As authorities in New York and other cities proceed to clear out the Occupy Wall Street encampments, the occupier movement continues to pose a threat to civil peace, as a number of incidents illustrate.
Having been evicted from Zuccotti Park after a violent confrontation with police, the Occupy Wall Street protestors are plotting their next move. This will apparently consist of a “national day of direct action” to take place on Thursday. This will start with a rally at Liberty Square with a goal of “shutting down Wall Street.” Then the protestors will fan out throughout the city of New York to “occupy the subways” to bring their message of protest to the city’s mass transit system. The day will end at Foley Square and then a march on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Officially the protests will be peaceful, but apparently some of the Occupy Wall Street protestors are in the mood for a little street violence. A video posted on YouTube announces that a group of Occupy Wall Street protestors are going to “burn down New York.” Later, a protestor announces that soon we will see what a Molotov cocktail does to Macy’s.
Spokespeople for the Occupy Wall Street movement have continued to insist that they are non-violent. But continued reports of violent acts and arrests taking place at the various occupier encampments belie the protestations.
This must be one reason that support for the Occupy Wall Street movement has plummeted in recent days. This has caused speculation that efforts to shut down the Occupy Wall Street camps have been coordinated by the Obama White House. Filmmaker Michael Moore has suggested that this is the case. There is a report that federal law enforcement agencies have provided tactical training to local police forces in preparation for the take down of Occupy Wall Street.
The Obama administration initially expressed support for Occupy Wall Street, in the expectation that the enthusiasm generated by the movement might be harnessed for his re-election. But as the situation deteriorated at the occupier camps, with disease and crime, along with dropping poll numbers, that support evaporated. The suspicion now is that President Obama is trying to clean up the mess before it harms him politically.