Police evict Occupy! protesters in LA and Philly

The violent crackdown on Occupy! protesters across the country continued in the early hours of this morning as police in Los Angeles and Philadelphia attacked nonviolent protesters.

Officers dressed in riot gear did their job of protecting and serving their corporate masters by storming through the encampments wielding batons and tearing down tents and other structures. The lasting images of these protests will be peace officers attacking citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights of free speech and petitioning the government to address their grievances.

Over the years the police have been used to break up strikes and attack civil rights protesters and anti-war activists. Police brutality is not the work of a few "bad apples," it is part and parcel of the culture of law enforcement in this country.

Scenes from the police raid in Los Angeles.

Philadelphia police clear encampment.