drum roll

occupytvny releases more footage of the occupy guitarmy arrests on july 11th after the group completed its 99 mile march from philadelphia to wall street.  n.y.p.d. takes a lead drummer.  but can they stop this music?

why did the police officer in question find the drummer so threatening? the answer, in the opinion of this blogger, lies in the question the crowd poses to the police, at the tape's conclusion:  "who do you protect?  who do you serve?"

not The People, we know, in this instance.  for, historically, drummers symbolize the bravery leading soldiers into just battle - on behalf of The People (not corporations) - the stirring of insurrection, the call of liberty, the spirit of principle.  perhaps the bravest of all, their drum roll readies the troops, maintains them, as the musician walks without gun, often at the front of lines, or in other places within the crowd, but headlong into battle armed with nothing but his or her music and courage - and often, innocence of faith, as they have also been children or youth inspired by what they believe to be heroism.

as standard, the soldiers/crowd protects the drummer, sometimes sacrificing themselves to save the musician - the proverbial inner child - the nation's ideals - its resistance, the heartbeat.  so, of course, in this case, the crowd responds with righteously equal and greater strength to the police officer's fear of, and aggression towards, the "drummer lad" and all that his presence may deeply evoke in americans - as the police actively suppress this important american symbolism - that is supposed to be protected under the first amendment - and by arresting the drummer, even dressed in an american revolutionary's hat. 

then an elderly female protester collapses, and bedlam ensues .. thanks to the boys and girls in blue .. just doing their job for you-- at the gates to zuccotti park:  where the heart of a nation still beats.

courtesy of sonofthesouth.net

on the historical significance of drummers 
to americans - thomas nast's drummer boy

"The illustration shows a spectacular sunrise scene in a Union Civil War camp.  As the sun is rising, a group of Civil War drummer boys can be seen marching through the camp, playing a spirited cadence on their drums as they march through.  The soldiers can be seen waking up and stretching as they realize the time to arise has come." 

occupytvny reports:

Police instigated a conflict shortly after the Guitarmy arrived in liberty plaza, arresting drummer Brandon Hunt as he played on the site of the Occupy Wall Street drum circle in Liberty Plaza. As Occupiers rushed to the West side of the park, the police also arrested a photographer, and seized both his camera and his dog. One protester, Mary Hath Spokane, well known for her Lady Liberty costume, collapsed in the park. Some onlookers said she had been pushed by police as she tried to intervene in one of the arrests. The fire department later claimed she had fainted.

Later, the police and Brookfield Security tried to stop the occupiers from feeding pasta to those assembled. High ranking security made the ludicrous claim that it was a violation of park rules to have food in the park. Local residents and workers constantly dine in the park, often on food purchased from carts lining Cedar Street on the South side of the park and across the street on Broadway. The cops and guards chose to back off but shortly thereafter rushed a homeless man for laying down on a bench. Later in the evening they arrested the livestreamer known as JCOZ, and forced out of the park Marsha Spencer, a resident who often knits there, saying she was not allowed to bring her folding chair.

courtesy of chron.com

photographer:  matt rourke/ap

mary hath spokane of olympia, washington in her well-known lady liberty costume at occupy protests.  ms. hath spokane collapsed as n.y.p.d. arrested the guitarmy drummer.  some say she was first shoved by the police.

courtesy of dalje.com

photographer: monika graff/up

marsha spencer of new york city knitting stars and stripes in zuccotti park prior to bloomberg's "night to remember."  ms. spencer, a familiar occupy protester - evoking for many, the spiritual presence of betsy ross - was forced out of the park by n.y.p.d., july 11th 2012, on the pretext that she was not allowed to have a folding chair.

 Also below, RT discusses how filming police in washington d.c. is, indeed, legal (in case they told you otherwise).