Ever since its inception on September 17 in Zuccotti Park, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement has spread throughout the entire country and has inspired similar protests in cities all over the world. The fundamental aspect of these protests is to speak out against economic inequalities in a system that seems to benefit only the wealthiest 1% of Americans and the influence of corporate power in the government.
During its first two months, OWS protests were peaceful and were allowed to go on. However, in the early morning of November 15, the NYPD told all protestors to leave the park temporarily so that it could be cleaned. Any protestors who refused to leave would be arrested.
The exact details of what went on during the eviction are not entirely clear, for police kept journalists and all other members of the media away from observing what was going on in Zuccotti Park, in many cases forcefully. There are several reports saying that the police used force to keep credentialed journalists from observing the eviction and some journalists were arrested – arrested for doing their job.
This is merely the one example of police officials’ handling of the OWS protests. The use of tear gas and rubber bullets on Occupy Oakland protestors and the use of pepper spray on protestors in Seattle are other instances of police force being used on protestors. However, the most shocking use of force was seen at UC Davis on November 18 when a police officer pepper sprayed a group of student protestors.
Why did these protests that warranted such a response from the police? These students were not assaulting police officials, they were not vandalizing school property, and they were not affecting the safety and well being of the people on campus in any way. No, they were silently sitting in protest in a line and refused to move. That is what “forced” the police to pepper spray the students.
Spectators of this use of force were indignant and booed at the police officers as they dragged the blinded protestors away. Videos of the event went viral and almost all of the responses to it have been those of disgust and shock. How can such brutal mistreatment be justifiable? Since when could the police strip citizens of their rights? And aren’t the police supposed to protect our rights?
Journalists at Zuccotti Park when protestors were evicted had all of the credentials that allowed them to be there, yet police still kept them away and arrested them when they tried to cover what was happening inside the park. Isn’t the freedom of the press included in the First Amendment?
The students at UC Davis were silently protesting and were not causing any harm to anyone or anything, yet police officials still forced the students to leave through the use of pepper spray. Isn’t the right to assemble for peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment?
Both of these instances are clear infringements on the First Amendment by the police. Such persecution of protestors and the press is not only illegal, but also appalling. The police are supposed to serve the public and its interests, but these abuses of power in dealing with protests displays that the police are not fulfilling this duty. Police officials should not be allowed to brutalize and strip people of their rights. It should not matter whether or not you agree with the goals and the manner of the OWS protests, such abuse from police officers, the people we trust to protect us and our rights, should trouble all of us. It’s obvious that not all police officers are performing such heinous acts, but the fact that such acts have been carried out by the few should be of the utmost concern. These officers are not serving the public’s interest, so the question remains, if these police officers aren’t serving the interests of the public, then whom do they serve?