PHOTOS: The Smashed Laptops Of Occupy Wall Street

[Hissyspit]

http://motherboard.tv/2011/11/18/who-smashed-the-laptops-from-occupy-wall-street-inside-the-nypd-s-lost-and-found

Who Smashed the Laptops from Occupy Wall Street? Inside the NYPD's Lost and Found

Posted by Motherboard on Friday, Nov 18, 2011

If you’re looking to recover any personal effects swept up early Tuesday morning in the NYPD raid on Zuccotti Park, epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, there’s only one place that may have what you’re looking for. Only it doesn’t have a marked address.

The Department of Sanitation has a brand new building. Situated at 650 W. 57th Street – the corner of 12th Ave. and 57th St., in the wastelandish Far West Side – Sanitation’s address is only marked on the 57th St. side, with no sign or anyone around to point out the recovery booth, which is around the back side in a stark, wind-tunnel underpass. (To be sure, this Sanitation press release gives a run down for all those looking to recover property.)

This is where we find Isaac Wilder, head of the Free Network Foundation, late Thursday morning. Wilder, who we first met on Day 3 of the occupation, is an integral part of OWS’ Signal Corps, a working group that had been dedicated to providing free Wi-Fi to demonstrators within Zuccotti. During the raid, all of Wilder’s stuff, including the FNF’s Freedom Tower, a thin, maybe nine-foot-tall pole, loaded on all sides with nondescript routers that had been beaming out wireless access since early on in the occupation, was confiscated not long after he and another 200 or so protestors were hauled away after barricading themselves in the middle of the park. Matt LiPani, a Sanitation representative, tells us that in the raid’s aftermath 151 Sanitation workers carted away the belongings to 650 W. 57th St. in “our collection trucks.”

- snip -

Worse, it was as if someone along the way purposefully destroyed all confiscated electronics, a strategic smashing of at least part of the digital record logged by full-on occupiers. “Dude, all the laptops are in a row," he tells us, baffled and raking his shock of brown hair. "They’ve all been smashed with bats.” When asked about the mangled property, LiPani admits that, inevitably, certain items could’ve been damaged in the shuffle: “I’m not surprised,” he says, to hear of damaged laptops. He adds that the DSNY is providing clearance forms to those occupiers concerned their property may’ve been mishandled or misplaced.

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[PETRUS]

1. That's criminal.

[Hissyspit]

2. Remember, the medical supplies in the medical tent being used by professionals were apparently

destroyed, too....in addition to donations for the homeless and some belongings that where the only things that some homeless had in the world.

[PETRUS]

6. So I heard. I couldn't be there.

But I watched the live stream all night. It felt like I was watching somebody wreck my front yard.

[Fire Walk With Me]

...

:mad:

[The Genealogist]

3. Damaged in the shuffle?

What did they shuffle those laptops with? A herd of buffalo?

[hootinholler]

37. A compacting collection truck.

Or maybe they played kick the can with them all the way to 'storage'

[Mira]

4. I "knew" it - but now that I really do I am ENRAGED. recommended

[dotymed]

31. Of course these "people" are above the law, they ARE the law.

That has ben one of my fears of being active at OWS demonstrations. I take about 15 different medications a day and I probably wouldn't survive a beating from a baton (I did in my younger days). I had my daughter and her husband over for dinner last night. She remembers making posters for and participating in Union protests with me, when she was young. Do you realize how difficult and expensive it is if you have to tell your Dr. that all of your meds were "lost" and that you need early refills? Forget your prescription insurance helping.

Just all of the losses that an individual must endure if they choose to exercise their constitutional rights, is insane. It appears as if some of the sociopath cops weren't able to bust enough heads so they decided to bust peoples belongings. This should worldwide news and the reimbursements should be fast and easy. Of course, that is what this protest is about; what should be as opposed to what is.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Anybody who is surprised by this...

well then, predictable.

[lob1]

7. I hope the computer owners sue. It's pretty obvious those

computers weren't damaged by any casual mishap.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

24. See my post below and stay tuned

[wakemewhenitsover]

8. Infuriating.

On what legal basis was this done? Bullshit!

[gkhouston]

41. It was meant to infuriate. They're trying desperately to provoke violence. n/t

[wakemewhenitsover]

76. Very possible.

They try to provoke violence to justify their own violence.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

78. I think so

[awoke_in_2003]

62. The Constitution went out the window...

with the passage of the Patriot Act. The republic is dead, has been for sometime. The crap in DC is just a facade to keep us entertained and placated.

[abelenkpe]

72. +1 nt

[aquart]

9. Bloomberg should replace it out of his own pocket.

This was done to serve him, not the public.

[lonestarnot]

11. Someone should attempt to sue that short little rich shit pile.

[tblue37]

20. But the data can't be replaced--and many probably had info and notes--and videos

and photos--from the OWS process.

[tomp]

30. that is likely why it was done. nt

[IDemo]

46. If they had SSD's instead of spinners, there's a chance some might have survived

[awoke_in_2003]

63. Even if they have conventional hard drives...

there are firms that can get the info off of them, regardless of damage.

[Xithras]

75. The greater likelihood is that the data is fine anyway.

Laptop HDD's lock the heads away from the platters when they're powered down to prevent strike damage, and their chassis are fairly strong and inflexible. They're designed to be durable. I've seen laptop computers take horrendous amounts of physical damage without losing any data, so long as they are powered off when it happens.

If the laptop is powered up and the disks are spinning when it happens, all bets are off.

[oldhippydude]

56. bingo

im sure that's a big part of it..nevertheless im sure there will be plenty of historical documentation

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. Related information, hope it's okay to link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2335794

[Better Believe It]

12. The cops are protecting property rights .... of the 1%

[kestrel91316]

13. Willful, malicious destruction of personal property. Vandalism is much too mild a term.

[Downwinder]

15. Its not like it was youthful exuberance.

Thee were grown supposedly responsible men performing an official duty.

Now who wants to argue the pig description?

[ooglymoogly]

58. sorry wrong place

Mayor Bloomberg and the 1%, have the white shirts.

The NYPD and NYC can never live this disgrace down...in their shame, the situation can only become more illegal and become much worse.

Why isn't the city council voting no confidence.

why isn't a recall petition making the rounds.

Why isn't there an outcry to fire and arrest the police chief.

The good Germans are still just like before.

History for some is never learned.

[awoke_in_2003]

64. It's called fascism...

and it is finally showing its ugly face, though it has been here for some time. You think we truly have representatives in DC or local governments?

[DeSwiss]

14. ''Police - Man Say''

SMASH!!!




- Surely we can do better than this.......

K&R

[Lugnut]

16. Rotten bastards.

The pigs made more of a ruckus than the protestors ever did. WTF?

[blackspade]

17. Seriously? Come on!

This is what happens when criminals take over the police department.

Disgusting

[Downwinder]

61. More like Government takes over organized crime.

Numbers, gambling, protection.

[awoke_in_2003]

65. The police are just doing what they are told...

to do by the true criminals in our country.

[blackspade]

69. The cops are still criminals.

Whether they were told to do it or not, it is still willful criminal destruction of property.

The rot in the police departments nation wide is from the top to the bottom.

[awoke_in_2003]

70. that is very true...

but we need to kill the snake at the head, and work our way down.

[BoWanZi]

18. I have never seen laptops damaged like those, they look extremely forcefully twisted

Even if you drive over a laptop, it won't look anything like those. A laptop that has been driven over will still be flat and probably even function but the screen will be badly cracked but usually intact. The dvd drive might also be nonfunctional due to the tire crushing it but the laptop will usually still power up.

If you drop a laptop even from say 10 feet up on concrete, the laptop will break apart but will not be all twisted and mangled. It might split and have keys fly off of the keybaord and so on, but won't look anything like those pictured laptops.

Those above laptops do look like they were struck with bats but they also look like someone twisted the hell out of them as well.

Accidental damage? Bullshit, those were not damaged like that "accidentally". I could accept a cracked screen or some missing keys but nothing like what was pictured.

[chowder66]

19. If they can't smash heads then I guess they have a need to smash your property. eom

[slay]

21. Pigs, thugs, criminals

call them what you will.

[Lorien]

22. Vandalism and theft

add those to assault and slander. The cops are some of the worst criminals anywhere.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

23. I know Isaac and am working closely with FNF

Thefnf.org for more info- about to release even more information soon- really exciting stuff. Isaac was also on Colbert's coverage. Expect to hear more about the seizing of the Freedom Tower soon, I can't give details as of yet, but it'll make you smile.

[Hissyspit]

25. Wonderful work he is doing.

Feel free to PM me about the news. :-)

[malaise]

26. Sue the scumbags n/t

[kayakjohnny]

27. Are NYPD cops tested for drugs? Especially steroids?

Something deeper than just anger is going on here.

[eShirl]

29. Well, aren't the war-deployed combat troops issued certain drugs?

Could swear I read something about that on DU years ago...

[cyberpj]

36. Rachel Maddow recently had a piece on caffeinating of MREs for troops -

Don't know if it was started yet or not.

I think that's pretty scary.

Here's WaPo article I found:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/caffeinated-jerky-and-zapplesauce-adding-kick-to-the-militarys-tough-to-swallow-mre/2011/10/27/gIQAtI9aTM_story.html

[Jello Biafra]

32. Steroids and donuts....

just say no............

[Divernan]

28. NYPD cops looked like they were mainlining a can of lard a day, not steroids.

Watching a video of the raid on Zuccotti Park, I observed that the large (literally) majority of cops involved were so morbidly obese they looked like Bobby Bacala on the Sopranos. These guys couldn't run up one flight of stairs.

http://vimeo.com/32215878 - The Raid on Zuccotti Park

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

51. Lard?

NY's finest…….. Cannibals!

[MorningGlow]

33. Vicious...and stupid

Besides the fact that this was willful destruction of personal property, I have to ask...to what end? Have these 19th century thugs never heard of the intertoobz? Something may start on a laptop, but it doesn't stay there anymore. Eedjits. :mad:

[stlsaxman]

34. Who has all those hard drives?

[Enrique]

35. not smashed with bats

looks like the work of nightsticks. :mad:

[mistertrickster]

38. When you line them up in rows, it makes them easier to run over with a truck.

Oops . . . sorry.

[WillyT]

39. Grrr... K & R !!!

:mad:

:kick:

[DirkGently]

40. Jesus. Naked malice.

[bvar22]

42. PIGS!!!!

"Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails just call me Lucifer
Cause I'm in need of some restraint"
--Thanks, Mick


A side effect of OWS:
I'm suffering from chronic 60s protest earworms,
and loving it.

"Pleased to meet cha
Hope ya guessed my naaaaaame"
Dooooot nn Dooo"






My bad.
Carry on.



Solidarity99!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[femrap]

44. Thx for the

tunes. I've been singing "We won't be fooled again."

I hope the Occupiers have a chance to retrieve their personal property...what's left of it.

I really think these violent actions come from the top...the HSD.

I can't wait until WS is simply a stinking pool of sewage and those who worked there are forced to eat money for breakfast.

[awoke_in_2003]

68. you don't need a Weatherman...

to know which way the wind blows.

[kenny blankenship]

43. Tell me again: which side are the private property destroying Anarchist thugs in this case?

[defendandprotect]

49. +1000% --- What should a president be saying about all of this -- !!???

[chervilant]

57. What should he be saying?!

Indeed, what IS he saying?!

***crickets***

[awoke_in_2003]

66. I think we know...

whose side he is on.

[jerseyjack]

45. It is unlikely that a compacting garbage truck broke all of them in the same way.

[NICO9000]

47. Smashing computers and trashing books

Yup, seems like the 1% and their piggies have a real problem with anything that requires using a brain, rather than an assault rifle.

[awoke_in_2003]

67. yep, a modern day book burning...

what the ignorant fuckers don't understand is that a lot of this data has been put on line. Also, unless they put the hard drives through some kind of grinder, there are people that can recover the data from them.

[defendandprotect]

48. Destruction under Bloomber/Kelly tells us a great deal ... about the people they are working

for and how dangerous to freedom and democracy they all are!!

Certainly it's intended as a warning and threat to those of OWS - and to

anyone thinking of joining them. The BATON is the threat -- violence is the

threat -- by those police officers who carry out these anti-democratic attacks!

[Fire Walk With Me]

52. "Certainly it's intended as a warning and threat to those of OWS"

Exactly. Isn't it wonderful to watch it backfire upon the "authorities" each and every time? These pics are literally recruitment posters! :)

[defendandprotect]

83. Don't think we'll see any more talk of Bloomberg running for president -- !!

Bloomberg and Kelly reek --

[Blue Owl]

50. Fuck THE MAN

n/t

[mulsh]

53. Kill the language and you kill the culture just ask the English about

their adventures areound the world.

Wreck Occupy's ability to communicate and you kill the movement. Pretty classic dominant society behavior. I doubt it will work this time. But just to be safe I'd keep things like lap tops and large sums of money close to my body or out of the fray in the future.

[Maineman]

54. America's soft fascism is becoming more violent.

[TNLib]

55. Umm I don't think those laptops were accident ly damaged in the shuffle

They look like they were smashed with bully clubs. Even if you dropped and stomped on your laptop you wouldn't get those kind of dents.

[dixiegrrrrl]

59. Hopefully most puter owners prepared for data loss.

It would make sense to practice "just in case" data storage during an Occupy event. The odds of the police invading are 99%.
Hopefully there are lots of back ups.

And hopefully there will a HUGE lawsuit over the illegal destruction of personal property!

[ooglymoogly]

60. Hitler and Germany's 1% had the brown shirts....and the "good" Germans

Mayor Bloomberg and the 1%, have the white shirts and the "good" Americans.

The NYPD and NYC can never live this disgrace down...in their shame, the situation can only become more illegal and become much worse.

Why isn't the city council voting no confidence?

why isn't a recall petition making the rounds?

Why isn't there an outcry to fire and arrest the police chief?

The "good" Germans...um...American dittoheads, are still; just like before, then, bringing on the greatest calamity civilized man has ever known.

History, for far too many, is never learned.

[juajen]

85. That's because they are the ones who are uneducated. Only

liberals are considered the intellectual elite, and stoned hippies. Wonder how many pugs like Limbaugh are hooked on oxycontin and other meds, plus we are so artistic, don't you know? So, they attack liberal arts programs and do away with art, music and speech? How many schools are bereft of this type of education? I also heard that History was being eliminated at high schools. I would appreciate verification if this last item, as I just heard it.

[Dutchmaster]

71. Outrageous.

[gtar100]

73. More proof that there is a segment of America that loves America

but hates Americans. So disrespectful and disgraceful. Will the police ever be held accountable for their criminal acts? Not so long as the corporations are in control. They need criminals to protect their own criminality.

[W T F]

74. Vandalism is now approved!!

When the law breaks the law, there is no law........ It's just survival.

[Fuzz]

77. What country did this happen in? Can't be the land of the free.

Or the home of the brave.

[w0nderer]

79. k&r for reading later n/t

[JDPriestly]

80. And the City would, of course, raise the roof if the private property

of any business were destroyed by protestors -- even inadvertently.

How ironic that the City shows so little respect for the property of the private citizens. Seems the City respects the private property of the 1% but not of the 99%.

Hmmmm.

[RoccoR5955]

81. If any of those are Macbook Pros..

With an all aluminium case, they are pretty well protected, as far as their hard drives. They should get them back and pull their data off of them, if the pigs haven't deleted the data, which could be done very easily for a standard hard drive.
This is one of the reasons why I always carry a USB flash drive with encryption on me. Yes, they are expensive, but you cannot erase them unless you know the key, and some models are practically indestructible. A regular USB flash drive can be wiped easily, but it is easy to hide some of the smaller ones.
Better than that, use one of the services to put data in the cloud, but encrypt it first.

[caseymoz]

82. The 4th Amendment's autopsy pictures.

We heard it was dead. Now we have confirmation.

This is what Constitutional Rights mean to local police departments now. And you know if the local police see it this way, Federal law enforcement sees it this way, too.

[Fire Walk With Me]

84. Kick to high heaven.