After Tuesday's NYC march and "rally against police suppression of the movement," a group of around 30 Occupy Wall Street activists had gathered in Zuccotti Park when the NYPD moved in with about 40 police officers to shut down the park in a surprise show of force. The arrests began when a few protesters brought backpacks and/or sleeping bags into the park. Watch the video and see if you can figure out any rhyme or reason for the arrests.
Via:
Charley, a protester who refused to give his last name, said that the group arrived at Zuccotti Park after a march from Union Square earlier in the day. "A few people have sleeping bags, and we have a huge rug too. We're basically seeing what [the police] will tolerate. I don't know that we're all planning on sleeping here."
Protesters claimed the park's private security force told them they could bring in blankets. "We can't look the other way but by all means," one of the guards said. A female NYPD officer strolling through the park grabbed a protester's blanket. "This is a sleeping bag," the officer determined, before reconsidering. "Or, no, it's a blanket. It's, it's a sleeping bag." The protester rolled up the blanket and walked out of the park. Officer DiPace told us, "The chief wants us to lock everybody up."
Shortly before midnight, a group of officers began moving through the park, inspecting bags, and shooing away the handful of protesters, some of whom scattered immediately rather than have their bags inspected. When asked what law they were breaking, Officer DiPace replied, "There's a law against everything. That's America." At the entrance to the park, the arrests began with the individual seen in this video, who insists police arrested him after sat down on the sidewalk.
