...do we have a right to protest?

Trigger warning- police brutality (not gory or ulra-violent)



This is a short video from the police crackdown of Occupy Oakland (part of a trend of spontaneous protest camps that have been popping up in cities across our country) that happened almost a week ago. When watched, one can clearly see a police officer throwing a flash grenade (which have been known to cause major burns) into a group of protesters who were rushing to aid a man who had just been hit in the head with a tear gas canister. The man who was hit in the head had to go to an intensive care unit due to brain damage. Scenes like this happen all the time at protests in America that the government deems to be too contagious, or maybe too spot-on. Barely anything ever happens to police officers who are accused of committing brutal acts against the citizens they have sworn to protect and serve. Police violence rarely occurs due to escalation on the protesters part; it's the cops who always throw the first punch without provocation. Over the years people have been murdered, permanently maimed, and unlawfully arrested by our police in situations exactly like the one you just watched.

I wanted to post this video to ask the question- who are the Oakland police really protecting in this video? Are they doing the right thing? What's your opinion on the occupy movement?

Sam P