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Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 07:22 PM Apr 2015

Crushing the Occupy Movement - How Wall Street Used Government Forces to Suppress Political Dissent

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/28/1373942/-Crushing-the-Occupy-Movement-How-Wall-Street-Used-Government-Forces-to-Suppress-Political-Dissent



It has been over two years since the Occupy Movement was brutally destroyed by a coordinated national effort led by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Since that time, much documentation has been released under the Freedom of Information Act. Even though they are heavily redacted, these documents provide a frightening window into how far corporate America along with the federal, state, and local governments acting as their agents were willing to go to destroy a populist social movement like Occupy.

Despite all the documentation we have, there are still many out there who are in denial about these facts. After reading some recent comments that misrepresent what happened to the Occupy Movement, I decided to review how Occupy was so brutally squelched by Wall Street and corporate America using government forces as their agents acting upon their behalf.
.



Terrorism. The word alone can bring about unwarranted fear in otherwise normal people. The images of the twin towers of the World trade Center were deeply etched into the American psyche and created a climate of intense fear which provided the rationale for the current "war on terror." But what is terrorism and how is a terrorist organization defined? Let's start with Merriam Webster's dictionary which defines terrorism as thus:

[div class="excerpt" style="background:#ccccff;"]the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal


This definition seems fairly straight forward. But then if we look at the FBI's definition of terrorism, the definition of terrorism becomes more muddied. There are multiple definitions of terrorism, but for this diary we are looking at the definition of domestic terrorism. The FBI's own definition requires a three part test and yet the Occupy Movement was branded as a terrorist threat before the first tent was placed in Zuccotti Park. Let's examine just how FBI's open ended interpretation of their own definition of terrorism was and can be selectively used to squelch public dissent such as was the case with the Occupy Movement..

[div class="excerpt" style="background:#ccccff;"]"Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:

- Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
- Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and
-Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.

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Crushing the Occupy Movement - How Wall Street Used Government Forces to Suppress Political Dissent (Original Post) Bill USA Apr 2015 OP
Oh, you must be mistaken - we have been told it was because they did not have one top leader. djean111 Apr 2015 #1
Oh, no, it was the No Sound-Bite that did them in. At least, that's valerief Apr 2015 #13
Or as one woman asked me on the corner of Broadway and Liberty Depaysement Apr 2015 #28
Again the utterly idiotic, insane, and completely fact-free claim that the Obama geek tragedy Apr 2015 #2
Ah yes the Conspiracy Theory argument. If you don't like a story try to get it rhett o rick Apr 2015 #4
It was self-evident that it was timed and coordinated nation wide. For otherwise reasonably GoneFishin Apr 2015 #9
Yep. nt SusanCalvin Apr 2015 #22
The deniers want so badly to believe everything is wonderful in Camelot with Obama's nice smile. rhett o rick Apr 2015 #30
I musta missed that. So I went back and checked. Trillo Apr 2015 #5
One would have to suppose him incompetent geek tragedy Apr 2015 #12
How is that view from under all that sand? Fuddnik Apr 2015 #16
Only obvious to those with an emotional investment geek tragedy Apr 2015 #17
The same credible journalists who missed everything in the build-up to the Iraq War? Among others. Fuddnik Apr 2015 #20
Why is Glenn Greenwald ignoring the geek tragedy Apr 2015 #23
"This is a fantasy tale told by the black helicopters crowd." You can't argue with facts rhett o rick Apr 2015 #18
more Trillo Apr 2015 #3
Thanks for the link. OnyxCollie Apr 2015 #25
This is an important story. OWS revealed that the government would rhett o rick Apr 2015 #6
Well said. nt mother earth Apr 2015 #7
Yep. They showed us a glimpse of the brick wall at the back of the theater. GoneFishin Apr 2015 #10
Yep. But we will win in the end in spite of the deniers. nm rhett o rick Apr 2015 #19
Yep. Thespian2 Apr 2015 #14
...! KoKo Apr 2015 #33
K & R, TY for bringing this to DU. mother earth Apr 2015 #8
The Occupy movement started other movements and is far from dead. mountain grammy Apr 2015 #11
There's even a DU group - LiberalElite Apr 2015 #21
Ashamed to say, I didn't know. Thanks for the info. mountain grammy Apr 2015 #24
I've had to point it out to a couple of DUers so LiberalElite Apr 2015 #26
Exactly. Jackpine Radical Apr 2015 #27
K&R nt Duval Apr 2015 #15
Interesting points in that FBI definition. calimary Apr 2015 #29
Somebody doesn't know what "brutally destroyed" means struggle4progress Apr 2015 #31
True and again reflects (to some of us) on the president Doctor_J Apr 2015 #32
It's denial, which is so much easier than looking reality in the face. rhett o rick Apr 2015 #34
 

djean111

(14,255 posts)
1. Oh, you must be mistaken - we have been told it was because they did not have one top leader.
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 07:26 PM
Apr 2015

To smear and/or otherwise get rid of.

valerief

(53,235 posts)
13. Oh, no, it was the No Sound-Bite that did them in. At least, that's
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 09:04 PM
Apr 2015

what the teevee told us. It wasn't the head-bashing and pepper-spraying by cops, not the arrests, not being eternally drowned out by the billionaires' Tea Party rallies of five. No, it was none of that.

It was the missing sound bite.

Depaysement

(1,835 posts)
28. Or as one woman asked me on the corner of Broadway and Liberty
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 10:20 PM
Apr 2015

"What do they even want?"

The sound bite. Your post made me laugh pretty hard. Thank you!

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
2. Again the utterly idiotic, insane, and completely fact-free claim that the Obama
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 07:50 PM
Apr 2015

administration ordered the crackdown on Occupy.

The same links to the same bullshit blog posts that completely misrepresent what the actual documents produced say.

What is lacking is any--as in a single-one--actual document indicating that the federal government coordinated the Occupy crackdown.

It started as a deranged conspiracy theory with no factual backing, and it's remained that way.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
4. Ah yes the Conspiracy Theory argument. If you don't like a story try to get it
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:04 PM
Apr 2015

censored by labeling it a CT. There are lots of CT around in politics. A big one that gets a lot of attention is whether the Republicons are stealing elections.

This theory has some truth to it but some are so enamored with their authoritarian leaders that they don't want to discuss it or even let others discuss it. There is clear evidence that our Homeland Security provided assistance to the local polices as they brutalized the protestors. But some side with the police as they shoot people with gas canisters, bash them in the head and spray them with pepper spray. Would you feel the same if it was Martin Luther King Jr. protesting for equal rights?

GoneFishin

(5,217 posts)
9. It was self-evident that it was timed and coordinated nation wide. For otherwise reasonably
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:43 PM
Apr 2015

bright people there are a lot of people with broken dot connectors.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
30. The deniers want so badly to believe everything is wonderful in Camelot with Obama's nice smile.
Wed Apr 15, 2015, 12:26 AM
Apr 2015

So what if Goldman-Sachs is drooling for the next trillion dollar blackmail payment. So what if the NSA/CIA are selling your personal info to corporations, so what if the MIC is asking for a trillion dollar new aircraft carrier. The deniers want soo badly to believe that our authoritarian Oligarchy is looking out for their best interest. Of course they ignore the disasters falling on the lower classes in the last 30 Fracking years.

By the way does anyone else find it so very interesting that both Obama and Hillary support fracking.

Trillo

(9,154 posts)
5. I musta missed that. So I went back and checked.
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:09 PM
Apr 2015

"Obama" only shows up in the comments section. So what you must mean, and please do correct me if I'm misunderstanding, anything that happens anywhere in the Executive Branch is the same as "Obama administration" ordering the crackdown?

Is it too hard to believe that Obama may have rogue actors in the department he heads?

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
12. One would have to suppose him incompetent
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:58 PM
Apr 2015

to an astronomical degree to claim that remained unaware that the DOJ and DHS (Holder and Napolitano) engaged in a comprehensive, highly illegal crackdown involving thousands of law enforcement officers across the country, the existence of which was so easy to discover that a few crank organizations proved it with documents from FOIA requests.

Indeed, the claim is that his administration committed the single greatest violation of civil liberties since the internment of Japanese-Americans in WWII, and he somehow was so out of the loop that no one thought to tell him.

This is a fantasy tale told by the black helicopters crowd.

Fuddnik

(8,846 posts)
16. How is that view from under all that sand?
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 09:13 PM
Apr 2015

It was pretty obvious to any observer what was going on, even before the first FOIA document was released.

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
17. Only obvious to those with an emotional investment
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 09:17 PM
Apr 2015

in absurd conjecture.

There is a reason no one with any journalistic credibility has concluded there is anything to these nonsense allegations.

Even Glenn Greenwald has ignored them.

There is not a single piece of evidence of a federal conspiracy to crack down on these protestors.

Fuddnik

(8,846 posts)
20. The same credible journalists who missed everything in the build-up to the Iraq War? Among others.
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 09:30 PM
Apr 2015

If we could just get Judith Miller to write a story! Or maybe hold a seance with Robert Novak.

Most mainstream "journalists" are nothing more than court stenographers.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
18. "This is a fantasy tale told by the black helicopters crowd." You can't argue with facts
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 09:22 PM
Apr 2015

so you have to be disrespectful. If you want to live in denial, go for it. But what makes it soooo important to you to try to shut up the discussion? Not "politically liberal".

You want to make this about Pres Obama. Your argument seems to hinge on the fact that someone that's so obviously nice, couldn't be involved in beating the shite out of protestors. That's crappy logic but maybe it helps you sleep.

There is a major problem here and if you don't want to know, fine, go hide under your bed.

Trillo

(9,154 posts)
3. more
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 07:59 PM
Apr 2015

[div class="excerpt"style="border-radius:10px;"]As detailed at multiple sources, including an excellent article in the Guardian by Naomi Wolf, the extent by which the government and private corporate interests had merged their surveillance and ultimately coordinated the brutal crackdown on the Occupy Movement is shockingly reminiscent of other totalitarian societies. (note: my bolding added for emphasis)

[div class="excerpt" style="background:#ccccff;border-radius:10px;"] The document – reproduced here in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
6. This is an important story. OWS revealed that the government would
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:13 PM
Apr 2015

use whatever brutal tactics necessary to squash peaceful protests. The militarization of local police wasn't just an accident. While the corporations continue to steal the wealth of the 99% they (Oligarchs) know that sooner or later the people will rebel. They want the message to be clear. If there had been obvious leaders, you can bet they'd be handled severely. The Oligarchs are sitting on a power keg.

It's always interesting to see the deniers that claim that the Oligarchy is really only looking out for our best interest when they brutalize protestors, whistle-blowers and journalists.

Jackpine Radical

(45,274 posts)
27. Exactly.
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 10:02 PM
Apr 2015

Occupy is not dead; it has reshaped itself into other forms appropriate to other forms of activity.

I think it makes the Establishment crazy that it won't stand still long enough for them to get a fix on it, so every now & then when the frustration gets too much to handle, they give it the Al Quaeda #2 Guy Treatment, i. e. they periodically declare it dead.

calimary

(80,693 posts)
29. Interesting points in that FBI definition.
Tue Apr 14, 2015, 10:28 PM
Apr 2015
"Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:

- Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
- Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and
-Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.


Indeed.

Sounds like we have a perfect description of what so-called "pro-life" militants are up to. Like the killing the Dr. Tiller, for one and the threatening and stalking people who work at women's health clinics.

Seems to me we are now free to refer to them as Domestic Terrorists. And we'd be totally accurate, strictly following FBI guidelines.
 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
32. True and again reflects (to some of us) on the president
Wed Apr 15, 2015, 10:16 AM
Apr 2015

It is really lazy to ignore this and the wars and the fracking and the offshore drilling and the RTTT and Heritage Care when swooning over his legacy. This is how societies die

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
34. It's denial, which is so much easier than looking reality in the face.
Wed Apr 15, 2015, 12:32 PM
Apr 2015

It's so much easier to discuss those uncontroversial things they agree with the president. They won't discuss fracking, the Patriot Act or the TPP. It's an alternate reality which abhors open-mindedness.

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