Greed Strikes Occupy Wall Street - The battle over $500,000 bankroll

[FrankRep]

[ Occupy Wall Street's Communist Central Planning Committee is turning into George Orwell's Animal Farm. ]]



Tensions grow at Occupy Wall Street as money and power struggles fester behind-the-scenes


NY Post
October 23, 2011


Even in Zuccotti Park, greed is good.

Occupy Wall Street’s Finance Committee has nearly $500,000 in the bank, and donations continue to pour in -- but its reluctance to share the wealth with other protesters is fraying tempers.

Some drummers -- incensed they got no money to replace or safeguard their drums after a midnight vandal destroyed their instruments Wednesday -- are threatening to splinter off.

“F--k Finance. I hope Mayor Bloomberg gets an injunction and demands to see the movement’s books. We need to know how much money we really have and where it’s going,” said a frustrated Bryan Smith, 45, who joined OWS in Lower Manhattan nearly three weeks ago from Los Angeles, where he works in TV production.

Smith is a member of the Comfort Working Group -- one of about 30 small collectives that have sprung up within OWS. The Comfort group is charged with finding out what basic necessities campers need, like thermal underwear, and then raising money by soliciting donations on the street.

“The other day, I took in $2,000. I kept $650 for my group, and gave the rest to Finance. Then I went to them with a request -- so many people need things, and they should not be going without basic comfort items -- and I was told to fill out paperwork. Paperwork! Are they the government now?” Smith fumed, even as he cajoled the passing crowd for more cash.

The Finance Committee dives on whatever dollars are raised by all the OWS working groups, said Smith, and doesn’t give it back.

The Comfort group has an allowance of $150 a day, while larger working groups, like the Kitchen group, get up to $2,000.

“What can I do with $150?” said Smith. “We have three tons of wet laundry here from the rainstorm -- how do I get that done? We need winter gear, shoes, socks. I could spend $10,000 alone for backpacks people need. We raise all this money. Where is it?”


SOURCE:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/m...aectFYkafMb8UJ

[Cowlesy]

All Animals are Equal. But some are more equal than others.

[freeforall]

It is kinda sad to see this protest fall apart. It was good until it wasn't. Maybe now folks will be ready to come home and focus and what the establishment doesn't want them to do and elect Ron Paul.

[Exponent]

Heh. If they're getting tired of the bureaucracy and mismanagement, maybe they should get a mini internal free market going to help distribute the goods and wealth efficiently.

[Icymudpuppy]

Oh the Irony.

[LayZayFaire]

All Animals are Equal. But some are more equal than others.

LOL. The keyword here is ANIMALS. That's what these people are. Who the hell has time to camp out near wall street for more than a month? People with no jobs.

I'm deeply saddened that they can't make a living creating psychadelic music or making sculptures out of human feces, but life is tough. I am also mad that white people with dreadlocks don't project a whole lot of credibility in job interviews. Power to the broke people.

[FrankRep]

Is this the end of the Wall Street camp? Protesters squabble over $500,000 as cold weather threatens to send them home
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-500-000.html

[Original_Intent]

All Animals are Equal. But some are more equal than others.

+rep. nice reference. Boy that happened fast!

[specsaregood]

Smith is a member of the Comfort Working Group -- one of about 30 small collectives that have sprung up within OWS. The Comfort group is charged with finding out what basic necessities campers need, like thermal underwear, and then raising money by soliciting donations on the street.

“The other day, I took in $2,000. I kept $650 for my group, and gave the rest to Finance

At least it is all voluntary. He should kept the money local (in his group) and used it. Guess he is learning the benefits of keeping things local and small. Good lesson to learn.

[oyarde]

At least it is all voluntary. He should kept the money local (in his group) and used it. Guess he is learning the benefits of keeping things local and small. Good lesson to learn.

Ha , ha , yes , lesson learned...

[dannno]

Hey Frank, in your propaganda piece you posted where people seem to be voluntarily contributing to a fund that they have little control over and are finding out a good lesson about the pitfalls of central control, why did you post a picture of protesters in California when this story is about New York? Did you get it from google images? I'm just curious because that happens to be my home-protest spot, and it is not in LA or any big cities.

[specsaregood]

Hey Frank, in your propaganda piece you posted where people seem to be voluntarily contributing to a fund that they have little control over and are finding out a good lesson about the pitfalls of central control...

Even then, these OWS financial planners are just pikers compared to the grifting some of these "tea party" people have pulled off.

[Keith and stuff]

If that part of NYC gets 20 inches of snow, which happened not too long ago, everyone will go home or die and this will be over. There groups will not have big events during the winter. The same happens every year with the 420 and Tea Party crowds.