The American Spectator admits to being involved in the precipitation of violence at the Air and Space Museum as a means of discrediting the Occupy Movement.
It has been openly reporting about its "plants" among the protesters and their actions to get certain things to occur. Included in this, today, was the presence of - and central role played by - Patrick Howley, its Assistant Editor, in sparking the police reaction and violence.
Standoff in D.C.
The American Spectator admits to being involved in the precipitation of violence at the Air and Space Museum as a means of discrediting the Occupy Movement. It has been openly reporting about its "plants" among the protesters and their actions to get certain things to occur. Included in this, today, was the presence of - and central role played by - Patrick Howley, its Assistant Editor, in sparking the police reaction and violence.
Standoff in D.C.
By Patrick Howley on 10.8.11 @ 6:24PM
American Spectator reporter pepper-sprayed at Washington protest.
The fastest-running protesters charged up the steps of Washington's National Air and Space Museum Saturday afternoon to infiltrate the building and hang banners on the "shameful" exhibits promoting American imperialism. As the white-uniformed security guards hurried to physically block the entrances, only a select few -- myself included -- kept charging forward.
Mr. Howley's adventure led to his being pepper-sprayesd as well as to claim being the only protester to make it into the museum.
Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I was the only one who had made it through the doors. As two guards pointed at me and started running, I dodged a circle of gawking old housewives and bolted upstairs.
Mr. Howley made it out of the museum again after taking actions that he planned to blame on others. Yet he finds this a source of pride.
"The museum is now closed!" screamed one of the guards as alarms sounded. "Everyone make your way to the exits immediately!" Using my jacket to cover my face -- which I could feel swelling to Elephant Man proportions -- I ducked through the confused tourists and raced out the exit. "Hey, you!" shouted a female guard reaching for my arm. "Get back here!" But I was already down the steps and out of sight.
Patrick Howley is an assistant editor at The American Spectator. It is clear that there was more to the escalation of that incident into police violence than the presence of Occupation supporters. It appears that its opponents, with a clearly stated agenda to disrupt and discredit it, were centrally involved in what rhey deliberately escalated out of control - and now they are on the internet bragging about it.
I believe that this OpEd News photo may have captured Patrick Howley's presence inside the Air and Space Museum.
Look to his description of events as well as the below photo. Pay attention to the male in the brown long-sleeve shirt just behind the large male in the black t-shirt.
Is this Patrick Howley in the brown with the camera and in the confrontation with the officer?
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 9:28 AM PT: OpEdNews.com reports the story. They were the journalists on the scene and the source of the primary evidence.
See also my story at FireDogLake
Keep up the collaborative effort to get the MSM and the Authorities to take up this story. Together WE can do it and turn the tables on the spin the opponents of the Movement are trying to generate.
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 11:37 AM PT: The original story - which I have preserved here and with a screen capture - has the following sentence:
"As the white-uniformed security guards hurried to physically block the entrances, only a select few -- myself included -- kept charging forward."
But now that we have successfully begun to expose him for his activities and admissions - he and the American Spectator are "altering" their story to try and claim that everything he did was as a journalist.
That sentence now reads:
"As the white-uniformed security guards hurried to physically block the entrances, only a select few -- myself, for journalistic purposes, included -- kept charging forward."
The PRESSURE IS ON. Keep it going. They are now forced to REACT. The story is getting out there.
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 11:55 AM PT: BoingBoing updates their story on the incident.
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 12:10 PM PT: See original story captured in screengrab last night before Howley and Spectator found out they were caught on camera and exposed.
http://i789.photobucket.com/...
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 12:22 PM PT: Look at this editorial dancing trying to avoid criminal liability. Good thing his words were "caught" permanently as well.
This:
But as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause -- a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator -- and I wasn't giving up before I had my story. Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I was the only one who had made it through the doors. As two guards pointed at me and started running, I dodged a circle of gawking old housewives and bolted upstairs.
Has now become this:
But as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause -- a cause that I had infiltrated the day before -- and I wasn't giving up before I had my story. Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors. Suspecting that the entire crowd would be able to get inside, I ran blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum to find a place to observe, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I may have been the only one who had made it through the doors.
Talk about MAJOR REWRITE. They are finding EVERY detail that we have exposed and critically analyzed - and trying to rewrite history.
Sun Oct 09, 2011 at 3:09 PM PT: Well - first they tried to re-write history by editing the story. Now the American Spectator has completely removed the story from their site.
Keep up the pressure!
