Turns out I dohave a few thoughts about police and Occupy Wall Street. Read all about it on Slate.com:
If cops could wave a magic wand, the protesters would simply go away. But if cops could wave a magic wand, the whole damned city would probably disappear. Police relate to the demoralized employees in the film Clerks: “This job would be great if it wasn’t for the fucking customers.” Occupy protests are certainly seen as a nuisance, but this is more work-related than deep-rooted ideology.
I’m also quite pleased to get Lucky Pierre in the lede.
Well done and thought provoking. I wonder how much of the violence in Oakland and Portland could have been avoided if the cities' political leaders had negotiated with the protesters about how the protests would be handled on both sides, taking into consideration the right to protest as well as the right of those not involved in the protests to conduct their lives in safety, though not necessarily without some inconvenience. The police order could then be to maintain the agreement once rules of engagement have been agreed upon.
The NYPD just raided OWS. Though it sure was nice of them to wait until after my article appeared. Saved me further revisions. But seriously… it changes some things but not my main point of police being stuck in the middle.