Arrests at Occupy Wall Street

Mother Jones filmed Occupy Wall Street protesters being arrested in Washington Square Park.

Things got ugly in Times Square. Protesters tried to push their way through barricades. Several protesters were arrested.



The Occupy Tampa protesters wisely chose to avoid arrests. News footage of arrests and confrontations with the police will only hurt the Occupy Wall Street movement. The disastrous Seattle protests of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in 1999 failed to initiate change. Protesters getting arrested will have the media portray the Occupy movement in a negative light.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has important grievances with economic policy in America. Wall Street executives melted down the market through shortsighted and ethically questionable actions. The federal government responded by bailing out Wall Street with near zero percent loans and no real regulatory reform. Meanwhile, middle class and lower income people are having their houses foreclosed upon. Often through illegal paperwork.

Many Americans are having are hard time making a living or finding a good job. Yet their tax dollars were used for the bailout for the companies that help destroy the American economy. People should be angry and protest. However, Occupy Wall Street can make their case better by avoiding trouble with law enforcement.