From New York to LA, Occupy protests devolving into anarchy and violence

From New York to Los Angeles, the Occupy protests are devolving into anarchy, violence and crime.

“Every single night it’s the same thing. I mean, some guy was a victim of rape!” a New York Police officer said, according to The New York Post:

“There comes a time when it’s over. This is a disaster. It’s all we’re doing, every two seconds, is locking somebody up every time. It’s done.

“It’s done,” he repeats. “Occupy Wall Street is no longer a protest.”

Candice M. Giove adds that since the Zuccotti Park occupation began in mid-September, anarchy and chaos has become the norm.

She writes:

The parcel is now a sliver of madness, rife with sex attacks, robberies and vigilante justice.

It’s a leaderless bazaar that’s been divided into state-like camps -- with tents packed together so densely that the only way to add more would be to stack them.

And despite an NYPD watchtower overhead and the entire north side of Zuccotti lined with police vehicles, it is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous places in New York City.

“This spirit of generosity and the naivete of the original OWS protesters is devolving into a state of distrust and paranoia,” she writes.

Things have gotten so out-of-control that Zuccotti Park now has a section set aside specifically for women to sleep – thanks to the numerous reports of rape and sexual assault.

The protests are no better on the other side of the country.

The Los Angeles Times reports that crime is on the rise in the Occupy LA protest as well:

“Police were called to two violent incidents at Occupy Los Angeles on Friday, adding to questions about the protest and its future.

In the morning, a woman was arrested at the encampment outside City Hall after she set another person's clothes on fire, police said. In another incident hours later, a woman was arrested after protesters said she struck a man with a tent pole. Both were booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Also Friday, police arrested a man on suspicion of climbing a tree and dumping fluorescent paint on a historic marble fountain that the city barricaded earlier this week to protect from vandalism.”

LAPD Commander Andrew Smith told the Times that up until now, the protests have been largely peaceful.

“We have not seen violent incidents like this," he said. "But two felonies from the south lawn in one day?  This has raised concerns for us."

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa cited health and safety concerns when he said last week the Occupy LA encampment "cannot continue indefinitely.”  According to the Times, he has instructed city officials to begin drafting a plan to find another location for the protest.  But the Times says “it's not clear when the plan will be announced or whether the protesters will agree to move.”

The violence, however, is not contained to New York and Los Angeles.

On Friday, Occupy DC protesters used children to block the doorways of a conservative conference, and knocked two women down a flight of stairs, causing one of them to be sent to an emergency room.

Last week, Oakland “occupiers” joined with union thugs in spreading violence and chaos as they shut down the port and lit bonfires.

The cost to taxpayers so far?  Over $9 million and counting. 

John Nolte of Big Government has documented 151 incidents involving the protests.

Protesters have been arrested in Asheville and Raleigh, NC, Omaha, NE, and Tampa, FL.

A CBS affiliate in Boston reported that three people connected with Occupy Boston were arrested for dealing crack cocaine last Thursday.  That protest, like so many others, is deteriorating into anarchy and chaos.

“Things have changed drastically. It seems to be deteriorating,” one protester told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Carl Stevens.  “A lot of drug use, alcohol use, people getting into fights… It’s deteriorating pretty quick,” he said.

A woman protesting with Occupy Vancouver was found dead Saturday, the victim of an apparent drug overdose.

In response, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said he was ordering the protesters cleared out of the park, according to Canada’s CBC News.

“I have directed the city manager to expedite the appropriate steps to end the encampment as soon as possible with a safe resolution being absolutely critical to that,” he said.

Is it time for the protests to end?

Last week, syndicated columnist Froma Harrop said “yes”:

Occupiers, time to quit while you're ahead — for you're a little less ahead with every confrontation involving police or other civic authorities. The skirmishes provide unflattering visuals for the ordinary folks at home, even those sharing your angst and anger over the financial-industry takeover of our economy. It doesn't matter who was at fault. It doesn't matter whether or not you have the right to pitch tents on public parks.

According to Harrop, “responsible Occupy leaders” have allegedly tried “to keep things peaceful and clean” but they have failed miserably, as New York’s Zuccotti Park is now referred to as “Poopstock” by some conservative bloggers thanks to the unsanitary conditions of the camp.

The protests, supported by the Obama administration and senior Democrats, have been endorsed by Communists, Nazis and Islamists around the world.  Despite the ongoing violence, President Obama refuses to call for law and order, giving the impression he approves of the chaos and anarchy spreading across the country.

The protesters, of course, have a First Amendment right to address their grievances.  They do not, however, have the right to foment violence and revolution while turning America’s cities into waste-ridden dumps. 

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