Forum Post: Are police purposely helping OWS by arresting?
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 15, 2011, 7:15 p.m. EST by deepthroatloan
(38)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
One of the old school tactics of activists and protesters has been getting arrested. It's one of the best ways to get the media to pay attention, and when the cases go through the court system they get more attention. The police know this. I'm wondering if in some ironic twist the police are actually showing their support by arresting people for doing things like closing their accounts at citibank. If they hadn't arrested anyone, the story would just have been "people shut down their accounts". Who cares? But now people have been arrested! I would think if the police were really against the movement they would only arrest when they had no other choice, not just for people closing a checking account. Any thoughts?
How is shutting down your account provoking the police? I'm thinking about shutting down my BOA account, am I going to be arrested too?
I can't say whether the police sympathies lie with us, but certainly the arrests have helped publicize OWS, and have evoked a lot of sympathy. Here's MY question for you: What would happen if EVERY PROTESTER in Manhattan today had stepped out into the street and laid down....simple civil disobedience. How many could be arrested before choking the machine? How much more can the NYC budget pay for in terms of police overtime, transporting and booking people, etc?
I don't think officers who use pepper spray are secretly supportive, but the bizarre nature of today's arrests leaves me wondering. I mean what are you arresting them for? "You are being charged with closing down your account." WTH?
Are they intentionally helping by arresting? I don't think so.
does it unintentionally help as you outlined? Oh, yes.
The first pepper spray incident and the bridge arrests totally landed OWS on the front page and bought it lots of sympathy.