Police are not permitted to confiscate personal property without reasonable proof of abandonment, according to numerous federal court cases, including Lavan Vs. The City of Las Angeles. Where it was the opinion of the court that the confiscation of property by police without such proof was a violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.
"In this case the purpose of such confiscations is that of harassing persons exercising their First Amendment Rights as well and there fore is a violation of the First Amendment as well," Said Danielle Finger, 23.
A little after dawn police came in to awaken protesters still asleep in order for the private maintenance company that cleans the sidewalks for Trinity Church to wet down the sidewalk with a garden hose.
Moments after they moved in to kick protesters awake they arrested Aaron Williams, 20 years old from Syracuse, New York apparently for blowing a hand held air horn. He was not informed what he was being charged with and NYPD refuse to give information on what precinct he was being taken to.
" It seems that the goal of NYPD is to break protesters, we need to pace ourselves to endure, they know we wont be moved, so we just have to surf the waves they throw at us," said Fathema Shadidi, 57 a Red Cross Crisis Intervention Medic.
Many of the protesters show signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, often snapping at each other, clearly in a state of constant terror. Often Protesters will jump at the sight of an NYPD officer, or become very aggressive in their presence.
"People tend to take their stress out on themselves, they internalize the abuse," said Shididi. " In the short term you will see a lot of bouts sleep deprivation and exhaustion, in the long term numbness and ultimately PTSD and severe depression."
"This is crazy people shouldn't have to endure this sort of harassment for exercising their First Amendment rights, this is the kind of sh*t we condemn countries like Syria and China for, are we the pot calling the kettle black here or what," said Chino Futuristic, 25 from El Paso, Texas.
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