In a desperate bid to recover the relevance they barely had, hundreds of Occupiers returned to Zuccotti Park this weekend to celebrate the six-month anniversary of their amoebic movement. It was déjà vu all over again.
For hours, the demonstrators had been chanting and holding impromptu meetings in the park to celebrate the anniversary of the movement that has brought attention to economic inequality, as police mainly kept their distance.
But New York Police Det. Brian Sessa said the tipping point came when the protesters started breaking the park rules.
“They set up tents. They had sleeping bags,” he said. Electrical boxes also were tampered with and there was evidence of graffiti.
Sessa said Brookfield Properties, the park owner, sent in security to advise the protesters to stop pitching tents and to leave the park. The protesters, in turn, became agitated with them. The company then asked the police to help them clear out the park, the detective said.
“Most of the people, they left the park,” Sessa said. “People who refused to leave and were staying were arrested.”
At least 73 of ’em were arrested. These kids never learn their lesson. The Occupy movement might not be broke if they didn’t have to earmark so many dollars for bail money.
More troubling even than the Occupiers’ ignorant attempt to do again what didn’t work the first time, though, was a tweet from a young Occupier that didn’t deign to disguise animosity toward the police.
On Sunday, New York City police were investigating an online threat from a 23-year-old “Occupy”-linked protester who sent a short message advocated cop-killing. The sender, Rusty Braxton of Oviedo, Fla., was later identified from a screen capture of his Facebook page, which also included a photograph of his two firearms.
“We won’t make a difference if we don’t kill a cop or 2,” the message read.
In an interview conducted late Sunday night via Twitter, Braxton confirmed that he sent the message but insisted that his words were taken out of context and that he is not in favor of murdering police officers.
“We were talking about revolutions in other country’s [sic],” he tweeted at TheDC. “Never would I advocate cop killing regardless how brutal they were being.”
Jim Treacher translates the kid’s excuses:
“I didn’t say what I just said. I was taken out of context, the context being that I am not responsible for my own words and actions.” This leader of tomorrow pretty much encapsulates the Occupy mindset. It’s fun pretending to be a rebel until you have to face up to the consequences.
At least this rebel was scrutinized for his tweet, though. The seven AP reporters who covered Occupy’s six-month anniversary couldn’t even bother to mention the many acts of violence for which Occupy is responsible.
Occupiers, I know it might not seem like it to you right now, but you can still be relevant in the future. Here’s how: Own up to the idiocy, apply for a job and aim to get rich yourselves. Ever seen the movie Trading Places? The best way to stick it to the 1 percent is to beat them at their own game. If you’re not willing to put in the hours, prioritize business over pleasure, take calculated risks for the sake of reward, that’s OK, too. Most people aren’t: That’s why they’re the 99 percent.
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