Worldwide News and Information

Perry Says He Owes No Apology to Cain

2011-11-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he owes no apology to Herman Cain after Cain and his aides accused the Perry campaign of leaking details about Cain being the subject of a past sexual harassment complaint.

“No apology needed. We found out about this the same time that I suppose the rest of America found out about it,” Perry said in an interview with CNN’s John King. “Our campaign didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Perry was adamant his campaign was not involved in leaking the story, but said if someone in his campaign was responsible, he would quickly fire them.

“Out the door,” Perry said. “If you’re passing on rumors that are that heinous, that bad, you don’t need to be working with me. Gone.”

When asked if Cain owes Perry an apology for the accusations launched against his campaign, Perry did not comment, only saying he understands political games are played during a campaign.

“There’s going to be more stuff floating around out there in the campaigns,” Perry said. “So I tell people this isn’t my first rodeo. They’re going to say all kinds of things about folks. I’m going to stay focused on: How does America get back to work? And we’ve laid out a couple of really good plans, both on the energy side and the tax side - how to cut spending. And that’s what Americans are interested in.”

'Vast Majority' of U.S. Troops Out by Dec.

2011-11-04T00:43:00.000-07:00

For the first time, a U.S. military official is saying on the record that the “vast majority” of U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by mid-December, ahead of the end-of-year withdrawal deadline.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Spoehr told Pentagon reporters today that he could not provide specific timetables about the pace of the drawdown, though he revealed that most U.S. troops would be out by mid-December.

“I think it’s clear to me that by the time we get to about mid-December or so, the vast majority of the U.S. forces in Iraq, we plan to have them withdrawn fom Iraq by that time, ” said Spoehr, who is the deputy commanding general for support for U.S. Forces-Iraq.

He emphasized that the huge effort to remove all American troops and their equipment by year’s end was “not a rush to the exits.” He characterized the troop reduction as taking place “in a measured fashion” and said the withdrawal plan is flexible enough to allow for any bad weather that might delay troop movements.

“My belief is that the U.S. forces will easily meet their commitments under the security agreement and have all of our forces withdrawn by [Dec. 31],” said Spoehr.

As an indicator of how fast the drawdown is taking place right now, Spoehr said there are now 33,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, down from 39,000 last week and 43,000 a month ago.

According to Spoehr, most departing troops are being flown out of Iraq to Kuwait via major air hubs, such as Baghdad and other bases. In Kuwait, they wait for the military aircraft that will transport them to the United States, though a small number are being flown directly back to the U.S. from Iraq aboard charter aircraft.

Some troops are also departing by ground to Kuwait, though they are usually the ones that will be providing security for the convoys.

At any given time, Spoehr said, there are 55 convoys of 30 to 50 vehicles shipping equipment out of the country - that’s about 1,650 vehicles. He believes the only comparable operation of such size and scope occurred during World War II. Logistical teams keep track of every convoy’s movement in much the same way that air traffic controllers hand off control of planes in the sky.

The majority of the military’s equipment is being driven to Kuwait in logistical convoys of commercial vehicles that carry Humvees, MRAPs [Mine Resistant Armored Protection vehicles] and trucks.

Massive security efforts are being undertaken to protect the convoys as they proceed south to Kuwait. Planned routes are swept for roadside bombs prior to the vehicles hitting the road, and Iraqi security forces are providing security along the flanks of the convoy routes. Each convoy also has some American troops riding along in MRAP’s to provide force protection.

DOMA Vote Delayed in Senate Judiciary Until Next Week

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Senate Judiciary Committee met today to discuss legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but after a procedural holdup the legislation has been delayed until next week for a vote.

Passed in 1996, DOMA defines marriage as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.”

The Respect for Marriage Act, which was introduced in March of this year, would provide federal protection to couples married in states that recognize same-sex marriages.

“DOMA has created a tier of second-class families who are not treated equally under the law,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “This runs counter to the values upon which America was founded.”

The bill would redefine marriage to be determined by the states, as it historically has been.

“The Respect for Marriage Act would restore the power of states to define and determine ‘marriage’ without the federal government imposing its restrictive definition of marriage on the states,” said Leahy.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) echoed Leahy’s remarks.

“It has been firmly established over decades, that family law, including marriage,” is a law handled by the states.

Six states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriages.

“When DOMA passed, no state had passed a same sex marriage bill,” Feinstein said during the meeting. “Where now, today, there are 131,000 same-sex couples in the United States. They are real people. They’re our family members, our friends, our neighbors. They made a solid commitment of marriage to each other.”

Leahy and Feinstein, who are two of the cosponsors of the bill, were quick to point out that nothing in the bill would force any state or religion to perform same-sex marriages, simply recognize the “1100 federal rights and benefits provided to every other legally married couple in the country,” said Feinstein.

Some of the rights that are not awarded to same-sex marriages include filing joint income taxes, veterans’ benefits, employment benefits and immigration laws.

“All married couples deserve the same clarity, fairness, and security under our Federal law,” said Leahy. “The time has come for the Federal Government to recognize that all married couples deserve the same legal protections.”

Republicans on the committee today requested that the vote be delayed until next week. However, the legislation is expected to pass the panel when it comes to a vote, as it is supported by all ten Democrats on the committee. After that the legislation will go to the full Senate for consideration.

Cantaloupe Outbreak Now Deadliest Ever

2011-11-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

With 29 people now dead, listeria-tainted cantaloupe has caused the deadliest recorded U.S. outbreak of food-borne illness, surpassing a 1985 outbreak with similarly tainted Mexican cheese.

Just a few weeks ago, food safety experts said the contaminated musky melons were behind what was shaping up to be the worst cluster of food-related illnesses and deaths in a generation. On Wednesday, that was largely confirmed when the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the 29th death from Listeria monocytogenes linked to melons from Jensen Farms, based in Holly, Colo.

Depending on whose figures you use, the fruit-linked outbreak is, at the very least, just as deadly as a 1985 listeriosis outbreak that killed 29 Southern Californians who ate Mexican-style soft cheeses such as queso fresco and cotija.

In its final report, the CDC tallied 29 deaths from the cheese: eight in infants, 13 stillbirths and eight others in non-neonates. But a Sept. 29, 1988, article in the New England Journal of Medicine, which followed additional review by the CDC, the Los Angeles County health department and the Food and Drug Administration, revised the 1985 death toll downward to 28 -- 20 infants and 18 adults. The revision would give the current cantaloupe outbreak the grim distinction of being the worst ever.

Although the rate of newly confirmed cantaloupe cases has slowed, more Americans could still succumb because listeria can deliver its wallop months after the invisible trip from a plate into the depths of the digestive system. In addition, after someone starts feeling sick, they may delay seeing a doctor and the illness may not come to the attention of public health officials until a laboratory confirms the diagnosis and ties it to other cases.

Since Aug. 15, tainted cantaloupes, which also caused a pregnant woman in northwest Iowa to miscarry, have sickened 139 people with four strains of listeria. All were traced to cantaloupe grown and processed by Jensen Farms.

Listeriosis infections may cause fever, stiff neck, muscle aches, headache, confusion and vomiting; the most serious complications are sepsis, a potentially fatal blood infection, and meningitis, inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain.

Of the 142 people sickened in the 1985 cheese-linked outbreak, 93 were pregnant women or their children, underscoring the risk that rod-shaped listeria bacteria pose to pregnant women, who can miscarry or transmit the infection to their fetuses.

Also vulnerable are infants, the elderly and anyone else with a compromised immune system.

The number of people sickened or killed in the current outbreak could very well increase, especially given that some victims are still fighting for their lives.

"I have two clients who are in the ICU, both in their 80s, both in Colorado," said Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety attorney whose law firm is representing the families of 26 victims of the current outbreak (10 who died and 16 who survived).

Although relatives of the two ICU patients remain hopeful about their prognoses, both have been hospitalized a month and a half and subjected to the risks of prolonged hospitalization, including additional infections and pneumonia.

Jason Segel Rescues the Muppets From Oblivion With Movie

2011-11-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Actor Jason Segal, best known for appearing stark naked in the R-rated film "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," seems the least likely person to bring back Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, Beaker and the rest of the Muppet gang from their semi-oblivion – until you get to know him.

"I watch ['The Muppet Movie'] when I go to sleep a lot," Segel said. "I feel like I'm painting myself as the strangest guy of all time."

The 31-year-old actor, writer and Muppet enthusiast, who got his big break on the short-lived 1999 TV series "Freaks and Geeks," was entrusted with re-launching one of the most beloved family franchises of the last 50 years as a new musical film, "The Muppets" -- which reportedly cost $50 million to make.

"I think that first there was a fear that I was going do it with a sense of irony," Segel, who also stars in the movie, said. "But I think very quickly they saw that it doesn't take long talking to me to see that I truly love the Muppets in a very pure way."

Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. ET

When the script was done, the life-long Muppets fan got to hear and watch his words spoken aloud by the characters he has loved for decades -- which brought tears to his eyes.

"I'm not embarrassed to say I cried," Segel said. "They brought Kermit out of his box and he – 'cause Kermit is a puppet, he lives in a box -- and all of a sudden Steve Whitmire's hand went inside Kermit and it was alive, and then he said the first line that I had written for him -- and I started crying. They had to stop for, like, a couple minutes while a 28-year-old, at the time, grown man tried not to cry hysterically."

"It was a dream come true," he added. "It really was. It was one of the coolest moments of my life."

The popular Muppets, who were once ubiquitous in American culture, haven't had a new TV special or feature film since 1999 -- the less-than-successful "Muppets From Space" -- unless you count the numerous Internet parodies about various characters, such as "Sad Kermit" and "Bert is Evil."

First created by Jim Henson in 1955, the Muppets originally set the standard for clever, gently subversive family comedy in teaching letters, numbers and values on "Sesame Street," which then led to the popular TV series, "The Muppet Show," and six pun-filled films, starting with "The Muppet Movie" in 1979.

"I wanted to bring the Muppets back to those first three movies and then 'The Muppet Show,'" Segel said. "Those, to me, they defined who I wanted to be as a comedian as a kid, and so I went after it and pitched it to Disney and they let me take a shot at it."

It was Segel who ensured that "Sarah Marshall," a film he co-wrote, ended with a "lavish puppet musical" about Dracula longing to find love. He still has those puppet characters and a collection of other puppets and Muppet-paraphernalia in his house, which he bought from Jim Henson's daughter, Lisa.

"I'm lucky because now it's my job," Segel said. "But for a while I was the unemployed, 6' 4" weirdo who just has Muppet paraphernalia everywhere. I mean-- it was weird. I acknowledge it."

He added that when his "Muppets" co-star Amy Adams heard about his puppet collection, she told him that he would be single for the rest of his life.

Greece: Turmoil Over Debt Plan

2011-11-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Greece was in turmoil and the world economy in limbo Thursday as a high-stakes game of political brinkmanship in Athens led Prime Minister George Papandreou to abandon his explosive plan to put a European rescue deal to a referendum.

The dramatic developments overshadowed the G20 summit of world leaders in the French resort of Cannes, where President Barack Obama implored European leaders to swiftly work out a eurozone plan to deal with the continent's crisis, which threatens to push the world back into recession.

Papandreou sparked a global crisis this week when he announced plans to put the latest European deal to cut Greece's massive debt — a hard-fought accord that took months of negotiations — to a popular vote. The idea horrified other EU nations, Greece's creditors and financial markets as investors worried over the prospect that Greece could be forced into a disorderly default.

Faced with mounting opposition at home and abroad, Papandreou withdrew the referendum call after the main opposition conservatives indicated they backed the debt deal. With them potentially on board, his finance minister argued, there was no longer a need to put the issue to the Greek people.

Stocks rose sharply in the United States and Europe on news the referendum plan had been scrapped, as well as a surprise move by the European Central Bank to cut interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 208 points, or 1.8 percent, to close above 12,000 for only the third time since early August.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou returns to an emergency cabinet meeting after he took a short break at the Greek parliament in Athens, on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011. A spokesman for Greece's government says it is prepared to discuss an opposition demand for the creation of a transitional government to approve the latest European bailout deal and secure the next installment of rescue loans for the country. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Close

But Papandreou's government was still in danger. The prime minister faces a crucial confidence vote in Parliament at midnight Friday, after two days of acrimony that saw many of his own lawmakers and ministers rebel. Many asked for his resignation, furious that his insistence on a referendum had endangered the debt deal and led European leaders to question Greece's treasured participation in the euro, the common currency used by 17 EU nations.

The governing Socialists have a slim two-seat majority in the 300-member legislature, and at least one lawmaker has publicly threatened to vote against the Papandreou government.

In an address to Parliament, Papandreou stressed his only interest was Greece's well-being, and hinted he was willing to eventually step down.

"I don't care about being re-elected. I am interested in saving the country," he said, adding that he was open to the mounting calls for the creation of a transitional government that would secure the debt deal, and make sure Greece receives the next, vital installment of its existing bailout funds. After that, he said, he would be open to holding elections.

"Let everything be discussed — the makeup of the government and anything else. ... I am not glued to my seat," Papandreou said.

"My position is crystal clear: Let talks start immediately to create a formation that is broadly accepted, efficient and able to deal with the national interest in this difficult time for the country."

Once Greece is on an even course, he said, "then, of course, we can head to an election process. But a government resignation would have left the country in the lurch."

An angry Antonis Samaras, the head of the main opposition conservatives, insisted Papandreou had to go and dispelled any impression of unity. He argued he had already agreed to back the vital new deal, and demanded quick elections — within the next six weeks if possible.

Conrad Murray: Jury to Decide Fate of MJ's Doctor

2011-11-03T22:34:00.000-07:00

Attorneys on both sides got their last chances to speak to jurors today in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor. After a day of impassioned closing arguments and juror instructions, they turned over the case to the jury who will begin deliberations Friday morning.

The prosecution spoke first and last, with the defense delivering closing arguments in between.

Earlier today, prosecutor David Walgren argued his case with a PowerPoint presentation in which he denounced Murray as a selfish and reckless physician who put his own needs ahead of Jackson's and Jackson's children's.

"The evidence in this case is overwhelmingly, abundantly clear that Conrad Murray acted with criminal negligence, that Conrad Murray caused the death of Michael Jackson, that Conrad Murray left Prince, Paris and Blanket without a father," Walgren said.

Later, defense attorney Edward Chernoff accused the prosecution's key witness, security guard Alberto Alvarez, of lying in order to tell his story.

"Do you honestly believe when you go home to your families that Alberto isn't going to cash in? Honestly?" Chernoff asked.

Alvarez called 911 as Murray tried to receive Jackson and later told police that Murray told him to stash various medicine bottles and a saline bag with a bottle of propofol inside of it.

The prosecution alleged it was evidence Murray knew he was in the wrong and tried to cover up his actions -- but the defense had a different take.

"He tells you it's been so hard, and then you learn Alberto has been offered $500,000 for his story. How did Alberto Alvarez go from a story that's worth $9,000 to a story worth half a million dollars?" Chernoff asked. "His story became monumentally more compelling."

Chernoff further tried to discount Alvarez by saying that his fingerprints were never found on the saline bag that he allegedly stashed and that the list of actions he claimed he performed -- including getting Jackson's children out of the room and following Murray's orders to stash the objects -- would have had to been done in about 30 seconds, according to phone records.

"He said, 'I'm efficient.' It's not efficient," Chernoff said. "It's impossible, because he didn't tell the truth."

When prosecutor Walgren got the chance to rebut the defense assertions, he said, "Alberto Alvarez has no position in this case. This has been nothing but a nightmare for him. He told you the truth."

Walgren added that the fact that Alvarez's fingerprints were not on the saline bag does not discount his testimony. He told jurors that fingerprints are not often found -- pointing out that Jackson's fingerprints were not found on the syringe that the defense alleged he used to self-administer the fatal dose of propofol.

Chernoff said Murray was "painted as a villain for everything he does" by the prosecution.

"They want you to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson," he said. "They just won't tell you that."

"His greatest personality defect is his greatest character strength: He got brought into this situation because he thought he could help," Chernoff said. "He was wrong -- because Dr. Murray had no control over this situation. He was just a little fish in a big, dirty pond."

Chernoff argued that Murray truly cared about his patients, as shown by former patients who served as character witnesses, and painted Murray as a caring, devoted doctor.

"You may think Dr. Murray is a sinner. You may think Dr. Murray is a saint," Chernoff said. "Whatever you think about him, if all he cared about was Michael Jackson and the safety of Michael Jackson, the very first thing he's going to do when he finds him not breathing and potentially dead ... is try to revive him."

911 Operator Hears Double Murder

2011-11-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

A 911 operator listened helplessly over the phone while a double murder was committed, she testified Wednesday in a Florida courtroom.

Leslie Perrico , a public safety dispatcher for the Pinellas County Sheriff's office, testified that the office received a call on Dec. 20, 2008, but the caller hung up. Perrico called back, and the call was answered, but no one spoke.

The court heard what Perrico heard—a recording of a double murder. A man's voice screams, "Sit on the bed, Jerry!" and another man answers "I'll sit down. You put the gun down," according to ABC affiliate WFTS in Tampa Bay.

Soon after a woman screams "Help!" and says, "Are you out of your f****…" and there are two gunshots. A dog is heard barking.

Prosecutors say the call records the murders of Elizabeth Evans, 44, and Gerry Taylor, 43, her boyfriend, in Evans' condo in Gulfport, Fla.

Evans' estranged husband, Patrick Evans, an executive at Jabil Circuit, an electronics company in St. Petersburg, is on trial on two counts of first-degree murder at Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Elizabeth Evans had been estranged from her husband for eight months and had recently started seeing Taylor when the murders occurred, according to a sheriff's press release. Both victims were shot once in the neck

Police arrived at the condo minutes after the shootings. Police Officer Christopher Perkins testified Wednesday that he found the two victims, both naked. Evans was dead and Taylor was to die later at the hospital. One of Evans' Yorkshire terriers was sitting by her body, shaking in terror.

"It was horrible. I still think about it. It had her blood on it. It was just sitting there, shaking," he said, according to the WFTS report.

Kina Grannis Music Video Uses 288,000 Jelly Beans

2011-11-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Who needs high tech animation when you have 288,000 jelly beans?

Singer Kina Grannis used more than 200,000 colored jellybeans to paint a moving picture in her new music video “In Your Arms.”

“I wanted to make a video that was very unique and really creative and feels very handmade,” Grannis said in the behind the scenes feature of the video.

The music video uses jelly bean art and animates it by shooting it frame by frame to create the video’s changing backgrounds.

It took 2,460 frames, 1,357 hours and about 30 people — and more than year to shoot and complete, according to video’s producers.

The video has received about 72,711 hits on YouTube so far.

“It’s just been such a labor of love,” said Grannis in the behind the scenes video.

Judge Who Beat Daughter Not Sorry

2011-11-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

A prominent Texas judge who was filmed beating his daughter with a belt and cursing at her said he was merely disciplining his child and did nothing wrong.

"No, in my mind I haven't done anything wrong other than discipline my child after she was caught stealing. And I did lose my temper, but I've since apologized," Judge William Adams told KZTV Wednesday after the video went viral on the internet.

Hillary Adams, the daughter who is seen being beaten in the video, secretely recorded the beating seven years ago and recently uploaded it to YouTube Oct. 27. The video was then posted on Reddit, a link-sharing website, where it racked up millions of views and incited anger among viewers.

"I just wanted somebody to see it and tell me, 'no, Hillary this wasn't right and I'm glad you were able to grow up and move on past this' and 'no, your Dad wasn't right,'" Hillary Adams said told ABC News' Chris Cuomo.

Beating Judge Not Sorry

Both Hillary and William Adams have said the beating took place as punishment for then-16-year-old Hillary illegally downloading from the internet. It was shot in 2004 by a secret camera Hillary set up when she anticipated her father might beat her. She said the beatings were a regular part of her life during those years, but she did not publish the video until now because she feared it would incite more violence, according to the interview.

"Another fight was getting out of control and I knew the beating was coming so I just waited," Hillary Adams said.

Hillary and her mother, Hallie Adams, have since moved out of the family home. The family has not said where a younger daughter, age 11, is living.

The Aransas County Court, where William Adams has his office, posted a sign canceling his hearings for the day, according to ABC News affiliate KiiiTV. Phone calls to the judge's home and office went unanswered today. Neighbors told the news station that the judge and his girlfriend were seen leaving Wednesday after taking belongings from their home, including bags, hanging clothes, a briefcase, a laptop, and six to eight gun cases.

A message posted to Hillary Adams Facebook Twitter and Facebook account Thursday said that her father had canceled her phone number and phone service.

The video, which prompted thousands of calls of complaint to the courthouse, sheriff's office, and police department, also prompted a police investigation into the matter.

"Under Texas law, and the penal code, parents have a right to discipline children. You know what is discipline and what is abuse. That has to be determined as some point," Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe told KiiiTV.

The police will try to authenticate the video and then turn it over to the district attorney, who can then present it to a grand jury.

The video also shows Hillary's mother, Hallie Adams, participating briefly in the beating, grabbing the belt from her husband and telling her daughter to "act like a 16-year-old woman and take it." Hallie has since left her husband and apologized to her daughter, she said on the Today show.

"I was completely brainwashed and controlled," Hallie said, noting that her husband struggled with addiction, but didn't offer details on what kind. "I did every single thing that he did. When I leave the room he is telling me what to say, what to do."

Now, Hillary Adams said her father has suffered enough.

"I think he's been punished enough just by seeing this go public like this and I think he really needs help and rehabilitation. We need to get him counseling," told the Today show.

Manufacturing, Health Care Firms More Giving in 401(k) Match

2011-11-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

(Getty Images)

After scaling back during the recession, it seems employers are starting to feel generous, or less stingy, at least in terms of matching employee 401(k) contributions. According to a new report, 75 percent of employers have restored their retirement fund matches after cutting them during the financial crisis.

Certain sectors were more generous than others. Manufacturing and health care companies had the highest reinstatement rate, at 88 percent. Entertainment had the lowest reinstatement rate: 50 percent.

Global consulting company Towers Watson analyzed 260 employers that suspended or decreased their 401(k) matching contributions from January 2008 through January 2010. The firm, headquartered in New York City, found that of those companies that reinstated the match, 74 percent restored to the same level of match as before the financial crisis.

The most frequent employer 401(k) contribution formula before and after the suspension matched 50 percent of employees’ salary deferrals, up to 6 percent of pay.

About 23 percent of employers restored the match at a lower rate. Among these companies, the reinstated match was slightly more than half of their original contribution.

Only 3 percent of those employers increased their employer match, increasing the formula by an average 1.4 percentage points. But in all but one of these cases, the increase was actually associated with a pension close or freeze, and the higher match was intended to make up for some of the lost pension’s benefits.

Of the 260 companies in the sample, 231 had completely suspended their matches, while 29 had only changed their matches, such as reducing benefits. The median duration for match suspensions was 12 months.

Sexual Assaults Reported at 'Occupy'

2011-11-03T20:29:00.001-07:00

Alleged sexual assaults at Occupy Wall Street camps have raised concerns about security in a handful of cities, including reports of rape and groping in tents at New York's Zuccotti Park and a sex offender in Dallas having sex with an underage runaway.

"These protests have a history of welcoming everyone and just assuming they're on your side," said David Meyer, a professor of sociology at the University of California at Irvine, who studies protest movements.

The recent reports of assaults have created a problem the "Occupy" movement is being challenged to address head-on.

"We always encourage victims to go through the proper channels and contact police," said Brendan Burke, 41, who helps run the security team in Zuccotti Park.

But that's not always the case. Burke admitted there have been times when members of the community have taken it upon themselves to chase off men who exposed themselves in the park.

"If there is a consensus that someone is bothering another person, the community will take care of it," he said. "Still, we always notify victims to contact police."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- addressing the allegations of sexual assault today -- said the reported practice of chasing perpetrators, rather than reporting them to police, is "despicable." If the reports are true, he said, the protesters have made the city less safe.

Burke said the group is taking action to help prevent any future assaults, something that camps across the country have began to address.

Some of the measures being implemented in camps include a well-lit, female-only sleeping area and a night security watch, which numbers 15 people at any given time, Burke said.

This comes just as Tonye Iketubosin, 26, was arrested late Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting two women, both inside tents in New York City's Zuccotti Park.

The first alleged attack occurred Oct. 24 after Iketubosin helped a 17-year-old girl to set up her tent. After he refused to leave, he allegedly groped the girl.

The second alleged assault occurred Oct. 29 after an 18-year-old woman from Massachusetts agreed to let Iketubosin sleep in her tent. She said she awoke to find him pulling off her pants and that he proceeded to rape her.

The problem of women being hassled, or worse, isn't unique to New York City.

"There is nobody working the doors at these protests," professor Meyer said. "There has to be a set of social sanctions or norms, but that's the struggle with any movement."

Dallas police arrested a convicted sex offender for having sex with a 14-year-old runaway in the Occupy Dallas camp.

After police located the missing girl, she told them about her encounter with Richard Wayne Armstrong, 24.

"She gave us information she had sexual relations with a person. She could only a give nickname," said Cheryl Scott, deputy chief of the special investigations division.

Scott said the girl had told Armstrong and other occupiers that she was 19-years-old.

Armstrong is being held on felony charges of failure to register as a sex offender and sexual assault of a minor. The girl is in the custody of Child Protective Services, Scott said.

On Oct. 15, police responded to a delayed report of a sexual assault at Occupy Cleveland.

Detective Michael Kovach of the Cleveland Police Department declined to comment, citing the pending investigation. He did, however, tell ABCNews.com that protesters at the camp have been particularly cooperative in all matters with police.

Reports of harassment and women made to feel uncomfortable are also popping up on Occupy Wall Street's message board.

"I had an encounter Friday evening with a man who might have been that same guy," said protester Athena Grey, who was responding to another woman's story of being harassed. "Burly guy, average height, wearing a long coat. Smelled of beer. He tried to hug me but I managed to keep him at arm's length," she said.

Burke said although the group has increased security measures, it is important that people remain vigilant.

"Just because this is a protest in a park doesn't mean you're immune to crime," he said. "People need to act as if it is any other day in their lives."