DEL CITY, Okla. -- Ten members of the Occupy OKC movement are facing charges of disorderly conduct after being arrested inside a Del City Walmart early Friday morning.
According to Del City police, officers working off-duty security at Walmart called for backup when members of the Occupy movement began chanting and yelling near the back of the store.
A video posted by Occupy OKC shows Walmart employees asking the protesters to leave, who begin walking toward the front of the store. Then, the video shows a Del City officer running toward a protester. Witnesses said officers tackled and handcuffed the protesters.
Police arrested the protesters and transported them to the Del City police department. All 10 are facing charges of disorderly conduct. One person faces an additional charge of resisting arrest.
"I think this was clearly excessive force," said Mark Faulk, one of the protesters who was arrested. "I think it was very clear we were compliant with every single thing they asked of us."
Del City police said they are still reviewing the specifics of what happened inside the store, but the case will now make its way through the court system.
The protesters have hired an attorney who plans to fight the charges and see if the officers committed any civil rights violations.
"It’s a pretty vague charge," said Brittany Novotny, who's representing Occupy OKC. "I don’t think these folks are guilty of disorderly conduct. They were asked to leave by store personnel. They tried to do so and, at that point, a couple of them were tackled and arrested."
According to Occupy OKC, activists held similar protests inside two other metro Walmarts, but did not have any confrontation with police.
Read more: http://www.koco.com/news/29858554/detail.html#ixzz1eqXCNLp0
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