The remarkable photo above [hat-tip Mother Jones’ Mike Mechanic] was taken yesterday by Randy L. Rasmussen of The Oregonian who reports the incident occurred in Portland, where the “police officer deployed pepper spray at SW Yamhill, between the JP Morgan Chase bank and Pioneer Courthouse Square.”
He says “The photo was taken from the southeast corner of the square, looking toward the intersection of 6th and Yamhill after a day of marching through downtown Portland, Ore., by Occupy Portland participants.”
Rasmussen goes on to report that “Several people were arrested” during the march to the Wells Fargo downtown branch in recognition of “N17,” standing for November 17th, the two-month “anniversary” of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
I’m guest hosting the Mike Malloy Show tonight, so haven’t had time to confirm for certain, but I suspect one of those “arrested” was not the officer pepper spraying the apparently peaceful demonstrator in the face.
Add this incident to the growing body of apparently unprovoked police abuse of peaceful citizen demonstrators in the Occupy movement, including (but not limited to):
- Two-tour Iraq War vet Scott Olsen whose skull was fractured by a tear gas cannister fired allegedly by a law enforcement official with Oakland PD’s multi-agency task force on October 25, despite no evidence of a threat from demonstrators;
- Iraq and Afghanistan vet Kayvan Sabehgi whose spleen was ruptured by Oakland cops who allegedly beat him up, even though he was not even demonstrating that same night;
- citizen journalist Scott Campbell who was shot with a bean-bag round by Oakland PD while simply rolling his camera on November 3;
- the Berkeley CA cops who slammed (I’m sorry, AP, “nudged”) batons into the guts of peaceful student demonstrators on the UC Berkeley campus;
- the Dallas cop who pushed a peaceful demonstrator off a 4 foot ledge;
- the Mother Jones journalist Josh Harkinson (who will join us on tonight’s Malloy Show) who reports that he was dragged behind a moving truck by an NYPD officer after midnight on Tuesday morning as riot cops were clearing Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan;
- and, of course, 84-year old Dorli Rainey who similarly received a face full of pepper spray from cops at an Occupy Seattle march on Tuesday.
This is not a Police State. It is a fully weaponized Military State, at this point. Just ask the folks at Occupy Tampa if it feels that way to them…
UPDATE 11/19/11: The outrage — and, yes, torture — of the fully-weaponized Military State continues, as peaceful student demonstrators are lined up and pepper sprayed by cops at UC Davis on Friday. Details/Video…
Rescue 2 is the Patty Wagon
after Rescue 1 makes hamburger out of you…
This is Rescue 3
I suppose you could call it that. Or you could look at the riff raff they are pushing back against and ask if we’re a nation of dumpster divers now, right? I guess it all depends on which side you come down on. But I don’t care who or where you are. You live on the streets long enough and someone is going to tell you to take a hike.
It’s such a nice touch to name your tank “Rescue 2.”
Orwell would be amused.
140dB Sound Cannons. Wow. Just…wow.
Bring on the scoops!
It is no wonder that cities are cutting budgets. These military police have expensive toys that are much more important than social programs to help people. It is more important to keep the ‘terrorist’ in their place.
It will take us all awhile to realize that what OWS really stands for is reaction to the radical structural change that has already taken place in America.
It is a breathtaking change revealed by new census data and analysis of that data.
OWS is a counterrevolution to a coup that has already taken place.
Rescue 2 is a new fangled, RubeKlan only, voting booth!!!
It would be interesting to seee who’s side these so called peace officer would be if they didn’t have such generous pay and retirement benefits.
That said There are some people who believe that the retirement packages offered the public employees are unconstitutional. Some say that the retirement packages are uncostitutional because there is no mechanism in the constitution for the taxation of the many for the benefit of a few. Why should the masses be forced through taxation to pay for retirement packages for civil workers.
Why should the citizens be burdened whit such a debt, Why should widows, single parents and others be forced to sustain the livelihood of a selected few. The constitution give no mechanism for this form of taxation.
I’m sure many, many people see the way OWS can backfire (aka be taken advantage of) by leading to a dictatorship, or set up to end that way?
I hope I’m not the only one whose wondered who’s been organizing all these movements around the world, despite the massive grass-roots support, and I see it as easily a way to end up in a dictatorship.
Heck, consider that OWS, in my opinion, must, must organize or strategize and/or develop a set of goals they want to accomplish because if you ask me, simply getting pepper-sprayed for sitting on the sidewalk, will never get to victory. And, if you ask me, the crazies will start to come out and paid to come out, and things will get really, really violent, and not just the real violence happening now.
I know people don’t like it, but if you ask me there’s got to be a plan to deal with cops like this, which of course necessitates organization among the protesters, which requires leaders, and that’s how you, yet again, get dictators.
So, if anyone knows a way out of this box, I’d be interested hearing it.
I’m not convinced that even MLK knew a way out of the box of overcoming a police state, and sadly wonder if MLK was completely successful in his struggle for civil rights or only partially victorious?
A NY State Judge, retired, was arrested and/or shoved and talked down to by cops, despite her saying to the cop, do you see what my hat says, which was something like, legal observer.
Imagine what they do to the little guy. Actually, I don’t have to. I saw video of the cops wail away at some, no offense, black guy in an antechamber, where he shoved the cop, tried to get on an elevator and then wrestled to the ground to be given a really, really wicked beating, which is funny because I can’t believe that’s in the manual.
Abraham Ben judea @9 wrote:
You picked the wrong blog, Abraham, for the right-wing tactic of “some say.”
The hard right assault on public employee pensions entails sheer drivel. First, pensions are a deferred form of compensation. Second, public employees receive lower salaries in order to secure those pensions. Third, and most importantly, public employees, who serve the public interest, are not the few but the many.
The problem is not taxation per se. It’s a tax structure that permits hedge fund managers to pay less in taxes than their secretaries; that permits multinational corporations making billions in profits to not only fail to pay any taxes, but to receive massive subsidies that come out of the hide of the dwindling middle class.
Te cops are scared because their little extortion racket is close to unraveling. They are no different than the Mafia who said ” nice business you got here,shame something should happen to it.”
The cops say “pay us Vacations, huge retirements and health insurance for life. Or we’ll go on strike.” Police are now enemies of the people. They do have a common phrase, “to protect and serve” Yes proptect and serve themselves to the money of the citizens. Where is the constitutional mechanism that allows for the creation of classes via taxation? Is it constitutional to tax the masses for the benefit of a few as is those few are better than the rest?
@ Mr. Canning. Article 1 section 9 line 4. There they wrote about DIRECT TAXATION. Does anyone who posted on this entire blog page know the difference betweeen a direct tax and an undirect taxation. Another thing Mr.Canning, Do you know that up until the 20th century there was no such thing as property tax? Do you know that property taxation makes NULL the concept of Private property? Ever heard the term “Free and clear?” Well Thanks to property taxes you can have a property that is free of mortgage but never clear? Know why?
Wow. jimbojamesiv @ 10 and Abraham Ben Judea @ 9. That’s some serious “concern trolling” there.
First to Jimbo:
OWS leads to dictatorship? Sorry. Don’t see it. Not by a long shot. But, again, thanks for your “concern”.
Now to Abraham:
So anything that benefits Veterans would also be unconstitutional by your theory? Okay. Bring a suit to the SCOTUS and we’ll see what the actual verdict (versus your own personal interpretation) ends up as.
Until then, again, thanks so very much to both you and Jimbo, for your very important “concern”.
Good Afternoon Brad… The questions asked were about “Private property” and “Free and Clear” as they relate to taxation and the use of those taxes against the citizens themselves. Let’s illustrate it a little better. Ben Judea goes to Brad’s Auto sales, Brad sells, Judea a nice beautiful car. After all is said and done, Brad (the State)says that after Ben Judea is finish with the payments, Ben judea has to pay a dealer(city)relationship fee to upkeep the building and food for the workers. At what point will Ben Judea actually be be free of payments and really own the property? Or is Ben Judea really renting from the dealer? Because as Brad’s auto sales says, “if you don’t pay the relationship fee, the property will have a lien placed on it and sold on the dealer’s web page (county court).
You see Brad, Even if you’ve no mortgage and every year you MUST pay 6 or 7 grand in Taxes. Isn’t that 7 grand per year the same as if you are renting from the county? That’s some trolling Ben Judea is doing.
By the way love the site and the parse between the commenters. I’ve been a reader for many years now.