We're not at the point where people are shipped off to the nearest gulag in a boxcar for exercising a basic constitutional right. Why bother with the subterfuge when we have a much more efficient mechanism to silence people? The justice system is shockingly effective at destroying lives and careers-- just being accused is enough to disqualify you from many opportunities.
More than likely, the people you saw being carted off in restraints and disappearing from the grid are COINTELPRO-esque operators. Not saying that the FBI is involved, but it's pretty easy for local law enforcement and corporate entities to insert their own personnel into otherwise peaceful protests to attempt to turn the crowd into something worthy of a police response. We saw plenty of it as the Occupy movements wore on.
These external actors are the easiest to martyr to deliver the threat of adjudication to the rank and file protestor. Consider it really, really good theater.
-SS