2011-10-11 Boston Police Assault #OccupyBoston arresting around one hundred protesters

At 1:30 this morning police in full riot gear attacked the participants of Occupy Boston, which had peacefully gathered on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Without any regard for the protester's constitutional rights, the Boston Police Department made no distinction between protesters, medics, or legal observers, arresting legal observer Ursula Levelt, who serves on the steering committee for the National Lawyers Guild, as well as four medics attempting to care for the injured.

Earlier in the day, an estimated ten thousand union members, students, veterans, families, men, and women of all ages marched from the Boston Common to Dewey Square, and then to the North Washington Bridge to demand economic reform on Wall Street and the end of special interest influence in Washington.

Following this massive outpouring of public support, dozens of police vans descended on the Greenway, with batons drawn, assaulting protesters and arresting more than one-hundred people. Members of Veterans for Peace carrying American flags were pushed to the ground and their flags trampled as the police hauled them away. The movement claims that

Later on, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis made no mention of veterans, organized labor, students, or families, nor did he issue an apology for his department’s aggressive tactics. The official website for the movement states that, "since the beginning of the occupation, Occupy Boston has worked tirelessly and successfully to maintain a positive working relationship with city officials. Today’s reprehensible attack by the Boston Police Department against a movement that enjoys the broad support of the American people
represents a sad and disturbing shift away from dialogue and towards violent repression." For the full press release visit this link.

They also claim to bear "no ill-will towards the men and women of the Boston Police Department who were simply following orders." They conclude by inviting anyone who feels solidarity for the cause to join them. A group of specialists from Harvard University has declared that they are "ready to discuss legal representation for Occupy Boston protesters". They also add that: "Our lawyers, historians, economists, linguists, political scientists, doctors, mathematicians, designers, artists, environmental scientists, educators, ministers, and sheer organizers are standing by to help give voice to those who need it at this moment in time. We are particularly interested in requests for specific policy proposals from occupations."