Me and Violet, frustrated with anti-gay protesters in Salt Lake City.

I’ve been meaning to write about protests for the longest time and now that TIME Magazine has announced that its person of the year is “The Protester”, I think today is the right day.

Not just protests in general, but kids at protests. Babies at protests.

Would you take your child to a protest? Is that bad parenting or good parenting? Does it depend on the protest? As Maggie Wells questions over on ParentingSquad:

“The gut reaction of many is to say no, they shouldn’t. In the age of helicopter parenting when junior’s every move is scripted into carefully chosen play dates and the perfect preschool, it makes sense that we would want to shield children from anything messy, organic, and not quite scripted with a start and end time with ‘appropriate’ people. But considering that in this day and age, Americans rarely voice their opinion face to face in public or protest anything, isn’t it almost mandatory that we expose children to recent cases when Americans do show their discontent? Should we be worried about potential violence from police? Protesters themselves?”

Although the folks over at The Record would call my parenting into question because “it’s terrible how these protesters are dragging their these little kids through this whole thing they are going through. They don’t understand what’s going on so why not leave them home,” my daughter isn’t even three and she began attending protests before she was born. Exhibit A: A gay rights protest in Salt Lake City.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF PARENTS PROTESTING WITH THEIR CHILDREN

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Photo taken on Day 47 of Occupy Wall Street protesters camped out at New York City's Zuccotti Park.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters that have been camped out at New York City’s Zuccotti Park were forcibly evicted early Tuesday morning by the New York City police force, resulting in the arrest of 70 people. A notice from the park’s owner, Brookfield Office Properties, was dispersed at 1 a.m. to the occupants of the park, explaining that the area needed to be cleaned because of sanitary concerns and that they may return after the cleaning, but without tents, sleeping bags, or tarps.

However, per a report in the Huffington Post, a court order obtained by the National Lawyers Guild, says that the protesters may return to the park with their camping gear in tow, because the injunction will prevent the city from enforcing park rules on Occupy Wall Street protesters. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded by saying the city plans to take the issue to court immediately. Continue reading »

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Screen Shot: You Tube: Pedestrian Hit Near OWS in Oakland

I first saw this story on 7 Online Live in San Francisco…. they were asking their audience they same question I’m going to ask you.

This isn’t a question of whether of not you agree with Occupy Wall Street.  This is going to be a question about whether of not you agree with something that happend between a few individuals.

It happened Wednesday night in Oakland, California.  It happened near the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Protesters were crossing the street.  Cars were waiting for the street to clear.  According to the video you can watch below… (and the to witnesses on the scene) the protestors banged on the hood of the car you see in the video.  The driver of the car, who witnesses say became frustrated, then accelerates into the crowd of people hitting two people. (the video may be disturbing to some – it was apparently shot on a cell phone)

The twitter stream from KCBS reporter, Chris Filippi, who was on the scene looked like this:

10:39 PM: #Occupyoakland protester hit by car at 11th and Broadway.

10:55 PM: 2nd victim of crash, a woman, being treated for a leg injury. Witnesses say she was hit when driver backed up after initial collision.

11:08 PM: Police take drivers information and allow him to leave. Crowd irate. They were chanting for his arrest. #Occupyoakland

11:14 PM: Dozens of protesters still at 11th in Broadway. Appear shocked by whet happened.

11:32 PM: No way to know. Taken away on stretcher into an ambulance. (in response to:)  “@KristinHanes: @chrisfilippiwhat’s the victim’s condition?”

11:34: Was blinking his eyes. Slight movement of right hand. “@ProducerMatthew: @ChrisFilippi Did he look conscious?”

11:46 PM: Alive when he was driven off in ambulance.

So….  here is my question:

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You’ve heard the argument from pro-TV parents (guilty): “what they’re seeing on [insert name of program here] is no more violent than what they’d see on the news.”

It’s a debate that’s inspired university studies . . . and now a bit part on an episode of Mad Men. When little Sally Draper got kicked out of the room Sunday night, told to “go watch TV” (code for “leave Mommy alone), she plops herself in front of the tube just in time to catch the newscaster riffing on the violent death of a monk protesting the Vietnam War. Continue reading »

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