Police are not the enemies of protesters at Dewey Square, a Boston Police Department official said in a meeting at the School of Theology on Thursday.
The meeting, hosted by Democracy Matters and Student Union, was designed to “be a very constructive dialogue between students and the City of Boston,” to discuss the arrests from last week’s protests, according to the event’s Facebook page.
“We’re not the bad guys, we’re trying to do the right thing for everybody,” said BPD Deputy Superintendent Darrin Greeley, to about 30 Boston University students and some non-BU affiliated Occupy Boston participants at the forum.
Greeley said the relationship between protesters and police is mostly non-antagonistic.
He said the BPD’s primary concern is public safety, which includes the safety of the protesters.
Police officers have been attempting to help protesters by blocking traffic at intersections during marches and by keeping an eye on the action at Dewey Square, Greeley said.
Many students at the meeting, however, said that they were angered by the arrests made in early Tuesday morning, when protesters attempted to occupy a portion of the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway.
“[Greeley] doesn’t take us seriously. He was deflecting serious questions by being chummy,” said a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences who asked to remain anonymous.
However, Greeley said the Greenway “never gave permission” for people to be there. The police gave protesters multiple warnings and opportunities to leave before moving in.
Greeley said some students had to be forcibly removed because they refused to budge.
“We hurt our backs, we hurt our legs. It’s not fun lifting people,” Greeley said.
The Occupy Boston movement has quickly sucked up police resources, he said. Arresting people, blocking off streets for marches and maintaining a protective presence at Dewey Square all take a considerable amount of work.
“It taxes the system. It takes officers off the streets,” he said.
However, police will be involved in the movement for as long as they have to be.
“We care about people, from old to young,” he said.
One student at the meeting questioned the BPD’s allegedly violent arrest of a veteran.
In response, Greeley said he was unfamiliar with the specific case, but said that all officers receive “strong training and strong supervision,” along with constant reminders to “treat people with respect and dignity.”
CAS junior Thandiwe Farley called Greeley “vague” and said he kept making generalizations about those who attended the meeting because they were students.
“It doesn’t matter that we’re students,” said a CAS junior who asked to remain anonymous. “This movement is bigger than just us.”
Greeley said that as long as the movement lasts, the police will continue to “protect people’s rights.”
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I don’t think this claim is true:
Greeley said the Greenway “never gave permission” for people to be there.
I think the Occupy people met with the Park Director and she consented if they’d take care of the plantings. She also said that she held no power over what the police demand. If my information is good, then Greeley is not accurate. He sounds like a lightweight. And it sounds like most of the students in the room could see right through him.