Atlanta police use 5 to 1 odds to arrest peaceful protesters in middle of night

CBS News wrote 26 October 2011 "Occupy Atlanta" camp cleared, dozens arrested,

With helicopters hovering overhead, police moved into a downtown Atlanta park and arrested around 50 Occupy Wall Street protesters who had been encamped there for about two weeks early Wednesday....

Organizers had instructed participants to be peaceful if arrests came, and most were. Many gathered in the center of the park, locking arms, and sang "We Shall Overcome," until police led them out, one-by-one to waiting buses. Some were dragged out while others left on foot, handcuffed with plastic ties.

Police included SWAT teams in riot gear, dozens of officers on motorcycles and several on horseback. By about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday the park was mostly cleared of protesters....

Hundreds of others stood on Atlanta's famous Peachtree Street, booing police. They shouted "Shame!" and "Who do you protect? Who do you serve?"

And according to Occupy Atlanta this morning:

Occupy Atlanta will hold a press conference at 11am on the sidewalk of City Hall. After a meeting between Occupy Atlanta and a group of clergy was arranged for Thursday at noon at the mayor’s request, the Atlanta Police Department went ahead with what was apparently a planned raid on Occupy Atlanta Tuesday night. Arrests were made with no resistance, and included Joe Beasley, Derrick Boazman, and State Sen. Vincent Fort. All of those arrested will go before a judge at 8 am. There will be a march to the jail from the park starting at 7:20am. From the jail we will assemble at the Atlanta Municipal Court. Occupy Atlanta will continue to peacefully protest with an anti-war march today at 5 pm. Statement:

You can read it for yourself.

If the mayor thinks one late-night arrest situation will end this, he may have erred.

-jsq