It marks the beginning of legitimate negotiations between an established government entity and the often violent, leftist “Occupy” movement that’s paralyzed cities nationwide to denounce corporate America’s unjust treatment of minorities and the poor. In New York more than 150 people were arrested and several police officers suffered injuries. In Oakland California police were forced to use riot gear and tear gas to disperse the huge, violent crowds and in Las Vegas nearly two dozen protesters were arrested.

In Los Angeles, Occupy leaders have promoted violence as necessary to achieve their goals yet Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has support the effort since the encampment was established in front of City Hall two months ago. This week he ordered his staff to offer Occupy protestors a package of incentives that includes downtown office space, housing and farmland, according to the local newspaper.

The idea is to persuade them to abandon their camp outside City Hall, where the lawn has been trashed, business disrupted and a police force permanently deployed to keep things under control. The city has offered protesters a generous $1 annual lease on a 10,000-square-foot office space near City Hall, land so they can farm and housing for the battalion of homeless folks who have joined the camp.  

Occupy Los Angeles is among the nation’s best organized offshoot of the original Occupy Wall Street, with an official “general assembly” headquartered in the city’s downtown and topnotch, pro bono legal representatives. Protestors gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, according to the official “Declaration of Occupation” posted on the group’s website. They are “one people, united” against corporations that “place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality.”

On a national scale the occupy movement has gained momentum in recent weeks with mass protests in major cities and a new, politically-connected leader (Van Jones) with close ties to President Obama. Jones, who describes himself as a “rowdy black nationalist” turned communist, had been appointed “Green Czar” by Obama but his radical history forced his ouster.   

He has bounced back on the national scene as the self-appointed Occupy Wall Street spokesman and founder of a new community group (Rebuild the Dream) that’s capitalizing on the protests with its special brand, the “American Dream Movement.” Politicians must stop giving tax breaks to the rich while slashing vital services families depend on, the group says. In short, the American dream must be rebuilt to become more inclusive.

During a recent interview on national television Jones confidently said “you haven’t seen anything yet,” further warning: “Wait until the 99 percent movement moves over into politics.” The protests will evolve from anger to answers, from pointing out the problem to pointing out the solution, Jones explained. The movement is also in the process of recruiting 2,000 candidates to run for office under the 99 percent banner, he said.

Before you know it the feds will follow L.A.’s lead by offering Occupy protestors a national headquarters near the capitol and maybe even health insurance and other benefits.

The national movement to “end economic segregation” and social injustice in the U.S. is receiving tons of mainstream media coverage and the Smithsonian evidently considers it a historical development that merits preservation for future generations. So, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has deployed representatives to collect protest signs and other memorabilia from the demonstrations which have been partially organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the famously corrupt leftist group with deep ties to President Barack Obama.

Earlier this month Judicial Watch reported that a Massachusetts offshoot of an Occupy Wall Street rally—Take Back Boston—was organized by an ACORN spinoff rebranded as New England 4 Justice after a massive fraud scandal and a series of criminal probes plagued the original group. Read all about the “rebranding of ACORN” in this special JW report about the organization’s transformation into various spinoffs and affiliated groups.

As in other Occupy Wall Street events, the goal in Boston was to get major banks to stop preying on the poor, according to organizers who claim that big banks have a pattern of pushing “bad loans on people of color and the poor.” As a result of the “predatory lending,” foreclosures have skyrocketed in urban communities, they say.

The message has been echoed nationwide, with rowdy participants waving large signs accusing big banks and corporations of committing “crimes against humanity” and others that say things like; “eat the rich,” “capitalism=corruption” and “America, land of the fee, home of the slave.” In Oakland California, where violence erupted and police made arrests this week, various signs ordered participants to “occupy everywhere” and “stop the war on working people.”

With any luck, some of these brilliant logos may soon be in the possession of the Smithsonian. The taxpayer-funded complex, which includes 19 museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park and other research facilities, claims it is part of its commitment to document the spirit of American democracy and the American political process. This includes how people express their points of view through political rallies, demonstrations and protests, according to a statement issued by the Smithsonian this month.

Materials from “contemporary events,” such as the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, are “ephemeral” and must be collected immediately, according to Smithsonian officials. Otherwise they are lost to the “historical record.” The museum compares the Wall Street rallies to its “political history collection” that includes objects related to civil rights, women’s suffrage, presidents, the White House and first ladies.