Context is Everything

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Imagine the reaction to this news report:

Over the past ten days, more than a dozen cities have moved to stop “Tea Party” protests from city parks and other public spaces. …according to one Justice official, each of those actions was coordinated with help from Homeland Security, the FBI and other federal police agencies.

Imagine for a moment the congressional hearings, fuming political observers, activists calling for Presidential impeachment on every channel, finger-wagging editorials from every major newspaper. A rebirth of the militia movement, and a political debate – still early in a presidential election season – drowning out discussions of every other issue.

That’d be big news, eh? Of course, this is the actual story:

Over the past ten days, more than a dozen cities have moved to evict “Occupy” protesters from city parks and other public spaces. As was the case in last night’s move in New York City, each of the police actions shares a number of characteristics. And according to one Justice official, each of those actions was coordinated with help from Homeland Security, the FBI and other federal police agencies.

The response to this story from the media and elected officials on the flip:

4 thoughts on “Context is Everything”

  1. CNN always seemed loathe (almost afraid) to criticize the Tea Party; yet their coverage of this police action against Occupy is decidedly biased toward finding fault with the occupiers.  Yet it seems there is no story there, as it appears that, on Wall Street, it is the police intervention that is causing most of the disruptions for ordinary people trying to go to work.  

  2. Well the Department Homeland Security, after ten years of grants, gifts and training to localities and municipal police forces has found their mission.Worth noting that part of the briefings and coordination effort apparently was press management.

    Guess any old city PD can break up a demonstration- but to handle the press call DHS.

  3. A friend sent me this Tuesday late afternoon:

    Meanwhile, a BBC report aired on WGBH this morning suggests that the recent crackdowns in other cities may be part of a coordinated effort. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said that she participated in a conference call with leaders of 18 cities shortly before the latest wave of raids targeting Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country were launched, although she didn’t mention Boston by name.

    Shall we guess which government entity actually hosted the conference call?

    NanuqFC

    We now know that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob. ~ FDR

  4. A Freedom of information Act Request was made to the DHS and the FBI by The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) and the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Committee.They are seeking… “the agencies release information that they possess related to the involvement of federal agencies in the planning of a coordinated law enforcement crackdown that has taken places in multiple cities against the Occupy Movement in recent days and weeks.”

    “We see the scapegoating of these movements, the attacks at night, and in general tactics designed to terrorize and to scare protesters away,” stated Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director of the National Lawyers Guild.

    http://www.examiner.com/top-ne…

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