Report: Fights erupt among Occupy Wall Street protesters

[Synicus Maximus]

Source: USA today

Fights are erupting among Occupy Wall Street protesters, so much so that one corner of Zuccotti Park has emerged where protesters say they won't go for fear of their safety, the New York Daily News is reporting.

Police officers also have been warned of "dangerous instruments" being concealed in cardboard tubing, the News says it has been told by unidentified police sources.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/10/report-fights-erupt-between-occupy-wall-street-protesters/1

[virgogal]

1. The local thugs were bound to ruin it. Sad.

[gateley]

3. I hope the peaceful ones (the vast majority) just move away

and stay away. Don't LET them ruin it!

[PETRUS]

8. The occupiers do a really good job

of constantly patrolling, alerting people to trouble, and sending groups trained in de-escalation to handle incidents (which aren't particularly common) as soon as they erupt. But it ain't easy - the anti-OWS folks are sending in all kinds of disruptive people.

There's another dynamic at play, too - it looked to me as though some of the bourgeois kids just can't get comfortable around the homeless people.

[gateley]

17. They DO do a really good job! Bound to be some tension at

times, but I think the good guys would not get sucked into the melees that might occur.

Interesting observation about the burb kids - I bet you're right.

[Cal Carpenter]

22. Unfortunately I think you are right

about some people not being comfortable out of their middle class bubble. But hopefully they will learn a lot being there.

[No Elephants]

30. If they are there in the first place, I am guessing they are pretty good kids.

[PETRUS]

47. They absolutely are.

GREAT kids, even. At least those with whom I had a chance to speak. But some of them are clearly out of their element and I did see evidence of class-based prejudice, which is incongruous with the nature and objectives of the movement. We all have things to learn and biases to overcome, that's all.

[TheDebbieDee]

5. Maybe the troublemakers are plants!

I say, we should blame all bad "Occupation" behavior on plants! Plants are right-wing pieces of shit dispatched to discredit the "Occupy" movement and piss off the cops.

[willhe]

41. yep

totally agree. say all the trouble making assholes work for faux

[socialist_n_TN]

45. There you go..........

And it has the added attraction that it's probably true. :)

[meow2u3]

61. I fourth that one

The troublemakers are either plants, provocateurs, or right-wing assholes.

[a simple pattern]

9. Especially after they were sworn to protect and serve.

I guess they only protect and serve the 1%.

[virgogal]

11. Give it a rest.

[Hissyspit]

16. Second Scandal In A Week Rocks New York Cops

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/28/second-scandal-in-a-week-rocks-new-york-cops/

[msongs]

14. you mean the police who are complaining they can no longer violate the law themselves? nt

[No Elephants]

26. Belated welcome to DU.

Here, your feelings, opinions and reactions are as valid and welcome as anyone else's.

As long as your posts are within board rules, don't let anyone shut you down. Have fun!

[No Elephants]

29. It's not ruined.

[PETRUS]

2. I was just there for four days.

The NYPD appears to be steering "problems" towards the park. There was also ample evidence of provocateurs.

[No Elephants]

28. Early in the occupation, I read a high school senior's account of how he got arrested at OWS.

Police barricades had been set up around the area to mark the route.

If you followed them, you ended up in this one spot.

When the crowd got large enough, the police threw a net over it and "kettled" the demonstrators, then started arresting them for supposedly bad behavior of some kind.

Sounded to me like the cops were very much in control and being provocative themselves.

I would not eliminate the possibility that some of the provocateurs, maybe even some of the "homeless" people, were cops in "plain clothes."

[killbotfactory]

4. I call bullshit. nt

[PETRUS]

12. Good call.

That park is rather clean and safe compared to a lot of Manhattan.

[digidigido]

27. You haven't been to Manhattan recently, Manhattan is clean and safe

[PETRUS]

44. I was just in Manhattan

And for the last 10 years I've spent a few days there every month.

[Change has come]

36. I second the call of bullshit.

there is a pattern of bullshit with this OP.

[catnhatnh]

6. May I be the first to say...

Horsecock? Please never quote "unidentified police sources" that support the smearing of protests.

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. And we can trust USA Today?!

[Limelight]

10. Horseshit

KO just went over this on Countdown actually. Bottom line, anonymous police sources who've been likely chomping at the bit to bust some heads and totally would if not for all these pesky cameras and that damn internet, are not to be trusted.

[No Elephants]

31. And, they may want payback for poor ole Tony Baloney. They've been provocative from the jump.

Please see Reply 28.

[SkyDaddy7]

39. I find it quite telling that FOX News was claiming

There were uncontrolled fighting two weeks ago when no one was saying it...I bet the daily orders given to all FOX CRONIES said push the uncontrolled fighting because they knew there would be fighting as the plan was already in motion to ensure there would be fights. They are probably using Brietbart & his gang of thugs to start fights. Who knows.

[zbdent]

13. and the guy with the rifle outside a Dem "town hall meeting" was fine and good

for the "law enforcement" people not too long ago ...

but you have a "report" of someone at an OWS protest having an "AK47" (I thought that having one of those was illegal anyway) in a state which probably has a "right to carry" clause in their laws (Georgia) ... and suddenly it's okay for the "law enforcement" to lob tear gas "for the protesters' safety" ... nothing like blinding a guy with a gun to set him off firing wildly in a crowd for "safety" ...

[cvoogt]

18. AK47 guy was there for his own reasons...

He does not actually support OWS, but was there to support people's right to protest ... I tried finding the link for that particular quote but could not ... I may need to go through my browser history.
ps. it's *legal* to carry that sort of weapon (registered) in Atlanta. Not that I agree with that.

[stillrockin]

15. That's bullshit.

[Cal Carpenter]

19. Add me to those calling bullshit.

I was there for a few days. I will be there again.

Yeah, it's not all sunshine and roses 24/7. Shocking. But if there were 'fights erupting', wouldn't that be all over the news with photos and videos? There are cops all over the edges of the park all day and night. Wouldn't there be arrests?

The most disruptive people are clearly agitators, paid or not, I don't know. They get surrounded and the situation is diffused peacefully.

There was one internal conflict that involved a bunch of yelling when I was there. Not that big of a deal.

The source of this info sucks, the article sucks.

Honestly, the park isn't that big. If one corner of the park is dangerous and scary then the whole place is. Anyone who has spent any time there and doesn't have a racist, bourgie stick shoved up their ass knows that isn't the case, or people wouldn't be staying there.

[zbdent]

23. isn't it interesting that the "infiltrators" of "TEA Party" protests were accused of the violent

crime of ... carrying misspelled signs (to embarrass the TPers) ...

if it can be proven that the violence of the OWS protests was mostly due to "infiltrators" ... will the OWS protesters get that bye from the "liberally-biased media" like the TPers got?

[vanbean]

35. And add the egg and I. It's classic Ma and Pa Kettle.

[Fire Walk With Me]

20. "Dangerous instruments", lied an unidentified policeman. So they can close it all down.

Like the rifle toter in Atlanta.

Lying fucking fuckers. Their owners would gladly lay them off in a second and they don't get it.

[EC]

21. This is from THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

being re-reported by USA Today, I for one don't believe the source.

[alp227]

24. and they can't find any tear gas for the fighters

yet the Oakland police used tear gas and explosions in response to weak claims that OWS'ers were throwing dishes?

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[No Elephants]

32. The ugly, violent, lying face of the right attacks the left yet again.

Peaceful demonstrators, tear gas, rubber bullets, nightsticks. Young vet in a coma, brain swelling, like Gabby Giffords.

Police raids in the middle of the night, when the demonstrators are doing nothing more than sleeping.

Russell Simons shows up to tell demonstrators to be nonviolent!

Boston's parks, designed by the same guy that designed NY's Central Park, are called its "emerald necklace." Lots of room for demonstrators. Plus, the Rose Kennedy Greenway is fairly long and has some benches.

However, Mayor Menino confines demonstrators in a tiny space near a large train station that amounts to a slightly wide median strip on one of Boston's busiest streets. You don't even have room to walk around the tents.

Then, after sending police in a few times in the middle of the night, he claims to support the demonstration. However, hje sends inspectors to see if tiny area, the only area HE allows, is too overcrowded to be safe and sanitary.

Stories get planted in the media. The media can't wait to print them, and even Democrats automatically tsk tsk about violence among the demonstrators.

Unreal.

"God bless America?" "God help Americans" is more like it.

God help us, especially if things ever get bad enough that we try to do anything more than hold a sign up for passing cars and pedestrians to see.

Wake up, Americans.

[Lint Head]

33. Not sure I trust the source. USA Today? Parks in NYC at night have always had isses.

[dixiegrrrrl]

59. USA today owned by Gannett.

Gannett owns USA Today, USA Weekend, USA Today Sports Weekly, and the USA Today Information Network.

Gannett owns 100 daily newspapers in the USA; the Army Times, Navy Times, Navy Times Marine Corps, Air Force Times, Federal Times, Defense Times, and Military Market.

Gannett also owns:

* 16 newspapers in the United Kingdom
* 16 television stations in the USA
* Partial interests in the Cincinnati Reds, Classified Ventures Com LLC, (with competitors Knight Ridder, the New York Times Company, Times Mirror, Washington Post Co., and Tribune Co.)
* Quarter share in BrassRing Inc. (Human Resources services and software)
* Gannett partners with General Electric (GE) on Space.com and with Kight Ridder and Tribune Media on CareerBuilder.com

[red dog 1]

34. COINTELPRO LIVES.!!!

[Change has come]

37. With a Santa avatar!

How trustworthy! How transparent!

[No Elephants]

40. nicely done

[byronius]

38. Well, well. They Who Shall Not Be Named, Named.

Look for the wingtips, Anita said.

[EFerrari]

48. Hai there, old friend!

lol

[BeHereNow]

56. lol n/t

bhn

[Le Taz Hot]

42. Nobody's buying this.

Unrec. for spreading propaganda to people who will recognize it for what it is every time.

[CanonRay]

43. The New York Daily News is reporting.

That is all you need know about this story. Surely Rupert wouldn't tell a lie.

[EFerrari]

49. Are you sure he owns this paper? I don't think so. ETA:

Wikipedia says it's Zuckerman?


"In addition to his publishing and real-estate interests, Zuckerman is also a frequent commentator on world affairs, both as an editorialist and on television. He regularly appears on MSNBC and The McLaughlin Group and writes columns for U.S. News & World Report and the New York Daily News.

"While Zuckerman has always randomly switched back and forth between the parties,"<9> since the late 1970s, he has donated more than $68,000 to American political candidates with $42,700 going to Democratic politicians and $24,000 to independent interests.<10>"

[dipsydoodle]

50. owned and run by Mortimer Zuckerman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_News_%28New_York%29

[bemildred]

46. Report: USA Today is full of useless drivel. nt

[EFerrari]

51. When I follow the USA link to NYDN, I get an error page.

When I search the story there, I don't find it. But the USA Today story has been picked up all over the place. Maybe USA Today made it up. lol

[coalition_unwilling]

54. "USA Today" is owned by media conglomerate Gannett. Gannett is

pretty bad when it comes to objective, non-biased reporting. (The best conglomerate, imo, is McClatchy.)

[EFerrari]

55. I haven't seen anyone read USA Today since 8th grade English class.

lol

[coalition_unwilling]

57. News and business coverage is abominable, but features

writing last time I perused an issue was passable. Gannett as a conglomerate seems though to have some of the worst writing and reporting out there, almost as if it is the farm leagues for the majors.

[Odin2005]

52. Bullshit.

[Downtown Hound]

53. Hmm...as told by "unidentified police sources."

Well, I'm sold. I believe every word of it, because I'm a total fucking moron.

[JackRiddler]

58. Indeed: BULLSHIT!

[Marazinia]

60. And the smear campaigns ramp up

Watching these protests and the reaction to them from police and media and officials is all the confirmation I ever needed that protest alone will not change things. They'll destroy this movement with harassment and lies if this is all there is to it.