Before Occupy Wall Street, I had followed livestream news - you likely did, as well - except it was usually big breaking news on CNN, or MSNBC and a headline would say "Watch live here." Now there are at least as many livestreamers are there are occupy movements in the nation, and since I've been here at Crooksand Liars' OccupyAmerica site, there have been times when I've been keeping my eyes on up to six different streams simultaneously. The livestreamers are worlds apart from our msm's livestreamed news, there are no edits, no scripts, and you always see the truth in their news.

As our own Tina Dupuy writes in a new article at Alternet, "You can sum up livestreamers as those who came to protest and stayed to tell the story. They’re armed with a smart phone, an app and an audience of people at home watching every frame."

Dupuy points out that as Occupy has evolved, that caught in the middle of the debate over peaceful protests vs. diversity of tactics are the livestreamers. What you see on their livestreams are events exactly as they happen. You can't control what everyone is doing while you're filming. If police throw tear gas at protesters, you'll see it live, and by the same token if an occupier throws a bottle or a brick at police that's what you'll see as well. “People are tired of being lied to by the media,” Tim Pool tells Dupuy, and adds, “Transparency is paramount.”

The important moments - and they are countless - of the occupy movement that are captured by the livestreamers are what their new-found profession are all about. The moments that will become part of history, and re-told for generations to come. Events that might not even be believed if it weren't for the citizen journalists.

Continue reading »

In 2012 hacker and internet troll Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer found a public AT&T server that contained email addresses and names of Ipad3G users. Using a script he took a sample of the data and presented it to Gawker. The FBI later opened a criminal investigation into Weev even though no security bypass was used.

On November 20th 2012 Auernheimer was convicted of two felonies for his role in discovering the leak.

Tim Pool (@timcast) talks with Auernheimer, who is out on bail awaiting sentencing.

Abby Martin of "Breaking the Set" speaks to independent journalist Tim Pool about live streaming and the rise of new media.

Courtey of Tim Pool (@timcast):

A Brief tour of camp Obamaville at the DNC in Charlotte, North Carolina.

While covering the Anaheim protests, Anaheim Police begin firing riot control impact weapons at journalists Tim Pool and Amber Lyon. Neither Tim nor Amber were hurt. During the initial firing shown in the above video, Pool holds up his press credentials, and puts his arms in the air, but apparently neither holds any meaning when dealing with these *cough* "peace keepers."

Take a close listen to all the helicopters flying above, at one point last night there were at least seven. Then hear the sounds of the various "non-lethal" weapons being shot off. It sounds like a war zone.

Amber Lyon was pinned between two trucks at one point, and Tim was fired at multiple times after this video but is unscathed. Aside from being brutal, it seems the Anaheim police are really, really bad shots, thank goodness!

Broadcasting live with Ustream

At this moment, all I know is that this violence going on now in Anaheim is related to protests about the recent shooting death of a young man there. The community is protesting the police killing of Manuel Diaz in Anaheim over the weekend.

Massive police presence in the area, and police are firing into any crowd with bean bags, pepper balls, and rubber bullets. I just saw one young woman with three horrible marks from rubber bullets on one of her legs.

There have also been bottles and rocks tossed at police, and Tim Pool just missed being hit by a rock. Media is being kept behind the police line, and at this moment there are 7 helicopters overhead, not certain if they are media, police, or possibly medical? Dumpster fire in the road right now.

This is a bad situation, with the livestreamers not able to see the protesters or what's happening to them.

Tweets and observations from the livestream:

"A couple cops fired at me!" says @Timcast in #Anaheim. "Press pass, hands in the air. They still fired at me."

@TimCast - "Car just fired on...literally just ricocheted 2 feet from my head" #Anaheim

"They aren't giving warnings, they're just firing indiscriminately."

A woman with two babies is walking around like normal with shooting going on every which way, wtf?

Via Twitter, it seems that all media personnel have been fired on by police.

Guest at Disney being kept inside the park, fire department responds to fires allegedly related to the protest.

Windows at a Starbucks smashed...

Follow @timcast for new developments.

By the way, You can donate to @TimCast here: https://www.wepay.com/donate/timcastTV
Every little bit helps.

Journalist and livestreamer Tim Pool attended the HOPE9 conference in New York City over the weekend, and crossed paths with Vermin Supreme, so naturally an interview ensued. Many of you may know, or know of Vermin, the satirical candidate for president in 2012 whose platform is based on free ponies, mandatory tooth-brushing, and zombie preparedness.

“I have become one of the more well-known ones [candidates] by utilizing humor, absurdity in my presentation and in my appearance,” explained Vermin. “I’m all about simple, elegant, and effective, and when I wear the rubber boot on my head, it draws a lot of attention.”

I'll have to agree, that rubber boot does draw a lot of attention!

“Free speech is very important,” Vermin stated sincerely, “and I am exercising it to the fullest of my abilities by putting myself on the front line. My candidacy, it may be farcical, but I am there in the real life, interacting with real life people, real life police, real life Secret Service agents, real life candidates, and I am doing it because I am representing my constituencies.”

It would be interesting to hear if there are actually any write-ins voting for Vermin Supreme in November.

You can follow Tim Pool on Twitter @timcast, and Vermin Supreme @verminsupreme.

Some well deserved publicity for Tim Pool...

[Via]

The founder of TimcastTV, Pool is a live-stream and social-media journalist who has garnered attention for his coverage of Occupy Wall Street and the Million Hoodie March, which honored Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teen who was shot and killed in Florida in February.

Twenty-eight arrests have been confirmed Sunday night during the ongoing Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia, after a small, impromptu march followed the closing of Franklin Square where most of the gathering's activities have been centered. Two of the people arrested were livestreamers, Jesse Hadden of Occupy Portland and “Cowboy Mike” of Occupy Philly. Two of the people arrested were also medics.

Many tweets claim Philly police on bicycle patrol kettled those participating in the march, and then violently began to arrest them, possibly looking to target as many livestreamers as possible. Many also noted that the police far outnumbered the Occupiers. Journalist and livestreamer Tim Pool noted that the Homeland Security Department tactical vehicle was following close behind. Several tweets stated that there was a similar tactical unit at the last “mass arrest” in Philadelphia.

Pool reported, according to a Philadelphia police captain, arrests were for “obstructing a highway.” All would be issued summary citations and then would be released in about 2 hours. All were held at police headquarters -- known as "The Roundhouse" -- where other Occupy members gathered to wait in support for their release.

This second video is marked Part Two of the arrests:

Video streaming by Ustream

Hundreds have been arrested during the Occupy Wall Street protests, but photographer Alexander Arbuckle's case was the first to go to trial, and was acquitted after video footage of the incident showed that he didn't break any law. The best part? Arbuckle was there to document the NYPD's side of the story, hoping to defend police working at Occupy protests with his NYU photojournalism project when he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly blocking the street. "I felt the police had been treated unfairly on the media," he told the Village Voice. "All the focus was on the conflict and the worst instances of brutality and aggression, where most of the police I met down there were really professional and restrained."

During the January 1st Occupy Wall Street march, journalist Tim Pool was there livestreaming the event, and in his video footage, later used as evidence along with the NYPD's own video footage, protesters are clearly seen using the sidewalk like they were asked to, with only the swarm of officers blocking traffic. In Pool's video, above, the relevant portion begins at the 31:50 mark, with the arrest action taking place around minute 35.

"What's happening is very similar to what happened in 2004 with the Republican National Convention," Arbuckle's lawyer told the Voice. "It's just a symptom of how the NYPD treats dissent. But what has changed is that there is more prevalence of video. It really makes our job a lot easier to have that video."