Occupy Wall Street 1st-Hand: "All Around Me, Peaceful Protesters Were Being Pepper-Sprayed and Zip-Cuffed" (Harkinson)

Riot police mobilising to move into Zuccotti/Liberty Park

See also Occupy Wall Street LiveStream/LiveBlog: Police Move on Liberty Park in New York

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Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones was one of the few journalists --- perhaps the only one --- who could get inside Zuccotti/Liberty Park as it was raided by New York police early this morning. This is his account of the moment when he witnessed the remained protesters being seized by riot police::

I just got shoved out of the park by a police officer. I'm now going to explain what I saw.

The riot police moved in with zip cuffs and teargassed the occupiers in the food tent. Then they wrestled them to the ground and cuffed them. Everyone I witnessed being arrested was resisting peacefully.

As I was observing, a cop approached me and asked me who I was. I told him that I am a reporter with a national magazine, He asked me who. I said Mother Jones. That's when he said I had to leave.

I told him I wold not. That is is my right to be here and observe what is going on. He said that all the press is in the press pen, and that's where I had to go. I said I would not,.That he would have to arrest me, but I would go peacefully. At that point he grabbed me by the arm and started hauling me away. I quickly realized he was just trying to escort me out, so I began resisting. He literally started hauling me across the park. My feet were slipping on the ground.

All around me, protesters were being pepper sprayed and zip cuffed. I realized that I could either drop to the ground and meet the same fate, or let him haul me out. I decided it would be better to stay out of jail and keep reporting on what's going on tonight, so I let him haul me out, arguing with him.

He told me if I stayed in the park I could get hurt. I pointed out that there was no chance of that. I had just been standing around. Cleanup already done for the most part.

Then he dragged me in front of a dump truck that was backing up. He said, "Look, this dump truck is backing up, you could get hurt". I pointed out that he dragged me in front of it.

Then he deposited me on the other side of the street, where I am now sitting on a bench in front of a pizza joint.