Forum Post: Please, do not demonize the NYPD...congratulate them!
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 16, 2011, 1:24 p.m. EST by Occupyfailed
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They are the heros of 9/11 and will be the heros of any future attacks against New York City. They protect and keep safe over 8+ million people. They protect and keep it safe for all those who visit and work in the city.
During 2+ months of protests and a constant occupation of the park, how many people were killed? Zero, None.
During the 2+ months of protests and a constant occupation of the park, how many people required hospitalization as a result of the NYPD? Zero, None.
So no one died and no one was seriously injured. I guess there were a few people sprayed with pepper, but the effects of that lasted a few hours and those people only came away with their ego's bruised.
You should be congratulating the NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg as they have kept this safe. Why are you demonizing them? Why do you make them out to be like the Egyptian or Syrian police? I guess you do it for the purpose of recruiting and "galvonizing". Thats not cool!
I have nothing against the NYPD in general, nor against many of the officers as people. I am immensely proud of all the first responders at the World Trade Center on that day, including and especially the NYPD. That said, bringing 9/11 into this is a hackneyed old rhetorical tactic that holds no water with me nor with anyone else intelligent enough to be paying attention. 9/11 was a terrible tragedy, and it was the NYPD's finest moment, but it does not constitute a license to brutalize American citizens.
That said, that does not excuse the 1AM raid, the deliberate media blackout on said raid (they threw news helicopters out of the airspace and cordoned off everything within a block or two), the indiscriminate use of tear gas and batons (we now have a city council member behind bars with her head split open thanks to that behavior), the kettling and pepper-spraying of peaceful protesters, the pepper-spraying of an 84-year-old woman, etc, and the deliberate voyeurism and humiliation of female protesters while in custody.
I have zero respect for Bloomberg. I wasn't particularly happy with his first and second terms, his handling of the transit strike was disgraceful (but not much better than I expected), and he pretty much bought his third term outright. His anti-smoking crusade is well-meaning but misguided and obnoxious, and his handling of Occupy Wall Street is essentially confirmation of what I think of him.
Let me explain all that categorically:
1) Officer and public safety is paramount to any operation. If this were conducted in the middle of the day, then there would be a greater chance someone would get hurt. Imagine how many innocent uninvolved people there would be on the sidewalks. There would also be a traffic nightmare...probably cause some traffic accidents. 1am was the ideal time to conduct this operation to minimize injury and disruption. Honestly, would you have done this at 8am? 12pm? 3pm? 1am was the most perfect time.
2) The media blackout was again for officer and public safety. The media would have helped summon down an army of people and there would be unknown consequences. Would someone get so angry and bring a gun or bomb down once they saw the media coverage? If they did not blackout the media, then there would be a greater chance for injury.
3) Tear gas and pepper spray do not cause injuries...only a bruised ego. You should be glad they are using that stuff rather then bullets. Batons are generally used in a defensive manner to keep people back. The police did warn the protesters of their action both verbally and in writing giving them ample time to leave. If the police give you a warning, have reasonable cause to arrest you and you are resisting them, then of course, it will turn physical and maybe even violent. The police have every right in the world to use force on you if you resist them. As for the female protesters in custody, jail is not band camp. There is no jail in this nation which can be called a pleasant place. Being in jail in general is a humiliating experience.
So it all goes back to the protesters actions and response to the police. There is a difference between a peaceful protest and a forceful occupation. Peaceful protesters would respect the law and obey lawful orders from law enforcement. Those people who resist arrest and disobey lawful orders, of course, will have force used against them and that is to be expected. In this instance, no one was killed or seriously injured. The NYPD conducted a very difficult operation with a minimal amount of injuries.
Ask yourself. If you were either Kelly or Bloomberg then what would you do? People were dieing at these camps around the nation. They were being assaulted. Would you wait to take action when the first person gets killed because of the cold or an assault? I want to know what you would do if you were put in charge of public safety. For myself, it would be unacceptable if even one person is victimized at the camp for any reason. I would feel guity and responsible.
Public safety is the same line that was used to feed us the Patriot Act and at this point for me to accept that I'm going to need to see some sort of consistent standard of evidence that such an action is necessary, and the burden of proof belongs on the police rather than the protesters. A media blackout is merely a convenient way of avoiding documentation so that they have deniability. Once again, if "those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear" applies to the average citizen, then it applies to the police as well.
Officer safety? That's a crock of shit. Honestly, it stinks so badly it's not even funny. You've got at least a hundred well-trained, physically fit men with guns, batons, tear gas, and bulletproof gear dealing with a bunch of unarmed, unprotected protesters, half of whom couldn't land a punch on the broad side of a barn if they tried. Are you seriously trying to tell me that an 84-year-old woman in need of a walker posed enough of a threat to police that she should have been knocked down and pepper sprayed? Are you telling me that our police officers are weak and useless enough that they need to be coddled?
As far as my allegations concerning female protesters, "jail is not band camp" does not mean that voyeurism and harassment are acceptable. If it had been female officers patrolling the women's area then that would have been fine, but to have to take care of business in front of random men is a form of sexual harassment.
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I, too, support rationalizations for inexcusable behavior when I can't tell the difference between criticism and demonization.
luckily we invented those humane ways to deal with fear.
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Well said.
100% agreed.