You've probably seen the video of police at U.C. Davis using orange pepper spray on peaceful protesters, but did you know authorities are also using rubber bullets, assault rifles and tanks -- yes, tanks -- against the Occupy movement?



Here's a quick look at some of the "less lethal" armaments law enforcement is wielding in its struggle to control crowds of unarmed protesters.



It's worth asking what, exactly, the police hope to achieve with all this overkill. From the beginning, excessive police force has only served to anger the crowds they're hoping to quell, and to increase the amount of support they get from horrified onlookers. It's as if they're the only people in the U.S. who don't understand public relations, and that what they do will likely be recorded on video and flashed around the world on YouTube and other social media.



Perversely, the Occupy movement ought to thank the cops for keeping them in the headlines.