Scottsdale PD Assault Themselves with Sticks at ALEC Protest

While I was in Phoenix for the N30 protest against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) later that night I heard news reports (which I cannot find links to at this time) that stated the reason that the police resorted to using pepper spray was that the protestors assaulted police with “sticks with nails in them” – swinging the sticks with nails over a police barricade at the officers.

I did find this on FDL

Phoenix police alleged protesters assaulted them with nail-filled sticks. That is basically police speak for when we were doing “crowd control” we were touched by the sticks holding up protesters’ signs. The Fire Department was on the scene to wash out the eyes of those pepper sprayed

  ...  which happens to be more truth then opinion .

This is the best video out there.  If you look at this video starting at about minute 3:36 you will clearly see that the police officers caused  the attack on themselves when they pulled apart the protest ALEC signs, the signs started falling apart and falling down and then the police pepper sprayed the protestors for police stupidity.

I was interviewed at the protest and the reporter asked me what I thought about the protestors actions – I told the reporter it wasn’t the protestor actions I was concerned with  - it was the police over-reaction that I found troubling.

Take a look for yourself.  This video is harder to watch - but take a look at the police presence.
As they say on the video “This is what a police state looks like!”