Lawrence O'Donnell Condemns Anthony Bologna, NYPD For Pepper Spray Attack (VIDEO)

Lawrence O'Donnell Wednesday castigated the police officer who used pepper spray on demonstrators at the Occupy Wall Street protests and the New York Police Department's defense of the officer's controversial actions.

Two videos have surfaced showing Officer Anthony Bologna pepper-spraying on protesters on Sunday, apparently unprovoked. In his "Rewrite" segment, O'Donnell called Bologna "out of control" as part of his broader condemnation of police brutality.

After replaying the videos, O'Donnell said Bologna acted "for absolutely no reason." He lit into the New York Police Department, particularly Commissioner Ray Kelly, for defending Bologna's actions.

"He just indiscriminately sprays people as he marches down the sidewalk," O'Donnell said. "He's spraying people who are walking away from him, they are not resisting him in any way."

O'Donnell then took his attack on "routine abuse" by the police once step further, alleging that Bologna was only being investigated because of the video, and that the investigation would be a sham.

"The culture of the department will do every it possibly can to protect Inspector Bologna and it remains very very unlikely that the police department investigation will result in the disciplining of Officer Bologna or any other officer," O'Donnell predicted. "The spirit of these investigations is always a mix of investigation and instinctive institutional cover-up."

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Comments

[themainpoint]

05:01 AM on 10/06/2011

What does Bloomberg say about this? He's in charge of the city and the officers who swore an oath to protect and serve the people.

[AZDave2]

07:12 PM on 10/02/2011

The NYPD is wrong here. These are the people that are fighting for your Pension funds that were stolen by Wall Street. NYPD officers off duty should be volunteering to give direction to these people so they don't get suckered into a trap on the Brooklyn Bridge. Guys and Ladies it is YOUR Pension funds that the Banksters of Wall Street robbed.

[street fightin man]

12:59 PM on 10/02/2011

The cops are not on the citizen's side, they are shills for the power elite. Which is unusual because Wall Street has stolen their money, too.

[rimofheaven]

11:43 AM on 10/02/2011

He's right. It's an outrage, it's wrong, it's scandalous, but so what? Why can't these pundits stand up so courageously when it involves taking a risk on an issue? This officer misconduct is easy kill for the media, and a perfect spectacle of distraction. Maybe some think it will draw attention to the cause at the heart and soul of this protest, but it doesn't - It cheapens it because the real people's senses grow callused to such happenings - so before long everything will become entangled and lost in the ever shortening attention span of the American people. The irony is that the attention span is very thing they are afraid of to begin with, so they take this incident, raise it up, and bleed it for all it is worth - screaming: "Look, Look. See cop spray. Hear woman scream!" What a hopeless paradox. In the end Wall Street will win.

[Macintosh Sauce]

08:10 PM on 10/01/2011

Welcome to the Police State.

[Wayne Stuart]

10:45 AM on 10/01/2011

We saw all this during the Civil rights movement. We saw all this during the Viet Nam war protests. We saw this at the Democaratic convention in Chicago in 1968. Clearly it does not matter who is running the enforcing government. The establishment Rebpulicans or Dempocrats will do everything they can to maintain the status quo they have created and will try to crush any protests and hide it. You see very little coverage of Occupy Wall Street by the media who are owned by the very people these people are protesting. Congradulations to these brave people for doing what most of us are afraid to do and that is start the process of protest. Thank God for all of you. I see that Boston is starting up their protest and that one is scheduled in Chicago. US 99% have been screwed by the 1% forever. The level of arrogance by the 1% has not been this high since the Robber Barons. Just like the middle east we need to take to the streets to put an end to the corruption and greed. We as a people have the constitutional right to protest. As in the middle east and as with Viet Nam the government lies of today - weapons of mass destruction- have to be addressed. Wall street execs steal from us everyday. They keep the price of gas high when supply far out weighs demand and the price of oil is at 2008 levels.

[rimofheaven]

11:45 AM on 10/02/2011

You're right. It isn't covered. This is the first I've heard of it, and it is the first protest I want to get up and be arrested for.

[bleek]

10:14 AM on 10/01/2011

I say leave him out there. He'll probably end up shooting himself in the foot and then we can see him in the nursing home where he belongs.

[WhistlingBlade]

11:36 PM on 09/30/2011

Given the NYPD's culture of systemic violence towards the very people it sworn to protect i is clear to identify whose either part of that infamous street gang or supporter(s) there of. Perhaps we'd be better off with Yemeni, Syrian police.

[ScottNY]

06:55 PM on 09/30/2011

I have to say this the one good side effect of video capabilities of cell phones. Many abuses by the police only get investigated when a video turns up.

This reminds me of the rookie cop also in NYC who knocked a bicyclist off his bike then arrested him claiming he tried to ram him until a video surfaced showing it was a complete fabrication.

[Noons]

05:44 PM on 09/30/2011

According to the New York Times, an officer who "worked closely" with Bologna said that Bologna was trying to pepper spray several men who were behind the net and physically resisting, and fleeing arrest.

Now considering the video footage that he seemed to only be aiming at those women, it's a dubious story. But if this is the new story that the NYPD is putting forward, then they have basically admitted that those women did nothing that warranted the use of pepper spray.

[mama likes mambo]

02:32 PM on 09/30/2011

I have to say that Lawrence usually annoys me greatly with his smirk and pompous attitude, but on this I have to give the man some respect.

[BUSFREAK]

03:19 PM on 09/30/2011

I'm with you on everything but giving him respect. I would personally spray him with pepper spray.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

01:25 AM on 10/01/2011

You must be one of those cop suckers.

[bdunlap52]

01:42 PM on 09/30/2011

Ok, these "peaceful" protesters were pushing at the police that were on scene, and were quickly becoming more and more agitated as time went on. Video evidence is tricky anyway, because it is so choppy. All it takes is a little editing and you can make anything look one way or the other. People are quick to jump on the police's back in situations like this, but until there is full video, no editing done, I will give the police the benefit of the doubt. They are all trained to use the least amount of force necessary to control a situation, and not all of them will lose their temper at the same time. And as far as the women sitting in the street screaming like that because of a little OC, give me a break. I've seen men fight through that to fight five Officers, and have had to do the same thing in my training. It's not that bad.

[Jamie Kowalski]

01:53 PM on 09/30/2011

Baloney

[bdunlap52]

01:56 PM on 09/30/2011

Baloney? Which part? The part about video editing? Yeah, because we all know that no news organization would edit video, that nobody sending the video in would edit it. That people fight through pepper spray? Go work in prison for a week, you'll see it happen plenty. Next time, qualify your statement, or leave it alone.

[elblanc0]

02:43 PM on 09/30/2011

You mean...Tony Baloney

[David Xu]

02:02 PM on 09/30/2011

I dunno it should be investigated but the video does look damning, I mean it seems to everyone that he's pepper spraying people walking away from him and not resisting.

So before you defend him let's all let the investigators do their job. But after the MARTA affair, wide spread murder+ cover ups and corruption in NOLA, Sean Bell incident think people have a right to demand accountability.

[bdunlap52]

02:21 PM on 09/30/2011

Before you damn him, let the investigators do their job. I believe the cops deserve a little benefit of doubt.

[jestermine]

12:40 PM on 09/30/2011

Thank goodness for net neutrality.

Abuse is abuse, no matter who does it. Without a stong spot light on issues of free speech, common morality and dececy, the public suffers and the US Constitution loses.

[CarryOn]

12:28 PM on 09/30/2011

Tony looks like you should take the retirement package

[hemorrhage]

01:37 PM on 09/30/2011

And that will be the discipline... retirement with full benefits. Why can't I be disciplined like that? Got to speak to my dominatrix...

[bidensaidwhat]

12:07 PM on 09/30/2011

So Larry,,,,, You forgot to mention this IS A UNION COP who's Union Leaders are defending him

[monoxboogie]

12:37 PM on 09/30/2011

Your attempt at snark is duly noted and we now know you're a jackhole. Secondlly... being in a union didn't make him do that, being a lousy human did. You should know. Awww snap

[bidensaidwhat]

01:12 PM on 09/30/2011

point being ,,,NO PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS ,,,,,

a TRUMKA WANNABE in N Y is defending him,,, and he will get maybe a PAID suspension if that

[bidensaidwhat]

01:13 PM on 09/30/2011

and secondly being in the PUBLIC SECTOR UNION lets him get away with this