Arrests and police violence at Halliburton, Houston this morning

[PDittie]

Live blogged here:

A portion:

8:30-march has reached the hotel, about 150 protestors
lots of puppets, signs "stop croynism"
their was an unsuccessful arrest attempt of houston global awareness organizer at the houston center
8:45-plainsclothes police at crawford and lamar
8:50- houston horse police trying to corral large march
8:56 - breakaway march going north on san jancinto
8:57- one male arrested in breakaway march
8:58- 12 activists in hotel; 4 escorted out by hotel security and houston police
9:00- breakaway march running from park across the street to halliburton HQ
9:01- 2 females, 1 male arrested at caroline and dallas
9:03- 3 males arrested at caroline and dallas; 8 total
9:04- riot cops protecting halliburton; horse cops pushing breakaway march
9:05- breakaway march now blockading intersection @ mckinney and austin
9:06- horse cops pushing into breakaway; more arrests in park
9:06- 12 activists escorted out of four seasons; no arrests in hotel
9:07 houston police trampling protestors in front of halliburton; 1 injury
9:09- houston horse police pushing protestors into bushes of halliburton greenspace
9:11- breakaway march moving north on labranch
9:11- attempted arrests at dallas and caroline; de-arrests in progress
9:13- at least 3 arrests inside hotel including diane wilson of code pink;
9:14 police blocking off area of hotel to media
9:14- unconfirmed line of riots cops outside halliburton
9:15 over 150 protestors outside of four seasons
9:16-police loading protestors onto bus behind four seasons
9:20- 8 confirmed arrests in breakaway;including herb rothschild of peace action houston
9:24- 1 confirmed injury of protestors by houston horse police
9:26- police have targeted houston global awareness organizers; police very violent
9:28- steady crowd of over 200 in front of hotel
9:29- breakaway moving to back of hotel to support arrests
9:32-9 confirmed arrests
9:34- reports of police using pain compliance on occupation inside hotel; media not allowed inside the shareholders meeting and protest
9:36- police not wearing number badges; only last names badges
9:37- breakaway moving up lamar, dick cheney spotted milking halliburton cash cow
9:42- shareholder's meeting over; andrea buffa and medea benjamin of global exchange got inside meeting and directly questioned war profiteer CEO david lesar
9:52- another breakaway forming and being followed by police and media
9:58- 7 confirmed arrests inside 4 seasons including diane wilson of code pink, herb rothschild of peace action houston and 5 houston global awareness activists
9:59- office workers in the area leaving work areas
10:02-police pushing people off sidewalk at four seasons hotel at legal demo with horses,
10:05- 2 indymedia videographers arrested at mckinney and austin;
10:06- police have surrounded cash cow, toppled
10:12- report that david solnit is arrested, numerous arrests in front of four seasons; police attacking legal demo
10:13- police attacking people in legal demo with clubs and horses
10:16- austin indymedia videographer confirmed arrest
10:20-houston global awarenss activist arrested for "punching" horse
10:21- 16 confirmed arrests
10:25-police have surrounded rally in park in front of halliburton headquarters
10:27- filmmaker david martinez arrested

Pictures here.

A couple:







Local MSM noon news talking about hurricane season preparations, "Star Wars" opening, and a family of ducklings in a storm drain.:banghead: :mad:

[dogday]

1. Houston Always Surprises Me....

I love this Town....

[Gman]

43. Nothing about the Houston PD surprises me since Joe Campos Torres

was thrown handcuffed into Buffalo Bayou.

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/millennium/houcent/7199/moody.html

[dogday]

2. It made the afternoon News KPRC

They have a good piece on it....

[Trailrider1951]

3. Oh wow, I'm soooo proud of my fellow Houstonians!!

The winds of change are blowing, and the hurricane starts here. Thanks, pdittie for those photos.

[kansasblue]

4. What exactly is it all about?

more details for us

[lostnfound]

5. Protest of War Profiteering at Halliburton

It's their shareholder's meeting.

[lostnfound]

6. Video link of confrontation with police on horses

camera handed off by filmmaker as he was being arrested.
http://houston.indymedia.org/uploads/mov00964.mpg

[grasswire]

35. OMG...that made my heart pound

Goose bumps. We're in it. The stick is broken.

[lostnfound]

7. KPFT Local News report this morning by Renee Feltz

http://houston.indymedia.org/uploads/halliburton.mp3nqayj0.mp3

[dogday]

8. Thanks so much for this

We need to spread this tape around. Hope is not lost, we are strong and will continue to fight. Fucking police not right

[CitySky]

28. Renee's story was EXCELLENT -

it included a moving interview with an eloquent former Marine who spent some time in Iraq working for Halliburton/KBR. He described a day last April when civilian truck convoys were basically sent out into the middle of a battle, and several contractors were killed. :(

I heard it this morning on KPFT at 7am.

SHAMELESS PLUG: KPFT is in fund drive: this is a shoestring type of operation, providing crucial information to those of us in "the belly of the beast," Houston. KPFT like its sister Pacifica station takes NO corporate money whatsoever. If you've got an extra dime AFTER supporting DU, please consider us - thanks! www.kpft.org

[chlamor]

9. Thanx-Nominated

[PDittie]

10. dupe of video URL deleted

I am appalled.

[Rainscents]

11. Thanks for posting this! Good to see, people are protesting!

[Gothmog]

12. My wife is going to a seminar in that building

She had trouble getting in today due to the protests.

I used to work in the same building as MAXXAM (owner of Pacific Lumber) and we had protestors out in front of the building all of the time.

[FlaGranny]

13. Damn, punching a horse?

That ONE idiot deserved to be arrested. What a creep!

[PleadTheFirst]

14. Watching too much "Blazing Saddles" I think.

Candygram for Mongo? :)

[lostnfound]

15. Don't believe it.

More likely, the policeman was running the horse into the protestor, who stuck his hand up in an automatic reaction, to try to avoid being trampled or knocked over.

Watch the video linked above, and you'll see just how likely that is.

[funkybutt]

22. video shows one guy being thrown into a horse

and he had put his hand out to brace for the impact. I wonder if that qualifies as a "punch"

[Mika]

49. Cops have a lotta nerve using horses that way

Poor horse is being commanded to ram people seeking truth.

The police are the horse abusers in this case imo. :mad:



www.stopbolton.org

[texanwitch]

16. I was there this morning, and the cops rode their horses sideways onto

a very crowded sidewalk, I don't think any one was injured but that was just luck.

Some of the cops also had homemade 2 ft. billyclubs, when I saw the billyclubs I knew there would be trouble.

[Betsy Ross]

17. 60's nostalgia

without the blood, teargas and riot squad with shields. But maybe that was happening off camera.

Congrats to Houston for the good demonstration effort. Hope no injuries were serious. Expect more police violence every day.

[texanwitch]

18. One more thing the nazi's on horseback did, they went and knock over

the big cash cow, damaged it on one side. If the cow had to be moved, they could have ask and it would have been.

[dazzlerazzle]

19. indy media link

apparantly someone who controls the Youngstown Mahoning county
library had decided to bar the indymedia. Will have to use
my home computer to see pics.. very disturbing!!!

[funkybutt]

20. I know there are lawyers on the ground

Hopefully they'll be working out the arrests. Friends of mine went and now I really wish I could have gone.

[Roland99]

21. wow

[TexasLawyer]

23. Check out the other DU thread on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3681147

A pretty amazing morning. Hi P.Dittie!

[AzDar]

24. Go Y'all!!! Small ripples, remember? Then the storming of the Bastille...

n/t

[0007]

25. Go Houston go!!

DUer's support you.

[TexasLawyer]

26. Coverage in the Houston Chronicle

A protester at today's Halliburton meeting tries to send a positive message.

May 18, 2005, 2:14PM

15 arrested at rowdy Halliburton protest
By PURVA PATEL and PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Steve Ueckert / Chronicle

About 250 people protesting Halliburton's involvement in Iraq marched, danced and screamed today around the downtown hotel where the Houston company's annual meeting was being held. Police accused a handful of attacking them.

Police said 15 protesters were arrested, including seven who dressed in business attire, snuck into the Four Seasons hotel and chained themselves to each other to block entry to the meeting. Charges against the protesters include evading arrest, trespassing, assaulting officers and injuring a police horse.



Houston police said at a news conference this morning that during the demonstration, one officer was punched in the face, another was kicked, and another was kicked, punched and pushed to the ground, but no one was seriously injured.

Protesters outside, however, said it was police who used unreasonable force. Nursing her foot with an ice pack, Cynthia Daly said a mounted officer outside the hotel ran over her foot with his horse.

<snip>

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3187759

[texanwitch]

27. What a lie, didn't happen, the police are covereing their asses

Houston police said at a news conference this morning that during the demonstration, one officer was punched in the face, another was kicked, and another was kicked, punched and pushed to the ground, but no one was seriously injured.

[AnnInLa]

29. I heart Medea Benjamin

In the list of political activists, her name will certainly shine forth!

[David Zephyr]

30. Houstonians!

:kick:

[OKthatsIT]

31. TAKE VIDEO CAMERAS TO ALL PROTESTS, PEOPLE!!

We are screwed by Conservative Judges, if we dont have proof of our nonviolent 'civil disobedience'.

[CitySky]

32. Holy Guac.

just realized that at least 2 of the people arrested are wonderful folks i got to know recently @ another protest. one guy who was apparently dragged by his neck is just about the most peaceful person you'll ever meet, an artist, father, and tai chi practitioner.

(names & pics @ houston.indymedia.org)

now i feel like a real weenie for coming to work today instead of being out there.

there's a benefit concert tonight for the legal defense of those arrested. also a paypal account. :(

[ninkasi]

34. I got an e-mail

last week from my sister-in-law, she said she might go; I'll have to check with her to see, and make sure she's ok. Hope the benefit concert is a success.

[acmejack]

33. One of the rare occasions when I wished I was in Houston

Punching a horse? You couldn't hurt a horse with a club, let alone your fist. You can definitely hurt your fist by hitting it with a horse. I suspect the "home-made" billy clubs are riot sticks, with which I have a more than passing acquaintance. It's good to know the Houston cops are still the pricks they always were.

Pls. keep us posted on the status of the arrested, I almost referred to them as detainees. Next they will render them to that crazy sheriff in Maricopa County in Az.

What would have happened if there would have been 10,000 of us there? It is really past time for us to act enmasse. I get frustrated by the sheer dormancy present now. Will it take a draft to get us off our collective asses?

[funkybutt]

36. I hear ya!

I've been working on protests and people just dont seem to have the motivation. I wish I had gone to Houston. I know some Louisiana activists were planning on it.

Let's hit the streets people!

[TexasLawyer]

37. I talked to some people

who had come in from California for the protest. I was very impressed.

[GetTheRightVote]

38. Dems with the stomach to stand up to Halliborton, Great Job !!

:kick:

[texanwitch]

39. Today was great day for Houston and a sad day.

I am proud of everyone who I protested with today, we stood up to the Nazis in blue.

I am also sad because this is the first violent anti-war protest we have had. The cops never acted this way before, makes you wonder who was giving them orders.

Thanks Bush and Cheny, for making this world so violent. I wonder how long before we will have another Kent State.


What got me was the look of pure hate in some of the cops eyes, they were having a good time, many of them laughing.

Well, guess what cops when you behave this way you only hurt youself, I will never again look at any cop with anything but disgust. It took a brave cop to go after that old woman, didn't it.

The cops were protecting people who don't give a damn about them.

I will never forget this day.

[rainbow4321]

40. Video of cop on horse charging crowd

http://houston.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/39546.php
(takes a minute to load--but my 'puter may just be slow tonight)



Main page of Houston Indy:

http://houston.indymedia.org

[jwirr]

41. Do we have a "long, hot summer" coming up?

That is are we going to see more protesters this year? Hope so, we need to get peoples attention and their are too many of them to use a 2X4.

[HeeBGBz]

42. WTF?

"houston global awarenss activist arrested for "punching" horse"

How's that for Global Awareness, Mr. Ed?



Sounds like it was an interesting gathering.

"police have surrounded cash cow, toppled"

Cash cowtipping?

[texanwitch]

44. No one punched a horse, the cops are lying.

The cops are trying to make people believe unarmed protesters would attack police on horseback who have guns and nightsticks.

The horses were used as weapons, against us. Plenty of people got knock down.

This isn't the first time the police on horseback have attack protestors. In 1992 the Republicans had their convention,in Houston and the police attacked people across the street from the AstroDome sitting on the ground listening to speeches. About 50 cops charged down on these people on horseback, many, many people were injured. Nightline showed this live, and I will never forget that night. I didn't get hurt because we had got there late and we had to stay in the back area, so we could get to safety.

[struggle4progress]

45. Protesters flank Halliburton shareholder meeting

KRISTEN HAYS
Associated Press

HOUSTON - More than 200 protesters flanked Halliburton Co.'s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday, adding drama to an otherwise perfunctory gathering to elect directors and retain auditors. Fifteen were arrested.

"I'm here to stand against corporate greed," said Cynthia Daly of Dallas, criticizing the oil services conglomerate's work in Iraq. She was one of two protesters whose feet were stepped on by police horses when demonstrating. Paramedics treated their injuries at the scene.

The two injured protesters were part of a group that blocked the exit of a parking garage, and mounted officers used the horses to push them out of the way after they ignored orders to move. <snip>

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/11679312.htm

[texanwitch]

47. another lie

The two injured protesters were part of a group that blocked the exit of a parking garage, and mounted officers used the horses to push them out of the way after they ignored orders to move. <snip>

This is another lie amoung many, no one ask us to move.

There was a guy who workded in the garage, I saw him nodd at the cops,they were waiting for there to be enough us gathered then the cops charged in. If you go this link you can see what happened.
The cops didn't care who got hurt, they werethere to stop the protest.
They were thugs on horses, doing any thing wanted.

www.houston.indymedia.org

[struggle4progress]

48. Thanks. eom

[chlamor]

46. Kick Ass Houston!

Time for us all to wake from our torpor. The world is watching and waiting.