Unsolicited Advice for Occupy

Everyone hates the police when they get caught doing something bad.  Like taking a cookie without asking or intentionally disobeying the rules.  But for Occupy protesters in the United States, and for peaceful protesters throughout the world, police brutality has become the main reason to be rather upset and let loose a little "Fuck the police."

Since the Occupy movement is based on being peaceful and changing the system (for whatever reason you think it needs to change), and claiming that the movement represents the 99% of the population, police need to be on the side of Occupy.  I know that they have been a little testy.  I mean, in one protest the a window was broken by a cop smashing a peaceful, non-resisting protester's head through a window.  I'm sorry, I meant protester medic.  I don't mean to qualify this guy as more important than the average peaceful, non-resisting protester, but it is pretty ironic that someone there to help people who get hurt gets smashed into a window. 

But the cops need to be behind Occupy is Occupy is going to be successful.  Period. 

Allison Kilkenny on her and Jamie Kilstein's podcast Citizen Radio said that it would take a Buddhist calm to be able to protest in favor of cops.  Well, too bad, that's the point: forgiveness and calm and having a right-mind.

And a perfect opportunity has presented itself.  The Chicago PD who worked during the NATO protests may not be getting paid their overtime.  I guess specifically, the police officers' contract states that the officers can be paid either in money or in time off.  However, the officers that worked during the NATO summit in Chicago were issued overtime slips with the "money" box already checked, giving the officers no option for time off.   Occupy should demonstrate in their favor.

The officers that worked the NATO Summit's protest were not all super.  Citizen Radio did have a great three episode series talking about the NATO protests, if you would like to hear specifically how the cops behaved, including multiple cops attacking one journalist and telling people to get off the sidewalk while pushing people onto the sidewalk and then arresting them.  And all that.

But if we want to avoid pushing our country further toward a police state, we need to have the cops on the side of the citizens.  Unfortunately, the cops work under the mayor, and the mayor is a politician, and politicians are in the pockets of the evil Monopoly Men.

He actually pretty much just looks evil.