Seattle Police Pepper Spray Peaceful Protesters [Video]

Originally posted by Resinveins
Sad but I don't think this is destined for anything but more violence.. and no I'm not suggesting or endorsing violence.

But sooner or later they will pepper spray some people who aren't going to run or back down. And then it will escalate.

Seems to be almost a self fulfilling prophecy : /

edit on 16-11-2011 by Resinveins because: (no reason given)

edit on 16-11-2011 by Resinveins because: (no reason given)

Like they say, violence begets violence. I fear you're going to be proved right. This may be the end of phase 1, but what will protesters have learnt for phase 2? We saw this in London with the students. They protested against the cuts, and got the crap kicked out of them by the police. Next protest they came a little more prepared with their own home made shields and poles. The police violence radicalised people against them, and the more "normal" people who experience the wrath of the boys in blue, the more people will learn that the police have their own agenda, and it has nothing to do with policing.

This video has obviously been edited to portray the police in most unfavorable light possible. 12 seconds into the video, the police begin to use pepper spray. No one here knows what happened prior to that 12 seconds, but many people have no problem immediately putting down the police. I hope that none of you are ever caught on video doing something that appears improper, but the evidence showing why you acted that way has mysteriously been excluded.

reply to post by Resinveins


I was kind of thinking the same thing too... It's only a matter of time until the crows snaps whether for the right or wrong reasons depending which way you wan to look at it.

I can't remember if it was on this thread or another one discussing OWS, but someone justified the grannie being sprayed by saying "she shouldn't have been there in the first place".

People shouldn't have to prepare for danger when attending a peaceful protest. Grandma has the right to peaceful assembly too.

Granted, they may have been blocking the street. As I said earlier it appeared to me that the streets were cleared for traffic. Perhaps I'm incorrect about that. They were on the sidewalk during the video when they were pepper sprayed, at least according to the crowd that was there going by their screams.

Sociopath Defined....

A person with antisocial personality disorder. Probably the most widely recognized personality disorder. A sociopath is often well liked because of their charm and high charisma, but they do not usually care about other people. They think mainly of themselves and often blame others for the things that they do. They have a complete disregard for rules and lie constantly. They seldom feel guilt or learn from punishments. Though some sociopaths have become murders, most reveal their sociopathy through less deadly and sensational means.

This is what is being played out here by some and I repeat only some. We see mainly them because they like to make video's of themselves and post them.

Like I said I feel for the real protestors, but this crowd deserves everything they get and perhaps only a Psychiatrist can deal with them. A Sociopath will argue that their rights trump everyone elses until they turn blue in the face and when confronted by reasonable people always go off on a meaningless rant and start lying to excuse their behavior. In their minds only their wants matter which is obvious in their behavior.

No matter what name they give themselves, they fool nobody but themselves.

The real protestors can go on forever and nobody is going to do anything to them. They had a huge amount of support until the sociopaths got involved and like always happens, they destroy everything they get involved in. It would be best if they go away and let the real protestors send their message without having it destroyed by these animals.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
reply to post by Acidtastic

 

They were told to get off the street and onto the sidewalks. Is that not a suitable alternative?

Were they given the oppertunity? many times I've had some asshole scream "get back" in my ears whilst swinging a stick in my face. Only, with big crowds, it takes a little more finess to actually get people to move. Screaming "get back" and hitting them, is a rubbish way to do things we have 2 minutes of footage, so I can only interject my own experience, but I've been there before, and know how it goes.


lol at the sociopath BS above me, could be descibing the police quite aptly.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
reply to post by Acidtastic

 

They were told to get off the street and onto the sidewalks. Is that not a suitable alternative?

reply to post by Blaine91555

 

Not only business and private individuals who have the right to use that road. Remember that emergency services rely on them. Lucky they didn't this time.

Of course it is, but you know that some will defy that. They want the Police involved so they can make their videos because its all about them and only them.

I do think it is wrong to block businesses however. Most small business owners are barely surviving as it is. If they loose out on a few days of income, let alone weeks or months, they are destroyed. Who compensates them exactly? Why is that OK and reasonable?

I think it's far more rational to do it like so many other groups have in far larger numbers and get the permits, use common sense in choosing the location and at least try to not harm innocent people. How can they complain about their rights if they obviously care nothing about anyone elses. Why should anyone care about people who act like that; like spoiled children.

Heck a permit in most cities is under $50 and the only reason for it is so somebody is responsible for cleaning up. If it's dumped on the taxpayers, again it's a classic case of somebody who could care less about anyone but themselves. If any group truly cares, they care enough to do it right.

We've seen crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands at gatherings without incident. There is no excuse for sociopath behavior and it most certainly does nothing to fix anything.

reply to post by Mannie159


I can't imagine what would justify employing violence against a non-violent group peacefully assembled on the sidewalk (and not blocking access to any open business).

reply to post by DrinkYourDrug


You cannot with certainty say the protesters were non-violent or peaceful. All we see is 12 seconds of video before the police use pepper spray. None of us knows what happened prior to that.

reply to post by Mannie159


While I may not be able to say with certainty, I can say with a very high degree of probability on my side.

They were non-violent at the time of the in-discriminant spraying into the crowd (I highly doubt they were ALL being violent, then the police decide to wait at least 12 seconds before retaliating). The start of the video shows them first forming a perimeter. The most likely explanation is that this looked like an interesting time to begin filming the police, as well as for safety reasons.

reply to post by Mannie159


I can't say for sure, but the police and protesters seemed to keep their distance from each other until the incident escalated. I saw one protester push his luck and step up just a bit and they yanked him from the crowd like a rag doll.

As you said no one knows what happened beforehand but I'm leaning towards the possibility that the crowd didn't become hostile until the police overstepped their boundaries.

reply to post by DrinkYourDrug


I would agree that in the portion of the crowd that we see for 12 seconds, there does not appear to be any violence at that time. But, again I would say that we do not know what happened prior to that.

I would offer that either:

1) something happened that was edited out, and this prompted the police to act

2) something happened and the person began to shoot video because they expected a reaction from the police.

I would also agree that even if something did happen, the whole crowd was not responsible. But, the police cannot risk one person or a small group of people inciting the whole crowd into violence. When something happens, the police must take action to protect themselves and those that are there for peaceful demonstration.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


I can respect your position. My position, however, is that something happened to prompt the police to act. We do not know what happened because it was either edited out or not caught on the video.

Where are the 'peaceful' protestors. I don't see them? '# you' is not a peaceful saying. When you are asked to move on and you don't you are not being peaceful. I don't care what age you are, 12 or 86, you get what you deserve when you are part of a group of disobedient activists.

reply to post by daggyz


I've heard way worse from cops who were on duty. Vulgar language after being pepper sprayed by the cops is called for in my opinion.

As for them being disobedient, I guess you could call their protest that. It's not much of a protest if you remain completely obedient though. I'm not saying go out and cause a disturbance, but make yourself heard.

Seattle is one of the few Occupy movements to actually make some change. Some people may think the movement is a waste, but there has been some change here and there. It's not much but it's a start.

I posted this on page one, here it is again in case you missed it.

Seattle council asks city to look at its investments

The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution in support of Occupy Seattle that calls on the city to examine its banking and investment practices, home-foreclosure patterns and the financing of local elections.

The resolution was a grab bag of proposals meant to provide a local response to the concentration of wealth and abuses in the financial sector that the Occupy Wall Street protest and its regional offspring have called attention to in encampments and rallies around the country this fall.

reply to post by Mannie159

My position, however, is that something happened to prompt the police to act.

I can respect remaining open to either possibility but why do you assume the least likely scenario? Can you even think of a plausible scenario in which:
-protestors act violently, then resume a non-violent state for at least 12 seconds
-police do not immediately respond to the violent protestors, act calm for at least 12 seconds
-police calmly and justifiably spray indiscriminately at the crowd of peacefully acting protestors

I would love to hear any speculation on an alternative theory to the simple: little piggies got hurt feelings at the crowd chanting SHAME.

Originally posted by daggyz
Where are the 'peaceful' protestors. I don't see them? '# you' is not a peaceful saying. When you are asked to move on and you don't you are not being peaceful. I don't care what age you are, 12 or 86, you get what you deserve when you are part of a group of disobedient activists.

Be a good citizen. Don't swear at the police when they violently disrupt peaceful assembly. Obey authority. Do not challenge the status quo. Go back to bed, your government is in control.

By the way, people generally protest when they are angry or fed up about something. Some foul language can be expected.

reply to post by DrinkYourDrug


There is an overwhelming expectation for the protesters to just submit lately on ATS. I'm trying to stay neutral as possible but it's difficult to not voice my opinion for the people to put their fut down and draw the line of what is acceptable.

I know that the Occupy movement has a lot of holes in it, but it's most likely not going away. Society has reached a boiling point all over the world. These cops better get used to it. The people are protesting for a lot of reasons and I have a feeling they are just slowly getting started.

Crowds of people getting pepper sprayed circulating over the internet is not going to help calm the public dissent towards authority. Just saying. I've seen this garbage too many times, and heard too many people trying to justify it.

One post says they are peaceful protestors and another says a protestors wants to burn Macy's.

Which is it?

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


>> Many refused to move from the intersection after being ordered by police.

Originally posted by daggyz
One post says they are peaceful protestors and another says a protestors wants to burn Macy's.

Which is it?

Which one of the two do you think is the most logical choice?

Be honest please.