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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Occupy / City What the Police Found at Yesterday's Protests

Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, May 2, 2012 at 6:00 AM

This was mentioned in our coverage yesterday, but it's worth mentioning again because it's not every day that you get to take a fascinating tour of alleged protest detritus.

My favorite image is the one titled: "A repurposed traffic barrel?"

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Wow, rudimentary fire bombs. Didn't expect that to show up.

Posted by Theodore Gorath on May 2, 2012 at 6:20 AM

"We're not sure what this is but we know what it smells like" - is that a ziploc bag full of...poop?

Posted by gloomy gus on May 2, 2012 at 7:26 AM

The "Poop on the police" sign seems to indicate that it is a bag of poop, yes.

Home-made incendiary devices...cool, cool. "Peaceful protest guys! LET'S BURN SHIT DOWN"

Posted by Helix on May 2, 2012 at 7:27 AM

When the police take your hammer and crowbar away, it should honestly be followed up with an arrest.

Posted by Kinison

on May 2, 2012 at 7:47 AM

@4 yep. Otherwise, it's stealing. They can only take your property as evidence if used - or suspected to have been used - in a crime. But the mayor issued the emergency order that allowed the police to steal stuff.

Sure, it was to prevent damage and theft to other people/corporations, but theft it was.

Posted by Allyn on May 2, 2012 at 8:08 AM

What are the tapped lighters supposed to do?

Posted by internet_jen on May 2, 2012 at 8:59 AM

Clearly the work of trained undercover agents with the intent to discredit the Movement!
Or, dipshit kids who never watched Bill Nye.

Posted by Sir Vic on May 2, 2012 at 9:21 AM

@6: You get enough of any flammable substance together, and it is essentially a fire bomb.

Think of it a like a molotov cocktail with training wheels...easier to put together, more stable, and less damaging. At least this is what I assume was the purpose.

Prisoners do something similar with a light bulb/tennis ball/whatever filled with match heads.

Posted by Theodore Gorath on May 2, 2012 at 9:21 AM

@8 ahh, I just kind of figured they'd have to be taped together like a sparkler bomb to really do much.

Posted by internet_jen on May 2, 2012 at 9:30 AM

@9: I didn't get a good look at it, but it would not surprise me if people who want to light fires and break windows can not put together such a device with much efficacy.

What I don't understand is if you really want to make a fire bomb, they sell everything you need at your local gas station, for cheaps. No need for all this Fight Club-style complicated bullshit.

Posted by Theodore Gorath on May 2, 2012 at 9:54 AM

I'm pretty sure those "fire bombs" were intentionally all smoke and no fire. The intent appears to have been to cover in-progress acts of vandalism from security cameras and bystanders.

Posted by AnonyCow on May 2, 2012 at 10:20 AM

@4 OK, but an arrest for what, exactly? We don't just arrest a lady walking out of a hardware store with a sledgehammer, do we?

@5 I think the whole reason the Mayor issued that emergency order yesterday was to make the smashing-stick confiscations officially not theft.

Posted by robotslave on May 2, 2012 at 12:07 PM