Friday, November 18, 2011

VIDEO: Retired officer: Cops work for the 1 percent OWS VIDEO By Peter Finocchiaro /Salon / Plus Three More #OSW Articles

Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 2:02 PM 06:16:15 PST

Retired officer: Cops work for the 1 percent

Former Philadelphia police officer Ray Lewis has some harsh words for law enforcement at OWS VIDEO

Retired police captain Ray Lewis
Retired police captain Ray Lewis (Credit: YouTube/paulus1st)
Retired Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis joined the Occupy Wall Street movement in Zuccotti Park this week, and was arrested early this morning). Here Lewis voices leveled serious criticisms against Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Police Department over their handling of the protests.
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More Peter Finocchiaro
    Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 1:30 PM 06:16:15 PST

    The NYPD has discredited itself

    Tough tactics and intolerance favor the rich and flout the rule of law

    An Occupy Wall Street demonstrator is arrested
    An Occupy Wall Street demonstrator is arrested by New York City police. (Credit: Mike Segar / Reuters)
    In early stages of Occupy Wall Street, I sometimes encountered people who harbored a legitimate concern: Wouldn’t prolonged media attention to altercations between police and demonstrators distract from the movement’s message? This apprehension always struck me as misguided. What could be more central to Occupy’s guiding philosophy than the idea that the rule of law has been subverted by corporate interests? In collusion with government functionaries and beyond meaningful accountability from the public, these interests have created a separate realm of law for themselves — one that orients the financial and political systems in their favor, to the detriment of everyone else. If this is indeed true, and the law itself is marred by a systemic corruption, then law enforcement — manifested physically in the form of police officers — is an appropriate focus for a social movement seeking redress of grievances.
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    Michael Tracey is a writer based in New York. His work has appeared in The Nation, Mother Jones, Reason, The American Conservative, and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @mtracey More Michael Tracey
    Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 12:00 PM 06:16:15 PST

    Occupy Philly debates: Move or get moved?

    Sitting on a job site, the embattled movement has to make a choice

    Occupy Philadelphia tis hreatened with eviction.
    Occupy Philadelphia tis hreatened with eviction. (Credit: ellectricity / CC BY 3.0)
    With Occupy Wall Street encampments evicted in New York, Oakland and Portland, Ore., Occupy Philly’s 300-tent protest is one of the largest left standing. But Occupy Philly and Mayor Michael Nutter’s relationship, once a national model of protester-politician amity, has turned sour. And the mayor has signaled that he is prepared to evict protesters.
    The conflict pivots about the planned reconstruction of Dilworth Plaza, City Hall’s massive concrete front lawn where protesters are camped out. Protesters voted to stay put last Friday, citing a lack of communication from the mayor about a possible relocation. The mayor held a press conference the next day declaring that protesters must leave, and last night announced that the “project’s commencement is imminent. Accordingly, you should take this opportunity to vacate Dilworth Plaza and remove all of your personal belongings immediately.”
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    Daniel Denvir is a staff writer at Philadelphia City Paper and a contributing writer for Salon. You can follow him at Twitter @DanielDenvir. More Daniel Denvir
    Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 7:31 AM 06:16:15 PST

    Police scuffle with Occupy Wall Street protesters

    Tensions run high as demonstrators clash with officers just south of Wall Street VIDEO

    OWS scuffle
    (Credit: Salon/Justin Elliott)

    (Video recorded by Salon’s Justin Elliott)
    More Peter Finocchiaro
    Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 5:07 AM 06:16:15 PST

    DHS denies OWS eviction role

    In response to internet rumor, DHS says, "Only in Portland"

    Occupy Wall Street protesters
    DHS denies role in OWS evictions (Credit: AP/John Minchillo/Salon)
    Yesterday, the very funny but not exactly journalistic blog Wonkette posted a story “Surprise, Homeland Security Coordinates #OWS Crackdowns,” linking to a post in the Examiner stating that “according to one Justice official, each of those actions was coordinated with help from Homeland Security, the FBI and other federal police agencies.”
    The official, who spoke on background to me late Monday evening, said that while local police agencies had received tactical and planning advice from national agencies, the ultimate decision on how each jurisdiction handles the Occupy protests ultimately rests with local law enforcement.
    According to this official, in several recent conference calls and briefings, local police agencies were advised to seek a legal reason to evict residents of tent cities, focusing on zoning laws and existing curfew rules. Agencies were also advised to demonstrate a massive show of police force, including large numbers in riot gear. In particular, the FBI reportedly advised on press relations, with one presentation suggesting that any moves to evict protesters be coordinated for a time when the press was the least likely to be present.
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    Daniel Denvir is a staff writer at Philadelphia City Paper and a contributing writer for Salon. You can follow him at Twitter @DanielDenvir. More Daniel Denvir

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