A few months ago, New York City cops were dragging Occupy Wall Street activists through the streets and parks of lower Manhattan. In a series of brutal assaults on civil liberties and skulls alike, officers appeared to be abiding orders barked by sadistic brass monkeys who were more interested in suppressing speech than they were with keeping peace.

Image of OB in NY by Jenna Pope via Sandy Relief Boston Tumblr. For more amazing Sandy pics check Jenna's blog HERE.

It's starting to feel like the whole eastern seaboard has gone mad. Since Hurricane Sandy tore up the Atlantic coast two weeks ago, and Occupy Wall Street quickly evolved into a complex human aid machine across the boroughs, attitudes toward the perpetually shat upon people's movement have shifted so dramatically as to cause whiplash.

In the sad new book Fire In The Ashes, author Jonathan Kozol describes the shady side of Manhattan in the 1980s when, in ways not seen in decades, extravagant financial glut co-existed with abject poverty. Some of the most shameful slums were hidden in the massive midtown hotels that rotted years earlier; it was there that New York's poorest residents lived before being exiled to the squalor of the South Bronx.

I didn't expect more than 40 people to turn up at the anniversary of Occupy Boston. Some formerly hyperactive participants told me they were too frustrated with their comrades to attend, while others declared online that the movement failed not just them but the community. On top of that, it was butt ugly out and raining, plus I heard that some of the group's recurring characters work weekends, or couldn't make it in from out of town.

If the settling of Dewey Square was a big fat dysfunctional wedding, then the current slog leading up to Occupy Boston's one-year anniversary is a time to reflect on the shotgun marriage between this wide array of Hub activists. Some tried to analyze the union on the honeymoon, but a number of traumatic twists made that impossible.

Tomorrow is likely to be one of the biggest international days of action yet for the Occupy movement: the massive May Day General Strike. This action has been in the works for months, with protests planned by Occupy groups around the world. In Boston, several major actions are planned:

7 to 11AM: Financial District Block Party [info]

There were some significant legal precedents set in Manhattan today. New York City criminal court judge Matthew Sciarrino, Jr. ruled that Occupy Wall Street protester Malcolm Harris – one of hundreds arrested during a direct action on the Brooklyn Bridge last October – has no standing to stop authorities from subpoenaing his Twitter account.

Protests like today's march on General Electric and other ruthless tax-dodgers remind me of why money-grubbing conservatives hate community organizers so much. Because without nearly 1000 heads waving signs to inform people about the Fortune 500 behemoths that screw us, these companies would simply weave through loopholes unnoticed.

As far as evictions go, it was quite a strange scene at Camp Charlie this week.

At around 8:30pm on Monday night, authorities showed up at the Massachusetts Statehouse, where Occupy Boston has been camped since April 4 in protest of the legislature's failure to seriously address mass transit issues.

One of the points that was made over and over again by those protesting MBTA fare hikes (and Mass transit funding issues in general) yesterday was that this fight isn't new. It's been roaring for decades, and just seems to have grown extremely loud and and in-your-face over the past few months.

As of today, though, activists have extended their message into the future, stressing that the war's not over.

As it turns out, the forces conspiring against MBTA fare hikes and service cuts weren't joking. They didn't quite turn out a Wisconsin-sized Statehouse occupation as planned, but much hell was raised, and they even got a snap out of a Beacon Hill power player. Here's how it went down, or at least how I saw things unfold .

As one elderly Red Line rider explained at today's public MBTA hearing at the Mass Transportation Building: the fight for rider's rights isn't a new one. The commonwealth has been down these tracks before, and the past few months have been no exception. As generally happens when lifelines get cut, the latest war over transit has evolved into a mass endeavor.

At least one group of protest fans expects Occupy to stage a significant Spring comeback. The gushing observers were out in force yesterday, tailing rally-goers on a march through downtown and Faneuil Hall. Sure, Boston police have shown appreciation for Occupy before. But it was still impressive to see so many of them dedicate their whole Sunday to the cause, and to playing along with their very own April Fools' stunt.

Above: video of aftermath of two kids getting arrested on Dewey Square -- and of Boston Police Officers taunting the protesters. According to OBers in the video, the arrestees were goofing around on a jungle gym. Chris Faraone is on the scene and tweeting live updates. Follow @Fara1

First of all, I want to say that everyone feels just awful about the polite woman who lives in Harbor Towers, and who had to sit in traffic for a full half-hour one day last Fall on account of Occupy Boston marching down Atlantic Ave. In a way, she's a bold representation of all the apathetic martyrs who've been inconvenienced by the countless people who are standing up for jobs and civil rights.