Occupy Maine camp attacked with chemical bomb

I just did a search for this and didnt see this posted yet.

Let me start out by saying I do not stand with the OWS protesters, however I do stand behind their right to protest. I also feel this was a gross violation of their civil rights.

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Occupy Maine protesters camped out in Portland's Lincoln Park were attacked early Sunday morning when someone lobbed a chemical bomb at them. No one was seriously injured when the small, homemade bomb exploded near the camp's main meeting area around 4am. Witnesses say they saw a small, silver sedan circle the park several times with the occupants yelling obscenities before the bomb exploded with a loud bang, followed by a thick cloud of smoke and foul smell.

Source

I know the headline seems a little sensational and I do apologize for that. Please keep in mind, I did not write the headline but am only posting it as it was presented.

It would seem that if the Portland Police have their way, the culprit when caught will be charged with a Class C Felony if the FBI gives its blessings.

Portland Police say the explosion in Lincoln Park may not have been the only one in the city Sunday morning. Acting Police Chief Michael Sauschuck says officers responding to another complaint around 3am heard a loud explosion in the vicinity of Monument Square. He says police so far have been unable to determine if it was another chemical bomb. Portland Police have contacted the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the District Attorney's Office to see if the penalties for the crime could be elevated due to civil rights violations. Currently, the person responsible faces at least a charge of Criminal Use of Explosives, a Class C felony.

I do find it a little ironic that so much grief has been given to law enforcement during these protest yet they still find the courage to stand and protect the OWS'rs.


The following link has a news video about it.

video

grief given to law enforcers?
the only grief has been given to protesters by the law enforcers.
if you dont support occupy you are blind

reply to post by ShortMemory


This thread is not about my support or lack of for them. This is about a gross violation of their civil rights by a couple of morons. Thanks. Try reading the links please.

The one thing I find odd about all this is that the Portland Police need the FBI, ATF and other law enforcement branches approval to charge the culprit when caught with a class C felony of detonating a bomb during a protest. Isn't the law already written that dictates what the offence would be? Perhaps I just misread this portion and they are trying to make the penalty more extreme than is could be?

They have the right to protest but when you protest or believe in something, there will always be an opposition who feels so strongly against your cause that they will do anything to stop it.

The attackers could have easily been payed off by some rich people to do so.

What I dont get is that woman said she was "on guard". How could a peaceful group with no weapons be on guard against anything other than feathers being thrown at them?

Then they say they are preparing for any future attacks by running away towards the court building so they can be near the cameras. What good will that do? The courts are payed off by the 1% they're against.

reply to post by Fishticon84


Regardless of who is paid off by whom, I would think that there are also hundreds of Independent cameras recording freelance work in the area. These may have been the camera's the lady was referring to.

Chemical Bomb? Another sensationalized headline.

How about "pranksters set off stink bomb in annoyance to Occupy protesters".

Originally posted by emaildogs
Chemical Bomb? Another sensationalized headline.

How about "pranksters set off stink bomb in annoyance to Occupy protesters".

I addressed the headline and admitted it was a bit sensational. I did not write the headline. That is a direct quote from the source.

I found a few other interesting links in regards to this.

In this link, Bob Tuskin from the Bob Tuskin Radio Show postulates that this could have just been a PR stunt by the OWS. A possibility I suppose, but I don't see what they would gain from this.

There are many sources out there but most of them are just reprints of the original source.

CAJ

This link provides a few more tidbits of information on the "bombing".

Portland police Sgt. Glen McGary said the bomb was thrown into the camp’s kitchen, a tarped area where food is cooked and served. Protest organizers said the explosion lifted a large table about a foot off the ground. “There was no fire . . . We had a good 20 feet of thick smoke rolling out from under the table,” Wilburn said. They could see the “G” on the 24-ounce bottle and its orange cap, as well as bits of silver metal, she said. She and a friend who ran over to look at it breathed in fumes that smelled like ammonia, she said. Witnesses said a silver car had been circling before the attack, its occupants shouting things like “Get a job” and “You communist.” They believe someone from that car threw the device, according to a statement from Occupy Maine.

The explosion was pretty powerful to have tossed the food table a foot in the air. Granted, its not a Daisy Cutter but still.

Originally posted by emaildogs
Chemical Bomb? Another sensationalized headline.

How about "pranksters set off stink bomb in annoyance to Occupy protesters".

The protestors reported smelling anon before and after the explosion...how many explosive chemical reactions can be made with ammonia? I know a few, all of which are pretty damned simple, nasty and toxic; including hydrochloric acid production.

reply to post by madhatr137


You would need a whole lot more of the mixture you are talking about (please do not post how to make it) to really affect an open area like that though. The fumes dissipate pretty fast. I'm thinking these guys just looked something up on the net to cause a nuisance and aren't really that well versed in homemade explosives.

I'll bet it was a plastic pop bottle filled with ammonia cleaner and dry ice. Unless it explodes in your face, it is pretty much harmless. Just a loud noise and the smell of ammonia. The smoke would come from the dry ice.

After spending some time reading through other articles about this incident, it seems to be more or less just an attack aimed to get the OWS protesters to disperse without injuring anyone. What ever chemical was used was not life threatening in the quantity used and before the makeshift bomb was tossed into the crowd, the people who allegedly threw the bomb were circling the protest area yelling obscenities. This just smells of an attempt at total dispersal of the protest in that area.