84-year-old Woman Maced at Occupy Seattle

Was this really necessary? Image from TowleRoad

I know that conservatives like to deride the "Occupy. . ." movement as a bunch of dirty hippies (and they don't realize that they sound exactly like South Park's Eric Cartman when they do it). But it's a movement that hasn't gone away. It is also likened to the Tea Party, but no tea bagger stayed camped out anywhere for weeks or months. They showed up, waggled their poorly spelled signs around, and went home.

And conservatives also like to call the movement "violent," and indeed there have been a few scattered reports of some foul play. But given the scale of the movement--now in cities all over the world--I think it's safe to say that by-and-large the people are peaceful. So, why are police forces in so many cities going nuclear on the protesters? It's so out of scale. Countless times, cops have been caught on video starting violence, firing rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray. They're in riot gear, often jabbing people in the ribs with their night-sticks. And now? A little old lady, sprayed in the face. Tell me, was that necessary?

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Cops Soak 'Occupy Seattle' Protesters, 84-Year-Old Woman with Vicious Pepper Spray Assault
 
A stunning photo of 84-year-old Seattle activist Dorli Rainey, after she was pepper-sprayed by police last night at an Occupy Seattle protest, is making headlines this morning. . .


Read more at: TowleRoad