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Occupy Wall Street protestors on Tuesday showed their discontent at President Obama’s signing of the controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a piece of legislation that would allow the US government to detain anyone suspected of terrorism (including US citizens) indefinitely. Activities began with New York’s Occupy participants visiting the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (both proponents of NDAA) and culminating with a boisterous presence at Grand Central Station. Earlier, Occupy Wall Street activists celebrated Christmas day at Zuccotti Park reciting prayers and anti-war speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., then showing up in sizeable numbers on New Years Eve to protest economic inequality with dozens being arrested. Meanwhile, here in Southern California, hundreds of Occupy Los Angeles protesters joined the New Year’s day Rose Parade in Pasadena, sporting a gigantic Octopus made from recycled bags. Events such as these have marked the transition of Occupy Wall Street activity from being represented by physical encampments in cities across the nation, to broadening their reach in 2012. With only a few vestiges of actual camps remaining in places like Connecticut and Washington D.C., what will this election year hold for the Occupy movement? In mid-December, a number of leaders from the civil rights era, including Dr. Ben Chavis, announced a march on January 17th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, called Occupy the Dream. There are also reportedly actions being coordinated to protest in front of the offices of the Federal Reserve on the same day. In Chicago, activists have targeted the G-8 and NATO summits in May for protests in that city. And here in Los Angeles, there is on-going focus on the foreclosure crisis, with Occupy LA activists setting their sights on saving several homes facing foreclosure.

GUEST: Nathan Schneider, editor of the website Waging Non-Violence and has been extensively covering Occupy Wall Street from its beginning, Ryan Rice, an Occupy LA Activist, currently in the home of Van Nuys resident Bertha Herrera

Visit www.wagingnonviolence.org to read Nathan Schneider’s writings.

To find out more about the Occupy Movement, visit the following websites:

www.occupywallst.org
www.occupylosangeles.org
www.occupydream.org
www.occupyyourcongress.info
www.occupythecourts.org