Oct 19 2011
Arrests of Occupy Protestors Continue Around Nation
A handful of Occupy Seattle protestors were arrested on Monday for refusing leave their encampment at Westlake Park. Police forcibly collapsed tents and reportedly rode through the area on bikes demanding occupants clear the area after establishing the tent city on Saturday during the Occupy movement’s Global Day of Action. In Chicago, about 175 protestors were arrested in the early morning hours on Sunday from their camp at Congress Plaza. The Chicago Tribune reports police confronted the group of about 500 protestors just before midnight and warned arrests would be made of all those who remained in violation of the park’s closing time. It took police nearly two hours to make the arrests. One Chicago protestor told the Tribune, “I’d like to ask why (New York Mayor Michael) Bloomberg let the people stay in the park peacefully and clean up their own mess, and Rahm Emanuel won’t let us do the same.” Even though the mass eviction of Occupy New York protestors last Friday from their headquarters at Zucottti Park was called off, a celebratory march turned chaotic. As we reported last week arrests were made by the NYPD who continued to make headlines for aggressive treatment of demonstrators. An officer was caught on video punching a protestor in the face, knocking the man down, and possibly trying to kick him before fellow officers and protestors intervened. In another incident caught on tape, a man’s leg was broken after an officer on a motorcycle ran him over. Swept up in the arrests on that day was Jim Lafferty, Executive Director the National Lawyer’s Guild Los Angeles chapter, visiting Occupy New York. Lafferty and his partner Bonnie Garvin were caught on tape being roughly pulled from a crowd by police. Lafferty was thrown to the ground while being handcuffed. The National Lawyers Guild began offering its services to Occupy protestors beginning with the first arrests, and now Lafferty will be one its clients as well.
GUEST: Jim Lafferty, Executive Director the the National Lawyer’s Guild Los Angeles chapter and host of The Lawyers Guild radio show every Thursday evening at 7pm here on KPFK
Watch a video of Lafferty’s arrest:
One Response to “Arrests of Occupy Protestors Continue Around Nation”
Isn’t it great to see all the young protesters these days in the streets and parks. It’s like the sixties again. I was wondering when the next generation would stand up and be counted.
The only problem is they are naively protesting the wrong things. Wall Street makes money, creates jobs and grows the economy. They need to go take over Congress, the White House and all the State Legislatures. Those are the people who waste all our money, cripple the economy, and get rich doing it.
I hope today’s youngsters will soon wise up and focus their efforts in the place we need it most – our bloated, inefficient government and the greedy fat-cats that run it. We don’t need social reform like we did in the sixties as much as we need reform of the “Executive Branch” – starting with the President, Senators and Congressman and continuing all the way down to the town Mayors in every city coast to coast.
We need a clean sweep replacing them all with elected “people” who do it out of a sense of honor and duty and who are “True Representatives” for the rest of us regular schlubs.
Right on, brothers and sisters. Keep the faith. Rock the establishment. And let your freak flags fly!