While I can't say how effective the Occupy Wall Street protests have been at accomplishing... whatever their goal is, they have managed to do one thing: make the NYPD look bad. Which is fair, really, because the NYPD have handled this situation about as poorly as possible. From Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna macing some women to yesterday's mass arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge, the NYPD have come out of the last few weeks looking like the villains. Then, just in case you had any doubts, JPMorgan Chase made the largest donation in the history of the New York City Police Foundation. Not the best PR move, guys.
EDIT: I had the timing of the donation incorrect, it did occur a few months back. I believe the general theory of the piece holds (that JPMorgan Chase might not want to publicize the large amounts of money it's giving to police right after they've made some questionable arrests) but I was probably too harsh on both the banks and the NYPD. I'm leaving the original text of the story up with this edit so that you can form your own opinion.
JPMorgan Chase, one of the giant banks that Occupy Wall Street is protesting against, gave $4.6 million to the NYPD to fund new laptops in patrol cars and security monitoring software. I'm sure the NYPD would love the money, but really guys, why now? When you're already being accused of pandering to the big banks and enforcing justice for the rich rather than the poor, you probably don't want to be grabbing a big pile of cash from one of Wall Street's largets firms. This couldn't have looked worse if you took the donation in a manilla envelope with "BRIBE" written on the front of it.
Also, JPMorgan Chase, are you stupid? I get that you want to support the NYPD, but you could wait until the protests had died down a little. Instead, you're adding fuel to the protest fire and basically acting out the exact kind of corruption you're being accused of. It's frustrating enough that, just a few years removed from a government bailout, you're posting record profits while the economy still struggles. But now, you're literally giving away money to law enforcement right after they made a series of questionable arrests against the people protesting you.
Look, this could just be JPMorgan Chase being good citizens and supporting the people who protect our city, but the timing and method of their support could not look shadier if they tried. If you want to convince people you're not corrupt, you have to stop acting like it, guys.
[NEW YORK CITY POLICE FOUNDATION — NEW YORK]
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