Last night was another disturbing example of how the police in the US have been cracking down on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The mass arrests at Zucotti Park and the rough handling of activists by the NYPD only proves once again that political repression is still being practiced by cities throughout the country. We've seen similar scenes of police violence used against protesters in Seattle, Oakland, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, UC Davis, etc.
On the six-month anniversary of the birth of Occupy Wall Street, activists in New York City took to the streets to celebrate their victories. Unfortunately, the marchers were forced to leave Zucotti Park (site of the original encampment), and dozens of people were arrested by the NYPD.
There are reports of numerous injuries to the occupiers. Activist Cecily McMillan was taken away in an ambulance. Witnesses report that she suffered broken ribs and was having difficulty breathing.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the NYPD actions, it is clear that once again the protesters were slammed hard. It is my understanding that all law enforcement "use of force" guidelines require a slow escalation of tactics, beginning with the least violent measures to control the situation or to secure an individual for arrest. Last night at Liberty Square, the use of force escalated quickly and once again, it was excessive and unnecessary.
In Seattle, this kind of behavior by the SPD has resulted in a public apology by Mayor Mike McGuinn and a US Department of Justice civil rights investigation. Last month I settled a class action civil rights lawsuit against the Washington State Patrol. I sued them for detaining and banning folks from protests without due process of law. US District Court Judge Robert J. Bryan ruled that the WSP had violated the First Amendment rights of demonstrators and press during protests at the state capitol.
The videos that are now available on the web show how police in New York City aggressively pushed back witnesses, media and legal observers whenever they made arrests of occupy activists. Several members of the Occupy Wall Street media team have been arrested while reporting or live streaming at protests and rallies. During the police activity at Zucotti Park on March 17th, police accosted a camera operator working with journalist Greg Palast.
I ask once again - How does this look to the rest of the world?
Freedom and Democracy, or Police State Oppression?
Bloody photos of military veteran Scott Olsen and tear stained pictures of 85 year old activist Dorli Rainy have already gone viral all around the globe. Are we going to be forced to see new videos and photographs of injured Occupy Wall Street protesters this spring? If last night's NYPD actions are any indication, the answer will be, "yes".
By the way, I sincerely hope that I am wrong on this point!
On March 15th another shocking incident took place involving police attacks on occupiers. What happened in St. Louis was outrageous! Mayor Francis Slate and Police Chief Dan Isom have a lot of explaining to do...
It looks like we have yet another news story coming out of the occupy movement that isn't getting any mainstream media coverage. This incident has been largely covered up and ignored.
St. Louis police attacked 150 occupiers who had gathered from around the nation to participate in the Midwest Occupy Conference. While leaving Compton Hill Reservoir Park, police moved into the crowd swinging batons and arrested 14 people. Several activists were injured.
www.occputhemidwest.org
www.occupystlouis.org
My article on the arrests at the Midwest Occupy Conference:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
What I find interesting is the fact that in this case, unlike previous incidents in Oakland and Seattle, the police in St. Louis are not claiming that there was any violence on the part of the protesters. They're not saying that anything was thrown at them by the marchers. Actually, they're citing a city park ordinance as a rationalization for beating people with batons and using pepper spray and tasers! Something is seriously out of balance here in this country! Activists are being physically assaulted and injured while committing violations comparable to a minor traffic fine...
Mayor Francis Slate and Police Chief Dan Isom may cite a city ordinance pertaining to the regulation of public parks, but it doesn't explain why the St. Louis Police Department used clubs, pepper spray and tasers on non-violent members of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Seems to me, it all comes down to a few very simple questions:
Are our local police forces being paid by the taxpayers to protect public safety or to repress grassroots political movements?
Why do police departments around the country continue to practice extra-judicial physical punishment on political protesters - beating them, assaulting them with pepper spray, using concussion grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets?
It is the job of a judge and jury to determine if any punitive measures are warranted - this is not the job of police officers!
Who will hold the police departments accountable?
The mayors of Seattle, Oakland, New York City, and St. Louis don't seem to be able to do this - why not?
I invite you to make some phone calls and pose this question to Mike McGuinn,
Jean Quan, Michael Bloomberg, and Francis Slay.
McGuinn (206-684-4000)
Quan (510-444-2489)
Bloomberg (212-639-9675)
Slay ((314-622-3201)