An update to my post from last night. Aerial video shows the run up to what’s starting to be the “pepper squirt heard round the world.”
Link to Air 12 video on KPTV.com. 0:05 in is the incident.
Politics
Enough.
11/17/2011 Randy L. Rasmussen, The Oregonian
I’ve stayed publicly quiet about the Occupy [insert city here] protests going on across the nation.
Until tonight.
Tonight, I can remain quiet no longer. Tonight, in my adopted hometown, an overtired, overworked, underpaid police force finally began to crack. Mayor Adams, Chief Reese – up until this afternoon, I was at least sympathetic to your dilemma. Up until this afternoon, I could at least understand your situation between the rock of public order and the hard place of free speech.
With the incident in the photo attached to this post, you lost me.
Randy Rasmussen of The Oregonian captured a moment this afternoon. He captured the moment that this whole thing turned. Denis Theriault of the Portland Mercury said it better than I can, actually.
Up until today, the City of Portland had been patient. Frankly, extraordinarily patient given the recent history of the “shoot first ask questions later” Portland Police Bureau. There had been incidents over the last few days. There are reports all over town of broken bones and injuries from claimed police brutality. There’s a man in the hospital who claims that his broken back and other serious injuries are all the result of a police beating. What’s been missing from a lot of those reports, though, has been independent proof. Protesters exaggerate that the cops are overly violent. Cops exaggerate that they’ve been nothing but sweetness and light and have never lifted a baton against the crowd. Of course, on that last count, there’s this YouTube video - Please note the gentle, non-threatening two handed clubbing motion of the officer involved.
But today, instead of shaky cell phone video that never really seems to capture the core of the event, Randy Rasmussen managed to capture in one still frame a direct example of overreaching by a Portland Police Officer.
Mayor Sam? Chief Mike? W.T.F.? I know it’s hard to be in charge. I know you’re getting a lot of pressure from city businesses and a lot of citizens. I know that this situation has been frustrating to you. Mayor Sam, I know that if that title ‘Mayor’ wasn’t in front of your name, you might be right there in the thick of the crowd, rainbow flag carried proudly overhead, screaming at the top of your lungs for justice.
But this afternoon, your overworked, overstressed police department lost me and you’ve both lost my support. Randy’s photo speaks for itself. Your officers assaulted a woman who was exercising her constitutional right to free speech and assembly. Was there a reason? Really? Was she really that threatening to your big, strong, well protected phalanx of professionally trained police officers? Why the sudden change of attitude from you and your officers?
Now, to the Occutards. Yeah, that’s what I said – Occutards. Harsh? Damned right. The Occupy movement is real and growing and I get that. But you know what? You aren’t taking it far enough.
Oh, and for your information, folks, using the “N17″ moniker for today’s day of peaceful action? Not so smart. The N17 (or 17N) group was one of the most violent terror organizations of the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s. Al you have to do is a quick Wikipedia search, fer cryin’ out loud. But that’s really neither here nor there, since nobody’s really going to understand that anyway and everyone will spin it “… no, really, all we meant was November 17th …”
What the Occutards don’t get is that this idea of peaceful resistance ain’t gonna cut it. Trust me, as long as you can be peaceful and respectful, the authority structure of this country can outwait you, crush you, marginalize you and make you seem insignificant.
The change that you seek requires one simple thing. Revolution.
Until that happens, the shit stirred up by our fellow citizens inside places like Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and others, and by our elected officers inside USA Incorporated, will continue unabated and get worse every day.
But Sam? Mike? The cowardice shown this afternoon by your police department has to stop. It seems to me that the best way to help foment revolution is to keep that shit up.
Peace out.
