In what may be one of the most disturbing videos yet to come from the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, a Citibank customer is seen snatched off the street by police, and forced into the bank, presumably to be held and then arrested.
In the video, the woman, wearing business attire, is confronted by a man in street clothes, pointing his finger and saying “you were inside.” The woman responds that she is a customer, and shows the man her account information. When she and her male companion turn to leave, the man pushes her companion out of the way, grabs the woman and carries her back to the bank. [...watch video...]
One thing that the Occupy movement has done is highlight the horrifying way the authority of public institutions like law enforcement agencies are used by private individuals and organizations against the general public. These incidents are normally spread over time and geography, or focused on one poorly enfranchised group or another, keeping outrage localized and preventing it from spreading. The focusing of attention and outrage on these incidents then relies on a few individuals with the power to bring state or national attention. All too often those leaders quickly become discredited as private interests seek to distract from their abuses of public authority.
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