A Summer of Protests and Rage from Nico Colombant on Vimeo.
Despite the frequent eruptions of violence, threats lodged at elected officials and, on at least two occasions, shows of force when protesters arrived at presidential events fully armed, law enforcement across the country all but ignored the rage fits indulged in by pro-corporatist, anti-health-care reform protesters — almost all of whom were over 40 and 99.99 percent of whom were white — in the summer of 2009.
Contrast that with the fall of 2011 when police in New York City; Portland, Oregon; and on the campus of University of California at Davis have pepper-sprayed nonviolent Occupy protesters — most of whom are young and many of whom are not white — who were peaceably assembled, as is their constitutional right.
Keep in mind the images of cops pepper-spraying Occupiers like they were bugs today, as you take a quick stroll down memory lane to the late summer of 2009:
- Politico.com, July 31, 2009: Town halls gone wild , tea partyists staged enraged protests at town halls in New York, Florida, Virginia — but none of these corporate-funded, right-wing agitators were pepper-sprayed.
- Fox News, Aug. 5, 2009: Angry Protesters Confront Democratic Lawmakers at Health Care Town Halls — Protests erupted at congressional town halls in Philadephia, Texas, Wisconsin, Baltimore but no right-wing agitators were pepper-sprayed.
- Fox News, Aug. 7, 2009: Health Care Town Halls Turn Violent in Tampa and St. Louis — no right-wing agitators for corporate interests were pepper-sprayed.
- Mlive.com, Aug. 7, 2009: U.S. Rep. John Dingell [D-Mich.] faces jeers, protest at health care town hall in Romulus. — and no right-wing protesters were pepper-sprayed
- The Daily Voice, Aug. 12, 2009: Angry white man snatches ‘Rosa Parks’ sign from black woman at town hall meeting — but he nor any other right-wing protesters were pepper-sprayed.
- TPMMuckraker, Aug. 31, 2009: Gun-Toter From Obama Event: I, Like My Pastor, Want The President To Die — Chris Broughton, who was inspired by a sermon by a preacher, who called for Pres. Obama “to die and go to hell,” was not pepper-sprayed or detained in any way when he showed up at presidential event in Phoenix armed with an AR-15 rifle and a handgun.
- Huffington Post, Sept. 11, 2009: Protester With Gun Outside Obama Town Hall in Portsmouth, N.H. — and he carried a sign that read, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants,” but he was not pepper sprayed or accosted by law enforcement in any way.
Wasn’t Oakland, CA the first really abusive display of “enforcement?”
Did the writer of this article actually read any of the “proof” of violent tea party protesters(see below) its eems the violence was done by liberal counter protesters.
“According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the police showed up toward the end of the forum held by Democratic Rep. Russ Carnahan. One conservative activist, interviewed at a local emergency room where he was being treated for injuries, said he was attacked by some of the individuals who were arrested as he passed out “Don’t tread on me” flags. ”
perhaps, the libs getting sprayed are because they are blocking access to buildings and roads and though asked to disperse they refuse and are therfore sprayed? i think you guys are living in a dream world perpetuated by the ingestion of toomany halucinigenic drugs.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/07/health-care-town-halls-turn-violent-tampa-st-louis/#ixzz1ebKSXMN9
Hey Mr Fox,
I read the article. It seems to me that Tea Partiers went to a townhall meeting with the intentions to heckle and incite violence. Then, began to complain when the world didn’t start to rotate around them. The difference, is that OWS protestors noted a peaceful protest and were met with violence. Tea Partiers touted revolution and were dissappointed with the lack of violence. (Not to mention, they shot a Congresswoman. Before you try to say that the shooter wasn’t a card-carrying Tea Partier, realize that words have results, propaganda works, and he was influenced by the wave of discontent pointed towards democrats by right wing forces. Just the same as the guy who shot up the church because they allowed gays to attend, who just happened to be a fan of Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and all the other propaganda machine engineers).