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Dominique · 10-12-2011, 02:04 PM

Originally posted Oct. 01, 2011
Street rights: The Wall Street police clash sends a message
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As protests go, the march from New York's financial district to Union Square last Saturday should not have been a big deal. Although the protesters, a loose coalition of anti-capitalism activists, did not have a permit for the march, their demonstration was generally peaceful and harmless.
Their numbers fell far short of the thousands they would have liked to muster for their ongoing protest, Occupy Wall Street. Still, it was a day for chanting slogans about financial practices that hurt the poor and the middle class, and for waving placards denouncing capitalism, free trade agreements, bank bailouts, the rich and corporate greed.
Because the marchers, who had confined their previous protests to Wall Street, lacked a permit, there was fear in the New York Police Department that the expanded event could turn violent, like the demonstrations that greeted the Group of 20 in London two years ago and the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999.
The New York police moved in to stop the marchers. Video of the operation showed rough tactics being used on unarmed and nonthreatening demonstrators. Marchers were thrown to the ground and dozens were arrested. Four women who were standing behind orange netting were pepper-sprayed by a deputy inspector.
The police insist that the dozens of arrests and the pepper-spraying were done according to procedure. Others on the scene beg to differ. On Wednesday the police commissioner said the Internal Affairs Bureau will look into the pepper spray decision.
Meanwhile, the protests in the financial district are expected to continue because the demonstrators have permission to picket there. Our advice to the NYPD comes courtesy of lessons learned here when Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 in 2009.
There are rights to be balanced out on those streets. A right to peaceably protest. A right to have access to streets, sidewalks and buildings. A right to feel safe.
It's not too much to ask the police to observe those rights. And it's not too much to expect the demonstrators to deliver their message while respecting the same rights as well.

First published on October 1, 2011 at 12:00 am

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11274...#ixzz1abEwstQ4

10-12-2011, 02:04 PM	#257
Dominique Member How Do You Identify?: Female/Lesbian/half the athlete I used to be Preferred Pronoun?: she/her Relationship Status: Dates Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: So proud to be a Pittsburgher Posts: 1,484 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,645 Thanked 3,730 Times in 1,166 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	a letter to the editor Pittsburgh post gazette Originally posted Oct. 01, 2011 Street rights: The Wall Street police clash sends a message Saturday, October 01, 2011 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette As protests go, the march from New York's financial district to Union Square last Saturday should not have been a big deal. Although the protesters, a loose coalition of anti-capitalism activists, did not have a permit for the march, their demonstration was generally peaceful and harmless. Their numbers fell far short of the thousands they would have liked to muster for their ongoing protest, Occupy Wall Street. Still, it was a day for chanting slogans about financial practices that hurt the poor and the middle class, and for waving placards denouncing capitalism, free trade agreements, bank bailouts, the rich and corporate greed. Because the marchers, who had confined their previous protests to Wall Street, lacked a permit, there was fear in the New York Police Department that the expanded event could turn violent, like the demonstrations that greeted the Group of 20 in London two years ago and the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999. The New York police moved in to stop the marchers. Video of the operation showed rough tactics being used on unarmed and nonthreatening demonstrators. Marchers were thrown to the ground and dozens were arrested. Four women who were standing behind orange netting were pepper-sprayed by a deputy inspector. The police insist that the dozens of arrests and the pepper-spraying were done according to procedure. Others on the scene beg to differ. On Wednesday the police commissioner said the Internal Affairs Bureau will look into the pepper spray decision. Meanwhile, the protests in the financial district are expected to continue because the demonstrators have permission to picket there. Our advice to the NYPD comes courtesy of lessons learned here when Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 in 2009. There are rights to be balanced out on those streets. A right to peaceably protest. A right to have access to streets, sidewalks and buildings. A right to feel safe. It's not too much to ask the police to observe those rights. And it's not too much to expect the demonstrators to deliver their message while respecting the same rights as well. First published on October 1, 2011 at 12:00 am Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11274...#ixzz1abEwstQ4