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Are Occupy Protesters Really 'The Enemy'?
Occupy Evictions: Has War Been Declared?
by Ritt Goldstein
With nationwide US protests celebrating Occupy's two month anniversary, concurrently condemning the 'war against dissent' that the recent wave of Occupy evictions bespeak, America is quickly coming to a crossroads. Over 250 were arrested Thursday in New York City alone, the arrests often accompanied by police violence, with even members of the press being reportedly abused. The brutal pepper-spraying of students at Occupy UC Davis makes a further statement. And recalling the 1970 shooting deaths of four student protesters by the US National Guard, the Kent State Massacre, I imagine many today wonder how far their government's violence will go.
During Thursday's New York City police violence, journalists were increasingly driven away from areas of police activity, allegedly for their 'safety'. As it turned out, that was good, at least for ensuring the safety of most journalists from the violence of NYPD officers themselves -- a substantive number of journalists were beaten, abused, pepper sprayed, and four actually tried seeking refuge in a church. Sadly though, even the Clergy is not immune to the police violence against Occupy being witnessed from coast to coast.
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