As the invaluable Democracy Now! reported this morning, New York City police arrested seventy-three Occupy Wall Street activists in Zuccotti Park on Saturday where hundreds had gathered to mark six months since the launch of OWS. Many people reported excessive use of force by officers; several cases were caught on camera and video. This is the latest in a pattern of police abuse against Occupy protesters.

Consequently, a coalition of community activists is calling for a full, independent investigation by the state Attorney General into the active suppression of the Occupy movement by the New York Police Department, including, but not limited to:

1. The use of taxpayer funds to infiltrate and monitor peaceful Occupy protest planning
2. Departmental practices that lead to, or allow for, the violent dispersal of crowds and the violent arrest of protestors
3. Civil rights violations of protestors by the police.

Join the call today. There’s nothing more American than the right to peaceful protest.