"Occupy" turning to violence

[PepperElf]

When this "occupy" movement started I thought to myself..... damn, if the tea-party did this they'd be called terrorists.


That was before the news reports started coming in... and their actions both shock and disgust me.


Muggings. Rapes. Fights with the homeless.


Stay classy, occupiers!

[MadMike]

Do you have a link? So far the closest I've heard about violence along the movement was in Harrisburg, where someone not affiliated with the group mentioned storming the capitol with bombs and weapons, and "suggested" that he had some. One of the protestors actually called the cops on him.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/ind...g_the_cap.html

[FArchivist]

Muggings. Rapes. Fights with the homeless.
Stay classy, occupiers!

*googles*
*checks OWS forums*
*checks various real news websites*

Other than the incident mentioned by MadMike, I see no incidents.
I have seen a lot of pictures being passed off as being of Occupy protests, but dating from 4-10 years ago. Heck, I even saw some people trying to say pictures of the Seattle WTO rioters were Occupy protests.

[Gravekeeper]

Yeah, gonna need some information here. I haven't heard a peep about the protestors being violent. Nevermind mugging and raping. Also, trying to pull a double standard accusation with the Tea Party is a can of worms you don't want to open. -.-

No offence, Pepper, but you're coming across like a Fark troll here.

[Hyena Dandy]

I've heard that there were some riots abroad but... Muggings and rape?

Well, I recall reading about a sexual assault at the Wall Street one, but that was someone who had a history of assault, and wasn't one of the occupiers. He just came down a lot to grope people.

Though there are comparisons to be made, in this specific case, comparing it to the Tea Party is entirely inaccurate. They come from the same place, I feel, emotion and dissatisfaction with their lot.

However, the tea party had organized protests. We can debate back and forth about whether they were organized by big interests or by the protesters themselves, but their type of protest was completely different, and they can't be judged by the same standards on that matter.

I have no special love, either for the Tea Party or the OWS movement. But to compare a group of people who are living in a tent city to a group of people who go to protests for a day and go home is ridiculous.

[PepperElf]

Seriously?

I didn't think I'd have to post a link considering it's been in the NEWS but... here you go.

Occupy Movement Crime News

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/5...group.html.csp

Since the occupation began two weeks ago, a culture clash has played out between middle-class protesters and the park’s homeless inhabitants struggling to survive.

Seriously you people crack me up.

[Andara Bledin]

I didn't think I'd have to post a link considering it's been in the NEWS but... here you go.

If you have an assertion to make, then yes, you should support your claims.

Occupy Movement Crime News

*checks first page of links*

1. claim of a single act
2. media coverage article
3. news aggregate page with no obvious relevance
4. video aggregate page with no obvious relevance
5. occupy article with no violence
6. occupy article with no violence
7. occupy article with no violence
8. occupy article with no violence
9. occupy article stating that they choose to be a non-violent organization
10. site with articles on violence and a very obvious bias against the movement (calling them "Occupy Losers" ... classy )

It appears like you didn't even look at the results of your own search.

^-.-^

[PepperElf]

i mean seriously, it's in the news.
if you really want more links instead of the ones i provided then here.


Serious criminal element now emerging in “Occupy” movement

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/medi...iolent-in-nyc/

[Gravekeeper]

Painting the entire movement based on a handful of crazies is no more valid here than it was against the Tea Party. Do you really think the dude with the assault rifle wearing military fatigues or the guy flashing children were out there for the cause?

Nevermind the fact the protests have been going on for almost a month, and this is all that's happened? I'd say thats actually a pretty good track record for any kind of protest.

Also, your second link appears to be more about police violence than protestor violence.

[PepperElf]

wearing cammies and carrying an AR?

O my. ... wait that's legal.

[Gravekeeper]

wearing cammies and carrying an AR?

O my. ... wait that's legal.

...What? Are you arguing against your own position now or did you just not read your own link again? >.>

[FArchivist]

Occupy Movement Crime News

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/5...group.html.csp

Seriously you people crack me up.

You're second link had no mention of violence whatsoever. The Occupiers are going to move their campsite. A "cultural clash" isn't actual violence, yo.

As for your first, the only thing that brings up allegations of violence and crimes are certain unreliable blogs that also have posts like "OBAMA IS AN AL QAEDA MUSLIM!" and so forth. Still not seeing citations.

Serious criminal element now emerging in “Occupy” movement

We have two criminals in Occupy Seattle who were arrested, but who have not identified themselves as part of the movement. We have one rape being investigated, the victim being an Occupier, but no claim that the rapist was a protest member.

Even if we assume that all three criminals were Occupiers through and through, this is a "serious criminal element"? 3 out of several tens of thousands? Really? What we've got here are isolated incidents and weasel wording, not to mention some serious leading terminology. This would never be accepted as a "serious criminal element" in a court of law.

We'll start saying "serious criminal element" when we find out that Occupy is being run by the Medellin Cartel or Al Qaeda or the Mafia or something.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/medi...iolent-in-nyc/

Oh. The Blaze. I wonder if they have any Birther stories available. No? Well, on with the show....that happened on October 14th. Let's check other news stories.

Police said arrests — of which there were more than a dozen — were mainly for blocking traffic. Protesters chanted “The whole world is watching” during the arrests.

Among the most notable incidents on Friday happened when one man lost his balance, and was run over by a police scooter. The man could be seen screaming on the ground after the tire of the scooter apparently rolled over on his foot.

“He was just walking and the cop ran him over,” one witness said.

It’s unclear how the man came to be on the ground in the first place or how his leg ended up under the bike. Police descended on the protester and got him out from under the bike. Some witnesses told Sandberg the man was beaten during the arrest.

The rest of the article describes what I would refer to as a "kerfluffle". Yes, it just went totally violent right there. Strange how The Blaze makes it sound as if there were AK-47s going off and Molotovs being tossed.

wearing cammies and carrying an AR?

O my. ... wait that's legal.

So the guy who was arrested for carrying the AR, who was described as one of the three people making up this "SERIOUS CRIMINAL ELEMENT", isn't a criminal? Is that what I gather here?

[Greenday]

Actually, I can vouch for the urinating and defecating on cop cars. I've seen it reported on multiple major news networks on tv.

[bara]

The issues mentioned are amazingly isolated. Honestly, it it seems like a hell of a stretch to say OWS has turned violent.

[IDrinkaRum]

Thefts happening to those occupying Wall Street. Someone was complaining that their Mac (worth $5,500) was stolen. Their Mac which was made by Apple which is a corporation. And aren't corporations considered "evil" by these occupiers?

NY Post version of the same article

What are these people complaining about? They want the wealth of millionaires and billionaires taken away and distributed to others. And I doubt they'd care if it was done legally or not. But ... surprise! There are people poorer than these protesters (and you know what? Even with my husband's really good federal government job, we couldn't afford a $5,500 laptop)! I say quit complaining. They're learning first hand what happens when the wealth is distributed.