From Newsday on Long Island, a story that should be getting bigger play:
Police in riot gear fired pepperballs Thursday night to disperse a crowd of protesters assembled in this historic gold mining town where President Bush was spending the night after a campaign appearance.
Newsday: Oregon Police Fire on a Crowd of Protestors
More below the fold.
This is also showing up in Bush's hometown paper in Crawford, Texas, the
Lone Star Iconoclast which suggests that the police were specifically targeting the anti-Bush protestors and includes an eyewitness account.
It happened fast. Clad in full riot gear, at least 50 officers moved in. Shouting indecipherable commands from a bullhorn, they formed a chain and bore down upon the people, only working to clear the side of the street appearing to be occupied by Kerry supporters. People tried to get out of their way. It was very crowded. There was nowhere to move. People were being crushed. They started flowing into the streets. Pleas to the officers, asking, "where to go" fell upon deaf ears. Instead, riot police fired pellets of cayenne pepper spray into the crowd. An old man fell and couldn't get up. When a young man stopped to help, he was shot in the back with hard pepper spray balls. Children were hit with pepper spray. Deemed "Protesters" people were shoved and herded down the street by the menacing line of armed riot police, until out of the President's ear-shot.
And in the WaPo:
Police Fire Projectiles at Protestors
Talk about voter intimidation. What's the best response to this?