Democrats Continue Shameful Alliance with “Occupiers”
Democrats Are Rallying Behind “Occupy” Movement That Has Amassed More than 4,000 Arrests and Faces Accusations of Murder, Sexual Assault and Violent Crime
- Democrats from President Obama on down have voiced support for the Occupy Wall Street protests and sought to legitimize the disruptive and disorderly “occupations.”
- These endorsements by top Democrats came despite significant concerns about the motives of the protestors, and those concerns have only grown with time. Yet Democrats have done little to distance themselves from the “occupiers,” and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is still collecting signatures in support of the protests.
- The “Occupy” demonstrations have become frequent crime scenes, with allegations of murder, sexual assault, and violent crimes. How many more crimes must be committed before Democrats abandon their support for the destructive “Occupy” shenanigans?
BACKGROUND
Democrats from President Obama on down have voiced support for the Occupy Wall Street protests and sought to legitimize the disruptive and disorderly “occupations”:
DCCC CHAIRMAN REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D-NY) DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR “OCCUPY”: ” ‘When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, you no longer have an economic base,’ Israel said. ‘Occupy Wall Street really does manifest a true, deep anxiety about the shrinking middle class.'” (Bianca Dennis, “Congressman Israel Lays Out Plan for 2012 at CU Dems Event,” The Columbia Spectator, 11/21/2011)
OBAMA ON OCCUPY WALL STREET: “IT EXPRESSES THE FRUSTRATIONS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FEEL”: “Obama, asked about the movement at his press conference, said he thinks ‘it expresses the frustrations the American people feel’ that ‘the same folks who acted irresponsibly [are] trying to fight efforts to crack down on abusive practices that got us into this problem in the first place. So yes, I think people are frustrated and the protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.'” (“Obama, Biden Empathize with the 99 Percent Movement,” Think Progress, 10/6/2011)
MORE OBAMA: “WE ARE ON THEIR SIDE”: ” ‘The most important thing we can do right now is those of us in leadership letting people know that we understand their struggles and we are on their side, and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you’re supposed to do, is rewarded,’ Obama said.” (Devin Dwyer, “Obama: Occupy Wall Street ‘Not that Different’ from Tea Party Protests,” ABC News, 10/18/2011)
PELOSI ON OCCUPY WALL STREET: “GOD BLESS THEM”: ” ‘God bless them,’ Pelosi said, ‘for their spontaneity. It’s independent … it’s young, it’s spontaneous, and it’s focused. And it’s going to be effective.'” (John McCormack, “Pelosi on Occupy Wall Street Protestors: ‘God Bless Them,'” The Weekly Standard, 10/6/2011)
These endorsements by top Democrats came despite significant concerns about the motives of the protestors, and those concerns have only grown with time. Yet Democrats have done little to distance themselves from the “occupiers,” and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is still collecting signatures in support of the protests:
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE HAS PETITION FOR “100,000 STRONG STANDING WITH OCCUPY WALL STREET”: (Beth Fouhy, “Democrats See Minefield in Occupy Protests,” Associated Press, 11/17/2011)
DCCC WEB PAGE CALING FOR SUPPORT FOR OCCUPY WALL STREET IS STILL GATHERING SIGNATURES: (“Goal: 100,000 Strong Standing With Occupy Wall Street,”Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Accessed 11/21/2011)
The “Occupy” demonstrations have become frequent crime scenes, with allegations of murder, sexual assault, and violent crimes. How many more crimes must be committed before Democrats abandon their support for the destructive “Occupy” shenanigans?:
AN EVER-GROWING “OCCUPY” HALL OF SHAME:
MURDER, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND VIOLENT CRIMES
MURDER AT OCCUPY OAKLAND: (Staff, “OPD: Suspect, Victim Both Connected to Occupy,” NBC Bay Area, 11/13/2011)
ALLEGED RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT AT OCCUPY WALL STREET: (Staff, “Tonye Iketubosin Arrested At Occupy Wall Street For Alleged Rape and Sexual Assault,” The Huffington Post, 11/02/2011)
RAPE AT OCCUPY PHILADELPHIA: (Dean Schabner, “Woman Raped at Occupy Philadelphia,”ABC News, 11/12/2011)
ZUCCOTTI PARK “PLAGUED BY REPORTS OF SEX ATTACKS”: (Perry Chiaramonte, “Occupy Protests Plagued by Reports of Sex Attacks, Violent Crime,” Fox News, 11/09/2011)
SETTING SOMEONE’S CLOTHES ON FIRE, ALLEGED ASSAULT WITH A TENT POLE:“A woman was arrested at the encampment outside City Hall after she set another person’s clothes on fire, police said. In another incident hours later, a woman was arrested after protesters said she struck a man with a tent pole. Both were booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.” (Kate Linthicum, “Arrests at Occupy L.A. raise concerns for organizers, LAPD,” Los Angeles Times’, “L.A. Now” blog, 11/06/2011)
ARSON AND VANDALISM
OAKLAND OCCUPIERS COMMIT ARSON, EXTENSIVE VANDALISM: “Later, police in riot gear arrested dozens of protesters who broke into a vacant building, shattered windows, sprayed graffiti and set fires, the Associated Press reported.” (Christopher Palmeri, “Police Fire Tear Gas as Occupy Oakland Protesters Close Port,” San Francisco Chronicle, 11/03/2011)
ARSON AT OCCUPY FORT COLLINS, “CAUSED $10 MILLION IN DAMAGES, SENT 12 RESIDENTS FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES AND ENDANGERED FIREFIGHTERS”: (Pamela Dickman, “Occupy Fort Collins activist Benjamin Gilmore accused of arson in Penny Flats fire; judge refuses to lower bond,” Reporter Herald, 11/04/2011)
ATTACKING INNOCENT PEOPLE
HARRASSING INNOCENT SCHOOLCHILDREN, SCREAMING TO “FOLLOW THOSE KIDS,” SOME AS YOUNG AS FOUR YEARS OLD, AS THEY WALK TO SCHOOL: “Some grade school students were forced to walk a gauntlet of screaming ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters just to get to school on Thursday. … In the middle of thousands of protestors yelling and chanting — some kicking and screaming – CBS 2’s Emily Smith found little school kids trying to get to class. Nervous parents led them through the barriers on Wall Street. The NYPD helped funnel the children, anything to ease their fears while some protestors chanted ‘follow those kids!’
‘These guys are terrorists, yelling at little kids,’ one father said.” (“OWS Protestors Chant ‘Follow Those Kids!’ As Small Children Try to Go to School on Wall Street,” CBS New York, 11/17/2011)
ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTING A STUDENT FOR NOT PROTESTING: “At about 5:09 p.m., the female student was approached by a man at ‘the northeast exterior of the Haas Pavilion,’ according to a UCPD crime alert. The man asked the student if she was going to the protest on Sproul Plaza, and when the victim answered ‘no,’ the suspect yelled at her.
“‘People like you are the reason that California is in debt,’ he said, according to the crime alert.
“The suspect then threw a full aluminum water bottle at the victim’s face, the crime alert said.” (Stephanie Baer, “Man Allegedly Throws Alumnium Water Bottle and UC Berkeley Student’s Face,” The Daily Californian, 11/18/2011)
78-YEAR OLD ELDERLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN CAUGHT IN “OCCUPY” MELEE:“Within an hour, they’d surrounded the building, trapping AFP guests inside, eventually causing at least two injuries to elderly attendees who tried to leave and were shoved down a set of stairs. I watched this 78-year-old woman hit her head after finding herself accidentally caught up in a scuffle between protesters and the police. She lay briefly immobile on the ground, although an ambulance was quick to whisk her from the scene. Young children were also caught in the melee, as video shot by Stephen Gutowski of right-leaning College Politico shows.” (Clare O’Connor, “Occupy The Koch Brothers: Violence, Injuries, And Arrests At DC Protest,” Forbes, 11/05/2011)
JUMPING IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC: “Protesters chanted, beat drums and massed near Seventh and K streets NW, attempting to shut down the intersection and block moving cars, police said. They said that around 10 p.m., one driver tried to navigate a gap in the crowd, but three pedestrians moved in front of the vehicle and were hit.
‘They jumped in front of the car,’ said Officer Araz Alali, a spokesman for the department.” (By Annie Gowen and Kevin Sieff, “Dueling Versions Between D.C. Police, Protesters at Convention Center,” The Washington Post, 11/05/2011)
VIOLENT RAMPAGE IN MCDONALD’S NEAR ZUCCOTTI PARK AFTER PROTESTORS ARE DENIED FREE FOOD: “An Occupy Wall Street protestor was arrested early Friday after a violent rampage at a McDonald’s that refused to offer him free food.” (Staff, “OWS Protester Arrested At McDonald’s,” MyFox New York, 11/04/2011)
COSTING LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS: “‘The Occupy Wall Street movement has cost surrounding businesses $479,400 so far, store owners said.
“A Post survey of a dozen restaurants, jewelry shops, beauty salons, a chain store and mom-and-pop establishments tallied almost a half-million dollars lost in the 53 days since the Zuccotti Park siege began on Sept. 17.
“‘We’re done with them!’ barked one Broadway business owner. The restaurateur — who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals — said his profits drained as soon as campers moved in.
“‘My customers used to take food to eat in the park, but now they can’t,’ he lamented.” (Candice M. Giove, “Occupy Wall Street Costs Local Businesses $479,400!,” New York Post, 11/13/2011)
ATTACKS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT
ATTEMPTED ASSAULT OF A POLICE OFFICER: “A Bronx public high school teacher was busted this week for knocking a police officer off a scooter during an Occupy Wall St. protest, according law enforcement sources. …
“Suker pushed a shopping cart toward an NYPD sergeant perched atop a scooter, knocking the officer to the ground, sources said.
“He is charged with attempted assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration, according to police.” (Kerry Burke, Ben Chapman and Mike Chapman, “Bronx Teacher Busted Protest?, Daily News, 11/04/2011)
ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICERS AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT: “Twenty Occupy Wall Street protesters have been arrested after getting into a skirmish with police trying to clear their anti-corporate greed demonstration off the sidewalks, officials said Sunday.
“‘Most of them were arrested for disorderly conduct, three were arrested for assaulting police officers,’ a New York Police Department spokeswoman said.” (Staff, “Occupy Protesters Arrested After New York Skirmish,” AFP, 11/06/2011)
URINATING ON A POLICE VAN: “Earlier, a 26-year-old man believed to have been crashing with the protesters was busted for urinating on an NYPD van parked outside Zuccotti, cops said.
“Edgar Rivera, described by cops as a Guatemalan immigrant and Queens resident, was caught at about 1:20 a.m. relieving himself on the vehicle from Brooklyn’s 70th Precinct near Trinity Place and Church Street.” (Georgett Roberts and Rebecca Harshbarger, “20 ‘Occupiers’ Cuffed in Courthouse Clash,” New York Post, 11/05/2011)
WEAPONS
HAMMER ATTACK AT OCCUPY MAINE: (David Hence, “Police Arrest Occupy Hammer-Assault Suspect,” The Portland Press-Herald, 11/18/2011)
JUST ANOTHER DAY OF THE OCCUPATION: WIELDING AN AK-47 IN A PUBLIC PARK: “Late Tuesday, Reed revoked the earlier executive order, citing concerns about ‘public safety and escalating tension in the park. Throughout the day on Tuesday, one protester openly walked through the park with an AK-47 assault rifle,’ Reed said in a statement posted on the city website.” (Michael Muskal, “Atlanta, Oakland arrests show impatience with Occupy Wall Street,” Los Angeles Times’ “Nation Now,” 10/26/2011)
MOLOTOV COCKTAILS HURLED: “‘David J. Hodson, 29, accused of damaging the stairs of the World Trade Center this week with a Molotov cocktail, had his bail increased to $1 million.
“‘Hodson has been held at the Multnomah County Detention Center since he was arrested early Wednesday at 6:04 a.m. inside the Occupy Portland encampment on first-degree arson, manufacture and possession of a destructive device and second-degree criminal mischief allegations.'” (Maxine Bernstein, “Multnomah County Judge Increases Bail of Molotov Cocktail Arson Suspect to $1 Million,” The Oregonian, 11/10/2011)
EXPLOSIVES AND DRUGS: PROTESTORS CLAIMED THEY “KNEW THE CANNING JAR WOULD EXPLODE, CAUSING GLASS SHRAPNEL TO FLY AND POSSIBLY CAUSE INJURY“: “Marion County authorities arrested three men, who claimed to be Occupy Portland protesters, during a traffic stop after officers found fireworks and marijuana inside. …
“When asked about the explosives, the three men told authorities that they knew the canning jar would explode, causing glass shrapnel to fly and possibly cause injury.” (Molly Hottle, “3 Men Claiming To Be Occupy Portland Protesters Arrested In Marion County for Possession Of Explosives,” The Oregonian, 11/13/2011)
POSSESSION OF A WEAPON AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT, INJURING AN EMT: “At 8 p.m., a group of about 50 people staged an impromptu square-dance session on the sidewalk around the plaza, at Liberty and Cedar Sts.
“Cops say they repeatedly told the revelers to disperse, and Zachary Kamul, 25, from Massachusetts was given two summons for disorderly conduct and possession of a weapon when he refused to obey orders.” (Christina Boyle and John Doyle, “Four arrests inside Zuccotti Park Within 24 Hours And EMT Injured During Tussle To Detain Protester,” Daily News, 11/10/2011)
DISORDERLY CONDUCT, TRESPASSING AND PUBLIC LEWDNESS
COMMITTING A SEX ACT IN FRONT OF CHILDREN: “Five people at the Occupy L.A. encampment have been charged with separate crimes, including a man who allegedly exposed himself and commited a sex act in front of a child, officials said Tuesday.
“Angele Chaidez, 21, faces one count of lewd conduct and one count of indecent exposure for allegedly exposing himself and masturbating in front of several people, including children, Friday on the south steps of City Hall, said prosecutors with the L.A. city attorney’s office.” (Andrew Blankstein, “Occupy L.A.: 5 charged with crimes including lewd conduct, battery,” Los Angeles Times’ “L.A. Now” blog, 11/15/2011)
DISORDERLY CONDUCT: “Hannah Morgan and Louis Jargow were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for donning clown attire, hopping a barricade in front of the iconic Charging Bull statue adjacent to Wall Street and horsing around in front of the bronze beast until the NYPD could apprehend them.
“Nearby, an accomplice decorated in a full-blown matador uniform, vied for the bull’s attention while the clowns were detained by police.” (Staff, “Clowns and Matador Fight Wall Street Bull,” RT, 11/11/2011)
TRESPASSING: “About 10 Occupy Philadelphia demonstrators were arrested Wednesday after they got into the lobby of cable giant Comcast and refused to leave.
“Police moved in late Wednesday afternoon after the protesters sat down in the Comcast Corp. lobby and linked arms. They somehow made their way inside while a larger group was demonstrating in front of the skyscraper. …
“Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross said those arrested would likely be charged with trespassing.” (Kathy Matheson, “Occupy Philly Arrests at Comcast Headquarters,” Associated Press, 11/02/2011)
PUBLIC LEWDNESS: “The mini-arrest spree began at noon Wednesday when Xavier Maslowsky, 25, was found roaming the park exposing himself and making ‘derogatory statements about police and their authority’, an NYPD source told the News.
“The homeless man was arrested and charged with public lewdness.” (Christina Boyle and John Doyle, “Four arrests inside Zuccotti Park Within 24 Hours And EMT Injured During Tussle To Detain Protester,” Daily News, 11/10/2011)
BUILDING STRANGE ALLIANCES
OCCUPY CHICAGO HOLDS TEACH-IN WITH DOMESTIC TERRORIST BILL AYERS:(Jessica Guido, “Controversial Professor Bill Ayers Speaks With Occupy Chicago Protestors,” NBC Chicago, 11/17/2011)
SECURITY PROVIDED BY MAN WITH ACTIVE WARRANT FOR “AGGRAVATED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY”: (Staff, “Man Arrested on Child Porn Warrant Claims to Be Occupy Chicago Security,” Chicago Sun-Times, 11/16/2011)
DISEASE AND FILTH
SANITATION WORKER: “SOME OF THE WORST SMELLS I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED”:“City sanitation workers yesterday were forced to pick through a filthy pile of property seized from Zuccotti Park including dirty hypodermic needles, moldy food and glass-littered, broken gadgets.
“‘I pick up garbage [for a living], and these were some of the worst smells I’ve ever experienced,’ one worker grumbled to The Post.” (Rebecca Rosenberg and Dan Mangan, “Conditions Just ‘Offal’,” New York Post, 11/16/2011)
TUBERCULOSIS BREAKS OUT IN ATLANTA: (Staff, “Tuberculosis Breaks Out At Occupy Atlanta’s Base,” CBS Atlanta, 11/10/2011)
FLEAS AND LICE AT SAN FRANCISCO ENCAMPMENT, “A TINDER BOX FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS”: (Barbara Taylor, “San Francisco Officials Fear Disease Will Spread at Occupy Encampment,” CBS San Francisco, 11/17/2011)
ARRESTS
GLOBAL TOTAL: “OCCUPY” PROUDLY PROCLAIMS THEY HAVE HAD 4,667 ARRESTS AS OF 11/21: (Tweet from “Occupy Arrests”, 11/21/2011)
1,300 TOTAL ARRESTS IN NEW YORK CITY ALONE: (Braden Goyette, “Occupy Wall Street by the Numbers,” New York Daily News, 11/17/2011)
245 PROTESTORS ARRESTED IN NYC DURING “SIT-IN” SHENANIGANS LAST THURSDAY: (“NYC Sit-In Arrest Figure Revised Downward,” CNN, 11/18/2011)
100 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN OAKLAND: “More than 100 people were arrested overnight in Oakland, and 53, including a state senator, were arrested in Atlanta. The latest actions bring the total number of arrests to between 1,500 and 2,000 since protesters in mid-September took over Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, near Wall Street. More than 700 were arrested in New York City alone and there have been arrests in dozens of cities to which the amorphous movement has spread in the United States.” (Michael Muskal, “Atlanta, Oakland arrests show impatience with Occupy Wall Street,” Los Angeles Times’ “Nation Now,” 10/26/2011)
52 ARRESTS IN ATLANTA: “Last week police arrested 52 protesters for violating a city ordinance prohibiting people from remaining in public parks past 11 p.m.”(Christina Boone, “Occupy Atlanta plans Saturday reoccupation of Woodruff Park,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/01/2011)
MORE THAN A DOZEN “OCCUPIERS” ARRESTED: “Over a dozen Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested today outside Goldman Sachs, where they had marched with 300 others after holding a mock trial of CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Among those arrested were performance artist gadfly Reverend Billy and author and columnist Chris Hedges, who is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute.” (John Del Signore, “Protesters Arrested Outside Goldman Sachs Include Author Chris Hedges, Reverend Billy,”Gothamist, 11/03/2011)
20 OCCUPIERS HANDCUFFED AFTER CLASH OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE: (Georgett Roberts and Rebecca Harshbarger, “20 ‘Occupiers’ Cuffed in Courthouse Clash,” New York Post, 11/05/2011)
ARRESTS AFTER PROTESTORS OBSTRUCT TRAFFIC: “‘Those arrested Saturday included two people who refused to leave Woodruff Park after the 11 p.m. closing time and 17 others charged with obstructing traffic after the crowd poured onto nearby streets, the Atlanta Police Department said.'” (Faith Karimi, “Occupy Atlanta Protesters Return to Streets After Police Crackdown,” CNN, 11/07/2011)
SIX ARRESTED IN FRESNO: (Staff, “Occupy Fresno arrests continue through weekend,” KFSN, 11/14/2011)
EIGHT ARRESTED OUTSIDE SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK: (Jillian Dunham, “#OccupyWallSt Roundup, Day 55,” The New York Times “City Room” blog, 11/10/2011)
OCCUPY BERKELEY LEADS TO 32 ARRESTS: “Thirty-two people were arrested on suspicion of resisting and delaying police officers and failing to disperse, UC Berkeley police Lt. Alex Yao told the Daily Californian, which live blogged the events. They were sent to Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in Oakland for processing. Just before midnight Thursday, Yao said 39 protesters had been arrested so far.” (Staff, “Cops Arrest Dozens of ‘Occupy Cal’ Protesters,” CBS, 11/10/2011)
OCCUPY LOS ANGELES PROTESTORS MAKE LA TRAFFIC EVEN WORSE, DELIBERATELY BLOCK TRAFFIC: (Alex Dobuzinskis, “Anti-Wall Street Protestors Snarl Los Angeles Freeways,” Reuters, 11/17/2011)
WHEN THE 1% LIVES NEXT DOOR… STEAL THEIR FURNITURE?: (“‘Occupy’ Protestor Busted for Stealing Neighbor’s Furniture For Florida Encampment,” The Smoking Gun, 11/18/2011)