National

Off-duty Officer Instigates Violence at OccupyDallas Protest


Dallas, TX—(ENEWSPF)--November 5, 2011 — OccupyDallas has secured video footage of off-duty officer Jay Hollis, badge #6896, after he shoved a protester while moonlighting security for Bank of America. The events which followed, leading to several arrests, were instigated by Hollis when he pushed his way through protesters outside of the bank.

Today, the fifth of November, is definitely now a day which will not soon be forgotten. OccupyDallas protesters marched to the Bank of America Plaza in support of Bank Transfer Day, a national event which calls for supporters to close their bank accounts with large corporate banks and move their money into community credit unions. As protesters held signs and chanted in unison, Hollis, working as a security agent on behalf of Bank of America, made his way through the crowd. After a protester refused to move out of his way, Hollis shoved the man and instantly sparked tensions between protesters and police officers.

One protester, carrying the flag of the United Steelworkers union (USW), was standing a few feet away on the sidewalk when an officer grabbed at the flag and pulled him onto the street. The altercation resulted in one officer stumbling to the ground after attempting to tackle the protester. A police bicycle was also knocked over during the scuffle. As the protester returned to the sidewalk he was chased by several other officers and arrested. He has been charged with a felony and is currently being held at Lew Sterrett jail.

Protesters then interviewed Hollis asking him why he instigated the aggression. Shortly after the interview, two other protesters were also violently dragged from the sidewalk and arrested. One of the protesters, Paul Penny, was arrested two weeks ago during a protest outside of Chase bank. He sustained minor injuries to the face when officers pulled him out onto the street and sprayed pepper spray in his face.

These events come just a day after a flash mob of protesters descended upon Rosa Parks Plaza and dropped dead to bring awareness to the use of excessive force by police. Hundreds of peaceful protesters in the US have been injured as a result of police brutality. Overseas, thousands have been injured and killed as a result of violent attacks on protests.

More information, including additional multimedia content, can also be found at www.occupydallas.org.

The OccupyDallas movement began Thursday, Oct 6 with a march from Pike Park to the Federal Reserve building. Over 1,000 people gathered to protest corporate greed and money influencing the government. The movement currently has more than 120 members occupying City Hall Park in downtown, with hundreds more joining in daily for marches to various corporations and banks throughout the city. The movement stands in solidarity with similar Occupy movements happening across the nation and the world, including the original Occupy Wall Street protest that featured tens of thousands of marchers and continues to grow.

Source: www.occupydallas.org


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