New Police Strategy in New York - Sexual Assault Against Peaceful Protesters

[TalkingDog]

http://truth-out.org/news/item/8912-new-police-strategy-in-new-york-sexual-assault-against-peaceful-protestors

During this time, peaceful occupiers have been faced with continual harassment arrests, almost invariably on fabricated charges (“disorderly conduct,” “interfering with the conduct of a police officer”—the latter a charge that can be leveled, for instance, against those who try to twist out of the way when an officer is hitting them.) I have seen one protestor at Union Square arrested, by four officers using considerable force, for sitting on the ground to pet a dog; another, for wrapping a blanket around herself (neither were given warnings; but both behaviors were considered too close to “camping”); a third, an ex-Marine, for using obscene language on the Federal steps. Others were reportedly arrested on those same steps for singing a satirical version of the “Officer Krumpke” song from West Side Story. Almost no march goes by without one or two protestors, at least, being hurled against vehicles or have their heads bashed against the ground while being arrested for straying off the sidewalk. The message here is clear. Law has nothing to do with it. Anyone who engages in Occupy Wall Street-related activity should know they can be arrested, for virtually any reason, at any time.

snip

Arbitrary violence is nothing new. The apparently systematic use of sexual assault against women protestors is new. I’m not aware of any reports of police intentionally grabbing women’s breasts before March 17, but on March 17 there were numerous reported cases, and in later nightly evictions from Union Square, the practice became so systematic that at least one woman told me her breasts were grabbed by five different police officers on a single night (in one case, while another one was blowing kisses.) The tactic appeared so abruptly, is so obviously a violation of any sort of police protocol or standard of legality, that it is hard to imagine it is anything but an intentional policy.

/snip

falling back on the tried and true it seems

[seabeyond]

1. and why not. truly a war on women. from the religious, repug, porn lovers, internet harassment

entertainment, supreme court, computer games

why wouldnt a woman be free game. this is just the natural progression of hate.

the disrespect builds to a point, of this. and people wonder why, some of us women suggest their should be a line in denigration, and belittling, and dehumanizing

it all feeds.

[saras]

2. Stop calling it "arrested". You may as well call it "hugged". It's just dishonest. Say "groped".

Intentional policy from whom? Officers do NOT spontaneously invent policy.

EVERY headline should say "molested", "raped", "groped", "sexually assualted" or whatever PLAIN ENGLISH words best convey what happened on the physical plane. This seems like a really basic truthfulness issue.

It's time for punk clothing with spikes to come back.

[zeemike]

3. Just trying to create more reasons for violence

And I am sure there was no "order" given to do it...but a cultural signal that it would be tolerated and rewarded when they did it.
They have been playing this game for many years and they know how to play it and exploit every weakness in any situation.
They make being arrested a fearful thing and then they arrest a few just for nothing just to send the message to the rest.

It is terrorism on the less deadly scale...but terrorism never the less.

[obxhead]

4. This is exactly why the new strip search laws were implemented.

Get arrested for protesting and you'll be strip searched for "contraband."