Robbery, hate charges for 3 Occupy protesters
Source: SF Chronicle
Three people identified by police as Occupy Oakland protesters were charged Friday with robbery and hate crimes for allegedly battering a woman and stealing her wallet on Feb. 22.
Oakland police said woman was walking in the 4000 block of Piedmont Avenue around 6 p.m. last Wednesday when she heard a small group of Occupy Oakland protesters "calling for a riot."
"The victim, who has been a resident of the area for over 20 years, suggested to the protesters not to riot in her neighborhood," police said in a written statement. "She was surrounded by three protesters and battered as they yelled vulgar epithets regarding their perception of her sexual orientation."
The victim eventually broke away from the group and called police, according to the statement. Her wallet was taken during the confrontation.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/02/BALV1NFKJI.DTL
Grassy Knoll
(10,118 posts)Did they say they were Occupiers, or did the cops proclaim this ? What was Oakland's excuse before
the Occupy Movement ? WHAT!!! .....Car with Reagan sticker gets tires slashed.....Oh No...Not St. Ronnie. sigh
Bull sit story, but nice try.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)I agree. We know that this kind of behavior is not condoned by Occupy. This actually sounds like very young immature behavior. When have you ever heard an occupier act like that?
Grassy Knoll
(10,118 posts)Drugged Report, and Lumpy the Clown Will exploit as fact, But not
the first time this CRAP has been expressed here, Why even bother ?
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)The oldest of them was 32, and I'd characterize this as criminal behavior, not young and immature.
I would guess that these were the wrong types attracted to the protesters for their own reasons, but they were there.
randome
(34,845 posts)So what kind of behavior would you characterize his actions?
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Just plain criminal, and I'm genuinely shocked to hear anyone trying to describe it otherwise. This is not foolish kid-like hijinks. It's criminal behavior, and the charges are fully warranted.
One clue that these people aren't exactly core-Occupy is that Occupiers are a protest movement, not a violent disorder movement.
On the other hand, if you are out looking for say looting action, and there is a big crowd, you might want to exploit the crowd and get a riot for your own purposes. There are criminals out there, and of course they will be attracted to scenes of disorder for the cover they provide. They aren't going to care about the reputation or the goals of the Occupy movement.
Blaming the cops because they had to deal with this is a bit of a farce, isn't it? Does anyone one of us really want a person who is beaten and robbed not to call the cops?
randome
(34,845 posts)I think most Occupiers would agree there IS no 'core Occupy' since there is no hierarchy.
But that's the very problem. Without a sense of structure, ANYone can say they are part of OWS. Should it come as a surprise that some turn out to have less than stellar objectives? No.
My only point to be made here is to highlight how ridiculous it is to say that anyone who behaves badly is OBVIOUSLY not part of OWS.
I will insist on objectivity to my dying breath.
And with a sense of objectivity, I question the story as well. How did the police know to find the suspects? Did they find the wallet? The story sounds a bit fishy to me but not because it allegedly involves some OWS members.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Maybe they were out there to steal and the crowds gave them opportunity - maybe that was there motivation. I don't think you should blame the cops or the victim for the characterization. Obviously most Occupiers aren't this, and everyone, including the cops, knows it.
An open movement will attract some of the wrong types.
zbdent
(35,392 posts)I'm surprised that, if they were calling for a riot, there's no video out there in the "liberally-biased media" of them "calling for a riot" ...
Not counting James O'Keefe's "masterpieces", Oscar worthy for editing ...
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)They were asking for witnesses - that's why they issued the press release.
But police have to take it seriously. If someone is lying here, it's going to be the victim, not the police.
Webster Green
(13,905 posts)Sounds like a few punks were roaming around looking for trouble. It would be a stretch to connect them to the occupy movement, based only on the fact that they were found among occupy protesters.
I call bullshit!
crunch60
(1,412 posts)Incitatus
(5,317 posts)vaberella
(24,634 posts)People are quick to say these aren't protestors...how the hell do we know. Maybe they were protestors---not all protestors could be good guys. They might not be plants, or GOP drones or shills in disguise and/or thugs. They could be just as sincerely part of the OcOak group who got annoyed by the women.
liberalmike27
(2,479 posts)The police are being violent, the protestors aren't. Who is spraying the mace and pepper spray, on people who aren't doing anything at all?
Who is planting agents into the crowd, who then try to incite them into violence to make the protests look bad? Who are telling homeless people and vagrants to go join up with the movement, who don't likely even have a political agenda, but are just interested in getting a meal?
The cops, the police are doing all of that.
It's pretty annoying all right, how they don't listen to all these people. If things weren't annoying in our country, they'd never get so many people willing to go out and protest, so things won't worsen, and perhaps influence your life.
randome
(34,845 posts)Anyone who does something unlikeable is OBVIOUSLY not part of Occupy. What are you, a Communist?
Because police have acted badly on some occasions, a new religion has been born with the following tenets: we cannot trust the government...they are out to take away our freedoms... you are either FOR us or AGAINST us...anyone against us is not a REAL American...wait a minute, that all sounds familiar...where have I heard this before?
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)"acted badly on SOME occasions"
The police ALWAYS act badly. Isn't that the preferred line?
Still doesn't explain why people are so willing to suspend a basic sense of objectivity when it comes to OWS. From my point of view, if you love something so much, you OWE it to them to be objective.
Response to randome (Reply #15)
Hissyspit This message was self-deleted by its author.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)had already lost it before the Occupy Movement ever began.
As for this incident, it sounds like a bunch of criminals and as such, they do not belong to a movement that is against all crime. If they attached themselves for some reason, they did it deceptively.
Anyone who thinks that they would have been accepted by the movement had they been honest and explained that they were about to commit crimes, is either a Fox cultist, or someone who has some issues with logical thinking.
The Wielding Truth
(11,410 posts)This is not the Republican Party were those who deviate from there post get jobs there.It's a weird happening.