Why OWS Needs to Denounce Violent Tactics on Display at Occupy Oakland

[JDPriestly]

35. The problems in Oakland are unique to that city.

I'm not exonerating anyone, but the tension in Oakland has built up over the years. This is not the first situation in which the police have over-reacted, become outrageously violent and elicited a counter-reaction from citizens that got out of hand.

Burning a flag is insulting and not in the spirit of non-violence. But it does not cause harm to any human being.

Entering the City Hall or other buildings does not cause harm to any human being.

Police officers beating up protesters does cause harm to human beings.

That someone is disobeying a regulation about where to place a tent, where to spend the night or whether to walk in the street or on the sidewalk may justify an arrest, but not the kind of violent police action we have seen in Oakland.

The police are the authorities -- sort of like parents. Parents do not have the right to beat a child up just because the child is throwing a tantrum or violating some relatively unimportant rule.

In my opinion, the Oakland police used excessive force considering the violations with which they were dealing. The courts will make the final decision about this.