Police State Tactics On Display Nationwide

In the last couple of days, police at Occupy protests:

• Bludgeoned peaceful protesters at Berkeley … and then said that the protesters’ locking of arms was “violent”

• Beat and reportedly broke the ribs of a peaceful protesting, 70-yea... (and see this).

• Hit in the head and arrested New York City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez

• Targeted reporters for harassment and arrest

The Guardian’s Laura Pennie notes:

Law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population

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A teenage girl holds a hastily written sign saying: “NYPD, we trusted you – you were supposed to protect us!”

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The sentiment is a familiar one. Across Europe, over a year of demonstrations, occupations and civil disobedience, anti-austerity protesters have largely shifted from declaring solidarity with the police – as fellow workers whose jobs and pensions are also under threat – to outrage and anger at state violence against unarmed protesters. Following last month’s police brutality in Oakland, and today’s summary eviction of the Occupy Wall Street camp, American activists too are reaching the conclusion that “police protect the 1%”.

“Who do you guys work for?” Shouts one Manhattan protester, as police load arrestees into a van. “You work for JP Morgan Bank!”

And the Washington Post’s James Downie writes:

As hard as the NYPD and New York City’s government might try to obscure the truth though, one truth remains: At 1 a.m. this morning, in the heart of New York City, protesters exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and assembly were swept away by the state, while that state also did all it could to prevent media coverage. No matter what one may think of the occupiers or their cause, nothing they’ve done justifies blockading the press or ignoring court orders. Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and other New York leaders who ordered the eviction should take a long, hard look at their handling of the occupation. This morning’s action may not be what a police state looks like, but it’s certainly how one begins.