NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly had some strong words for “Occupy Wall Street” protesters Thursday, blaming participants for starting skirmishes which led to more than 20 arrests on Wednesday.
“What they did is they counted. They actually had a countdown — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — they grouped together, they joined arms and they charged the police. They attacked the police. They wanted to get into Wall Street, they wanted to occupy Wall Street,” Kelly told reporters.
Police arrested 28 people Wednesday — mostly for disorderly conduct. There was at least one arrest for assaulting a police officer and police said one protester even knocked an officer off his scooter.
Kelly said that if demonstrators targeted the police, authorities would respond with “force.”
“They’re going to be met with force when they do that — this is just common sense,” he said.
The commissioner said protesters were told to stay within the barricades that police had erected and when they crossed over them they began hassling the cops.
“These people wanted to have confrontation with the police for whatever reason. Somehow, I guess it works to their purposes,” Kelly said.
The commissioner told reporters that the protests have cost the city about $2 million in overtime for officers assigned to cover the demonstrations.
Despite the clashes and arrests, Kelly stressed that as long as protesters followed the rules, there would be no issues.
“We are accommodating peaceful protests. We are proud of the fact that we do that in this city. People are going to be here for an extended period of time. We’re going to accommodate them as long as they do it peacefully and in accordance with the laws and regulations,” he said.
I asked yesterday why there wasn’t any video posted that shows the beginning of Wednesday night’s disturbance.
This explains why:
“What they did is they counted. They actually had a countdown — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — they grouped together, they joined arms and they charged the police. They attacked the police. They wanted to get into Wall Street, they wanted to occupy Wall Street,” Kelly told reporters.
If Kelly is lying I’m sure someone will post a video to show otherwise. I’m not gonna hold my breath waiting though.
Meanwhile:
Occupy’s pass steams Tea Party
The Hub’s hands-off approach to unpermitted Occupy Boston protests has Tea Partiers up in arms and has even rankled a top civil libertarian who said all groups should be subject to the same rules — regardless of the cause.“It’s always a dangerous precedent when the city treats one group differently than another,” said civil rights attorney Harvey Silverglate. “I’m opposed generally to these requirements, but if they are required of one group, then they should be required of all. The precedent (the city is setting) is, if there are so many people joining a demonstration that the city doesn’t want to tangle with them, then they will waive the requirements.”
Organizers of the Occupy Boston tent city in Dewey Square have never sought nor received any permits from the state, the city or the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, which controls the property.
If you treat groups differently based on their point of view that is unconstitutional.
The Crawdad Hole 
Once you throw out sticking to anyone’s set-in-stone “narrative” as to permanent good guys and permanent bad guys, it’s amazing how much easier it is to figure out what’s going on.
Bust out of the veal pens. From either side. 🙂
There’s now some”kill the wealthy” threats going out, too.
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/threats-legislature-new-york/1rG5WhoB1kmtJtZxw2B-Qw.cspx
Maybe Obama et al need to lecture these guys on “civility,” like he did people on the other side.
You know—-the new TONE, or something.
Asshats.
Beer summit 2
This is a conservative point of view, but seems he was really trying to find one cause he could get behind. It’s a fun read, especially about all the groups he encountered with different agendas.
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/10/07/live-from-wall-street
My my my- Boston. Did my share of protesting there. Though we usually took over the Boston Common- Dewey Square huh? Oh- yes- that did not exist back then- it is a product of the Big Dig.
The one thing I can say about Boston is that the old streets and alleys make escaping from billy clubs relatively easy.
So…Myiq, if I follow your argument correctly…
I would then have to take the WORD of a NYPD cop that the head cracking was “Justified.”
Now….
Using your argument as to proof……….SHOW me a video that we ALL know the police were taping that shows these protestors counting and egging the police to BEAT them!
I’m not saying they didn’t do it but I would be loathe to believe a cop once he’s decided to crack some skulls that he was PROVOKED into busting heads.
Again….I think the tune being played would have been different had a KOCH Bros. Production Tea Party protestor had his/her head smashed or face dripping in Pepper spray. ( I know I know…You’re going to say that the Tea Party folk were all civil and RESPECTFUL and never once did anything that could be remotely viewed as UNCIVIL )
Just saying brother Clown 🙂
Koch Bros/ Soros&unions. Soros&unions/Koch brothers.
Yada yada yada.
yup
You don’t.
I guess I don’t.
I’ve read both sides of the story and looked at all the videos I could find. The videos I’ve seen are consistent with the police version of events. The reporter at the scene who got hit with a baton tells a story consistent with the police version of events.
I have yet to see an eyewitness account of the incident that is inconsistent with the police version of events.
What evidence do you have that a cop “decided to crack some skulls?” Can you show me a video of a cop hitting people in the head?
Can you show me one where the protestors were counting down and the police didn’t charge into the crowd swinging their batons?
Cuts both ways brother.
Rules of evidence – a credible and uncontroverted statement should be presumed to be true.
Show me one eyewitness that says the police charged into the crowd.
Still waiting
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