15apologies:

Why did Occupy Oakland protestors hurl objects at Oakland police officers? Why did Occupy Oakland arrest more than 400 protestors in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest? From sources I have accessed, it seems that (1) the police were responding to what appeared to be a violent crowd. However, it also seems that (2) protestors were ketteled and generally were not given their first amendment rights to protest.

However this brings up a bigger question: has occupy been honest with itself? Yes, the demands of Occupy are long overdue: to get money out of government, to establish a stand for economic justice, and to show that, if the government refuses to acknowledge its corporate funding, then the U.S. population should be directed toward said sad truth. Occupy stands for something big. But what happens when a symbol such as occupy goes against its own tenants? I fully support Occupy and its activities, but I must renounce the use of violence for political protest in all cases. The police at Occupy Oakland acted very poorly. The protestors also acted poorly by choosing to throw items at the police. Protestors in the future should learn from prior mistakes: change will not come from reacting violently.