Don’t let the media have you fooled. This is what really happened to the protesters property after the OWS raid last week.
The NYPD smashed/broke laptops, camera’s, tents, all electronics, bikes, etc. and took $5,000 of cash from a man’s backpack. That was all the money he had left to get by.
The cops are now facing legal charges for violating their own rules and not giving protesters receipts for materials “confiscated”.
If one of the catch cries of an entire generation is “fuck the police,” then why the fuck should the police be expected to give a fuck about your stuff?
The better question is what came first, “Fuck the Police” or police brutality?
Depends how you define brutality. The instance with the pepper spray at the university of California was a clear example.
This instance is not. By the look of it these laptops have simply been bulldozed in a general clearing of the area. Nothing vindictive about it.
Besides which, who started it is entirely beside the point. People have been arseholes on both sides since the coal strikes of the 80’s which is where the whole fuck the police thing started. Focusing on who started it is not helpful and only leads to further conflict. Just look at Israel and Palestine.
This occupy movement is arguing for a world where there is greater corporate responsibility, where people more respect and concern for their fellow man.
Surely they should lead by example by heeding their own message and respecting the requests of the owners of the park by clearing out for a day or two so that they can clean it. If they had done so they would have been able to leave in an organized manner and be able to gather up their belongings and everyone’s laptop would have been fine.
.. but that doesn’t justify the police robbing people and vandalising their property. It wasn’t bulldozed, it was confiscated.
The demonstrators aren’t physically hurting anyone. The police have proven time and time again that they can’t handle a generally peaceful demonstration without injuring, vandalising and robbing the demonstrators. Armed thugs is how police are seen, and it’s obvious why.
The demonstrators aren’t physically hurting anyone but the protestors have proven time and time again that they don’t care about anyone else’s rights but their own. They were asked repeatedly to move off for a while so the park could be cleaned.
No one is denying them the right to protest or assemble. The park owners were simply asking them to protest somewhere else for a while.
And after refusing the police were asked to intervene. So the police asked. Then they ordered. Still they were not heeded.
The police see protesters as disagreeable hippies and its obvious why.
Again I will agree that beatings and pepper sprays are unwarranted and an example of brutality, when all you have to do with passively resisting protestors is drag them away.
At present however there is no evidence that these laptops have been damaged on purpose by nasty vandalizing gestapo NYPD.
