My Occupy LA Arrest, by Patrick Meighan
myoccupylaarrest.blogspot.com
myoccupylaarrest.blogspot.com
There was a video going around a couple of weeks ago about how "peaceful protesters" were pepper-sprayed and arrested by the cops. All news organizations showed us only what they wanted to show us to make a point that the cops were the bad ones in the situation.
The full video showed the protesters not listening when the cops told them to leave, making a circle around them, and not allowing them to leave. The cops also told them to cover their eyes because they were about to get sprayed.
I wish people from both sides would stop spewing out so much propaganda.
You're either claiming that the posting is a fake, or that the author (someone quasi-notable, even) has outright lied about their treatment. You're spewing FUD to justify your continued fantasy where the cops are the good guys.
Honestly, created 8 days ago? I hate Eternal September.
Haha, I've been reading HN for 3+ years now. In fact, I was thinking the same thing when I read your response. A forum is supposed to be about expressing your opinions. I wasn't being offensive but because I'm not all on board with your opinions, you have to jump to conclusions and throw an online temper tantrum. It's things like these that will make me leave HN for good (believe me, I've thought about it many times).
Moving on from the ad hominem.....
"You're either claiming that the posting is a fake, or that the author (someone quasi-notable, even) has outright lied about their treatment. You're spewing FUD to justify your continued fantasy where the cops are the good guys."
Would you call not telling an important part of the story lying? I'm sorry but I've seen too many OWS supporters spread false information about their situation in order to make themselves look like the good guys. I can't tell you how many Photoshopped pictures I've seen as the truth and other people out-right denying things that happened.
If you can't be an adult and tell me the truth, I will never be on your side.
I also don't know about you but I don't automatically assume everything that a "quasi-notable" author/star/etc is the truth. This is how many countries have gotten themselves into trouble.
> Each seated, nonviolent protester beside me who refused to cooperate by unlinking his arms had the following done to him: an LAPD officer would forcibly extend the protestor’s legs, grab his left foot, twist it all the way around and then stomp his boot on the insole, pinning the protestor’s left foot to the pavement, twisted backwards. Then the LAPD officer would grab the protestor’s right foot and twist it all the way the other direction until the non-violent protestor, in incredible agony, would shriek in pain and unlink from his neighbor
> When I involuntarily recoiled from the pain, the LAPD officer threw me face-first to the pavement. He had my hands behind my back, so I landed right on my face. The officer dropped with his knee on my back and ground my face into the pavement
> a separate team of LAPD officers used knives to slice open every personal tent in the park ... and then yanked out and destroyed any personal property inside those tents
> As a reminder, Antonio Villaraigosa has referred to all of this as “the LAPD’s finest hour.”
So, we have a group of people in a public park exercising their right to protest, whereby they are arrested with systematic excessive force while their belongings are destroyed. What could have been omitted that would possibly justify this?
Furthermore, you're asserting that the author must be lying in some way, without presenting any proof of your own. I can only conclude you aren't looking for truth at all, but for justification to dismiss the post as it doesn't fit with your world view.
Your right to protest does not include a right to occupy a public park for an indefinite amount of time.
As to their property, they were given notice that it would be removed. They ignored said notice. Again, what would you have the police do?
Acceptable answers result in the property removed without the cooperation of the owners or significant costs to the city.
FWIW, Villarigosa's statements in favor of these actions are perhaps the best argument against them in my mind because he's a disaster.
By waiting for them to do something they should actually be arrested for, rather than using trumped up misdemeanor charges as an excuse to quash dissent.
> Your right to protest does not include a right to occupy a public park for an indefinite amount of time.
Actually, it does. Every one of these protesters is choosing to spend their time in this park (symbolizing something) rather than carrying about their lives. What harm is being done? Public parks aren't in short supply.
> significant costs to the city.
Government efficiency is an anti-feature. If police save 50% doing something a certain way, that just means they'll do twice as much of it.
> By waiting for them to do something they should actually be arrested for
That's not a mechanism for unlinking.
> Government efficiency is an anti-feature. If police save 50% doing something a certain way, that just means they'll do twice as much of it.
In other words, you want to abolish govt spending. Great!
Also, it's not my job to brainstorm ways for the police to carry out their missions, and some things will always be physically impossible for them to do. Tough. For example, it's probably impossible to read my encrypted disks. Does this mean the police, in the process of collecting evidence, should be able to beat me until I unlock them?
> In other words, you want to abolish govt spending. Great!
You state this as if you expect it to be incongruent with my beliefs. Honestly, the most worrisome part of OWS is seeing supposed small-government people supporting heavy-handed disruption of the protesters.
Because gHod knows that comedy show writers always tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth....