I’m not anti-cop and I never have been, but there’s quite something disturbing about what happens in this video.

Via Joan Walsh at Salon, who calls this the “worst” moment of Occupy Wall Street so far:

On Monday night, Boston police broke up the Occupy Boston protest, and in the process, they tore down an American flag and knocked down at least one American military veteran.

A group of Veterans for Peace stood in a line in front of the Occupy Boston protesters, and after the police warned the entire group to disperse, a line of cops marched out of the darkness and seemed to move on the veterans first.

John Nilles, a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran, told the Boston Globe he was knocked down during the arrests. “I have absolutely no use for police anymore,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” You can hear protesters on the video screaming over and over, “We are veterans of the United States of America.” It’s chilling.

The video is dark, so it’s hard to see exactly what’s happening, but when the American flag starts to totter, it’s like the Iwo Jima moment in reverse.

What compelling reason was there for this eviction to occur in the first place? These folks weren’t hurting anyone, they were just being good citizens. They’re standing up for themselves.

This is an extraordinary time in American history. The police officers who were involved with this action need to ponder which side they’re on.