NYPD actions on Brooklyn Bridge would be illegal in Washington, DC

[Eric J in MN]

In 2009, a federal judge ruled in a lawsuit that police can't trap protesters to make mass arrests.

The lawsuit was over an incident in 2000 in which DC cops trapped IMF protesters on the street, beat them with clubs, and arrested them.

The police tactic is called "trap and detain" or "kettling."

Now there is a lawsuit over Saturday's Brooklyn Bridge kettling and mass arrests.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/occupy-wall-street-mass-arrests_n_995047.html?1317780140

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. "He was the fourth activist arrested that day."

So the fourth guy they arrested out of 700 is the guy who once won a multi-million dollar lawsuit over the very same tactic?

There are not enough emoticons with which to express myself.

[Luminous Animal]

2. It does give immense satisfaction!

[EFerrari]

5. Maybe Karma is real.

:)

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Their tactic certainly seems to have completely backfired before they even really began!

[bengalherder]

3. Been kettled once.

Walked around the corner with some friends in SF on New Year's Eve boom we were trapped. No warning, we saw no crowd disturbance anywhere, but all of a sudden there were cops in the street in riot gear and a mass of humanity trapped behind cattle gates. An agitated crowd becomes like quicksand in those instances, you are quickly sucked in and down, you have to fight just to stay standing.

Scary fucking shit that should be illegal for the same reason they don't sell open seating in arenas anymore,people, including mere bystanders, can be horrendously crushed and injured.

[backscatter712]

9. Exactly! The rule is that the police should always leave a way out for people who want to leave.

Kettling is despicable and dangerous.

Though dangerous is what they'd want if they were deliberately trying to incite violence to attempt to discredit grassroots movements...

[Eric J in MN]

10. It's depriving people of "liberty" without probable cause

..in violation of the US Constitution.

[itsallhappening]

4. NYPD better stop policing DC!

[PETRUS]

7. And "just plain wrong" everywhere. nt

[JDPriestly]

8. I'm so glad to hear that they are suing over this.

If this tactic is allowed to continue, no one exercising their First Amendment rights will be able to trust the police. That would defeat the purpose of the First Amendment.

And there is a YouTube video that clearly shows how the protestors were on the pedestrian bridge and the police marched them down the street portion of the bridge.

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Kick!

[Eric J in MN]

12. Lawsuit: Protesters on the bridge weren't allowed to leave.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/nyregion/citing-police-trap-protesters-file-suit.html