Buffalo, NY: Move on Protester dragged onto private property and maced:

[hedgehog]

Three members of the activist group MoveOn.org who were arrested April 7 during an anti-war protest were allowed Friday to remain free without bail after pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Nate Buckley, 25, of Massachusetts Avenue, said he is considering civil action over mistreatment by Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police officers who, he says, maced and clubbed him outside M&T Bank headquarters on M&T Plaza.

The defendants have video that they say shows one NFTA officer fumbling with his belt to pull out pepper spray while another holds Buckley, who is standing calmly against a wall before he is sprayed in the eyes.

About two dozen people — including Buckley's father, John, local organizer for MoveOn.org — appeared in court to support the activists. City Judge Joseph A. Fiorella appointed attorney Paul Gordon Dell to represent Buckley.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/police-courts/courts/article393563.ece

You be the judge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AST5YSxPc


Google earth lets you see where they were standing: #1 M&T Plaza, Buffalo, NY

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Ouch. I'm doing a Move-on action tomorrow at Chase Manhattan.

Should mega-corporations have to pay taxes? Nah!

The Rockefeller family best stay clear of the Doofus family and not try any BS like the above. They're gonna have a "family feud and a HALF" on their hands.

[socialist_n_TN]

3. Yep me too at Bank of America......

I hope we get a lot of cameras with us.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Public sidewalk

The protesters are correct.

[lonestarnot]

11. And who owns that motherfucking sidewalk? We do!

[xchrom]

4. well that's frightening. nt

[hedgehog]

5. More info here:

http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2011/04/13/peace-marcher-beaten-and-maced-by-nfta-police/

[xchrom]

9. thanks. nt

[fredamae]

6. It's intended to frighten us, then Stop us....

We have the truth, we are beginning to tell it, loudly. They don't want us to do that because people are listening and rising up.

[lonestarnot]

12. It's maddening, not frightening!

[Shagbark Hickory]

7. From someone who got their ass kicked by crooked cops, I'd say they went easy on him.

Especially since it looked like he was resisting towards the end.
But a big +! and rec... it was still unprofessional and uncalled for.
Very impressed with how the crowd supported him and video taped it.

Wish there were pocket video cams when my incident took place.

[Snoutport]

8. That cop should be fired and prosecuted.

[bahrbearian]

10. This is America, you can't take our rights away.

[csziggy]

13. Right at 2:50 - Nate's hands are up in surrender

And the short cop behind him brings up his mace to spray him in the face. Absolutely no doubt that Nate at that point was not resisting - he had already had his hands up on the wall, but the cops had pulled him away from the wall. He was being completely non-resistant.

The short cop in the video should be fired and charged with assault.