Caught on Camera: 10 Shockingly Violent Police Assaults on Occupy Protesters

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Also note the climate. As I wrote recently, those who have developed an image of police actions from New York should understand that riot police in Oakland are highly militarized, clad in full black body armor and bristling with automatic weapons, teargas launchers, flash-bang grenades and tasers. When they move in, the atmosphere is reminiscent of a battlefield, replete with a series of jarring explosions.

Those aggressive tactics create a dangerous cycle, allowing the minority of protesters who seek confrontation with law enforcement to justify their provocations as acts of “self-defense.”