During the Occupy Wall Street Protests on September 24, 2011, an NYPD officer blasted four women with pepper spray after trapping them in an orange net, temporarily blinding them and causing one to scream out in pain. The officer's action and the protesters' physical pain and anguish are caught on video.

Since the pepper spray incident, journalists and bloggers have documented other instances of police brutality instances during the OWS protests. These violent acts -- many of which are documented in photo or video form -- include dragging, grabbing and swinging nightsticks at peaceful protesters and hitting a protester with a scooter. Additionally, police have unnecessarily destroyed encampments in Chicago and San Francisco.

Please sign the petition to stop violent acts against peaceful protesters.

We, the undersigned, are shocked to hear about peaceful protesters targeted by NYPD police officers during the Occupy Wall Street protests. According to video and photographic evidence, officers have sprayed pepper spray at protesters and have abused their authority with a range of violent actions. The protesters' pain and anguish are clearly caught on film.

Protesting has a history of raising awareness of civil rights issues and catalyzing social change. While we understand that protests can become unruly and violent, and often require police intervention, police officers shouldn't act rashly on the assumption that all protesters have violent or disorderly intentions. 

 

Please urge the NYPD to stop using violence to control non-violent protesters. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this petition.