I asked my friend Daphne, a writer who lives in NYC, to provide some information on the Occupy Wall Street Movement and describe the policy brutality she has witnessed.
Thank you so much for sharing this Daphne!
For the past week and a half, people of all ages and all walks of life have been camping out in the financial district protesting the unaccountability of Wall Street banks and bankers under the self-titled movement Occupy Wall Street. Although I was aware of the protest, it honestly wasn’t something I was paying that much attention to--there had been little to no media coverage and to be perfectly frank, the demonstrations had little bearing on my day-to-day life. However, that all changed this past Saturday when, walking back from brunch in the Village, I saw a several hundred protesters being “kettled” (or pinned with nets) by the NYPD. My boyfriend Eric and I got there right when the police began to rush the demonstrators. It was an utterly frightening and completely confusing situation.
At first, there were only about twenty or so cops on the scene. Then, in a matter of moments, helicopters appeared and nearly 300 or so more officers arrived. At this point both protesters and bystanders had begun to join forces, chanting “let them go” and “let us go” but the cops kept expanding the nets to trap more and more people. It was at this point that things got ugly.
The new police that arrived on the scene either had less understanding about the situation than the officers who intitiated the sting or they were trying to provoke people to violence so they could make arrests. Thankfully, both protesters and bystanders did not resort to violence. However, that cannot be said of the police. The new officers acted as if there had been a bomb or mass murder, throwing people to the ground and up against walls. I saw at least a dozen women get thrown to the ground by 200 pound men. At one point, several women who had been separated from their group and who were clearly confused and upset, were maced for no reason by the NYPD. (video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moD2JnGTToA&feature=youtu.be)
All while this was happening, Eric and I were trying to talk to the officers to get them to explain why a) these people weren’t allowed to peaceably assemble and march and b) why they were being shown such violence when this group clearly had done nothing to warrant such an extreme reaction. Most of the police either refused to speak to us or they told us that if we didn’t stop interfering, we would be arrested as well. There were, in fact, several bystanders arrested for trying to defend the demonstrators.
The most telling moment of the whole horrific afternoon was when, after empty city buses and paddy wagons arrived to serve as makeshift jails, a cop told us that just because “it says you can do something in the Constitution, doesn’t mean that it’s your right.” I think that sentiment really summed up the NYPD’s attitude because not only did they severely violate these people’s 1st amendment rights, they fundamentally disrespected them as human beings. It was disgraceful.
That said, the one positive and inspiring result of Saturday was that I now realize I cannot afford to be a bystander while these people and others around America bravely take a stand against our uninterested government, institutionalized economic corruption, deeply unjust justice system, and extreme and rampant poverty in the supposedly richest country in the world. I spoke with one woman Anna, both at the police raid and the next day at Liberty Square, and she was both hopeful and determined to keep participating and collaborating with this dynamic group. “I’ll be here every day,” she told me, “Because by being here we’re showing people that we are a force.”
The New York Times unfortunately called Occupy Wall Street an “unfocused” movement. That assessment is incredibly unfair because, while this movement started as an anti-oligarchy crusade, it’s base has grown to include people outraged by Troy Davis’ murder, people deeply concerned about institutionalized racism and patriarchy, and people incredibly concerned about America’s wars all over the world. Occupy Wall Street doesn’t need one “thing” to be galvanized over. It is working towards one goal: A better America.
On Saturday, the lines between social activist and casual bystander were blurred and everyone became a witness. I encourage anyone reading this to also be a witness--participate, tweet, facebook, write, blog, donate, and speak your mind. No one will do it for you.
For more information go to occupywallstreet.org or occupywallst.org #occupywallstreet/#occupywallst
