Moses Cleaveland stands in and occupies

16 October 2011

The Occupy movement began on Manhattan's Wall Street. It first came to Cleveland on the 6th of October. An initial camp out was broken up by the cops. A city councilman, Brian Cummins, got the representatives of the '99%' a two week permit to occupy a sidewalk. They had peaceful demonstrations throughout the Square, and next to City Hall around the Free Stamp sculpture. They have been joined by others (unionists and college students).

Cleaveland given sign and flag

The surveyor (note the tool in the crook of the arm) Moses Cleaveland did the initial layout for a town, in what had been Connecticut's Western Reserve, on July 22, 1796. This bronze statue on a cylindrical pedestal was made in 1888 by J C Hamilton. This summer, the statue was temporarily renamed for a German for the filming of the movie,"The Avengers". Public Square became a beer garden in Stuttgart.

The Occupiers have had their forums about the Tom Johnson statue, for Johnson is still a symbol of good government. They have also met in the Old Stone Church on the Square.

On the night of 21 October the Occupy sit-in was removed by police, at the expiration of the permit. Eleven were arrested calmly, and not particularly rough. The police see themselves as being screwed by the governor, John Kasich, over allied issues, and are not so gung ho to rough up protestors whom are upset with the system, and those that control it.

The Occupy movement has reached Europe. Here in America, it has finally made the television media interested in real social and economic problems, instead of the propaganda campaigns of the moneyed interests and their shills.

They allowed Moses to keep the flag.