This is Not America

[OzzyKP]

Also don't forget 2-3 years back in DC at one of the World Bank/IMF protests, a bunch of protesters were hanging out in a park. Not breaking anything, heck, I don't even think they were chanting angry slogans. They were just resting for a bit, maybe having lunch, beating on drums and such.

Police on horseback encircled the entire park. Some protesters tried to leave (and reporters too), and the police wouldn't let them leave. Then they brought by buses and herded every last person into buses and arrested them.

The reason? Apparently the police claimed they were trespassing and refused to leave when ordered.

Of course its a public park, so how could they possibly be tresspassing? As far as I know there were no directions for the people to leave. And several times people attempted to leave, but were prevented from doing so by police.

I'm with Che. Most things are started by the police, or made worse by them.

[chequita guevara]

Yeah, but you're an old fart, Ming. Our generation isn't as violent as your was. We learned from you guys not to start fights with cops.

My buddy, Steve Vega, and old Brown Panther (a Chicano organization) was at a street demo in the 60s. He was standing in the street when some cops told him to get on the sidewalk. He said, "This is a public street cop, what are you gonna do, arrest me?" "No," the cops said, smirking. They hand cuffed him and threw him in their car, took him a few blocks, and proceeded to beat the crap out of him.

And that, boys and girls, is why I always obey the nice police officers.

[Ming]

I can understand the attitude that most people would rather blame the police, even if the protesters start something

[Japher]

I think those pigs were just harassing che to fill their quota... Now they can go beat up some black dude with a clean conscience.

[DanS]

OzzyKP doesn't mention the stellar intelligence that the police had on these folks and what they were planning to do and that it was the same folks who had started riots in Seattle only a short time before.

[chequita guevara]

Damn, I missed Shrub's motorcade talking to you freaks.

[Japher]

Life is what is happening while you are posting.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by DanS
OzzyKP doesn't mention the stellar intelligence that the police had on these folks and what they were planning to do and that it was the same folks who had started riots in Seattle only a short time before.

The film evidence shows it was clearly the police who started the violence in Seattle.

"Stellar intelligence" As if it took so much effort to just go hang out in an open workshop.

Here they're talking about people wanting to carry gasoline cans to the demonstration.

[Donegeal]

Originally posted by Japher
I think those pigs were just harassing che to fill their quota... Now they can go beat up some black dude with a clean conscience.

Please don't get me started on the "quota" BS.

[Pekka]

Well as far as I understand the logic in most 'CHAAARGE!' from the police is because they are close to lose the control over the situation, then what seems rather peaceful protest can turn into breaking it into pieces. Basically there should not be a situation where the police can not control the situation if it was to get out of the hand, in big crowds, the control is the key, it turns quickly into mayhem.

I'm not saying there aren't any crowd breakings that have been too rough or even too early or just useless, but I'm saying, when you put hood on your head, hippie pants and start jumping in front of the row of cops, instigating, few joins there, do not expect it to go by.. behavior like that is fire and it spreads fast, so when someone starts to act like a stupid activist commie, they'll get their faces bashed in as well as they should. not because they were activist commies, but because they were stupid and started to take over the situation like that. tear gas in the eye is small price to pay for possible mayhem, and if someone was asking for it, they shouldn't be crying in activist websites, they should be in jail, strapped, taking continuous beatings from good old citizens who hate hippies.

[chequita guevara]

Why doesn't it surprise me that Pekka would be supporting fascism?

[Pekka]

There's nothing fascist about tear gassing commies. TEAR GAS IN YOUR EYES! TEAR GAS IN YOUR EYES!

Oh and I was only talking about crowd control. About what you went through, I wasn't supporting that, and I think it sucks. So there.

[Kidlicious]

I don't think controling people is fascism. It's just maintaining control which is what the state does. Fascist govts just do it in another way. You don't really have more freedom in a democracy. You only have the freedom that they want you to have. People know this when they go to protest. They prefer that the police use their control. That shows the point they are trying to make.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Damn, I missed Shrub's motorcade talking to you freaks.

I think you're lucky that they didn't figure out your apartment was in the path of the motorcade.

If they had, you probably wouldn't be here posting.
You'd be in jail demanding to se your lawyerl

ACK!

[Agathon]

I can understand the attitude that most people would rather blame the police, even if the protesters start something

No. Most protesters get angry with the few who attack the police. More fights break out between protester over this than between the protesters and the police. The Black Bloc tend to be quite careful about making sure that everyone knows that the folk who hang out with them might end up fighting. That's why in Quebec everyone was told where to go to avoid being associated with the BB if they didn't want to be.

There are elderly people and children who come along to these things. The Quebec protest was attended by a geriatric former Tory cabinet minister, who got tear gassed along with the teens (he must have been hard, he was right up front). The police will kill people if they start attacking crowds with people like that in them.