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Re: Occupy Wallstreet
Old 11-19-2011, 05:27 PM   #33
KillerGremlin
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Default Re: Occupy Wallstreet

Quote:
Originally Posted by Professor S View Post
Here is a question: People are unlawfully occupying as space, and repeatedly asked to leave. They refuse to leave, and make it a point to do things to resist being removed (such as linking arms, making human walls, etc.).

How do you remove them without some form of violence (dragging someone away against their will is a form of violence)?
You don't/can't. Which is why protesting is effective.

I think the protesting at the University is somewhat unique. It seems that the University decided to call in the authorities. I doubt the protestors where actually obstructing physical space; I mean walk around them, cripes. But I don't doubt that the protestors were a distraction.

At the end of the day a University is private property and so the police can show up and try to remove the protestors. If the protestors refuse to move and act as dead weight...then the police will take the steps to remove them.

The gray area is "what steps are necessary?"

It doesn't change the fact that America has always celebrated the spirited right to free assembly and to free speech. I almost empathize more with the authorities in the above video than I do with the police removing protestors from New York City.

What is more American than New York City? New York City is the biggest stage in America. If there is a place to express free speech and your right to assembly, New York is the place.

Historically, there has always been "sanctioned" areas where people can protest...and not be seen or heard. That kind of defeats the purpose of protesting. Protesting is supposed to be aggressive, loud, and problematic.

When you saw videos of Civil Rights protestors being sprayed with fire houses and being beat by police...you felt passion and rage. Passion and rage leads to mob beatings, and again, I ask:

If the police continue to deescalate the situation with violence, how long will it be before the protestors mob the police?


So it seems to me that the real question isn't "what can the police do?" The real question is, "what can we do to stop the protestors?"
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