After the New York Police Department permitted a portion of the Occupy Wall Street protesters to march across the Brooklyn Bridge they then barricaded them in resulting in 700 arrests, including two children, one 13 years old, the other 15 years of age.
In the midst of this likely case of police entrapment — barricaded in this police provoked chaos, was this very young man and his mother — this is his story.
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So I guess I’ll start at the beginning. We live in northern CT and took the train down from new haven yesterday morning. We went to the plaza and dicked around took pictures while we were waiting for the march to start.
When it started, we got our sign that said “The 99% need while the 1% Greed” on it, and we got in line and started marching. My voice is still sore from chanting with everyone. Eventually, we got to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. There were some people going up to the pedestrian walkway, where we were supposed to go, but we didn’t know that we were supposed to go there. We were waiting for them to let us through to the road area.
Apparently, there were police with megaphones telling us not to go there. We were about 30 feet away from them, so we didn’t hear them telling us we’d be arrested if we went on the bridge, so when people finally started going through, we went with them. We walked alongside cars for a bit, which seemed a little fishy, but I felt like we must be allowed to go this way, because the police are on either side of us walking with us, and not arresting us.
Then, when we were about a third of the way across the bridge, we had completely blocked traffic (again, at least I was under the impression the police knew what was going on, it seemed the were guiding us), and they started stopped the front end. Eventually, they barricaded the front and everyone tried to sit down in protest. There wasn’t really enough room, so that didn’t work.
Someone from the top told us, eventually, that we could leave out the back. My mom is unemployed and can’t afford to really have a record right now, so we really tried to get out. We walked to the back, but as soon as we got there they blocked off the entire bridge with the orange barrier. They told us if we waited 10-15 minutes, we would be able to leave. So we were going to wait. Then, a woman came up complaining of shortness of breath and they waited two minutes, then asked her to come past the barrier and they’d get her to help. So, they cuffed her (separating her from the man she was there with) and loaded her into the paddy wagon, I did not hear any rights being read (maybe because she was being detained not arrested? Don’t really know much about that process).
The blue shirt cop that arrested her then looked at me and said “Alright, next” and my mom started screaming shit at this point, and they were putting my hands behind my back and getting the zipties out, and a white shirt came over and said “Wait, how old are you?” and I said 15, and he thought on for a moment and let me and my mom go.
I consider myself ridiculously lucky, and feel so bad that SEVEN HUNDRED (holyshitholyshit) people were arrested last night, including a 13 year old girl. I figured they didn’t arrest us because arresting a handicapped woman with a limp and her 15 year old son would look bad, but apparently not because of that girl. I almost feel bad, haha. I just hope everyone shuts the fuck up and doesn’t piss a cop off in the precinct so they don’t get held for 3 days.
Not sure if anyone cares, but that’s what happened last night, from my experience. Also, as I was passing back about 10 minutes later a bunch of people were clapping and there were about 30+ cops on the sidewalk across from the bridge. I assume these were the people they claimed to let go because they were in the back. Also, at least a couple climbed up from the road to the walkway. This is probably superfuckinglong and I don’t know if you guys care, but here it is. Thanks for reading.
(My bold)
“I don’t know if you guys care.” Yes, we do.
15 year old Sakarazu is well informed of what’s going on around him and credit should be given to his mother for bringing him to this event (I’m sure a Corporate shill will deem her as unfit), as she inspires and educates her son. Her son knows what the difference between concrete and abstract thinking which is a rarity in an adolescent.
We live in a world where Corporations are now deemed as people. We live in a democracy run by the wealthy who stand to profit, where those who shout the angriest and organize more effectively exercise power over America’s citizenry. We live in a world where a 15 year old is more informed than those who sit at home and criticize the Occupy Wall Street protesters.
