Occupy Smashy “FTP” march in the Mission District of San Francisco
Here is video from the attack on the Mission District on Friday night. In it you can see Occupiers in black bloc, attacking the local police station and as well as other businesses. More on the story here. “FTP” stand for “F–k the Police”.
Occupiers rampage through the Mission District again
Occupy black bloc rioters rampaged through the Mission District of San Francisco for the second night in a row, allegedly protesting an officer-involved shooting on Thursday.
The officer involved shooting occurred around 8:00 pm Thursday. The man shot was a 22 year old reported gang member who had previously been convicted for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was recently jailed for a parole violation and released about two weeks ago. He allegedly pulled a Tech-9 on an officer who fired back, wounding the suspect. The man is now recovering in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Tech-9
Around 10:30 pm, dozens of rioters surrounded the police station at 630 Valencia St. and vandalized the police station, according to San Francisco police. Vandals spray-painted “Killers” on the front doors of the police station.
Last night, on Friday, the Occupiers came out again after arranging to meet at Dolores Park. Notice the hashtags on the post. “FTP” stands for “f–k the police”. “OSF” is Occupy San Francisco and “OO” is Occupy Oakland. Dustin Slaughter, another Occupier/Anonymous supporter asks for pictures of the “damage” before it even occurs:
They threw paint balls with glass in them at the police stations and other projectiles including a hammer. One officer was injured.
When one of the local restaurant owners dared to come out and ask them to stop hurting the businesses, he was punched in the face.
They also threw explosives of some type on the street.
They attacked the CBS News crew, trying to grab their camera, as well as banging and jumping on their van.
When CBS interviewed some of them, some were smoking marijuana, some believed that the suspect had been killed, others did not give clear answers as to why they were there.
While media covered it, and did refer to “Black Bloc”, it is unclear if they realized that it was Occupy.
Protesters passed out the following flyer to ABC News showing again that they really didn’t have their facts straight.
Click on picture for CBS story and video:
Hey Don Lemon, the answer to your question…
Remember when Don Lemon of CNN decried police action against NATO protesters with the comment “Does anyone deserve this” to video of police hitting people with batons?
Don Lemon admits that he doesn’t know what prompted the reaction, yet makes the comment anyway.
Hey Don, perhaps you missed this video, shot from a different angle and not edited like the one that you had. This contains the precipitating attack by Occupiers. Notice in the middle of the screen as a black shield is passed to the front at :07, then a red shield. Then long poles/sticks. Notice how they begin to clump up to form a tight mass, one adjusts his scarf mask, and another man in a green shirt steps out, knowing what is coming and not wanting to be involved. They know what is coming. All the while, black bloc member is up front distracting (seemingly) the cops from the preparation movements. They then charge the cops.
Even as they are pushed back by cops, you can see Occupiers with sticks continuing to hit and kick out at the police. Others continue to throw sticks and bottles at the police. You can also see some seek to “de-arrest” one member, trying to grab him from police custody.
This has been a typical tactic-to precipitate action and then show the reaction, clipping the provocation. Anything to get that “police brutality” shot.
Does that answer your question, Don?
Occupy Black Bloc violence against SF Mission District and police
This is incredible video of the craziness of an Occupy Black Bloc action on April 30, 2012 in the Mission District in San Francisco. It was made by anarchists, and meant to be an inducement for others to join.
Citizen Journalist previously posted about this incident here with a video taken surreptiously from the middle of the black bloc. This video however is much clearer. This action grew out of an Occupy event at a local park. The event was called a “ruckus party” to protest “gentrification” in the neighborhood. At various points you can hear “all cops are bastards, ACAB”, “a anti anti capitalista”, “No more pigs in our community-Off the pigs!”, “The system has got to die, Hella, Hella, Occupy!” “Occupy will not be stopped, especially by some fucking cop”. “The revolution has come!”
Black bloc is a tactic, it is not a group. Occupiers have used the black bloc tactic (dressing in black to make it harder to id them) in many cities. It was used prior to Occupy and since by other anarchists.
Many Occupiers claimed that they were not involved, that this was “infiltrators”. But tweets on the evening show the presence of regular occupiers. There were some who were not approving. There were others, like the man you see on the video, who thought destruction was ok, as long as it was only “specific people”, i.e. the rich.
This violence included attacking a police station, local small businesses, cars(including a beat up van) and homes. Yes, homes as well. One infamous tweet from the night noted rocks being thrown through someone’s window and children crying in response. They attack a police car at ~ 1:30 and try to set it on fire.
We noted how Sparrow Media, who does media for Occupy, celebrated the attack on the police station calling it “glorious destruction”
May 12 and the Radical Philosophy within Occupy
Call to “rise up again” May 12
Although Occupy’s May Day “celebrations” were muted in numbers and over whelmed by the violence at various spots such as Seattle and San Francisco, Occupy is calling on people to do it again on May 12.
Rise up on May 12th- we are the 99%!
On the 15th of October 2011 we took to the streets in over 1000 cities in 82 countries. We got organized and took the first steps on the road to dignity and global change. That was more than six months ago yet we continue to have to raise our voices to make politicians and bankers understand that they in no way represent us. We are united in our demands: the welfare of the 99% must be respected.
Governments only represent us if they follow the will of the vast majority, not just the privileged few.We are united, we are everywhere, we are where you least expect us.
We demand, firmly but without violence: social justice, wealth distribution and an ethic of commons. (emphasis added). We condemn poverty, inequality, environmental devastation and corruption as tools of subjugation by the powerful on society.
We will not stop until we achieve our objectives: the 99% will take to the streets again and again until we have a say in the world in which we live. We want global change. Let’s turn the streets into the world’s biggest loudspeaker on the 12th of May.
Because we are the 99%, we are not owned by politicians and bankers. Take to the streets on May 12th!
The claim of over 1000 cities in 82 countries is pure propaganda; even the main Occupy sites were claiming on May 1 no more than 180 cities. Yet even so, attendance was not what had been hoped for, for example, in cities like New York. Several thousands were present in New York, but more for the immigrant coalition May 1 Coalition rather than for Occupy. This attendance was after months of work and effort on the part of Occupy. So calling for an event so soon after with very little publicity announcing it seems to doom it to failure before hand.
The Radical Philosophy within Occupy
We see within the nature of the call another window into the philopsophy of OWS- a demand for “wealth distribution and an ethic of commons”.
While there are certainly many people and philosophies floating through Occupy, there are the two one might refer to as the “reformers” and the “revolutionists”. The reformers are the ones that think they can work within the system. They have been outweighed by the revolutionists from the start, and many have left. The revolutionists are the ones that planned it before it started, have been there since the beginning. They are the professional activists, those who have been involved in Spain and in Greece. They are the reason Occupy livestream is called “global revolution” -that is not hyperbole, but an envisioned goal for which they have worked for and to which they have committed their lives.
They are the people, who like Jed Brandt, wish the downfall of the United States in its present form because it is loathsome to them. Capitalism is loathsome to them, and to them, the US is the leader of capitalism and all that is evil and unhealthy. Jed Brandt works on the Occupied Wall Street Journal, “Tidal” -the few page tract handed out by Occupiers at encampments in NYC (sounds like Tides, doesn’t it?) as well as other Occupy media.
Listen to the following tape of Jed, taken in 2009, to understand.
In addition to the old left and professional activists we have added into the mix the new left of Anonymous. Anonymous as a bigger entity encompasses many thoughts and philosophies. But, of those that have become political and enamored of Assange, Wikileaks and Occupy, there is a commonality of a disgust with the system, and a desire not to be infringed upon by any government rules such as those pertaining to copyright, piracy or speech. Amongst those, many would call themselves, or be classified as, anarchists.
The young involved in general are perhaps summed up with a line that many took to upon hearing it – “this shit is fucked up and bullshit”. They see no prospects for their future, they don’t know where they are going or what they are to do. They have the sense that the government should be giving it to them or taking care of them, so they feel aggrieved that this is not resolved. They feel a community among others who have a similar angst, and in that they find their emotional strength which in other areas of their lives may be missing.
So at protests you see the old communists, the new anarchists and an odd amalgam of both-the anarcho-communist. Aren’t anarchists and communists in natural philosophical conflict, one might ask? It would seem so, logically, yet they haven’t gotten the message.
- Black and red anarcho communist flags fly as black bloc gets ready to march in Seattle. Credit Foolish Reporter
Anarcho-communism advocates getting rid of the state, markets, money, capitalism and private property, while still retaining personal property. It is in favor of the common ownership of the means of production, direct democracy and “horizontal networking of associations and workers councils”. Like communism, it espouses from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Goods are distributed according to needs not according to labor or how much anyone worked.
The idea is that things will be shared in common, through the concept of “mutual aid”. On their May Day organizational site, May Day 2012, Occupy gives a rousing endorsement to the the anarcho communism espoused by Peter Kropotkin.
Peter Kropotkin, one of the foremost figures of Russian anarcho-communism, wrote about its importance in the book Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. His work argues that cooperation is far more important to the evolution and survival of a species than competition. He provides evidence throughout history in a variety of societies as well as among nonhuman animals. Some examples include the Bushmen (southern Africa), the Dayak (Borneo), the Papuan people (New Guinea), the Aleut people (Alaska), the Tupi people (Brazil), the Wendat (Ontario), villages throughout Europe in the tenth and eleventh century, medieval cities, and examples in his time. It would, in fact, be difficult to find a time and place where mutual aid did not exist in some form!
Jed even talks about “mutual aid” at ~3:20 of the above video. Of course, they leave out some other interesting words from Kropotkin. He said, “houses, fields, and factories will no longer be private property, and that they will belong to the commune or the nation and money, wages, and trade would be abolished”. He believed in the “expropriation” of private property, although not personal property.
A question that is commonly asked is how they can be upset about police disruption of their property, in Zuccotti Park, for example, but not at all concerned about seizing buildings belonging to other people, such as the seizure of the Catholic Church’s building in San Francisco. The reason is the difference between private and personal property. Personal property=your car, your backpack. Thus, some were shocked at destruction of cars in San Francisco by some of the more militant anarchists. But private property-real property and homes, businesses- those should be held in common, so you don’t have a right to deny them what they need just by claiming that they don’t own a property. If they need it, they should have it- “to each according to his needs”. Everything will be held in common and parcelled out according to needs. There will be the ultimate evolution of man, and selfishness, racism and war-all just outgrowths of capitalism-will just disappear.
Foolish Reporter picked up some reading material at May Day in Seattle. Again, while every location has something of its own character, the reading picks up on common themes. Communism will help make everything equal, it is the “saving grace” rather than God, that the workers, soldiers and students must be brought into the movement. It notes how Communism is the true salvation of man:
Why not fight for the interests of the international working class, why not fight for communism?
Another question came up. “Where are the guns?” A comrade answered, “the guns are in the military along with our soldiers, our class brothers and sisters. Red Flag is being used to inform the soldiers of what is really happening and what is really being done by the capitalists so that ultimately guns can be turned around”.
“Wealth distribution and a ethic of commons” – in the words of Paul Harvey, now you know the rest of the story.
Inside Black Bloc-violence, superheroes, clowns, incendiary devices and one Foolish Reporter
Police responding to incendiary devices. Credit Foolish Reporter
Seattle had some of the most intense action of a violence laden May Day yesterday.
Officers seized homemade incendiary devices and bags of feces in downtown Seattle and made several arrests, after a group of men and women dressed all in black–known as a “Black Bloc”–used sticks, smoke bombs and improvised incendiary devices, rocks, paint, hammers, and tire irons to damage vehicles and businesses Tuesday afternoon. There was such violence Mayor Mike McGinn has also issued an emergency order giving officers the authority to seize anything that could be used as a weapon during the demonstration.
Amongst the multiple arrests were three for assault on a police officer. A reporter was hit with a paint bomb and a cameraman was assaulted while trying to take pictures at the Federal Courthouse which had windows smashed. The cameraman, Richard Departee, spoke out to King5 and his video can be seen here:
“I found myself in with a group of black, kinda Gestapo-looking thugs – face masks and dark glasses – I think as soon as they saw me it was like ‘Hey get out of here, you know, scum,’ and started pushing me,” he said.
Departee said he backed off and then three or four of the people turned around and surrounded him and shoved him back.
“Then one guy took his one-inch dowel, a wooden pole with the red flag … he just took it back and popped me in the face,” said Departee.
The day was so crazy that it needed crime fighter superheroes, apparently in the form of Phoenix Jones, a man who dresses up and fights crime who lives in the area. He was assisted by a similarly masked sidekick.
Foolish Reporter was on the scene, observing all the action. He actually managed to move within the black bloc to report on the action and get some amazing pictures that can be seen here. He watched the blocs getting ready, some protesters dressing up or getting made up like clowns. He also observed the cameraman being assaulted:
“I was behind him when that happened. I just saw bodies flailing and him getting tossed to the ground. He got back up and kept going”, Foolish Reporter said. “But there was another photog who almost came to blows with two of them before march even started.. The Black bloc was spoiling for a fight”
He noted that the violence mostly seemed to come from the Black Bloc and the Queer Bloc. He watched an incendiary device being set off that went off with a loud report, and clowns surrounding and blocking a car. He also narrowly missed getting hit by a rock that rebounded off a window.
Here is a video of some of the action he observed at the courthouse. Video by Seattle PI.
To see the unicorn-yes, there was a unicorn too- go to Foolish Reporter’s pictures here
Update: San Francisco Mission District violence from Occupy event
Further update on the pre May Day violence in San Francisco. There have been calls, typically, that this was “out of towners” or “agent provocateurs”.
Here was the call to a “ruckus street party” ad sent out by and to Occupiers, was on Reddit and other sites:
April 30: The Strike Starts Early Street Party
We call on our comrades from every corner of the Bay to descend upon Dolores Park, 8pm April 30th, for a ruckus street party to counter gentrification, capitalism, and the policing of our communities.
Everyday should be strike day.
They’ve stolen our lives. They’ve stolen our health. They’re taking over every inch of our cities and pushing us nowhere. If there is anything we have learned from the last six months it is this: May 1st isn’t the only day for striking, and isn’t only a day for workers. April 30th kicks off a string of actions in the Bay Area against all who would take our lives from us.
San Francisco, once a stronghold of the dispossessed, has become a playground for the rich and a living hell for those of us who can’t keep up or have no interest in capitalist relations. Homelessness, gentrification, racist police murders, the displacement of all that is queer, outrageous rent prices, our list is endless: it is time to reclaim our playground.
We call on our comrades from every corner of the Bay to descend upon Dolores Park, 8pm April 30th, for a ruckus street party to counter gentrification, capitalism, and the policing of our communities.
Everyday should be strike day.
Dolores Park 8pm April 30, 2012
As we noted in our earlier account, Occupy twitter accounts were at Dolores Park and following in the march. We have video below recording that fact. You can hear things smashing, and see very clearly the art gallery being smashed at 8:50
Some Occupiers tried to stop others who were causing damage. But others continued. As we noted, Occupy media, Sparrow Media Project, had no problem with the damage to the Mission District Police Station, celebrating the “glorious destruction”.
The problem with a march where there are no leaders and no hierachy, no one can say who is and isn’t “an Occupier”. The march becomes whatever the “hivemind” of the moment wants it to be. There may have been out of towners from what I can tell. But I believe the suprise was in that it just didn’t stick to “acceptable targets” like the police, but extended to, well, “normal people”. That 99% they keep talking about.
That workman that got hit with the crowbar outside of the Four Barrels coffee store didn’t appreciate it. Mom and pop stores smashed. Kids screaming at the projectile thrown through their window. The faded brown minivan owner whose car was destroyed. 500 calls into the police.
But that’s kind of what happens when you invite people to a “ruckus party”. Things tend to get out of hand. And unfortunately, too often and in too many places, things have gotten out of hand.
Early May Day reports
Early reports on May Day action so far:
In NY:
White powder was sent to seven locations in Manhattan, including Wells Fargo branches and reportedly the Mayor. Threatening notes were attached:
“This is a reminder that you are not in control,” said a message that arrived with the envelopes. “Just in case you needed some incentive to stop working we have a little surprise for you. Think fast you have seconds.
All the powder was tested and turned out to be non toxic, according to police. It caused evacuations of the banks, but there were no injuries.
The police believed San Francisco-based Wells Fargo might have been targeted for white powder mailings because about half of a key dozen Occupy Wall Street members have backgrounds in Oakland, San Francisco and Berkeley, and similar incidents occurred in California earlier this week, police sources said.
In the New York cases, the envelopes mainly appear to have reached low-level workers at the bank branches.
“Apparently, the message was aimed at the mail room workers among the ’99 percent,'” New York police spokesman Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told ABC News.
The envelopes, believed intended for May Day delivery, evidently arrived at the banks early, according to police.
“They underestimated the efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service,” one official said.
Occupy members denied responsibility for the action
In the Mission District in San Francisco:
Reports are that between 50 and 60 black bloc members rampaged through the area around Dolores Park (where Occupy SF was having a early “Occupy Party” for May Day) smashing “mom and pop” businesses and cars along the street.
Protesters damaged windows and doors of businesses including restaurants Monday evening following an early May Day protest that started at Dolores Park. The Mission Police Station building and Locanda restaurant were also paint-bombed.
Police said that they have received 500 calls with reports of damage and officers are patrolling the streets after dispersing the crowd at 14th and Mission streets.
See more here
There were also two reported car accidents involving police vehicles responding to the violence. It is not known what injuries may have resulted at this time.
Some Occupy twitter accounts denied occupy involvement, while others professed shock at the violence.
We will be updating information throughout the day as we hear it.
Update: Video taken surreptiously which is why it is unclear in spots. Also why I am mirroring it. A live streamer had been threatened already. Guide to video: ACAB= All Cops are Bastards. A in circle is Anarchy symbol. You can hear things being smashed throughout the video but at 8:50 or so you can see an art gallery being smashed.
Update: ABC TV video of some of destruction here
Occupy-Update on NYC OWS “Black Bloc” riot action
Alexander Penley Nicholas Thommen Eric Marchese
Update:
More background on the OWS/”Black Bloc” “FTP” riot this past weekend.
Original story can be found here: https://citizenjournalistdotorg.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/two-arrested-after-nyc-ows-black-bloc-ftp-march/
Participants:
While receiving broad local coverage, most of the MSM seemed to miss the OWS connection, despite the fact that the OWS involvement of at least two of the arrestees was easily ascertainable.
Alexander Penley and Nicholas Thommen were charged with assault on a police officer, menacing and inciting to riot after allegedly using a metal pipe to push back several cops in the Astor Place coffee clash Saturday night.
As we had noted, both Alexander Penley, 41, and Nicholas Thommen, 30, had connections with OWS; in fact, they were described on OWS twitter accounts as “organizers”. Twitter accounts also noted the “march” was full of OWS members. Additionally, OWS “jail support” was provided, and providing bail for the two men was discussed.
Both Penley and Thommen had prior records, despite Penley being an attorney. The New York Daily News noted:
Penley, who lives on the upper West Side, was charged 20 years ago with a entering a restricted area at a military facility in Boise, Idaho, the source said.
He also has arrests for marijuana possession with intent to distribute in Utah, for burglary, trespassing and vandalism in California and for failure to show up in court on a resisting arrest charge in Oregon.
Despite this prior arrest and charge of assault on a police officer, Penley was released without bail.
Penley can be seen on this “Occupii” page upon which he posted a video on the “Black Bloc tactics-10 Quick points”. http://occupii.org/profile/AlexanderPenley
Thommen also had prior arrests, in his home state of Oregon for driving with a revoked license, marijuana possession and harassment over the telephone, the source said. Thommen was held on $1000 bail.
The third man, Eric Marchese, 24, had a prior arrest in New Jersey for “improper behavior”, a disorderly persons offense.
Anarchist Book Fair and Judson Church:
We noted in our prior article that there were flyers given out for the march at the Anarchist Book Fair at Judson Church, and asked the question why would a church allow that.
Judson Church has housed various Occupy events, as well as Occupiers themselves, after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park. OWS allocated regular money payments to Judson as well as other churches who were housing Occupiers.
Lee Stranahan notes more on Alexander Penley and on some of the “talks” that one could have attended at the Book Fair at Judson. http://leestranahan.com/page/2
These talks included:
Self-defense and street combat for anarchists… – Sunday, 4:15-5:45pm Judson Assembly Room
J. “G.” J.
will provide a basic overview of offense and defense when dealing with recalcitrant fascists and/or pig police. We will deal with holds, strikes, traps and disarming techniques. No prior martial arts experience is necessary. The techniques are simple and effective, derived from the Yip family Wing Chun lineage (invented by a womyn, for wimmin and slight-bodied people). Anyone with experience, ideas and techniques of their own are welcome and encouraged to share! Come prepared to move, and preferably with someone you trust to work with. I try to make this as fun and non-triggering as possible! *appropriate for teens.
In all of this anarchist approach, we can see the nature of an altered reality. It is the view of the imagined police state that somehow will be negated by smashing windows and running through the streets. Where even children can be brought to the fray.
While we have seen OWS utilize “black bloc” most notably in Oakland prior to this past weekend, it hadn’t been a big part of the action in NYC.
However, OWS NYC has a “working group” called the “OWS Black Knights” who in their description describe themselves as “black bloc” (as well as Black Panther and Marine). This group has even requested funding for black clothing and capes, for their “security” role. Hard to know how much of that is hyperbole; there is no evidence that anyone involved in that working group has been involved in anything illegal. http://www.nycga.net/groups/ows-black-knights/events/
However, what is clear is as May 1 and the summer approaches, OWS will be trying to ramp up what action they can to get people’s attention. With “black bloc” which is as much an attitude as a tactic, OWS may be in for a rough summer of confrontation and a very unreceptive public.
Two arrested after NYC OWS “Black Bloc” FTP march
Two men were arrested last evening after what appeared to be a large crowd of people dressed in black vandalized the neighborhood between Astor Place and Tompkins Square Park and a police sergeant was assaulted with a lead pipe.
OWS live streamer Tim Pool reported about the action on livestream, although he was not able to get actual footage of the vandalism.
You can see his video here:
Reportedly, a “black bloc” group of people formed after the Anarchist Book Fair at Judson Church (a place which hosts OWS events and has housed OWS members). Pool noted, “a text has gone out”, and “we were late arriving”. The bloc moved to around Astor Place and ended at Tompkins Square Park near the 6th Street Community Center, where there was to be an after party for the book fair. On the way, the group went on a rampage of vandalism, tipping garbage cans, spray painting anarchist graffiti, and smashing windows, including a 7-11 window. They chanted “fuck the NYPD”, “cops are murderers,” and “all pigs must die.”
An NYPD spokesman said that officers received a report around 9 p.m. that a “disorderly group” had gathered in front of the Starbucks at Lafayette and Astor Place.A video transmission detailing that an officer needed assistance followed, and police found “individuals hitting the window of the establishment.” When a sergeant attempted to intervene and make an arrest, “the crowd became unruly,” and he was allegedly struck with a metal pipe by two men. The officer sustained minor injuries to his hands and knees, and was taken to a local hospital before being released. The two men fled.
The NYPD’s press release referred to the group as “anarchist related” and the two men were among a group of 25 who fought with police and who had tried to use eight-foot-long galvanized metal pipes to smash windows of a Starbucks at Astor Place and Lafayette Street at 8:45 p.m.” The police also claim that patrons of Starbucks were hiding under the tables during the incident.
7-11 window smashed during Black Bloc FTP march. Didn't like the Slurpee?
The night’s events, according to a city anarchist legal worker named Marcus@mcompost, were part of a “very loosely organized anti-police protest” or an “NYC FTP(Fuck the Police)” march. According to Marcus, he witnessed bottles flying – “These folks are making oo(Occupy Oakland) look like a bunch of hippies! so many bottles”. He also noted the attempt to “de-arrest” someone:
https://twitter.com/#!/mcompost/status/191328591970172928
Marcus was thereafter chastised for speaking about the action by well known Occupier Justin Stone Diaz:
https://twitter.com/#!/justinstoned/status/191341594220298240
What is a “black bloc”?
Here is Wikipedia’s general answer as to the meaning of “Black Bloc“:
A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches, whereby individuals wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing items.[…] The clothing is used to avoid being identified, and to, theoretically, appear as one large mass, promoting solidarity.
Black Bloc protests first came about in the 80s in Europe and were a part of the anti-World Trade Organization demonstrations in Seattle in 1999. Protest techniques are disruptive and volatile. They include rioting, vandalism and fighting as well as assistance to fellow protesters in fleeing police.
Occupy Oakland has a very active “black bloc” contingent that has been responsible for a lot of violence and vandalism during marches. OWS has also held “FTP” marches. At one such march, Occupiers broke into the city hall, vandalized the building, and burnt an American flag on the steps:
After the march last night made it to the Tompkins Square Park area (near the 6th St Community Center and the after party), the group reportedly took off the black and disappeared into the regular crowd of people. However there were reports of more bottles being thrown at police and that was when the two arrests actually occurred.
Alexander Penley, 41, and Nicholas Thommen, 30, were arrested for allegedly assaulting the police sergeant with the pipe during the earlier action at the Starbucks at Astor Place. They were charged with assaulting a police officer, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, and inciting a riot.
Penley is an attorney and has been an organizer with the Occupy Wall Street movement since the fall. Thommen has also been very active with Occupy.
Alexander Penley(in center)
Nicholas Thommen
Update: NY Post notes more of the event including that a NYPD lieutenant was also injured and a third person, Eric Marchese, 24, was arrested in the process of trying to smash a window. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/panic_as_anti_government_goons_smash_23aHRRaT5TKyArG1amxweI#ixzz1s9DzDAx6
Update: MSM catches up-a little. MSM finally notes the OWS connection, as Metro NY notes Occupier presence and that “during the scuffle, several police officers were assaulted with pipes, bottles, and physical force, cops said”. http://www.metro.us/newyork/comment/article/1140328–anarchists-occupy-wall-street-members-arrested-after-trying-to-smash-windows-at-east-village-starbucks
Update: Apparently, notices for the FTP march were handed out at the Anarchist Book Fair at the Judson Church. One has to wonder why the Church would condone such behavior.
Citizen Journalist 