Occupy Portland's Jim Oliver gets FIERY on live TV (PBS NewsHour on Friday)

[alp227]

Run time: 12:03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1v0i1ncRgs   Posted on YouTube: November 12, 2011 By YouTube Member: PBSNewsHour Views on YouTube: 10232   Posted on DU: November 16, 2011 By DU Member: alp227 Views on DU: 1393

 
Jeffrey Brown's interview on Friday's PBS NewsHour featured the mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, and Occupy Portland's media liaison Jim Oliver. (Transcript) Oliver was on FIRE throughout and caught Brown off guard with these remarks:

The mainstream media has been talking a lot about these everyday actions and petty crimes committed by economic refugees in an effort to detract from the message of the Occupy movement.

We have been staying focused on our message of social change, trying to call attention to who the real criminals are in our society, people like Jamie Dimon, the CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase, gave himself a $19 million raise last year, while thousands of Americans are being thrown out of their homes.

Banks talk a lot about the benefits homeownership, and use it as a way to ensnare working-class Americans into unsustainable mortgage payments. It's time to begin a conversation about how a fair homeownership system could open up opportunities for all Americans and how to transition away from a housing industry driven solely by profits and the blatant greed of international criminals like Jamie Dimon and J.P. Morgan Chase.

JEFFREY BROWN: Jim -- Jim, we have talked a lot about that on the program, and I appreciate you bringing it up again.

But I do want to ask you, the incidents that have happened, do you just see them as isolated? And, again, I want to ask, what is the response going to be? Are you going to clear the parks on Saturday night at midnight?

JIM OLIVER: Absolutely they're isolated incidents.

Each of these individual incidents has nothing to do with Occupy Portland or with the Occupy movement as a whole. Again, the mainstream media has been very clear about their intention to distract from our message by focusing on the actions of individuals.

We intend to maintain our occupation in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and with working-class Americans who are being thrown out of their homes all across the country. We have seen an effort by many different city governments to try and shut down different facets of the Occupy movement. We have seen the Occupy movement standing strong for several weeks now.

And we, as Occupy Portland, will continue to stand strong.

[Ken Burch]

1. Sam Adams is a coward and a disgrace.

And he isn't even RUNNING for re-election, so he had no excuse for selling out to the propertied class on this.

And what he doesn't get is that the people who will cheer for this are all AGAINST gay rights(I mention this because Sam was Portland's first gay mayor). The "enlightened business type" was a myth, and none of the 1% are going to keep supporting LGBT rights once they feel they aren't threatened by radical change.

You'd be leaving office in a few months anyway, Sam. Resign now and do us all a favor.

You've lost any right to stay in office.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. What an excellent spokesman for the cause - very impressive. n/t

[freshwest]

3. Thanks, yes, we need to address the system on all levels. Excellent transcript, will share. Kudos.

:kick:

[JDPriestly]

4. When the mayor talks about the camp being "inherently unsafe,"

his voices wavers. He sounds ashamed or frightened. There is some strong emotion that indicates great insecurity. He is, in other words, not convinced that what he is saying is true. There is a conflict within him that is betrayed in the sound of his voice. Listen carefully.