More Than 100 Detained in Destructive 'Occupy Boston' Mass Arrest: VIDEO
Police arrested more than 100 people last night at a gathering of protesters associated with Occupy Boston, trampling American flags of U.S. military veterans organization Veterans for Peace, and destroying tents that had been set up in Dewey Square Park.
"Before the arrests and clearing of the park, the police surrounded it, lining up over a dozen paddy wagons along one side. They told members of the media to leave and not to film proceedings. After a five-minute warning to disperse, police moved in, first arresting the peacefully protesting veterans — who included a female veteran of the Iraq War, according to the Boston Phoenix — and then other Occupy Boston activists. According to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, about 100 arrests were made."
Much more at FireDogLake.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
If you get the names and addresses of those "trampling flags of Veterans for Peace" you will probably find that they are actually Tea Party activists infiltrators trying to make the OWS people look bad. It sounds too much like the stories they've been making up about liberals long before these protests broke out.
Posted by: TampaZeke | Oct 11, 2011 11:56:03 AM
Asking media to not film this is media code for "call in all off-duty cameramen - we have something to big going on here."
Posted by: Craig | Oct 11, 2011 12:02:52 PM
oh, and seriously, loose the bongos. Nobody has ever thought "wow, they have bongos, they must be serious."
Posted by: Craig | Oct 11, 2011 12:08:03 PM
we support you !!!
Posted by: truthiness | Oct 11, 2011 12:13:05 PM
@Craig
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Posted by: Mike | Oct 11, 2011 12:16:26 PM
"lining up over a dozen paddy wagons"
Really? So, are they paddy wagons b/c they're padded, or more likely b/c they were used to cart away unruly Irish immigrants... maybe both & the expression was popularized b/c of the play on words.
But, enough with the "paddy wagon". It's gone the way of "gypped" for stealing gypsies, & "Indian-giver" which I think we can all agree never made any sense whatsoever.
NPR reported the protesters were arrested for being in a restricted area, fyi.
Posted by: pete N SFO | Oct 11, 2011 12:40:25 PM
@Pete Another theory is that term came from the fact that there were so many Irish police, but I see you left that out. As a person of Irish-descent, I say we have far more important things to worry about.
Posted by: Mike | Oct 11, 2011 12:45:56 PM
Tampazeke it was the police trampling the flags
Which is bad news for the police and good news for the protests. Even fox news blinded conservatives will get upset at that and feel more sympathetic for the protesters
Posted by: say what | Oct 11, 2011 12:55:00 PM
Dudes, give me a break with the faux-nationalist flag worshipping.......
They are all bourgeois self satisfying symbols.
Posted by: JackFknTwist | Oct 11, 2011 1:07:53 PM
Wow --- I am really surprised at the lack of support for the protesters in the comments. I live in a city bodering Boston. If I lived in Boston I would be starting a recall petition for Mayor Manino! This is really outrageous behavior for a police department. The Egyptian Army behaved better during the Arab Spring uprising. Seems like we here in the US have forgotten how to deal nicely with protesters; the country of free speach. Especially in Boston the real home of the Tea Party and where in 1968 a tent city was established to protest for fair housing.
http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=126
The Vietnam War and Civil Rights protesters where also beaten and jailed. You know, they will be back --- the more you don't accomodate the disenfranchised the more upset they get. Think about the Weathermen
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/weatherunderground/movement.html
and the Black Panther Party
Our current politicos can try to marginalize the protesters as trouble makers, college students and crazies but that's what they called me and my contemporaries when calling into doubt the War in Vietnam and then the lack of civil liberties for our black brothers and sisters. The inequality this time is financial --- you don't need a Weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows...
Daya
Posted by: Daya | Oct 11, 2011 1:43:45 PM
These were peaceful protesters, who were nonviolent. They've gone out of their way to avoid confrontation with the police, but their numbers had swelled to such an extent that they needed the space.
Unlike some of the nitwits that make bongo jokes, I've BEEN there and seen who these people are. They are us! They are young and old, male and female, gay and straight (and bi and transgender). They are all ideologies and all kinds of people, gathered together with one common goal: to make America work again for the 99%.
They were trampled on, including elderly veterans. Their medics and members of their legal team were arrested. Media were told to leave. Everything was thrown away, including desperately-needed medical supplies.
These people are a community. Their "tent city" has a dozen or more working groups, people responsible for food, safety, sanitation, logistics, as well as media, issues and outreach. They deserve our support. We must stand up and denounce what was done to them, and support their right to peacefully assemble on public space. This is our American right.
Posted by: Ryan | Oct 11, 2011 4:00:59 PM
freedom of assembly.
Posted by: kodiak | Oct 11, 2011 8:30:14 PM
Betcha these morons all have bank accounts with Bank of America.
Kodiak, you forgot "peaceably." The First Amendment guarantees "the right of the people peaceably to assemble," not to mob riot, trash public spaces, and throw a temper tantrum.
Posted by: Max | Oct 11, 2011 9:01:47 PM
@Max
You sound like an idiot. You didn't read anything on this page.
Posted by: jjasonham | Oct 11, 2011 11:18:10 PM