Windows broken, pepper spray at Seattle May Day protests

[eyeofnewt]

Source: Seattle King 5 news

A group of anarchist May Day protesters marched through Seattle's streets Tuesday, many dressed in black clothes, and wearing masks and face makeup.

Read more: http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/May-Day-protests--149640725.html

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I've been watching this live for approx. the last hour. There's talk of more problems this evening when the crowd is expected to grow at 5:30 (PST).

[TheMightyFavog]

1. Those assholes?

I swear, it's those anarchist morons, particularly the ones who like to take rallies as an excuse to get their jollies from breaking shit that always ruins things.

[liberalmike27]

9. Don't buy into that crap

It's likely a bunch of cops dressed up and causing trouble, agent provocateurs.

[Thegonagle]

2. Get off our side, you violent freaks!

Smashing stuff accomplishes nothing except frustration.

[rocktivity]

11. On OUR side? Maybe what they're really trying to smash

is Occupy's reputation.


rocktivity

[onehandle]

3. Why don't they just dress up as Death Eaters?

That's essentially the image they are projecting.

[Selatius]

4. If they're trying to convince workers of America to unite for better labor conditions ...

then they're not doing a very good job of reaching out to them. At least the Occupy Movement does things to police its own ranks of troublemakers.

[nolabear]

5. I'm in Seattle. Here's what I see on the local news.

The legit protesters were marching, and the anarchist crowd was among them, carrying red flags on big clubs that suddenly became very handy for smashing windows. They also had sledge hammers. They hit the bigger corporate stores like American Outfitters and Niketown and Starbucks, quickly dropped the black hoods and other Anarchist garb and blended in with the crowd. The police started with pepper spray and then went to tear gas. The legit protesters are now in Westlake Park, central downtown gathering spot, are VERY angry at the disruptors, and have another official gathering scheduled for 3:30 and one at 5. We'll see what happens then.

Reporters are all over, some streets are now closed and they're telling people to take off early and get the hell out of town.

I hate this. It becomes the face of the movement, and it has nothing to do with it. People interviewed downtown don't know that the Anarchists are not the Occupiers and are very upset.

I think the police were ready for this possibility but we regular people had no idea. Geesh.

[snooper2]

6. They are obviously way out-numbered, can't some occupy folks grab one or two or three

Do some citizen arrests and make an example of the shits?

A couple jabs to the ribs before the cops show up?

[freshwest]

8. During WTO some of the union people grabbed them and attempted to get them arrested and blocked them

And it was almost violent, what I saw on television.

It appears the Occupy movement is as yet unwilling to identify with unions they see as part of a Democratic establishment.

So they won't use those techniques, honed through years of having to fight for their lives from company goons and police attacking them.

I'm not sure what their response will be, although I've read some reports that indicate they are pointing them out to the police. The withdrawal from the march and setting up at the plaza is a tactic but they are being herded by having to do that.

Overall, KING5 is not that bad in covering these kinds of events, but NWCN was better in the past.

[canuckledragger]

7. this is the 3rd such story I've read about

..I think there is definitely an operation underway to discredit the whole Occupy movement

(it may not be co-ordinated city to city, but it's being done regardless)

[wickerwoman]

10. Yes, let's have an anarchist demonstration on a day commemorating the organised labour movement.

[joshcryer]

14. ...which commemorates an event where anarchists were falsely accused of a bombing.

[Drew Richards]

12. Anybody thought about instead of police...paid agitators?

Possibly even police informants being paid to cause havoc and mysteriously never seem to be arrested and identified?

[slackmaster]

13. I've seen the term agent provovacteur used incorrectly on DU many times today, and it really bugs me

The plural is agents provocateur.

Pardon my Crackberry typing.