Protestors in the international phenomenon Occupy Wall Street are learning that it will take some pain and resistance to bring national attention to their cause, a la the Civil Rights and Peace movements of the 1960s. And, yesterday, they brought the noise that reached the ears of the major media outlets.
So much noise in fact, that police in Oakland, Calif., unleashed tear gas on demonstrators to disperse the crowd after some threw paint and other objects at officers. According to media reports, a throng of about 500 or so got “hosed” with the gases after they defied repeated orders to vacate an area of Oakland. They had converged in large numbers in several areas in the city, including Oakland City Hall, the police claim.
In Atlanta, police arrested demonstrators at a downtown park overnight. The arrests came after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he sent ministers to the park “to see if we can find a way to resolve this amicably.”
That mentality wasn’t share with Reed’s mayoral colleague in Oakland, however.
“The city remains committed to respecting free speech as well as maintaining the city’s responsibility to protect public health and safety,” Oakland police said in a statement.
Back in the ATL, Reed told CNN affiliate WSB that action had to be taken when someone was observed hoisting an assault rifle, obviously forgetting that these are not the Black Panther days. “We could not determine whether the weapon was loaded and could not get additional information on the weapon,” he said.
Organizers had ordered protesters to remain peaceful as they were hauled into mobile holding cells like cattle. Some locked arms and recited “We Shall Overcome,” — the most famous song used during the Civil Rights Movement — as police led them one by one to waiting buses.
In Oakland, city officials cited horrid health hazards for moving in to shut the Occupy Oakland operations down.
“Sanitation conditions worsened with frequent instances of public urination and defecation, as well as improper food storage,” the police statement said. “The existing rodent problem in the park was exacerbated, and authorities were unable to control it because of the campers’ presence. Graffiti, litter and vandalism also posed problems, police said.
The question remains for many participants and observers is: when Occupy Wall Street movement, something that is much larger than the Tea Party ever was, will begin to articulate eloquently their position on issues at to enact viable changes in the United States government as their tea party counterparts demonstrated demonstratively in the mid-term elections? But with the national elections around the corner, we shall soon see.
–terry shropshire
