80 arrested at 'Occupy Wall Street' protest

"Police corral marchers near stock exchange; demonstration enters 2nd week"

Given the "several hundred" protestors who've been doing their best to block traffic for more than a week, 80 arrests seems pretty much like an "expected number." The article notes that "pepper spray was used once" but doesn't give specifics.

Even when legally picketing - as during a union strike - the universal rule is that "picketers must keep moving" in traffic lanes. Blocking traffic, as by sitting down in the middle of the street or traffic lane invariably results in an arrest, and failure to get up on one's feet when ordered to do so constitutes "resisting arrest," justifying the use of appropriate force.

One person who alleges being sprayed says she was only yelling at the officer, but if she was moving in his direction while yelling, the use of pepper spray to repel a possible attack is probably defensible as appropriate force - and in a crowd it's almost impossible to avoid some "overspray," which might account for the others who claimed they were hurt by the pepper spray.

Perhaps there is just little that's really worth reporting, except in the minds of those who don't know the rules of peaceful protest as well as those Baptists who never get in trouble with the cops.

(A Photoblog linked in the article shows only a few pics, but nothing indicating anyone being beat up. Of course that was Saturday, so something more may have happened on Sunday.)

John