Tear gas deployed against Occupy: Oakland. Crackdowns begin across the US.

[Bob Hubbard]

Reports are trickling in that Oakland California police have deployed tear gas against Occupy: Oakland protesers who had reportedly become violent and begun throwing rocks and paint at police. Mainline media reports are spotty as all major news media helicopters needed to get fuel at the time the gas was deployed. No reporters were on the ground as the protesters had previously made it clear their safety was at risk should they stay.

[h=2]Media Turns Away As Oakland PD Fires Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets At Protesters[/h] Occupy Oakland activists were very adamant last week when they forbade reporters from recording them, even to the point of assaulting and siccing a dog on them. So they shouldn’t be surprised when the media turned its cameras off as police fired tear gas, bean bags and flash grenades at the activists Tuesday night, turning an American city into a blistering war zone. Was it the right thing [...]

Police in Atlanta Georgia arrested a number of protesters after some were seen carrying weapons, including an assault rifle.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/us/occupy-wall-steet/index.html?&hpt=hp_c1

Additional reports indicate that police are now moving on Occupy camps in Albuquerque New Mexico, and Portland Maine.

NYC is also reported to be preparing to move on the original movement however several other reports on that front have contradicting news.


My question is a simple one. How many people will be killed in what is ultimately a doomed and misguided and misdirected effort?

 

[granfire]

Ok, just looking at a little snipped of the supposed facts:
Tell me again, why exactly is it bad to keep assault rifles out of private hand?


But over all, I suppose it was to be expected. Peaceful protest does have a long standing history of attracting the (mostly unemployed) nuts and trouble makers. Eventually the protests will become a stage for the anarchists.

(In retrospect, I am still amazed that the East German protests in 89 did not turn violent, though in that case courtesy of the state)

 

[Empty Hands]

Police in Atlanta Georgia arrested a number of protesters after some were seen carrying weapons, including an assault rifle.http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/us/occupy-wall-steet/index.html?&hpt=hp_c1

Bit of a double standard, none of the guys like this were arrested:

Additional reports indicate that police are now moving on Occupy camps in Albuquerque New Mexico, and Portland Maine.

Now that is funny. I happened to be in Portland on business last Saturday, and saw the Occupy group. There were maybe 9-10 people.

My question is a simple one. How many people will be killed in what is ultimately a doomed and misguided and misdirected effort?

Probably none. If some do die however that doesn't make protestors engaging in Constitutionally protected speech in the wrong. No more than if the cops had decided to shoot up all the Tea Partiers carrying guns and assault rifles at their rallies.

 

[granfire]

Bit of a double standard, none of the guys like this were arrested:

Now that is funny. I happened to be in Portland on business last Saturday, and saw the Occupy group. There were maybe 9-10 people.



Probably none. If some do die however that doesn't make protestors engaging in Constitutionally protected speech in the wrong. No more than if the cops had decided to shoot up all the Tea Partiers carrying guns and assault rifles at their rallies.

I am assuming the man with the red hat is not a LEO....

 

[JohnEdward]

One thing is it is Oakland, and if you have lived there you know what I mean, and you would think something like this would have already happened in New York. In any large peaceful demonstration like this you're going to have antagonizer(s) who are bent on the intent to break the peace and turn things into chaos. Be it a cop, someone sent in, or a rouge individual. It goes along the lines of how in the hell do riots break out in some cities and not others after large sporting events. Do you discredit all sporting events because of the fans in a city go rouge and riot, because there are injuries and deaths? Overall, for the length of time and duration, and so far after all these months this event has been peaceful, with no deaths as implied. The worse that has happened that has made the headlines up until this point is rouge New York cops pepper spraying peaceful unsuspecting woman as it where sport. If this didn't cause a riot in New York then it says the protesters resovle is doing the Gandhi.

 

[Carol]

I happened to be in Portland on business last Saturday

Aww you didn't say hello? Bummer

 

[JohnEdward]

As many years ago that it was I hope lessons are learned from the Kent State shootings, I hope. As pointed out by another poster here there are no groups carrying automatic rifles or side arms openly among the protestors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings.

 

[Empty Hands]

Aww you didn't say hello? Bummer

I thought you were in Mass? I only had a few hours.

 

[Carol]

I thought you were in Mass? I only had a few hours.

I left Mass and went north! Bought a condo up in New Hampshire. Business travel on a Saturday stinks...I'm sure you would rather be at home with your family! But if you're this far north again, I'd be more than happy to head over to Portland to meet you for a drink or a bite.

 

[Empty Hands]

I left Mass and went north! Bought a condo up in New Hampshire. Business travel on a Saturday stinks...I'm sure you would rather be at home with your family! But if you're this far north again, I'd be more than happy to head over to Portland to meet you for a drink or a bite.

I will remember that! It's possible I will be moving to Portland in the next 4-5 months, but I'm not sure yet.

 

[Carol]

I will remember that! It's possible I will be moving to Portland in the next 4-5 months, but I'm not sure yet.

Very cool! Definitely keep me in the loop. Try not to move north in January or February if at all possible, moving in the snow gets....challenging.

 

[billc]

Here you go OWS guys...

 

[JohnEdward]

I get the picture it is funny. Another would be instead of the riot police, a group of hot women in bikinis standing around a guy looking like The Donald sitting on the deck of a mega yacht smoking a Bolivar and holding a bottle of Cristal with a scraggly worn out protester as a foot rest, with the same heading underneath it. I wish, I had photoshop.

 

[ballen0351]

It's possible I will be moving to Portland in the next 4-5 months, but I'm not sure yet.

Wow from Fla to Portland thats a shock to the system weather wise.

 

[David43515]

Okay, so let me get this straight. This is just a summary of the news reports I`ve read lately on Yahoo News and CNN but here goes.

Protesters are carrying weapons where they are actually illeagal, they`ve been interfereing with fire and rescue personell called into treat injured people, they`ve been crapping and pissing all over the sidewalk, they`ve threatened and chased off bystanders (the press), and they have had physical and sexual assaults take place in their groups that they`ve tried to talk people out of reporting. Now that their trash is piling up to the point that it`s created a public health risk they`ve been told to move on to another location until it can be cleaned up or they`ll face arrest. And after they`ve been moved by police they try to return and in the process begin throwing rocks and paint at police officers. (Some peacefully do the sit in thing and are arrested　 for trespassing and such) The ones who were coming back, disturbing the peace,interfereing with the police and occasionally assulting an officer with a rock or bottle of paint got tear gassed. Is that how it stands?

And they`re saying that violates their free speech? Like the old saying goes, my right to swing my arm ends where your nose begins. Their refusal to work within the system society sets up to make changes just enssures that 1) the changes they want won`t happen and 2) that society will end up turning on them.

 

[kegage]

Bit of a double standard, none of the guys like this were arrested:

Now that is funny. I happened to be in Portland on business last Saturday, and saw the Occupy group. There were maybe 9-10 people.



Probably none. If some do die however that doesn't make protestors engaging in Constitutionally protected speech in the wrong. No more than if the cops had decided to shoot up all the Tea Partiers carrying guns and assault rifles at their rallies.

Here's the story I found on this man.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PHXBeat/60504

Kevin

 

[Empty Hands]

Wow from Fla to Portland thats a shock to the system weather wise.

It won't be my first. I've moved from Oregon, to Baltimore MD, to Los Angeles, then to Florida, now Maine or who knows where else. The life of a scientist.

 

[granfire]

It won't be my first. I've moved from Oregon, to Baltimore MD, to Los Angeles, then to Florida, now Maine or who knows where else. The life of a scientist.

And the view from the dungeon of the Ivory Tower is the same everywhere, no?

 

[Sukerkin]

Okay, so let me get this straight. This is just a summary of the news reports I`ve read lately on Yahoo News and CNN but here goes.

<snip many good and pertinent statements>

And they`re saying that violates their free speech? Like the old saying goes, my right to swing my arm ends where your nose begins. Their refusal to work within the system society sets up to make changes just enssures that 1) the changes they want won`t happen and 2) that society will end up turning on them.

The thing that troubles me in the background to this is that the image of the protesters' being delivered by the media seems largely one made of cliches deliberately chosen to inflame right-minded peoples opinions against them. Whilst it may well be true that they are all like that after all, the worry is that we, the ignorant viewer/listener/reader have no way of easily verifying the truth of the image being delivered.

Which means that they who decide what image we are fed are the ones with an inordinate sway on the turn of events - that is not comfortable.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Police in Ohio and Albany NY have reportedly refused to remove protesters who have been acting peaceful and within the law. In Buffalo, the protest is literally across the street from city hall which has given some approval of the encampment provided they continue to be peaceful. To my knowledge, there haven't been any arrests in the Buffalo group...though they are reportedly getting quite sick of donated ramen noodles.