Police Crackdowns on Occupy Protests From Oakland to NYC Herald "The New Military Urbanism"

www.democracynow.org - After a wave of raids across the country in which police in riot gear broke up Occupy Wall Street encampments and arrested protesters, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan acknowledged in an interview with the BBC that she participated in a conference call with officials from 18 cities about how to deal with the Occupy movement. As police forces violently crack down on protests across the United States and Europe, Democracy Now! looks at the increasing influence of military technology on domestic police forces. Stephen Graham is professor of Cities and Society at Newcastle University in the U.K. His book is, "Cities Under Siege: The New Military Urbanism." "Why the Occupy movement is so powerful, what it's demonstrating, is that by occupying public spaces around the world — and particularly these extremely symbolic public spaces — it's reasserting that the city is the foundation space for democracy," Graham says.

For the complete interview, read the transcript, download the podcast, and for additional Democracy Now! reports about the Occupy Wall Street movement, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• democracy now
• news
• politics
• amy goodman
• dn
• Occupy wall street
• ows
• raid
• new york city
• occupy
• stephen graham
• newcastle university
• cities under siege

[Oishi08]

police in riot gear to break-up a peaceful demonstration? Women, 84, bear-mased by police? No we're talking about the US not China. The police, politicians, and media, function as a strong-arm against dissent, so there is no surprise here that urban areas are becoming militarized...

[DonSSanders]

Disarm police! It BETTER happen voluntarily or the people will occupy and dismantle EVERY POLICE STATION IN AMERICA!

[johnnycmajor]

Not sure if we the people are going to win, it might be too late. Still so many asleep at their TV sets. We might not even have time left for Ron Paul to be President to even help us help ourselves. Good luck to you all. It may end up as a underground resistance that may go on for years.

[skeletonmom]

The Occupy protestors words were uplifting.

The information that Stephen spoke about was scary...

[CECOAdvocate]

PROTEST ON 11/17/2011 -- THE BIGGEST YET

M. Bloomberg did exactly what BIG banks did to many homeowners and evicted people illegally with fraud and influential deception.

Has Bloomberg and his crony partners learned anything? These sort of unlawful practices will NO longer be accepted!

Down with Bloomberg and down with the NYPD.

German police during the Holocaust took orders too.

I suppose police interfering with our rights now will understand in 70 years.

[ZoneTelevision]

@newsradiohead Where do think he got that idea .. The Founders wrote all about this before the Constitution was ratified. People in positions of power have always had inclinations to tyranny. The design of separation of powers was designed to hold that in check. Forces (well entrenched) have sought to undermine our system of governance and overthrow it and would never acknowledge the United States of America as a soveriegn nation. Look no further than the Vatican.

[newsradiohead]

Chomsky is right. The government sees the domestic population as the enemy.