Ed Morrissey
HotAir.com
11/8/2011
It took an old woman getting shoved down the steps at the DC Convention Center last Friday to get police in the nation’s capital to take some action against the increasingly violent Occupy movement. After a number of assaults and clashes with security last week during the AFP “Defending the American Dream” conference, the chief of police announced yesterday that Occupy DC was “no longer a peaceful protest“:
Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said Monday that her department is adjusting its tactics in response to Occupy D.C.’s “increasingly confrontational and violent” demonstrations, following the actions of other U.S. cities looking to evict — or at least crack down — on what officials are characterizing as unruly protesters.
The chief’s tough talk changed the tone of what had been about a month of congenial relations between protesters and authorities. It came after a Friday night incident in which several people attending a downtown event where the protesters were demonstrating were hurt.
“Five people that we are aware of were injured,” Chief Lanier said in a statement issued Monday. “That is no longer a peaceful protest.”
Chief Lanier’s statement also included links to videos that police say support their claims that the protesters are becoming more aggressive. In one video, protesters appear to use children to block an entrance.
Lanier declined to say what action the police will take with the Occupiers. One option might be actually showing up. The protesters blocked the exits at the Convention Center, a dangerous tactic that could have ended in disaster. Where was the fire marshal? Where were the police, who should have either moved the protest back to the sidewalks or started carting off people who refused to keep exits clear? It’s fine that the police now want to start taking some action, but what took place last week at the convention center should be investigated to determine whether the police deliberately ignored the violations, and if so, why…
The article continues at HotAir.com
Related: Conservative group staffers, event attendees: 911 hung up on us four times during Occupy DC mob
…AFP volunteer Melissa Ortiz, who is wheelchair-bound, said she also called 911 to ask for help leaving the convention center. “I personally called 911,” Ortiz told TheDC. “They said, ‘are the police there?’ I said, ‘yes they are.’ Then, click.” They hung up on her too, she said…
Also, Elderly women explains how she was injured by protesters and says police didn’t help her
