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Occupiers set up Occupy tent inside "occupied" Bank of America in SF, live-tweet from within

Xeni Jardin at 6:01 pm Wed, Nov 16, 2011

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Yo, dawg, I heard you like occupations... so I pitched a tent inside your bank while you occupy the bank! Photo above taken by Aaron Muszalski, of Occupy protesters' tent, erected inside a Bank of America in San Francisco during a takeover-protest. There are 10 people inside the tent, and one protester, Kendra Yukiko, is live-tweeting her impending arrest.

Greggawatt posts this shot of someone putting the tent on eBay to raise funds, presumably to help with bail and/or to support Occupy SF. Here's the link, if you'd like to bid.

Here are more photos of the tent.

[Video Link]

Aaron Muszalski tweets from the site, "SFPD just forcibly moved us away from the bank, saying it was for our safety and 'the glass might break.' Then they hit us with batons."

@SovernNation tweets, "The Occupation of #BofA is officially over. 95 arrests. Cops take down tent, collect signs, a conga drum, random debris."

@raindrift says, "sfpd is folding up the tent, but they'll *never* get it back in the bag."

@punkboyinsf, who has been livestreaming many of the Occupy events in the Bay Area, has a snapshot of the specific penal code with which these young folks have been charged.


(Image: Justin Beck)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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  • http://twitter.com/Threadbare Adam Flynn

    I believe the proper formulation, syntactically, would be, Yo dog, I heard you like occupations, so we put a tent in your bank so you can occupy while you occupy.

  • http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Mari Lwyd

    Every time “public safety” is mentioned at these protests I feel less so.

  • Guest

    Since the police are not supposed to punish you, those can’t be batons!

    Maybe they’re “Judicial Branches”?

    • Dale Hertzfeld

      When I was younger, it was referred to the “Board of Education for the Seat of Wisdom”.

  • Guest

    Yep, and your customers would be the wiser for it, Annie. Sounds like you’ve been planning for this? Are you one of those types? The greedy needy pushy posturing ones?

  • xenphilos

    I dunno whether I support this or not, but even so, that’s pretty ballsy.

    • Benito Bodoque

      I concur. They have balls.  Given how much Banks really care about the average joe, like you and me. I say this is pretty fun to watch.

  • http://setheag.wordpress.com/ Seth Eag

    This is great, just great. Abbie Hoffman would be proud.

  • CGulow

     Does anyone else think the timing of the DDoSing of 4chan and the nationwide federally coordinated effort to remove the Occupy protests is a bit, uh, interesting?

    • http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Mari Lwyd

      I was wondering about that as well. A current story mentions a kerfuffle between tumblr and 4chan that could easily be a let’s you and him go fight.[old news]

      Would need to see logs for a better idea and with the proverbial sea of piss that 4chan is, finding gov piss or super-patriot/war profiteer piss would be challenging.

    • caseyd

      huh? oh.. that is interesting

    • Benito Bodoque

      It looks to me like a was a cordinated effort. I mean, whether you support these kids or not. They are a thorn on the side of the “status quo”

  • Another Kevin

    602.  Simple trespassing.  They couldn’t find a felony?

  • Finnagain

    Love this: “SFPD just forcibly moved us away from the bank, saying it was for our safety and ‘the glass might break.’ Then they hit us with batons.”

    Perfect encapsulation.  I think we may have to destroy the Village to save the Villagers.

  • jjesterb

    #Make the bank spay?  Truly a call to action.

    • http://www.xradiograph.com/ OtherMichael

      spay and neuter your banks, it’s the only humane thing to do.

  • EH

    They’re already being released. What a charade the police are.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Catch and release is very standard for San Francisco.   Using batons is not.

      • EH

        Catch and release is very standard for San Francisco.  

        It’s all just taking on the air of mime, though. Of course the occupiers had to be removed from the office, but the batons were outside, no doubt “nudging.” ;)

  • Adam Cahan

    Good for them. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/brianrazencain Brian Cain

    Now this is something I can really get behind and support.

    More shit like this please. 

  • http://twitter.com/PitchforkTimes The Pitchfork Times

    “And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears …”

  • William George

    “If you came into my office and pitched tent…”

    If the attitude you put across here is anything like you are in real life I doubt many tents get pitched in your vicinity.

  • hankchapot

    Tent as protest sign. North Oakland march to UC occupation. 11.15.11 (with police escort?)

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Tent as protest sign.

      Why, o why is Halloween just past. Tents would be the costume of the year.

      • Guest

        Another reason to continue the movement. But at the rate the PDs are macheteing the tents and the movement is reerecting them, there may well be a shortage by next fall.

        • Vnend

          Nah, the planters in the southern hemisphere can plant extras in time for the spring/summer rush in the northern hemisphere.  Good thing they grow fast.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IH3CQ7VQW6OVWD2OW367WYETXU William

    Note to everyone: If being arrested, don’t tweet “I’m being arreste_”. Try to tweet “I’m being arrestaaaauuuggghhhh” (so there can be Pythonesque speculation that you must have died while texting it).

  • Guest

    Incisive analysis!

  • cegev

    I have to wonder why people think this is an appropriate method of protesting. Picketing outside the bank’s front doors would make perfect sense: it gets the message across to clients coming in to the bank, it forces people to choose between leaving or crossing a picket line, and it’s an act of free speech that should clearly be allowed; being arrested for protesting outside of a bank garners sympathy. Putting a tent in the middle of the inside of a bank branch, on the other hand, seems ridiculous. What was the point of the tent? What was the point of being inside? What was the plan for when the bank closed? What was the point of protesting BofA with protest signs about the UC Regents? What was the point of trying to get arrested for something that is clearly not something people should be allowed to do?

    • Finnagain

      I know, it’s confusing. Try to roll with it. You don’t want to end up like one of those people who could have gone to Woodstock but thought it was dumb.

    • Guest

      Do you not see the reverse forclosure thing? Taking up residence in a bank that’s taking up residences? Yo dawg.

    • http://twitter.com/mikeestee Mike Estee

      oh come on. it’s not *that* hard to figure out. after all, it’s not much of a protest if no-one notices. i think those kids did a spectacular job. they made their point, sat down and one by one took their turn getting arrested. 

      …and now you’re reading about it here. Seems pretty self evident.

  • Aaron Hodges

    Kendra Yukiko is the shit.

  • http://twitter.com/novascotiarasta Rasta

    And to think they took corporal punishment out of the schools. It would have prepared us more for the *gentle* nudge of a police baton.

    • Benito Bodoque

      Word Up.

  • bcsizemo

    Perhaps if Occupy would like to inflict real damage to the banks they should be willing to pay the employees to no longer work there.  I mean there isn’t a job shortage or anything and I’m sure most of the banking employees don’t actually need money to live on…since they are cold hearted greedy bastards.  If Occupy has a problem with BoA or Wells why not occupy their headquarters where the people who make decisions work?  Occupying a branch does nothing but to add additional stress and pressure to already over worked employees.

    • Benito Bodoque

      WOW.

    • http://www.xradiograph.com/ OtherMichael

      Just like that dang Rosa Parks, slowing down the buses and getting people laid off.

      No consideration for the working man!

      If only there was a way for people to get in your face protesting without actually getting in your face. Invisible protestors, f’r instance, would be such much easier to deal with. I wouldn’t have to look at them, I wouldn’t have to think about them, I wouldn’t have to question my complicity…

      • bcsizemo

        I didn’t know Rosa Parks was inconveniencing other bus riders or the driver by simply choosing another seat to sit in.  Yes she was violating the law, but assuming she wasn’t throwing white people out of their seats up front then no one was being forcibly disturbed by her actions.

        IMO setting up camp inside a business to draw attention to yourself is not equal to what Rosa Parks was doing.  Me or any other individual going to the bank and closing their account in a peaceful and civil manner would be much more accurate and effective.

  • http://twitter.com/firstrala Linda Gardner

    Love this creative way to occupy! I’d bid on the tent but paid bills already :( 

  • http://germanwotd.com Amelia_G

    Watch out, Occupy Bank of America. Malcolm Gladwell’s comin’.

  • Teller

    Gotta say tenting the bank is pretty fonny.

    • Vnend

      I think so too, but next time put the bank *in* a tent.  That will confuse everyone.

  • http://germanwotd.com Amelia_G

    I repeat (no idea why this didn’t post the first time): achtung, Malcolm Gladwell is coming.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/16/bank-of-america-hires-malcolm-gladwell-to-attract-small-business-clients/

  • http://germanwotd.com Amelia_G

    Third attempt to post that, accordin’ to my readin’, Malcolm Gladwell was hired by Bank of America.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-malcom-gladwell-2011-11

  • Mike Newell

    I have video of the conga drum before it was arrested…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37it_EcmLMs&feature=feedu&t=0m39s

  • http://goodsharer.com/ Aloisius

    What happened to people chaining/handcuffing themselves to stuff to prevent the police from actually removing them?

    • Antinous / Moderator

      I think they just cut your hand off now.

  • http://www.doggo.org doggo

    Kettle the cops.

  • http://www.doggo.org doggo

    You know those little display tents they use in sporting goods stores to show you what the tent you’re buying looks like? OWS-ers should just go into banks and set ‘em on a counter. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Miniature-Display-Tent-Power-Port-Eddie-Bauer-Model-Barbie-Size-Good-Condition-/300622626175

  • http://arib.livejournal.com Ari B.

    A public park I can understand. A bank is private property, I’d imagine that would make tresspassing charges a lot easier. Why not just tent on the sidewalk in front of the bank?