Quote Originally Posted by bu villain View Post
Just wanted to mention that people usually don't protest when they like the way society runs.
Since you cant grasp my point, it was they arent protesting equal rights, they want special rights. They arent protesting the right to use the same bus, or eat at the same restaurant because their civil rights are being violated. they want social justice, which is not the way our society is made to run. If you want social justice move to Europe.


I know the rights of free speech and assembly are in the first amendment. Which amendment is the right to run a business in?
That whole pesky "pursuit of happiness" thing...........

So since you couldnt really argue with me based on merits, you decided to try and advocate that its ok to mess with someones business because it isnt in the constitution? awesome morals you have there. The right to free speech is being exercised. They also have the right to assembly, which they are exercising. They however dont have the right to disrupt other citizens day to day activities, confront police, break laws, etc.

Its simple, you can protest, you just cant disrupt other peoples businesses and lives. I mean you can, but be prepared to deal with the consequences. You guys fail to grasp that their free speech ISNT being violated. Its their actions that are being held accountable. YOu want to make excuses for them saying its ok when they are not just merely protesting big corporations, they are rioting and enciting violence, provking police, squatting in public places, and disrupting people that are trying to earn a living . Small business owners arent millionaries and billionaires.

They provoke police, and then when the police retaliate they play the "brutality" card.

Dozens of arrests have happened in Atlanta and usually without any problem because the protestors arent advancing on police. They are just refusing to leave woodruff park and the cops arrest them.

Now this weekend there was a bunch of people who stormed Peachtree Street and were shouting things like "put the pigs back in their sty, we are here to occupy" and they got arrested pretty easily. WSBTV covered it. IMO Atlanta has done a great job controlling the protestors without having any violence. But the OCCUPY Atlanta people havent been advocating violence and they have been policing their own pretty well. The issued a statement first thing sunday morning saying that people who were uncooperative with the police Saturday night were not part of the movements peaceful agenda and they denounced anyone who didnt cooperate with police. That goes a long way with me.

Oakland isnt doing that.

Look, if a riot breaks out, WHICH CLEARLY IT DID in Oakland, and you are standing peacefully in the middle like the marine did, and you get injured, thats just the breaks man. Police arent going to differenciate between the Marine standing there doing nothing and the people advancing, throwing bottles/grenades, and causing mayhem. Their tactics are to take everyone out in the area they are told to police and vacate. So if you are in it, you are guilty by association.