Police use dirty tricks to round up hundreds of peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters as Wall Street criminals bribe NYPD
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
“Snapshot of protesters walking on Brooklyn Bridge. Most are staying on OK pedestrian path, but hundreds went into traffic.” (Credit: Brian Stelter)
Today roughly 500 peaceful protesters marching in opposition to the corporatist takeover of America and the robbery of the United States by the banking and Wall Street elite were rounded up and arrested thanks to suspect tactics employed by the NYPD.
While many argue against the Occupy Wall Street protests based on partisan politics, the heavy union involvement, and the role Marxist organizations have played in the demonstrations, I think this is seeing the forest for the trees.
Regardless of what you think about those who organized the protest and the involvement of SEIU and other unions, you must realize that we are all being robbed and oppressed by the same people.
Furthermore, everyone must take notice of the tactics the NYPD has been using to attempt to shut down these protests.
Even if you disagree with the Occupy Wall Street message, would you like to experience these same oppressive and highly questionable tactics when you demonstrate for your cause of choice?
One important fact to note is that the NYPD just received a massive donation from none other than the Wall Street criminal oligarchs themselves: JPMorgan Chase.
According to a press release posted on JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s official website, they “donated an unprecedented $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation.”
Quite serendipitous timing for a gift which “was the largest in the history of the foundation” which elicited “profound gratitude” from the New York City Police Commissioner, Raymond Kelly.
Clearly the Wall Street oligarchy is doing the only thing they know: attempting to pay off the NYPD to side with them over the people they swore an oath to protect and serve.
Unfortunately the Occupy Wall Street movement can’t counter JPMorgan’s contribution, but at least it shows that the Wall Street criminals are running scared and resorting to nothing short of bribery to gain the allegiance of the NYPD.
I wonder what it would take for the NYPD to realize that JPMorgan is stealing their futures and the futures of their children as well.
$4.6 million is chump change to JPMorgan and the officers of the NYPD are nothing more than swine they can use to keep the serfs constantly fighting each other instead of realizing that the enemies are not the police or the protesters but the criminal elite that rob all of us blind.
The highly suspicious tactics used by the NYPD were highlighted today when police made “a planned move on the protesters”, according to The New York Times, which involved bringing in 10 Department of Correction buses (capable of holding 20 prisoners each) in preparation for a massive crackdown on activists.
Police blocking the Manhattan entrance to Brooklyn Bridge during Occupy Wall Street protests (Credit: Dave Weigel)
It becomes quite clear that this was an engineered event when one considers the fact that the NYPD mobilized such a large fleet of buses in anticipation of a roundup of protesters.
When protesters attempted to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday afternoon, police “seemed to guide [the protesters] on to the roadway” according to a media coordinator for the Occupy Wall Street protest, Jesse Myerson.
While Christopher T. Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union says that some high-level police supervisors initially announced via bullhorn that demonstrators who blocked the roadway would be subject to arrest, later police commanders were seen walking in front of marchers on the roadway.
The New York Times points out that “from a distance” it appeared “as if they were leading the way.”
These were not rookie cops either; they clearly knew what they were doing as The New York Times points out, “The Chief of Department Joseph J. Esposito, and a horde of other white-shirted commanders, was among them.”
The police allowed the demonstrators to make it about 1/3 of the distance to Brooklyn then, as seen previously during the Occupy Wall Street protests, police surrounded activists with orange netting, trapping hundreds of people.
All those who were led into the roadway by police were arrested and are to be “charged with disorderly conduct, at a minimum” according to the NYT.
A 56-year-old psychotherapist from Brooklyn, Etan Ben-Ami, pointed out that police apparently consciously allowed protesters to claim the road before arresting them.
Ben-Ami told the NYT, “They weren’t pushed back. It seemed that they moved at the same time.” Ben-Ami left the Brooklyn Bridge’s walkway to join the demonstrators on the road because, “It seemed completely permitted. There wasn’t a single policeman saying ‘don’t do this’.”
He reveals why so many people were lulled into a false sense of security by police before the roundup occurred, “We thought they were escorting us because they wanted us to be safe.”
Hundreds gather on Brooklyn Bridge for the Occupy Wall Street protests (Credit: Joshua Paul)
Clearly, the police had no such intention and were just attempting to get the protesters in such a position where they could swoop in and make it look justified.
Of course, the police have denied any such action, regardless of the clearly premeditated nature to the action, evidenced by the roll-out of Department of Correction busses earlier that day.
Paul J. Browne, the head NYPD spokesman, claims that, “This was not a trap. They were warned not to proceed.”
Why then, Mr. Browne, were senior officers seen leading the crowd and why would so many think it was permissible and that the officers were actually escorting the demonstrators? Were they all deaf and/or delusional? I doubt it.
Among those arrested was a freelance reporter for The New York Times, Natasha Lennard, who was later released. It is unclear what charges, if any, are being levied against her or if they just let her go without any hassle due to her affiliation with the corporate mainstream media giant that is the NYT.
In a sea of protesters, several cops surround and arrest a single individual during the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations (Credit: Joshua Paul)
Interestingly, a correspondent for AlterNet, Kristen Gwynne, remarked that “There are fancy-looking press in suits, totally separate from everyone else, fifty feet from us” while others shared the fate of the activists who were trapped in the roadway by police.
One might assume that these “fancy-looking press in suits” were representatives of the corporate media which has made a concerted effort to deride and insult the Occupy Wall Street protesters, as I covered in a previous article.
Gwynne reported that activists were trapped in the rain waiting for police to arrest them, huddled under umbrellas.
Gwynne reported that New York City busses were used to take arrested protesters away and after about an hour of updates from Gwynne, no word was received and she is assumed to be in police custody.
It is worth noting that the numbers being published by news outlets are not wholly consistent.
The New York Times is running with the number of 500 while the NY Daily News has published that roughly 700 people were arrested by what they call “An army of cops”.
This is the second Saturday in a row in which protesters were arrested by the NYPD using highly controversial tactics. The NYPD vehemently denies tricking the protesters but the media and protesters’ account of the events seems to contradict their claims.
Just last week Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna’s name spread across the internet like wildfire after he sprayed women with pepper spray that were corralled in the same orange netting.
Hopefully today’s incident will receive similar attention as it is a perfect example of how police goad activists into a situation in order to arrest them when they otherwise couldn’t, in an attempt to weaken the movement and break the will of protesters.
If you have any information on today’s incident or the Occupy Wall Street protests in general (along with any others in cities around the country) please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] and be sure to give a name or alias so I can properly cite you in my next article.
Madison Ruppert is a Los Angeles-based independent journalist and researcher as well as the founder, owner, administrator and editor of EndtheLie.com. He has no affiliations with any government agencies, political parties, non-governmental organizations, or economic schools. He is available for freelance writing assignments and appearances or interviews in any format. He can be reached by emailing
How much will it take before the cops realize they are next on the chopping block??
Excellent article. Like you said, I hope this spreads like the pepper spray incident as well.
, http://ology.com/politics/jpmorgan-chase-donates-46-million-nypd-during-ows-protests
If the police do not want peacefull demonstrations,then next time they should be accomodated.
Wall Street Occupation Mass Arrests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P3TnEUl4jQ
My new video is about the demonstration that took place on October 1, 2011. The New York City Police arrested more than 700 people for walking on the Brooklyn Bridge. The week before the New York police corralled a group of young girls, who had done nothing wrong, and sprayed them with mace. These people who have been victims of police brutality are members and supporters of the Occupy Wall Street Group, who are camping out to bring attentions to the crimes of the privileged. They are also demanding that the gross inequities, and injustice in this country be addressed. The unaffordable Wars, Thievery on Wall Street, Bank fraud, Healthcare ripoffs, Media Propaganda, and the murder of Troy Davis are all interconnected. The most patriotic thing you will ever be able to do for your country is to stand up, and speak out now. 1% percent of the population has most of the money. The other 99% has all the muscle. If we put our minds together we can flatten them. We can take back all that they have stolen from us. The rich are frightened to death that we could put our minds together. They have used the media to fragment us. To pit us one against the other. They get us to blame Immigrants,Muslims, and Poor People for the problems that they created.
You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. People are getting smarter every day.
You can use the video , and pass it on if you like .
Peace
J. Coghlan
Teamteam
Great video John, keep up the great work
We actually included this in the article. It’s amazing that they would be so brazen!
100% Corporate Fascism
Only a job czar with dictatorial powers can solve America`s job crises. With a limited amount of jobs available unemployment lines are growing longer.Taming the job hog will solve the problem,those with more than one job must be punished. Available work must be shared, and the job czar will be on the lookout for work hogs and cheaters.
Taxpayers should stop complaining about supporting bums on the dole, taxpayers are getting a big bargain. A bum receiving federal welfare gets only about 1200 per month plus Medicaid(SSI). Without that monthly check a bum would live in a homeless shelter or prison and cost taxpayers much more. A bum that needs special care could throw a rock through a window or try to sell a uniformed cop a few pills.
Keeping him in jail would cost the taxpayers 100 thousand dollars per month. Remember every bum on the dole is a big saving , so if you see one, shake his hand, and say thanks.