced. Contract negotiations are completely stalled.
Working people of all occupations, colors and backgrounds are expected to sacrifice to cover the budget cut by paying more for less service. But here’s the real cause of the problem: the rich are massively profiting from our transit system. [Emphasis added]
But despite that claim, TWU Local 100 — which supports Occupy — has denied any involvement.
“We knew nothing about it,” local President John Samuelsen told the Daily News.
Police are still investigation and no arrests have been made. The chains and locks, which popped up around 5 am, were removed by about 8:30 am yesterday morning.
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Comments (49)
bigmel754
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:48amFind out who is paying for the signs, chains and locks that would answer some questions. And look at video. Catch them in motion. Someone has to be funding this.
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:37amHe is trying 2 build a army of idiots that don’t have free thinking , only go with the flow. Idiots in lrg #’s.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:16amWhen will the authorities call the Occupy crowd what they really are : an anarchist, Communist group aimed at disrupting commerce, transportation, public order and , ultimately, the economy ? How long will this insult to the tax payers be allowed to continue. These people are ANARCHISTS. They will just keep pushing this until there is bloodshed. That is what anarchists do. And that is their plan. Wake up, adults. Wake up, authorities . ( wake up, anarchists. Obama and company will throw you guys under the bus when it gets too hot in the polls ! you are just useful idiots to them )
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:39amSo is it okay is the people who don’t take the train and have to pay ever increasing pump prices just fill up for free? Stupid “occupiers”, I’ll be glad when the race riots start and all of these idiots run like scared animals.
Report Post »weisja4
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 6:19pm@Barber2, Are they communist or anarchist? They can’t be both.
Report Post »ProudCapitalist
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:08amAnother reason for banning unions for public workers.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:02amyou hit on the nail
Report Post »BlackCrow
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:59amThe rich are “profiting” form mass transit? Has there ever been a mass transit system that has shown a profit? Isn’t that why mass transit systems are owned and operated by the government because they are money loosing propositions?
Son; it ain‘t right to be smokin’ that stuff and not sharing!
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:48amAll these people that have hate in their hearts…..and the hate festers for whatever reason…..because they have never dealt with it…..now have the excuse to get it out of their systems….what a shame…..for the people of love.
Report Post »Tigress1
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:37amWhy aren’t the Occupiers protesting Warren Buffett? One person who stands to profit from not building the Keystone Pipeline is Warren Buffett. HIS RAILROAD, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad will profit from delivering the oil from Canada.
http://www.teaparty.org/article.php?id=2281
Funny how he decided to buy this railroad in November 2009, ten months after Obama’s inauguration. Crony capitalism?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33599744/ns/business-us_business/t/buffett-buying-burlington-northern-railroad/#.T3Rkvtkyeyw
Report Post »babylonvi
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:36amI have an idea, shut down the subway and make ‘em walk for a fer days to see how they like it. On the other hand, that would only hurt the people who actually go to WORK in NYC, not the freeloaders behind this.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:36amThe TAX PAYERS can just walk right under their stupid CHAINS.. errrrrr I can’t even see straight today. The SUPREME Court better do the right thing, that’s all I can say! These liberals are getting insane and making the rest of us the same way. haha I feel like I don’t live in the USA any longer?????
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:33amNO ONE FREAKIN “profits” from TAX PAYER FUNDED public transit, you morons. The RAX PAYERS get soaked!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:27amWorkers of the useless and bloodsucking parasites unite to cause mayhem and murder so that Obama and friends have their excuse to finish us off and install the communist regime.
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:32amThe ppl r waking up , Vote anybody but this azz h o l e
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:25amI say stop all the pension payments for three months, send the unions a bill for the lost revenues the open gates caused, fine the security guards who missed this action on their monitors, really start pushing back economically. The state needs to cut off the money stream to these OWS supporters and see how long they can survive without unearned money.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:57am.
Report Post »Well if Ya’ll wanted to make a statement, Ya’ll should have Chained the Gate & Set Fire to all those Rich People you had Trapped…….I mean if Ya’ll are serrious, so far All Talk & No Action……
kaydeebeau
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:56amhmmmm – after looking at the sign – doesn’t a person have to work first? How do you stop doing something you aren’t doing in the first place?
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:47amFabricated Occupy is everywhere now…being discussed in grade school…thank you MSMs for allowing this to fester. You bunch of liberal freaks, leading cattle to the slaughter, need to taken down a notch or two.
Report Post »momsense
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:47amWhen are we going to end these criminal organizations called unions? ABO 2012!
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:53am& how is this action free speach 2 protest, how ? Who is in charge & why r there no charges, WTH ?
Report Post »Mtroom
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:33amLet them give free rides…That is were their pay checks come from… I guess our public schools are as bad as they say… Even my dog knows not to bite the hand that feeds.
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:42am‘The rich are profiteering off our transportation system…” This is a laughable and childlike statement…the NYC Transit authorities has been run in debt for decades, hence the fare hikes. Fare hikes to pay Union Pensions/Salaries I might add…if no one rode trains and buses, how would their salaries/benefits/pensions be paid? Certainly Union dues cant’t cover all that…this message being sent by the OWS Clowns is paper thin and used to ‘rally up’ the ignorant fools.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:35amTime to control the occupier population,spay or neuter one today.
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:25amPretty snazzy signs-wonder if they were given to the little sheep.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 2:42pmWould love to know which Democrat politician gets the rights to make all of those ready-made unions posters ! Must be some big bucks in that enterprise. Wonder if they recycle ?? Being so green and all….
Report Post »HKS
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:19amThis is really stupid, there is not a mass transit system anywhere that makes money, there all looser’s, like these people.
Report Post »Link8on
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:57amMay 1 = Mayday in the old communist Russia.
Not that the occupy sheeple would remember or ever have been taught that at any NEA unionized brainwash facility.
Ows seems to have purged out the Benjamins from their organic eating animal farm crowd where the squealers and napoleons now run the show.
They give me the impression that they want the USA to copy commie Russia.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:19amJust shut them down shut the the buses down also. Sense only the rich need them
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:12amLets see, International Ports (California Port Area) and now chainning open turnstiles….oh, don’t forget the Bridge walk/protest. Anyone seeing a pattern here?
Report Post »The Notorious H.A.G.
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:08amI don’t know many “wealthy” people who use the subway…
Report Post »hawkeyez
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:20amEverybody rides the subway. How can you say that?
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:51am@Notorious hag… then you don’t live in/near NYC and have never been to NYC….EVERYBODY rides the Subway…rich/poor/and homeless…the real question is security is so tight on all the ‘lines’ with cameras and police patrols, how did the perps do this without being videotaped and noticed by the police?..Collusion by the police maybe?
Report Post »barber2
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:19amMARK: Are those police part of a public union? That which should NEVER be allowed for “ public servants ” but that is a whole different battle…
Report Post »The Notorious H.A.G.
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:34amAllow me to clarify. These wealthy 1%ers that #OWS despise DON’T use the subway! I should know. I live in Englewood and use NY subways frequently. These people have limos and heliports…wise up!
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:07amUnions are involved. Bet on it. They want the system broken. Unions SUCK!
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:23amUnions protects the deadbeat employee at the expense of the hard working employee being forced to join unions and pay high dues each month. Its paying the union thugs for your job.
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