A Look at the Leaked NYPD Memo Prepping for May Day: 'Wildcat March' & Violent 'Black Bloc' Tactics

In what appears to be a genuine NYPD memo, police are seemingly bracing for violent "Black Bloc" tactics in New York City on May Day.

According to Buzzfeed, NYPD representative Paul Browne has confirmed that the memo is genuine, and said the police have even distributed it to private sector security directors in preparation.

(Related: Radicals Smash Windows at NYC Business in Chilling Display of Violent 'Black Bloc' Tactics)

For those unfamiliar with the term, "Black Bloc" protesters often dress in all black and mask their faces so it's harder for the police to identify them.  They have tended to embrace violence, smash windows, and target both major corporations and law enforcement internationally, and in the United States as recently as this month.

Read the entire document, via Buzzfeed, below:

In coordination with a plethora of other protests where activists are encouraged to "disrupt" as much as possible, the police write of a "Wildcat March" due to begin at 1:00.

"Organizers of this action have advocated the use of so-called 'Black-Bloc' tactics to confront the police, sometimes violently, like those experienced during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh in 2009, in which barricades, rocks, and trash bins were used in clashes with law enforcement," they explain.

They make it clear that while "Occupy" protesters may not be directly involved, the fact that the movement has embraced "a diversity of tactics" allows such violence to occur.

The memo explains:

Political fissures that are present within the OWS movement may impact the strategies of demonstrators during individual protest actions; in particular, the Wildcat March is not an officially sanctioned OWS march and may attract militant elements from inside and outside the OWS movement that may seek to directly confront law enforcement officials using barricades, riot shields, and possibly weapons such as pipes and rocks.

[...]

In their planning, the OWS NYCGA has endorsed solidarity based on a 'respect for a diversity of tactics,' which suggests that autonomous actions of demonstrators using Black Bloc tactics may occur at any time. [Emphasis added]

"Although OWS organizers have publicized a large number of the marches, demonstrations, and activities that will take place throughout the day, it should be expected that 'pop-up' demonstrations, splinter demonstrations, and flash mobs may occur at any time, especially during 'evening actions' that are planned for 7:00pm and later," they warn in conclusion. [Emphasis added]