Forum Post: Undercover officers in the crowds, standing right next to us without knowing it.
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 16, 2011, 8:37 a.m. EST by ProductProfessor
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This content is user submitted and not an official statement
While participating in the Times Square Protest for Global Revolution Day, I was amazed to see how many undercover officers were on the other side of the barricades, instigating, yelling and acting overly friendly to everyone around them.
I had a pretty good idea that a few people around us last night were undercover police so I quickly warned my friends and kept my distance. I stood back and watched as this plain clothes cop chatted away to surrounding protestors and collected his mental evidence on everyone around him.
My assumptions were quickly proved when he was confronted by another lady in the crowd and how she thought he was undercover and his attitude quickly changed, he became irate and started making awful comments about woman and verbally attacking this protest organizer.
This plain-clothes cop was only 1 of three officers in one small area standing on our side of the barricade.
Be careful who all you trust when you are standing in the front line.
-Keep it peaceful
99%
It is true that you should not fear the authorities when you are doing nothing wrong, but the government and authorities have proven many times before that they will do almost whatever it takes to hold control and keep things the way they want them. If they took protesters seriously, things would be different right now. If they cared about the people's word, things wouldn't be so corrupt. You cry out, they don't listen, and they won't hesitate to crush people in the most secretive way possible. All they need is some reason, whether it is a valid one or not. So those occupying wall street should be very wary of these undercover cops.
how are law and freedom alike?
yeah, cops are doing there job, i have not prob with that. BUT i do have a prob when they instigate...
i saw a few show downs last night between cops and protesters and that is just both side trying to make a point...
but undercover cop is sneaky... maybe i'll go undercover and a cop.lol
If you are following the law you shouldn't fear the police. If you plan on breaking the law, then it all makes sense that you are paranoid about it. Remember, if you are doing acts of civil disobedience (breaking a law), then you can expect the police to do the job they are paid to do....making sure people follow the laws of the land.
So what do you define as "civil disobedience"? What do you make of the Constitution which protects our right to assemble? What do you make of the police not allowing people to stand still in Times Square yesterday unless they were in "pins" as I heard them calling them. Small barricaded areas they had set up in the normally open public park in the middle of Times Square? This was Times Square, where tourists constantly stand around taking pictures and gawking and getting in your way when you are going to work. But suddenly yesterday no one was allowed to stand still? What law were they enforcing? I asked two officers if there was an ordinance suddenly passed that said you couldn't stand still in Times Square. They said yes. I said what ordinance? They said it was about protecting us from pick pocketers. I said I know you aren't concerned about me getting pick pocketed and asked again what ordinance suddenly didn't allow me to stand still on the Times Square sidewalk. They got frustrated and walked away, because they couldn't defend their illegal activity. The police were breaking the law by not allowing peaceful assembly of the people. I am a citizen and I am allowed to stand where ever the hell I please. How is it civil disobedience to go into a bank where you have an account and withdraw your money? The police arrested people for going into their bank and trying to withdraw their money. So what do we do when the arm of government meant to protect us actually serves to protect the leaders and banks and illegally arrests citizens who are simply gathering to point out our government has been hijacked by banking interests? We are protected by the constitution in order to protect our country's interests in just such a situation. You have no common sense.
Well there are two sides to a story and usually the truth lies somewhere in the middle. So unless I hear the police officers side, I can't fully assess the situation. That sir is using my common sense.
Why do I say that?!?! Cuz I've seen videos where protesters were protesting the war and a protester blindsided a cop with a sucker punch and started to run away. Even though it clearly shows it was unprovoked and that the protester started it, the crowd immediately yelled at the cops and were accusing him of police brutality when the video shows otherwise. And in a lot of cases this is done in the hopes of giving the police a lot of bad publicity citing police brutality of "peaceful" protestors. I know setups when I see them.
Lefty protesters have made an art of using civil disobedience to push the boundaries of civil behavior in hopes of provoking a reaction or seeking publicity. Things like getting in someone's personal space without actually touching the person. Then the person asks the protester to get out of their face and the protester starts saying "I'm not touching you" but stays in their face while telling them how they better not hit them.
I'm not saying all protesters are like that. Most do behave, but there is a minority that want to push the limits and provoke reactions and emotions. Especially when anarchists show up to hijack the show and give bad PR for the protesters that are behaving.
Just look on this very website and there is an instruction manual that tells protesters how to use civil disobedience to push the boundaries.... all to make an extreme point. And that's a formula for likely confrontation with police.
Yes... there are bad police and on the surface I have some concerns with what they did if true. But like I cited earlier, use the examples above mixed with a lot of passion of not wanting to be ignored and it can make for a very combustible situation.