NEW YORK CITY: Pepper-Sprayed Occupy Wall Street Protesters Sue The NYPD

Two women who were pepper-sprayed by the NYPD as they were held inside a protesters pen have filed a lawsuit. The incident was caught live by local news cameras and the video instantly went globally viral, fueling other Occupy protests around the nation.

Chelsea Elliott and Jeanne Mansfield are suing Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna in Manhattan Federal Court for blasting them in the face with pepper-spray during a protest last Sept. 24 near Union Square. Bologna was docked 10 days of vacation for violating NYPD regulations. In an interview Monday, Mansfield, 24, a Boston writer, said she was suing because she wanted to put the NYPD on notice that what Bologna did was wrong. "I was attending a peaceful demonstration when I was met with what I feel was an undue amount of force," she said. Mansfield said she is sympathetic to police in general but said she didn't deserve to be pepper-sprayed. "

The suit claims that the women's right to free assembly and free speech were violated by the attack.

Wall Street Backs Romney

In order to thwart legislation intended to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown, Wall Street firms have donated twice as much to the Romney campaign as they've given to Obama.

The financial services industry is poised to set records in one arena in 2012: politics. The beleaguered sector is pumping tens of millions of dollars into campaigns and newly dominant super PACS as one of Wall Street’s own seeks the White House and the industry looks to roll back key parts of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms. The goal is to oust a president and some members of Congress whom many bankers view as openly hostile toward them. Employees of securities and investment firms have already given $52.8 million to candidates and party committees in the 2012 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That makes it the No. 1 industry, up from fourth place in 2010 and third in the 2008 campaign.

The biggest donors are a who's who of hedge funds and banking giants.

Andrew Breitbart Completely Loses His Shit During Occupy Protest At CPAC

(Via JMG reader Joe)

CPAC Gets Occupied

Liberals Fight Like Girls

HRC's Manhattan Gala To Be Occupied

A queer contingent of Occupy Wall Street will protest the Human Rights Campaign this weekend outside their black tie Manhattan gala at the Waldorf-Astoria. An excerpt from their press release:

Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Occupy Wall Street, a caucus of the NYC based Occupy Wall Street movement, announced today that it will protest a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Gala honoring Goldman Sachs on Saturday February 4, 2012 at the Waldorf Astoria. In contrast to the $650 a plate Gala, the Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Caucus will host a “Guerrilla Potluck” on the sidewalk outside of the prestigious hotel at 50th Street & Park Avenue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Queer Caucus: 1. Condemns HRC for honoring Goldman Sachs, 2. Calls upon HRC to adopt a strategy of Full Equality by 2014, and 3. Demands that HRC create a transparent process that includes the grassroots.

The Queer Caucus points out this demand that elected officials pledge to ensure full federal civil equality by 2014.

RELATED: The HRC used to invite me to cover this event, but I guess they didn't like what they read.