Post by Heckler
I'm guessing it's referring to the Occupy Oakland claim that the police used rubber bullets. The "bombs" referred to are probably gas canisters.
I was surprised by this actually. I can understand Riot shields, and even batons. I ask myself, if I were a police officer headed into a potentially violent situation against 5000 unarmed people, what would I expect as a minimum level of protection from the very real danger 5000 unarmed attackers pose, should things turn violent?
The problem is, when you send police in with weapons, you add the potential for those weapons getting into the hands of the protesters themselves if things do get violent. That leads to the desire to have even stronger weaponry on hand. Rubber bullets and bean bag shells are actually quite dangerous if they are used at close range and hit in the right places -- in my opinion, they are both wholly improper devices to fire into a crowd of people for any reason, much less a peaceful unarmed crowd. I can understand the tear gas as well, but the canister launchers they are using make those dangerous too (case in point,
Scott Olsen). Flashbangs can also be damaging at close range, capable of physically cracking eardrums and knocking people unconscious from the concussive force.
The real killer to me, even when trying to look through the eyes of the police, is why is police action being taken in the first place? The protests are peaceful, and any laws they are violating (anti-camping, for example) were not written with the intention of stifling free assembly, and therefore, they should not be enforced to that end. I asked my wife what she would do if she were the police chief ordered to clear 5000 people out the park (in terms of how many police officers, how heavily armed, etc). She said she would probably have to resign, because she wouldn't be able to order violent reaction against non-violent action. I asked her what the solution was then, and her answer was interesting. She said the police should have a presence alongside the protesters, in a security role. Both maintaining lawful order, and protecting the protesters from any outside force which may try to stifle their first amendment rights. If there was less of a wall between the police force and the occupiers, there would be less potential for clashes. I like this answer. Police are supposed to be the guardians of society... they should be guarding the occupiers' expression of Constitutional rights.
To me, it doesn't make sense to "raid" (a police term) a peaceful unarmed protest, fully armed with lethal weaponry. The protesters are violating no laws which warrant that type of treatment, and in reality are expressing their First Amendment right to peaceful assembly in one of the least invasive ways available in an urban area, a public park (ie. if a public park is not the place for a first amendment protected assembly at 1am, where is the proper place?)
Finally, when the police are the ones with the weapons and violence breaks out, who is left to ensure the police aren't breaking the law themselves? The police reaction in general to these protests has been disappointing at best. As I said before, everyone loves
talking about their beloved rights, but when those rights are being stolen away from their fellow citizen right before their eyes, suddenly rationalization creeps in. And what was once sacrosanct is now tossed aside for short-term argument's sake. It's ridiculous.
Post by MyTie
75 news articles on OWS:
NY: 10/1/2011 — Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge
Madison, WI: 10-27-2011 — Madison Occupiers Lose Permit Due to Public Masturbation
Phoenix: 10/28/2011 — Flier at Occupy Phoenix Asks, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”
NY: 10/18/2011 — Thieves Preying on Fellow Protesters
NY: 10/9/2011 — Stinking up Wall Street: Protesters Accused of Living in Filth as Shocking Pictures Show One Demonstrator Defecating on a POLICE CAR
NY: 10/7/2011 — Occupiers Rush Police … More
Cleveland: 10/18/2011 — ‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped
NY: 10/10/2011 — ‘Increasingly Debauched’: Are Sex, Drugs & Poor Sanitation Eclipsing Occupy Wall Street?
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Man Accused of Exposing Self to Children Arrested
10/12/2011 — Iran Supports ‘Occupy Wall Street’
Portland: 10/16/2011 – #OccupyPortland Protester Desecrates Memorial To U.S. War Dead
Portland: 10/15/2011 — #OccupyPortland Protesters Sing “F*** The USA”
Chicago: 10/17/2011 — COMMUNIST LEADER Cheered at Occupy Chicago
10/15/2011 — American Nazi Party Endorses Occupy Wall Street‘s ’Courage,‘ Tells Members to Support Protests and Fight ’Judeo-Capitalist Banksters’
Boston: 10/14/2011 — Coast Guard member spit on near Occupy Boston tents
Boston: 10/11/2011 — Boston Police Arrest Over 100 from Occupy Boston
New York: 10/11/2011 — “You Can Have Sex with Animals.”
New York: 10/15/2011 — Harassing Police with Accusations of Phony Injuries
New York: 10/9/2011 – ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ Protesters Steal from Local Businesses
New York: 10/25/2011 — Three Men Threatened to Kill 24-Year-Old Occupy Wall Street Protester for Reporting Rape
Baltimore: 10/18/2011 — #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims from Contacting Police
Portland: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Portland’s Attempt At Wealth Redistribution Ends In Theft
Los Angeles: 10/14/2011 – Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street
10/27/2011 — A Death Threat From an Occupy Wall Street Protester
10/27/2011 – Anti-Semitic Tweet From Occupier or Sympathizer
Boston: 10/20/2011 — Occupy Boston Doesn’t Want Police Involved in Rape
New York: 10/5/2011: Anti-Semitic Occupier Screams About Jews, Israel
New York: 10/4/2011 — Occupier Taunts Jewish Man
Boston: 10/2011 — Occupiers Block Street
New York: 10/2011 — Occupier Tries to Steal Police Officer’s Gun
New York: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Block Traffic, Get Arrested
Oakland: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Throw Garbage at Police
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — Abusive #OccupyOakland Protesters Ban Media from Tent City
Eugene, OR: 10/19/2011 — Occupiers Displace Farmers’ Market Threatening Hundreds of Jobs
Portland, OR: 10/18/2011 — Capitalist Offering Jobs at Occupy Portland Finds Few Takers
NY: 10/20/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Threatens Businesses, Patrons
NY: 10/14/2011 — Violence Breaks Out During #OccupyWallStreet March Toward Stock Exchange
NY: 10/14/2011 — Protesters March On Wall Street, Scuffle With Cops
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Protesters Threaten Reporter
Oakland: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Scuffle with Police
Oakland: 10/24/2011 — Protesters Storm, Vandalize, Shut Down Chase Bank
Dayton, OH: 10/22/2011 — Protester: ‘F*ck The Military, F*ck Your Flag, And F*ck The Police’
Chicago: 10/14/2011 – Protesters’ Message At #OccupyChicago Rally: ‘Destroy Israel’
NY: 10/23/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Supporter Rants Against Israel, Jews
NY: 10/22/2011 — #Occupy Kid: ‘Burn Wall Street, Burn!’
NY: 10/21/2011 — New Yorkers Fed Up With Noisy, Defecating Protesters
Oakland: 10/21/2011 — Occupy Oakland Evicted After Reports Of Crime And Intimidation
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Out of Control: Rats, Graffiti, Vandalism, Sexual Harassment, Public Sex and Urination
Chicago: 10/26/2011 – Occupiers Under Investigation by FBI for Links to Terrorism
Cleveland: 10/29/2011 — Rape Reported at Occupy Cleveland
Dallas: 10/24/2011 — Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas
Bloomington, IN: 10/26/2011 — Man Claims Occupy Bloomington Protesters Drugged, Handcuffed Him
NY: 10/10/2011 — Sex, Drugs and Hiding from the Law at Wall Street Protests
Glasgow: 10/26/2011 — Woman Gang-Raped
Boston: 10/23/2011 — Occupy Boston Protesters Arrested For Dealing Heroin – With 6 Year-Old in Tent
Portland: 10/16/2011 – Sex Offender Registers Occupy Portland Camp as Address
Denver: 10/15/2011 — Occupy Denver Demonstrator Accused of Groping TV Photographer
Lawrence, KS: 10/25/2011 — Sexual Assault Reported at Occupy Camp
Minneapolis, MN: Bricks, Rocks, ‘Riot Supplies’ Discovered by Police
Phoenix, AZ: 10/27/2011 — Neo-Nazis Patrol “Occupy Phoenix” With AR-15′s
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Chicago Invades City Hall
10/26/2011 — ACORN, Occupy Email Talks About Assault on Banks
10/26/2011 – OccupyWallStreet Strategy for Reports of Violence Against Cops
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers Wows Occupiers
Chicago: 10/25/2011 — Ayers Coaches #OccupyChicago, Callsg for School ‘Occupations’
10/26/2011/ — Occupy Protests Have Jewish Leaders Concerned
Wash DC: 10/27/2011 – OccupyDC Leftists Provoke Police – Hang Flag on Top of DC Statue
Albuquerque, NM: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Squatters Riot With Police
San Diego: 10/25/2011 — Flag Used as Chew Toy by Occupier’s Dog
Oakland: 10/25/2011 — Occupiers Throw Bottles at Police
NY: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Rush Limbaugh Is Bigger Threat Than Al-Qaeda
10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Launching First Nationwide General Strike in America Since 1946
NY: 10/28/2011 — Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted at OWS
10/28/2001 — Total Occupy Arrests Made Thus Far: 2750
Nashville: 10/28/2011 — 30 Arrests Made at Wall St. Protest
NY: 10/20/2011 — Former Marine Tries to Taunt Police into Violence
NY: 1023/2011 — Islamist Group Joins with Occupy Wall Street
Los Angeles: 10/13/2011 — Roundup of Overt Occupy anti-Semitism
NY: 10/12/2011 — There are No Anti-Semites at Occupy Wall Street. Except for This Guy
Missoula, MT: 10/20/2011 — Drunk 11-Year-Old At Occupy Missoula, Adult Arrested
Oakland: 10/28/2011 — Bounty Out On Police Officer?
Manchester, NH: 10/28/2011 – Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally
San Diego: 10/28/2011 – 40 Occupiers arrested
Boston: 10/24/2011 — Occupy Boston Vandalism of Banks
Boston: 10/25/2011 – Store Owner Suffers 4 Break Ins Since Occupy Boston Began
Portland: 10/28/2011 — Portland Police: Buckets of Excrement Scattered Around #OccupyPortland Camp
Seattle: 10/20/2011 — Two Possible Occupiers Charged With Assault
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Armed Felon Arrested at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — A Tent Fight and (At Least) One Arrest at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/17/2011 — Over 50 Cops Clear Westlake Occupation, Make Eight Arrests
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Cops Arrest Several Occupy Protesters
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Chanting Protesters Surround Police After Officers Arrest Two
Denver: 10/29/2011 — Protesters Clash with Police at OWS Denver
Austin: 10/13/2011 – Occupy Austin protesters arrested for blocking cleaning Crews
Calgary, CN: 10/28/2011 — Occupiers do $40,000 in Property Damage
Cincinnati, OH: 10/21/2011 — 23 Arrested, Remains of protests fill two dumpsters
Sacramento: 10/19/2011 – 9 arrested in ‘Occupy Sacramento’ protest
Sacramento: 10/13/2011 – Four More Occupy Sacramento Demonstrators Arrested
Austin, TX: 10/22/2011 – Man Arrested After Knife Incident at Occupy Austin Camp
Nashville: 10/29/2011 — Tenn. Protesters Arrested For 2nd Straight Night
Austin, TX: 10/30/2011 – Austin Police arrest 38 Occupy Austin Protesters
NY: 10/30/2011 — Woman Assaulted in Her tent
Orlando, FL: 10/28/2011 – Occupy Orlando, police clash over use of downtown park
Orlando, FL: 10/26/2011 – 2 Occupy Orlando protesters arrested for trespass
Orlando, FL: 10/22/2011 – Police arrest 19 Orlando protesters on trespass charges
Asheville, NC: 10/30/2011 – Occupiers Clash with Homeless in Asheville
Nationwide: 10/27/2011 — Pro-Occupy Site claims 2511 Arrests Thus Far
Fort Worth, TX: 10/16/2011 — Arrests at Occupy Fort Worth Protest
NY: 10/29/2011 — Three Incidents of Anti-Semitism
San Francisco: 10-29-2011 — Anti-Semitic, Folsom Street Fair Types & Che Guevara Lovin
Article that contains links to each news article, ranging from New York Times to Miami Herald.