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Occupy Protester Arrested Six Times May Be More Troubled Teen Than Activist
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 3, 2011
Modified Dec 3, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 3, 2011
Modified Dec 3, 2011
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Remember the 19-year-old Occupy Wall Street demonstrator who claimed that he lost his virginity during the protests and was "amped for it?" His name is Brandon Watts, and he's the same protester who was seen bloodied in photos following protests on the two-month anniversary of the movement. City Room found that he had been arrested six times since arriving in New York from his home outside Philadelphia, and his family believes he's less of an activist and more of a troubled teenager. His attorney notes, "You see from the nature of the arrests that Brandon has accumulated, they are clearly arrests of a provocative young man who is seeking attention."
Watts' most serious charge stems from allegedly throwing a AAA battery at police during the protests on November 17 and stealing a deputy officer's hat. According to a blogger at the Washington Post, he also briefly joined the march from New York to D.C. and "tried to pick up a deer carcass on the side of the road."
"In the past, he's done stuff, and afterwards, he's like, 'I'm sorry.' You would have to tell him about it and everything would be fine," his 18-year-old sister says. "But then it happens over and over, and there's nothing really to help him." He's been demonized by some protesters as a "punk" and conservative commenters as a "disgrace" (he was even recently offered a part in a gay pornography) but most likely Watts is a reminder that a protest is a gathering of people who often represent a microcosm of society, both the good and the bad.
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brandon watts
occupy wall street
philadelphia
protests
teenagers
virginity
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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