Buddy Roemer Slams Mike Bloomberg for Cops Clearing Occupy Wall Street

Dark-horse Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, who has left the door open to making a third-party or independent bid for the White House, came out swinging at NewYork City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday for calling out the cops against the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

"The mayor of New York City is standing on the wrong side of history. His actions in the midnight hours against the Occupy Wall Street protestors are unjust, uncalled for, and unconstitutional," said Roemer in a statement on Tuesday. The First Amendment right of assembly and speech exists to protect America from this kind of government power abuse.

"His actions will be a stain on Americas long history of peaceful assembly. I encourage Mayor Bloomberg to read a history book on America and he will see, from the civil rights marches to the Vietnam protests, our young Americans have stood up to injustice and in the end were right in their actions.

Was there no common ground to maintain health and safety while allowing for assembly, protestations and debate? And to raid the assembly in the wee hours is so typical of abuse and cowardice, added Roemer. These young people of Occupy Wall Street have my total support. I have walked among them and listened. I support, with my actions, their contention that something smells of corruption in America when the few who give large sums of money to politicians receive special favors in return, while the average citizen is foreclosed-on and forgotten. They are asking questions about injustice, and special-interest control, and institutional corruption that need to be asked, that must be asked in a nation headed in the wrong direction.

The actions of the city today have confirmed the young people's worst fears about the establishment: They will not listen. After all, the establishment is safely protected in the tower of the top 1 percent. The rest of America has no such bailout protection, and should be outraged by the midnight raid on the Constitution and on the young with the courage to speak in public what so many feel in private, Roemer continued. Some of us may disagree on the solutions proposed by these young people, but I totally support their right to assemble and to speak freely about their concerns. I do not believe we need bigger government; we need better government, fairer government, honest government, and noncorrupt government.

The young people ought not to be thrown in jail, Roemer said in closing. They should be listened to. Shame on Mayor Bloomberg."