No one can say that these are isolated incidents. There have been far too many of them. No one can say that these incidents have been provoked by the protesters. The incident in Davis provides the clearest photographic and video evidence of that, but we’ve seen it again and again. The elderly woman who was pepper sprayed the other day in Seattle could not have possibly been seen as threatening by anybody. No one can say that the police are just trying to maintain order. They come, en masse, dressed in black, helmeted, clubs out, pepper spray at the ready. They are planning to commit violence.
The worst part is that not one has been prosecuted. To the best of my knowledge, none have faced any kind of disciplinary action at all. How far up the chain of command does this go?
President Obama has said nothing. Is he waiting for the police to actually kill somebody?
That would be a huge mistake on his part. At that point, if he tries to deliver his “everybody should calm down” speech, it will fall on deaf ears. It’s not as if he doesn’t have a speech ready, tailor made for the situation. He said this, back in January: ”I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters. The people of Egypt have rights that are universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech and the ability to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. And the United States will stand up for them everywhere.” Just cross out the words “Egyptian” and “of Egypt” and he’s good to go.
He should give that speech tomorrow.
Meanwhile, for all those people who complain about OWS not having specific demands, here’s one I would suggest: Davis, California police officer John Pike should be prosecuted. So should NYPD officer Anthony Bologna. And any others who have been guilty of using unnecessary violence against unarmed, peaceful civilians.
