NYPD USES GESTAPO METHODS IN TIMES SQUARE

24 comments

Posted on 16th October 2011 by Administrator in Economy |Politics |Social Issues

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This was happening two blocks from our location in Times Square. Nothing like calling out the horses to deal with peaceful protestors. Does this look like a passing storm to you? 

24 Comments

  1. DavosSherman says:

    Looks fugly. It’s going to get a lot worse. The videos are excellent.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:08 pm

  2. ecliptix543 says:

    I have the solution to the horse brigade. A few strings of firecrackers and some of the good smoke bombs. That would liven things up nicely.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:20 pm

  3. llpoh says:

    No riot gear that I could see. No one getting trampled. No one getting beaten. Protesters walking freely, and calmly, between policemen. On the whole, the police seemed reasonably well-behaved, as I would expect given they would have to know there were dozens of cameras on them at any one time. The horses seemed to be there to prevent entry into some area or another – and of course there were protesters tempting fate by trying to push through.

    I do not know what the arrests were for, but I expect it would be for trying to get into areas the police had set as off-limits. I think it best to leave the police alone wherever possible.

    Hot debate. What do you think? Thumb up 7 Thumb down 4

    16th October 2011 at 10:23 pm

  4. Mary Malone says:

    Any chance that OWS -is an independent movement and demonstrating AGAINST Obama’s corrupt partnership with banksters is kaput.

    The Community Organizer In Chief just threw his support behind the effort.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-draws-closer-to-occupy-wall-street-says-obama-is-fighting-for-interests-of-the-99-2011-10

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1

    16th October 2011 at 10:25 pm

  5. ecliptix543 says:

    If Obama is so beloved by the protesters, how about he drags his skinny black ass down there WITHOUT the armed protective detail and armored cars? Yeah. That’s what I thought.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:31 pm

  6. howard in nyc says:

    there was one knot of cops in riot gear. with the horseback cops. about minute 5:30 on the RT video. the cops overall did a good job. but the riot squad and horseback cops were a bit too aggressive in moving the crowd back from the street onto the sidewalk. my sense is the crowd was intimidated and complied.

    on the other side of the street, seventh avenue, and up one block is where the cops almost blew it, being overaggressive about pushing the crowd back. and the cops were intimidated, while the crowd was cool, and complying (about 4:50 of the RT vid).

    the arrests were for the most part in ones and twos. exceptions were some kind of ‘failure to disburse’ over on sixth ave, with about 40 arrests, and earlier 24 were arrested in a citibank branch downtown. protesters and people who wanted to close their accounts were arrested for criminal trespass. some reports are that they were asked to leave, then locked inside the bank until enough cops arrived to arrest them.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:36 pm

  7. llpoh says:

    The point I was making above was that in no way can you call this stuff gestapo tactics. No submachine guns or rifles or bayonets, no packs of police dogs, no cavalry charges, no riot gear, no people being savagely beaten or shot, no mace or tear gas, no blood whatsoever did I see.

    All in all, it was very much what I would consider a civilized display by the police, and indicative of the difference between the US and many other nations. Try that protest in Syria and check out the results.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:38 pm

  8. howard in nyc says:

    i saw plenty of positive interaction between cops and protesters. applause for the cops by protesters. i saw far more of the crowd behaving well than badly. and where i thought the cops nearly fucked the pooch was out of fear.

    i think the cops learned a lot yesterday. primarily, that this crowd is much less volatile or dangerous than they imagined. certainly much easier to manage than a new years eve, or a mets world series championship crowd. oh, sorry for the hypothetical.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:40 pm

  9. llpoh says:

    Thanks Howard – but I guess I disagree with what you call riot gear – they seemed to have helmets with face guards, but not really what I would consider riot gear. In a couple of spots they – the cops – were getting jostled a fair bit themselves. This is what I envision as riot gear:

    CowboySaloon.jpg

    correctional_officers_riot_gear_400x549.jpg

    HOM_0865.JPG

    0624-02.jpg

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1

    16th October 2011 at 10:44 pm

  10. llpoh says:

    Oops – sorry about SSS in front of the saloon.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:44 pm

  11. howard in nyc says:

    the horses were a mistake. and i mean deploying them, not a bad idea to have them in reserve. and, (mho) i think the horses had a positive effect, from the cop point of view, by intimidating the crowd. but it was unnecessary, and also added unnecessary danger. (if a horse spooked and reared–those nags are really fucking calm, but it still happens, and it would not have been good).

    similarly with the riot squad–they were unnecessary, they started banging their batons on the barriers which both intimidates, but also ramps up the tension on both sides.

    across the street, the super-senior cops told their guys to back up, the crowd cheered, after a few minutes the crowd thinned, and they allowed the protesters to cross seventh avenue to the side where the horse squad and goon squad were located. and fifteen minutes later, it was over.

    chief of the patol bureau jim hall; chief of the department joe esposito. leading their troops from the front, and not forgetting who they work for. they were marvelous and they averted needless arrests and ramping it up a level. and every notch up, you just don’t know what is gonna happen.

    n.b. i was an internet spectator. i was switching between a half dozen web cams shooting from above, live streams at ground level, and tweets/facebook. and the nypd scanner.

    technology is fucking cool. and i had a wider, more varied view than i would have if i attended.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:50 pm

  12. howard in nyc says:

    you’re right, i’m just talking blue helmets. and i don’t look closely enough to see if they have bullet-proof vests underneath, or flak jackets.

    i see the blue helmets, i exit, stage left. yeah, i’m a big pussy when it comes to riots.

    and i agree; the nypd is not guilty of gestapo crowd control techniques yesterday. they are guilty of overkill; but why should they be any different than any other area of local government?

    downtown today, the cops were very noticeably bored. in contrast to last weekend and the uptown march.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:54 pm

  13. howard in nyc says:

    llpoh says:

    “Oops – sorry about SSS in front of the saloon.”

    i don’t believe you. and even if you insist, i do not want to believe you.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:55 pm

  14. Administrator says:

    There was not one Pro-Obama sign anywhere to be seen at Zuccotti Park or Times Square. NOT A SINGLE ONE.

    This movement will not be taken over by Obama.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:56 pm

  15. Administrator says:

    Every area is off limits. Police barriers are put up to deter protestors from peacefully protesting. The police are pricks. At Zuccotti Park they are yelling at people who stop to take pictures. Intimidation is their method. Overwelming force is their mantra.

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    16th October 2011 at 10:58 pm

  16. llpoh says:

    So Avalon jumps in where Howard fears to tread. Figures.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:58 pm

  17. howard in nyc says:

    Administrator says:
    “The police are pricks…Intimidation is their method. Overwelming force is their mantra.”

    i agree here too. and they will crack heads when the time comes. i have no doubt they would have friday morning had they proceeded to clear zuccotti, and they were an inch away last night (i think).

    “gestapo methods” is a term i do not like. but it is a non-specific term, that has come to have a broader meaning than the specific tools of the german state secret police.

    i am old enough to remember chicago 1968, when congressman abraham ribacoff used the term to describe the chicago cops cracking heads in the streets and in the convention hall. and mayor daley screaming at him calling him a fucking jew.

    good thing that was an awakening era, otherwise we would’ve been fucked.

    not to beat a dead horse, here is a screenshot from the vid above. i’ll bet a dollar these guys are wearing flak jackets under their shirts, but they could very well be big guys with bullet-proofs. in any case, you taught me to reconsider the use of ‘riot gear’. i’ll stick to ‘goon squad’.

    riottgear.jpg

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    16th October 2011 at 11:20 pm

  18. llpoh says:

    Howard – hard to tell. They are being subdued about it, in any event. I do not disagree with the Admin’s general assessment about cops, as I as a rule hate the bastards. Just saying so far they are not getting too out of hand.

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    16th October 2011 at 11:28 pm

  19. Bruce says:

    How long will they all play nice? My money is on “not too long”.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 1:43 am

  20. TeresaE says:

    This is the least unruly mob I’ve seen in a long time. This is fabulous and bodes well.

    Democracy in action, thus far.

    Something to build on for sure.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 9:21 am

  21. Avalon says:

    I just watched this again and honestly i think i might have freaked out if those horses came anywhere near my kids while we were in that crowd.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 9:39 am

  22. ragman says:

    Howard & all: excellent comments! This is why TPTB absolutely HATE the internet. What really sucks is that we have to get this video from RT. Where is our “MSM”? Oh, I know. They’re busy covering our “fashion plate” first lady, Lady Gaga and other really important news events. This is nothing. Wait ’til next summer when the MSM does a full court press to get obongo re-elected including pulling out a race card as big as the US.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 9:58 am

  23. Mary Malone says:

    Marine to NYPD, “There is no honor in this.”

    Indeed.

    http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/veterans-support-wall-street-protests.html

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 10:30 am

  24. AWD says:

    The protesters need to arm themselves with doughnuts. Each person carrying a bag or box of jelly-filled glazed, crullers, chocolate raised, even sprinkles.

    Those fat cops would be unable to resist, if they were shown doughnuts. They could be lead off to New Jersey in droves, leaving the protesters alone. Go Dunkin Doughnuts! The leader of the free world.

    give ‘em hell howwie
    meatwad.gif

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    16th October 2011 at 11:30 am

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