Q. for those who might have relevant experience about the best way to respond to the NYPD

[markpkessinger]

It is becoming clearer by the hour that the NYPD is totally out of control, believing that any amount of force is justified in the interest of preserving the flow of traffic (funny, I don't recall the Constitution placing a higher value on preserving the flow of traffic than on the basic right to peaceable assembly).

Apart from supporting the actual subject matter of the protests themselves, it occurs to me that we need to mobilize the public in a large-scale campaign to reign in the NYPD's abuse of citizens exercising their constitutional rights. There needs to be a massive public demand that the NYPD curtail some of its more brutal tactics. So my question, for any one out there who may have relevant knowledge or experience in organizing this sort of thing, is this: what would be the most effective way to go about organizing such a campaign, and to what government officials should any petition or other form of collective statement be directed?

On a related matter, I saw in passing a few days back where Goldman Sachs gave something like $4.2 million last year to the NYPD. How is such a gift, to a government agency chartered to serve all citizens equally, in any wise legal? And if it is legal, should we not be demanding that such gifts be outlawed?

[valerief]

1. Just wait until the National Guard is called out and people are shot a la Kent State.

It's coming. The 1% do not care about the 99%. They only care about their wealth.

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Yeah. NYPD are obviously under orders to END the protest. They can't. Next up...

...and let's hope that any further measures aren't along the same ugly lines. The Guard at least might have some compassion.

We are with you, #OWS!

[valerief]

6. I hope the Guards protect the protesters and don't hurt them. I hope they JOIN the protesters! nt

[RoccoR5955]

4. That will not happen. Don't be stupid! n/t

[valerief]

7. It happened before just 40 years ago. Why wouldn't it happen now?

What would stop it from happening? The same thing that stops the NYPD from clubbing and macing and arresting peaceful protesters? Oh, wait. Nothing is stopping that.

[RoccoR5955]

15. The NYPD were not responsible for Kent State.

So do not equate it with that, and read my reasoning below.

[Logical]

9. What makes you so sure?

[RoccoR5955]

14. There's a difference between stick and mace, and bullets.

If they start a shooting battle, it will be the beginning of a war. I don't think that even the most virulent of white-shirted brass want that in their city

[canoeist52]

3. That was J P Morgan Chase that donated to NYPD in June of this year

[moondust]

5. Is the billionaire mayor pulling their strings?

He would naturally be strong on Wall Street.

[PETRUS]

8. read

From the national lawyers guild.

http://www.nlg.org/wp-content/files_flutter/1290534630final.pdf

[OnyxCollie]

12. Thanks for the link. nt

[Mr Deltoid]

10. Overwhelm the jails

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. We need to expose NYPD's masters and orders. How?

[backscatter712]

13. Anonymous members need to dox the whiteshirts. n/t

[starroute]

16. Our society has systematically eliminated public spaces

It's no use having a constitutional right of assembly if there's no place *to* assemble.

Where there used to be public commons, there are now parks -- the use of which can be strictly controlled. Where there used to be public marketplaces, there are private malls that forbid political activity.

It's part of the larger process whereby the commons is being sucked up and privatized -- but it's a part we haven't noticed as much as some others, until now.

There might conceivably be room for a court case on the question. It seems to me there have been other cases in which it was ruled that it's inadequate to offer a right in theory if there are no means of actually exercising that right.

I'd also be very interested in whether laws intended to control vagrants and genuine public nuisances can be applied to curtail the rights of speech and assembly.

But however such cases might come out in the long run, the abuses are occurring right now -- and they require a more immediate reaction.