Occupiers to Meet Downtown, Rally at Copley Today

Group to demand that MBTA not cut service, raise fares.

It's been a while since the city has seen any protests from Occupy Boston, but the group is planning to publicly denounce the T's plans to possibly restrict service and raise fares today. Protesters today will take the T from their respective communities to Copley Square, meeting at 4:30 p.m. The downtown group is meeting at 3 p.m. at Downtown Crossing. The MBTA has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the possible changes today at 6 p.m. at the Boston Public Library.  The following is a press release from Occupy Boston: On Monday, February 13, 2012, activists from Occupy Boston and other local Occupations will ride their respective train lines and converge on Copley Square for a mass rally at 4:30 PM to Save the T.  At the rally, …

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Boston Police Respond to Hackers with Satirical YouTube Video

After being hacked last Friday, BPDNews.com came back online at about 2 a.m. this morning.

With rapper KRS-One’s now all-too-familiar “Sound of Da Police” music video intermittently popping up, Boston Police officers satirically discuss the “emotional trauma” they felt after the police department’s website, BPDNews.com,was hacked last Friday, in a light-hearted, video comeback of sorts at the hacking group “Anonymous.” “Normally, I sleep pretty well, but since the site went down, I haven’t slept a wink,” one officer says with a straight face in the YouTube video that was posted on the department’s Facebook page at 11 p.m. Wednesday. Another officer claims to have heard news of the hacking at – where else – Dunkin’ Donuts. A serious-voiced narrator also chimes in: “In the days after the hacking, fans of the page struggled to make…

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Boston Police Website Hacked In Retaliation For Alleged Brutality

The online group "Anonymous" claimed responsibility for hijacking the site BPDnews.com, which provides information about the police and crimes.

UPDATE: As of 6:00 p.m. Friday, the URL BPDnews.com is routing to the Boston Police Facebook page. ~~~~~ The online protest group "Anonymous" is claiming responsibility for hacking the website of the Boston Police Department. BPDnews.com provides information about the police and news about crimes in Boston neighborhoods. The hackers say in a message on the hacked site "ANONYMOUS HACKS POLICE WEBSITE IN RETALIATION FOR POLICE BRUTALITY AT OWS." The hackers put a video of KRS-One's "Sound of Da Police" on the BPDnews.com homepage. The song compares police officers to plantation overseers during slavery. Here is a link to the Google cache of the site as it looked during the attack. (Hat tip to Universal Hub's Twitter feed for that live link…

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What's Your Opinion On 'Occupy The T?'

In the wake of the Occupy Boston movement and the MBTA's announcement of service cuts and fare increases, "Occupy The T" has emerged to add to the discussion. Do you agree with their assessment of things?

Recently the group "Occupy The T" held its first meeting, and, according to an article in The Boston Occupier, activists, organizers, and community members there painted a picture of the options the MBTA has to eliminate its debt different from the two scenarios the MBTA has presented.    At the meeting, "Attendees stressed the importance of rejecting the state’s claim that there is no alternative to the two proposed regimes of cuts and fare hikes," writer Doug Greene said.  He added, "Instead of deciding between the MBTA’s two proposed plans, 'Occupy the T' hopes to expose the role of for-profit financial institutions in creating and perpetuating the MBTA’s budget crisis. Several present argued that the banks should cancel the T’s debt …

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Five Things

Five Things to Know Today, Dec. 12

The occupation of Dewey Square comes to an end; a city guide to winter; Santas in Speedos; win $100,000 for Boston schools; and a bright, brisk day.

1. Occupation over. In case you missed this, the city made its final move to evict the Dewey Square occupiers this weekend. How long they would have remained with the cold weather rolling in is an open question—as is what they will do now. 2. There are 10 more days until winter officially starts, and City Hall has assembled a handy guide to help you prepare for the season, with information ranging from heating assistance to protecting your roof.  3. In case you missed it, the Santa Speedo Run was last weekend in the Back Bay. See our photos of those who ran around in their skivvies for the Play Ball Foundation.  4. Win $100K for Boston schools by decorating your home for the holidays. Enter our Deck The House contest for a chance to win. 5…

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PHOTOS: Occupy Boston Holds Assembly on the Common

Group vows to continue on but no specific resolutions are made.

After police evicted the remaining Occupy Boston protesters from Dewey Square early Saturday morning, the group held its nightly general assembly at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common. Although it pledged to continue the movement it started, no votes were taken on a specific action.  What do you think Occupy Boston should do next? Take our poll. 

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Police Clear Occupy Boston Camp; 46 Arrested

Members of Occupy Boston held a general assembly meeting this morning at Copley Square.

Police raided the Occupy Boston camp in Dewey Square, across from South Station, Saturday morning at about 5 a.m., according to Boston.com. Some 46 people were arrested, Boston police said in an email to media groups. Photos on the Boston Herald website showed police walking through the camp of tents with bullhorns with some residents of the camp holding signs declaring their constitutional rights to stay there.  The displaced group later held a general assembly at Copley Square in the Back Bay and live streamed it on its website. A notice on the group's website said another general assembly will be held Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Boston Common bandstand. Boston police said 32 males and 14 females were arrested at the camp and that …

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PHOTOS: Occupy Boston Not Kicked Out Yet...

Residents from the greater Boston area joined together at Dewey Square last night to support Occupy Boston after the city demanded that protesters leave by midnight.

Occupy Boston protesters were not forced out of Dewey Square at midnight – the deadline set by the city for them to leave. Instead, after city personnel distributed flyers telling protesters they were to move by midnight or they could be arrested for trespassing, many protesters threw out much of the makeshift tent city they've built over the past few months. Leading up to the deadline, the protest swelled as people gathered to sing, dance, chant and more. On Wednesday a Suffolk County Superior Court judge ruled that the City could evict protesters.

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