Police Aggressors Attack Protestors Who Weren't Protesting

[DinoDoc]

They wouldn't happen to be affiliated with these people, would they?

Apparently they are: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/..._anarchis.html

[chequita guevara]

Re: Re: Police Aggressors Attack Protestors Who Weren't Protesting

Originally posted by VJ

And this is where I stopped reading.

I know Greenwald too well to bother.

Why, because he's so good at finding out where people have said one thing, and then something completely the opposite?

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
They wouldn't happen to be affiliated with these people, would they?

Apparently they are: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/..._anarchis.html

Seems like the police were the violent ones, according to the video.

Also, the police have arrested journalist Amy Goodman. From what I've read, it was conspiracy to riot.

[Dinner]

Now they're arresting journalists. Pacifica Network is a pretty far left network based out of San Francisco but they do have a good amount of radio stations and even a few TV stations. Especially on the west coast. Amy Goodman is the journalist who has hosted Pacifica's lead news program Democracy Now for about 20 years and she was on location in the twin cities trying to film a piece about the arrests of protesters in the Twin Cities during the run up to the Republican National Convention. She and her news crew were ordered to stop filming as police swooped in and started mass arrests of protesters. When two Pacifica Producers where arrested while filming the protest Amy Goodman went to talk to the police to inform them they'd made a mistake and accidentally arrested to journalists but she herself was then arrested.

Producer explaining what happened:

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2008/09/01/dnproducer_explaining_arrest.mp3

Two audio clips on this page:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/01/18531782.php

Witnesses of actual arrest:

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2008/09/01/amy_goodman_arrest.mp3

[Dinner]

It seems that most of the protesters fall into three groups 1) Anti-war protesters who wanted to publicly petition law makers at the convention to end the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan 2) Civil Rights protesters upset about the Patriot Act and the new FISA law 3) The last and smallest group is just people who blame Bush & the GOP for screwing things up and who want to show they're unhappy.

All of these groups are now getting arrested.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Comrade Snuggles
Also, the police have arrested journalist Amy Goodman. From what I've read, it was conspiracy to riot.

Yep, it's pretty much the standard charge police throw at any protester. It's convinent because all they have to do is show that any one person in a group of thousands commited a crime no matter how small (littering has been used as an excuse) then the police can arrest everyone at the scene claiming they might be part of the "conspiracy".

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
They wouldn't happen to be affiliated with these people, would they?

Apparently they are: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/..._anarchis.html

Do you happen to be affiliated with the KKK?

[chequita guevara]

Freedom of speech is under attack in the U.S. In Denver, ABC reporters working on a story about lobbyist influence were arrested, and at a May Day rally, FOX News reporters were arrested. When even the most rabid apologists for authoritarian government and corporate control aren't safe from the police, it's time to recognize something bad is happening.

[Dinner]

Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC

Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending Against Kouddous and Salazar

ST. PAUL--Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody in St. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on Monday afternoon.

All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms scraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar’s violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was slammed to the ground while yelling, “I’m Press! Press!,” resulted in her nose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman’s arm was violently yanked by police as she was arrested.

Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a felony. While the three have been released, they all still face charges stemming from their unlawful arrest. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of suspicion of felony riot, while Goodman has been officially charged with obstruction of a legal process and interference with a “peace officer.”

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/9/1/update_democracy_now_s_amy_goodman_sharif_abdel_kouddous_and_nicole_salazar_released_after_illegal_arrest_at_rnc

[Patroklos]

That wasn't directed at you, rather people like patty and sharpe, who don't care about others unless they're rabid right-wingers.

I am stull waiting for you to justify your personal attacks in some way. Do you deny pointing out that the weapons were semi automatic was stupid?

[Theben]

Originally posted by Patroklos
I am stull waiting for you to justify your personal attacks in some way. Do you deny pointing out that the weapons were semi automatic was stupid?

Ok, fine, the big bad guns was jourNalism meant to evoke an additional response, which IMO shouldn't be necessary b/c of the seriousness of what occurred.

Reading is good.

I'll even go so far as to point out the unnecessary descriptions in the Democracy Now! piece that Oerdin posted. What I find appalling is that certain people focus in on that tidbit, and then use it to justify ignoring the meat & potatoes of the article, which was & is the heavy-handed and what should be illegal arrests of protesters and journalists. Or do you not think this is a problem?

[Patroklos]

Seeing as I opened the thread in the first place I obviously didn't ignore anything, I simply didn't comment on it. Sensationalist media reporting is a well know pet peeve of mine, it should not surprise you that I pointed out this text book example.

So now that this has been cleared up for you, you can happily retract your baseless personal attacks

Or do you not think this is a problem?

If your article hadn't opened up with such a pathetic attempt at invoking 1984 rhetoric I might have believed it and then taken it seriously. Since it did open that way I wrote it off as hackery.

Since then, with other articles posted, I do see reason for concern but then things lile what DinoDoc posted mean I will refrain from wadding my panties just yet.

[Dinner]

regarding the meat and potatoes of this event, Suspicion to Riot and Conspiracy to Riot are both felony charges so I seriously doubt these charges will stick. I do wonder how journalists can cover demonstrations like the ones occurring in the twin cities if the police can arrest them simply for filming demonstrations and the police response to them. Then again maybe that is the intention.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Patroklos

Since then, with other articles posted, I do see reason for concern but then things lile what DinoDoc posted mean I will refrain from wadding my panties just yet.

Wait... You're claiming that because one of the dozens of groups present was mildly upset (less then a dozen people out of thousands caused any problems) that this justifies rounding up thousands of people? What about the people arrested before any demonstrations occurred?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Wait... You're claiming that because one of the dozens of groups present was mildly upset (less then a dozen people out of thousands caused any problems) that this justifies rounding up thousands of people? What about the people arrested before any demonstrations occurred?

Do you ever stop lieing Oerdin? Thousands of people? Seriously.

These people seem to be the type being arrested. I do feel sorry for the organizers though. It's sad that thier efforts are being sidelined by a small core of people who just want to cause violence.