From the NYT's City Room -- Re: Brendan "Romania" Watts

[Video above is from RT; story below is from NYT]

7:09 P.M. Bloodied Protester Charged With Attempted Assault
A protester being led by police near Zuccotti Park.

A protester who was led out of Zuccotti Park on Thursday afternoon with blood streaming from his face had thrown a small battery at police officers and taken a deputy inspector’s hat, the police said. He was charged with attempted assault and grand larceny.

The police said the man identified himself as Brandon Watts, 20, and has been arrested at least four times since the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations began.

The police offered this account of Mr. Watts’s confrontation:

Mr. Watts climbed up on a wall inside Zuccotti Park and began throwing objects at officers outside the barricade along Liberty Street, starting with pieces of a plastic pen. He then threw a AAA battery, and motioned to officers that he was ready to fight. The officers ignored him.

Mr. Watts went up to the officers, grabbed the barrier between him and them and began pushing and kicking it, shoving it against the officers. Mr. Watts grabbed a deputy inspector’s hat and ran back into the park. The officers ran after him. He resisted arrest, kicking officers, and when he was brought down, he struck his head, causing bleeding. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was treated but not admitted.

Mr. Watts’s prior arrests at Occupy Wall Street, the police said, involved resisting arrest on Sept. 24, loitering in disguise on Sept. 28, escaping from a prisoner van on Oct. 14 and having stolen orange mesh fencing on Oct. 28.

— Al Baker

Eek! A battery! Run away! Many, many photos of police brutality November 17 at the RT link above; another link here shows more. As if we really need to see more...

Additionally, the NYT Magazine published this about Brendan Watts on October 23, 2011. Interesting slice of Occupy Life.


[Note, Tim Pool and The Other 99 video stream have been down most (or all) of the day. Just as well; need the rest after yesterday and the events of Nov 15. Tim did post over at Reddit, tho, and it's a fairly interesting discussion.]