Tensions Rise Between Police and Occupy Protesters

(OAKLAND, Calif.) - Things appear to be turning ugly between police and Occupy protesters in the US. The movement has staged protests across the country over the past few months, to highlight, amongst other things, corporate greed and economic inequality.

This weekend, riot police descended on Occupy camps, in cities including Oakland, Washington and New York. Saying they were tasked with restoring order to city centers and putting an end to the protest movement that began back in September.

Police were deployed en masse throughout the weekend in cities where the Occupy protests have been the largest and most vocal. There are various pieces of amateur video footage circulating online, showing security forces arresting hundreds of people, sending out a strong message to protesters.

As police officers moved in to break up tent cities, clashes with protesters turned violent at times, there were even pitched battles. As we can see here in Oakland, demonstrators threw stones and other objects at riot police who responded by firing tear gas.

These pictures illustrate the particularly tense climate in several cities across the US, and the situation could well get worse. Occupy activists accuse the police of excessive use of force against protesters. This video shows a man being stunned with a Taser as he was arrested in Washington; despite the fact three police officers were on hand to hold him down if necessary. Demonstrators say this arrest illustrates how riot police are resorting to violence on a far too frequent basis.

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joel in LA February 7, 2012 8:59 am (Pacific time)

Are you awake....or sleeping on your pillow.......!!!! > Just a few days ago......!!! > > Occupy Oakland January 28, 2012 - Police Brutality > Joel in LA says....ME WORRY ABOUT THIS....!!!! > > YES... PLENTY TO WORRY ABOUT....!!! > > While our Politician are going their ways...!!!!!!! > > INTO MULCHLAND....!!!!!! > with confrontations like this... > we don't need anymore wars overseas....!!!

February 4, 2012 5:54 pm (Pacific time)

Great article, this is something far more people need to know about.

Stephen February 4, 2012 12:19 pm (Pacific time)

speaking of the G8/NATO meeting in Chicago in May, Rham Emanuel left a prestigious White House job to become a "mayor"? And he even cheated to win? And now we have G8/NATO meeting in Chicago? hmmmm..

Stephen February 4, 2012 11:40 am (Pacific time)

May I add Dennis Paul, and I hope you get this. I have contacts in Germany, which is the hub where troops go before going anywhere. If going from U.S. to Iraq, they usually go to Germany first and vice versa. Not all, but many. My contacts in Germaqny who do the transfer papers, say that a large part of our military is not going to go along as you mentioned, altho what you mentioned WILL happen, just saying there are many that are waking up. That is why Ron Paul gets more support from the troops than all candidates put together, both republican and democrat. Your overall scenario is what I believe is coming also tho.

stephen February 4, 2012 11:32 am (Pacific time)

If M.Dennis Paul is not writing for salem-news.com HE SHOULD BE! Put this guy on staff Tim!

Anonymous February 4, 2012 10:44 am (Pacific time)

"Occupy activists accuse the police of excessive use of force against protesters. This video shows a man being stunned with a Taser as he was arrested in Washington; despite the fact "three police officers were on hand to hold him down if necessary." Why should the police have to hold down a demonstrator when they can taze the bastard? These clowns in Oakland broke into city hall, stole a flag and burned it! Yeah, that's the way to exercise the 1st Amendment. My prayers are the police get the go ahead to use whatever force to stop all criminal acts that threaten life and property. They can start with those who egg on and incite those to riot. Deal with them as a death threat! I have some names for them...

Douglas Benson February 4, 2012 6:52 am (Pacific time)

Soon the protesters will decide they wont be beaten gassed shot etc. and really fight back. There are not enough police to fight against large groups of even peacefull protesters let alone groups that will fight on the offensive . Our government is pushing for all out war in the streets and a new class of terrorist. Protesters and activists . The shot heard around the world is coming its just a question of which side fires first. Occupy!

M. Dennis Paul, PH.D. February 3, 2012 11:10 pm (Pacific time)

Is it hard to conceive that ... when Police poke, prod, infiltrate (with the intent to create violence appearing as if from within a movement), poise rifles and canons against placards and sound horns, surround and mercilessly beat young men and women doing nothing more than what their Constitution has granted them, fire grenades directly into the faces and groins of ex-military (voicing the opinions they were told they were fighting for when deployed to foreign soils), violate in most blatant and subversive ways the rights of the 4th estate... the whole process is going to escalate to the point our government has actively and consciously worked toward since the onset of the Occupy movement.. Brutal and devastating suppression of human rights endowed upon the unlobbied masses.. and through the ability to exploit precision weaponry provided to the police by those whose true intent is using those Police as pawns on the front line protecting the rich and lobbied few, a new face of fear will present itself and the angered 99% will wither, crumble and fade away. So is the intention.

Not so is the reality. The next wave of protest may fall against the liberal sensitivities of the Occupy movement's spirited manifesters in that the violence they sought to avoid will, whether they remain in the light or not, itself manifest as natural reaction to brutality and endless assault. So will come that time when no officer will walk a street with assurance, in his/her mind, of returning home that evening, unharmed. And it will be their undoing as the pawns they are and they shall walk as empty shells protected not by their masters nor by the citizens who once offered their hands in respect.

And not to protect them, but to protect they, the masters... troops will converge against their own families in blind obedience and will kill and will maim and will believe they have ended a harm to their flag. It, too, will be their undoing and they, too, will walk as empty shells. This is the turning point... today is it... the beginning of the American Revolution of 2012

Anonymous February 3, 2012 8:06 pm (Pacific time)

2012 will be crazy..Its not just Oakland, and they have military training in Los Angeles with helicoptors and everything. TSA checkpoints going up, oh, an lol, Janet actually had all the concession stand people at the supoer bowl (over 7,000 of them) trained to watch for terrorists..Oh, and I cant believe I missed this one, just found out today. G8 AND NATO (yes, I said NATO), meeting in Chicago in May...yikes.

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Tensions Rise Between Police and Occupy Protesters

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