Occupy and the Police Needn't be Enemies – as Sandy Showed

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/10-5


An Occupy Wall Street activist yells at friends after being arrested during demonstrations on the one-year anniversary of the movement in New York, 17 September 2012. (Picture: Lucas Jackson / Reuters)

Ninety-nine people arrested during Occupy Wall Street's 17 September anniversary actions had their court dates last week. They trooped into the courthouse accompanied by green-hatted legal observers and National Lawyers Guild representatives, and faced the judge. Their charges mostly boiled down to "being part of a public protest"


Molly Crabapple – artist, journalist, and illustrator – was one of those arrested that day. "I was plucked off the sidewalk during a protest on the anniversary of Occupy, and didn't know what I was accused of until after 11 hours in jail," she explains. "I was let off with an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD), which means that if I'm not arrested for six months, my charges will be dismissed." ACDs were given to 52 others, according to Ben Meyers of the National Lawyers Guild. Four had their prosecutions declined and one was dismissed outright; for 25 of them, prosecution wasn't ready and five weren't present. Eleven pleaded not guilty and will go to trial.

Many of those same people arrested for marches and direct actions on that day have also been involved in running Occupy's Superstorm Sandy relief efforts – work that has earned them praise from mayoral hopeful and public advocate Bill DeBlasio, and even, grudgingly, billionaire mayor Mike Bloomberg. The NYPD has yet to come out and officially thank Occupy Sandy for saving lives after the storm. But the news this week, as Occupiers had their day in court, was that in Red Hook at least, the police appreciated the efforts of Occupy Sandy volunteers in helping keep the neighbourhood safe while the power was out.

The New York Post, of all tabloids, reported that a "police source" said: "This crisis allowed us all to remove the politics and differences we had to do our job, and come to the aid of the people. We all rose to the occasion." Kirby Desmaris, an Occupy Sandy organiser, told the Post she'd had the experience of working alongside NYPD, the National Guard and the mayor's office.