New Video Shows Increasing Aggressions At Occupy Wall Street Protests

October 6, 2011 @ 10:29PM

New Video Shows Increasing Aggressions At Occupy Wall Street Protests

Topics
News

Another video has emerged from last night’s Occupy Wall Street protests showing cops on scooters squaring off with a rowdy crowd of protesters.

At :35 in the video, one of the cops drives his scooter forward into one of the protesters, sending him sprawling back.

This causes the crowd to get even more raucous with at least one protester hurling something towards the cop, which bounces off the windshield of his scooter.

Police actually looked scared of the potential mob violence that could have incurred.

At 1:35 in the video, another cop seems to have an issue with someone with a camera – even though everybody has a camera. He ends up ramming his baton into another protester before dashing off.

Below is another video uploaded to the same Youtube account, which shows more baton-swinging cops telling people to get off the sidewalk. Yes, the sidewalk.

The above video is the first I’ve seen to that shows protesters willing to fight back, which could lead to even a further increase in police aggression.

But considering everybody has a camera, both sides need to be extremely careful not to be the ones to spark the aggression. Because that can change public opinion in seconds.

Comments

Elliott

7 months ago

Instead of being worried about who has cameras why don't both sides act right. The protestors want to make a point, getting violent doesn't help their cause. The cops need to not incite violence or actively break the law themselves, it only hurts their cause. The cops really have the most to lose here, their actions will be scrutinized more highly than the protestors and they risk civil right violations. The cops aren't going to like it when a protestor beats a cop down after an illegal assault from the cop and then walks away with the charges dropped and a check..

Simple position, ACT RIGHT! Anyway, the protest will end by winter, very few people have the stomach for long term cold..

Jon Quimbly

7 months ago

You see violence? I see defiance. Not the same thing at all. People wanting to remain in the streets to continue making a statement about economic disparity.

This protest is no big deal. American protestors are mainly passive, compared with demonstrations in the rest of the world. I haven't witnessed a molotov cocktail deployed at a protest in the U.S. (or a brick, or a rock) since I've been photographing them (about two decades now), and haven't read of one since the 1970s. NYT claimed one was thrown during Seattle WTO 1999, but later issued a retraction.

Look north to Vancouver for a picture of violence, the riots when the Canucks lost to the Bruins... looting and burning department stores and cop cars...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihAx8WyXS9o

London, 2011, where police cars were overturned and destroyed, shops burned...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mij9Wy__LE0&feature=related

South Korea has had the nastiest cop-on-protester riot porn I have ever seen (car factory union protests ca. 2001-2003), but can't find the video online. Police beating protesters on the head with batons... non-violent protesters seated in the street, mind you. Made me nauseous to watch it.

Wall Street, New York? City government want NYPD to sweep protesters out of lower Manhattan, ASAP... but I don't believe that's going to happen any time soon.

Interesting that regular cops are mostly hands-off with the protesters. There's one bit of footage where a protesters slaps the hat of a blue-shirt cop... and the cop just straightens his hat. Under other circumstances, that'd be a felony assault arrest. Interesting times.

Elliott

7 months ago

Defiance using force is Violence, its called a distinction without a difference.

With that said, I'm not saying I have a problem with defiance, I'm not exactly all that compliant myself. And cops seem to think that THEIR word is LAW, they are obviously mistaken.

Yes, by and large we americans are pretty tame protestors.

While I find this protest kind of silly I absolutely believe in their legal rights to do the protest.

As even sillier is many of the groups protesting were directly involved in the mortgage meltdown by pushing Fannie/Freddie into accepting riskier loans, which made those same loans more paletable to other banks..

hhamlet

7 months ago

Jon. The protesters knocked cop scooters over.

Never touch a man's scooter.

I guess the South Central Riots with 53 dead and up to a billion in damages didn't happen? 'Cause I remember the guy getting yanked from his truck at the intersection... Getting smashed in the head with chunks of concrete.

Elliott

7 months ago

I believe that guy's name was Rodney Denney..

dave

7 months ago

How do you know for sure if it was a genuine protester and not a paid provocateur or other variation of useful idiot? Remember it was widely reported that the CIA is working in NYC.

Rich

7 months ago

the state needs these protests to turn violent so that they can be stopped, my bet is that they are placing agitators in the crowd just for that purpose.

Guy Fawkes

7 months ago

They don't even need to place agitators in the crowd, the piggies are doing a pretty good job of that already, especially the bigger piggies, in their starched white shirts.

hal

7 months ago

Rich: i dont happen to agree with that, i am one that believes in the, fight fire with fire...etc. anyone in the USA does have that right to defend them selves from attack, even from THUG COPS! and all those COPS are nothing but THUGS!
they are out there for one reason, to stop this protest however that is done, they dont give a shit.
peaceful protest in NYC with the COPS pulling this type of SHIT.
i am wondering how it has been nothing but peaceful on the protestors side, the PIGGIES are the only ones that have been trying to hurt and injure! so far,

it is 2011, i can only think of what most would do, if the COPS were out numbered, and i was watching right in front of me, someone getting the shit beat out of them for no reason! no matter who was doing it!

Glyph

7 months ago

This thing is just days away from tear gas and molotov coctails. Then someone with an itchy trigger finger will panic, others will follow, and this will become a bloodbath.