re: #662 000G

I think that particular officer was wrong to engage the crowd like that. Yes, there were some protesters pushing forward, but what was gained by thrashing around with the baton? Nothing. There was a barrier already in place, and cops were manning that line. It was a contained situation, even with the crowds pushing ahead.

I think those who ended up being assaulted by that officer may have a good case for assault and criminal charges against that particular officer.

For the most part, yesterday’s march was peaceful and raised the profile of OWS quite a bit. However, the unions are late to the party and OWS wont let themselves be pushed out of the way by the unions.

Another thing about the protests. This is all happening within view of the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway and there was nothing “mega” about the protests. 10-20,000 people for a protest is a trifle in protests for New York City. Heck, it’s a fraction of the throngs that can show up for a parade (like for the Yankees or Mets when they win a WS). It’s far better than a few hundred or couple of thousand people from OWS to date, but we need to have some perspective here about just how motivated people are. There have been union sponsored marches in DC that have garnered 100,000 people or more, but have had a fraction of the media coverage even though the focus of the protests were generally against anti-worker business practices. So, does higher media profile outweigh lack of numbers on the ground? It would seem that way.

Move the Zuccotti Park protesters to Union Square or Washington Square Park and they fade into the fabric of the parks’ historic place of protests against government, business, or anything else that strikes their fancy. They’ve gotten coverage as much for where they’ve set up shop; and that’s to their credit.