occupy wall street protesters evicted | Cufflinks Blog

Posts Tagged ‘occupy wall street protesters evicted’

Police Raid Occupy Wall Street Protesters

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

 

 

Over 70 arrests were made in the wee morning hours today in an ambushed attack on the Wall Street Protesters. At approximately 1am, police in raid gear insisted the protesters evacuate Zuccotti Park, where they have been stationed for weeks. The Constitution of the United States dictates the public’s Right to Assemble. Yes, it’s a privately owned park but available for public use. This protest consists of the general public, for the public.

Sterling Silver Peace Sign Cufflinks

Sterling Silver Peace Sign Cufflinks

Ironically this comes during the week of the largest Student Week of Action scheduled for November 17th.

After passively “supporting ” the OWS movement, billionaire mayor Bloomberg seems to have recanted his position. To make matters worse, it seems there was a “media blackout,” according to the Huffington Post:

“Reporter after reporter — many using the hashtag “#mediablackout” — tweeted through the night, saying that police had either blocked them from seeing what was happening or had acted violently towards them. Some correspondents were also among the scores of people arrested by police.

At his press conference about the raid on Tuesday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said journalists were barred from covering the raid “to protect members of the press,” and “to prevent a situation from getting worse.”

Blue Peace Sign, Onyx and Mother of Pearl Tie Bars

Blue Peace Sign, Onyx and Mother of Pearl Tie Bars

Why should democracy be covered up, in blackness, kept under guards from the general media? The protesters were given notice that occupation of the park “poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard to those camped in the park, the city’s first responders and the surrounding community.”

LA Times reports that over 5,000 books were thrown out in the raid. “More than 5,000 books in the Occupy Wall Street library were reportedly thrown away when police moved in to remove protesters from Zuccotti Park in New York early Tuesday.

NYPD raiding Zuccotti Park on Nov 15th 2011

NYPD raiding Zuccotti Park on Nov 15th 2011

During the police raid, Occupy Wall Street librarians tweeted, “NYPD destroying american cultural history, they’re destroying the documents, the books, the artwork of an event in our nation’s history,” Galleycat reports. “Right now, the NYPD are throwing over 5,000 books from our library into a dumpster. Will they burn them? … Call 311 or 212-639-9675 now and ask why Mayor Bloomberg is throwing the 5,554 books from our library into a dumpster.””

WWhat happened to non-violence? Fight Police Brutality! Shown: MLK JR Cufflinks

What happened to non-violence? Fight Police Brutality! Shown: MLK JR Cufflinks

The Village Voice has asked city officials what happened to the library books, but has not yet received a response.

Currently a judge has signed an order allowing protesters to return to Zuccotti Park with their belongings; further court action is expected Tuesday.