PROTESTERS ARRESTED, HIT WITH PEPPER SPRAY CANNONS IN DENVER... ARRESTEES REACT...

[Yes We Did]

...I guess they didn't want to stay in the "Freedom Cage"
But we're not approaching a police state...


Denver police have taken 100 protesters into custody after ordering them to disperse and spraying them with pepper spray from cannons.

The action happened last night but more details have emerged this morning.

Riot police forced several hundred protesters out of the civic center and blocked them before they could reach the 16th St. Mall. They used at least two armored vehicles, according to the Denver Post.

Police processed detainees until nearly 1am ET last night. They were then loaded onto sheriff's detainees for transport to a temporary "processing center" set up just for the convention. Denver Police have been criticized by civil liberties groups such as the ACLU, which released a leaked memo showing that the police had classified all manner of people as a threat, including those on bicycles, wearing football helmets, or carrying city maps or protest signs.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/100_protesters_arrested_in_Denver_hit_0826.html

[Frances]

1. I would have more sympathy for those arrested

if they were at the Repub convention. I really don't see what they hope to accomplish at the Dem convention.

[Yes We Did]

2. There will be more coverage at the Dem convention...

Plus, they expect us to be in power after this year, and are making sure that their voices are heard.

You can believe that there will be massive protests at the repuke convention too, but you won't see as much coverage; MSM doesn't want that.

[napi21]

6. Dan Abrams just covered this, and he had a reporter from Denver

on who said the police had information that some of the protestors planned to disrupt several fund raisers that were to be held at the Mall and the Sheraton Hotel. Apparently most have been released or bonded out after their misdemeanor arrest.

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

3. Were they kittyculters?

If so..... good. Let them be reminded of what their kind has brought upon this country.

[moriah]

9. It doesn't matter if they were kittyculters or not.

We can't pick and choose when it comes to defending the right to protest and the right to free speech.

Either the right is granted to all, or to none.

Which would you rather have?

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

15. I would rather have free speech for everyone.

But the kittyculters would rather keep the pigs in office who took it away. And that being the case, maybe it's good that they see the reality of what they're supporting?

[moriah]

16. I'm glad you feel that way.

As I said, I have very strong opinions on this issue. I've seen the abuses of power. I've testified about them.

I've stood outside of One Police Plaza for hours in the snow with the lists of people who had provided information about themselves before the demonstrations, so that we could make sure everyone had been released and give them their "You May Be Out of Jail, But You Aren't Done Yet!" packet that explained the various citations and charges that they might have had against them and what they needed to do to resolve them, mainly to make sure that no one got a Failure to Appear warrant against them for failing to respond to their citations in a timely fashion. It also had numbers for the National Lawyer's Guild and other law collectives that were offering pro-se representation.

On that April day after the mass arrest about 25 of us were outside One Police Plaza, on the sidewalk. There was no traffic to block, and we were not chanting or actively demonstrating -- we were waiting for people to be released so we could give them hugs, cigarettes, and their packets.

Police came up and tried to set up a "protest pen" for us to be in. They set up the protest pen in an area that had not been cleared of snow and had over six inches of snow standing in it, and told us we had to get in there. The 70+ year old woman's lawyer was there with us and was able to negotiate along with the rest of the legal observers for them to allow us to be outside of the pen unless they cleared it of snow so people would not be getting frostbite while waiting for arrestees to be released. And it took a lot of negotiation to get that.

I stayed there until 10 PM, watching as the arrested people trickled out. I had brought a carton of menthol cigarettes with me and even though most people hate menthols, I was out of them by 8. We had several people who came out showing us the marks on their wrists where the plasticuffs were too tight and had done damage. The look on their faces when they came out, expecting to have to find their way to the subways by themselves, and seeing us out there waiting for them was priceless.

-----

Unfortunately I do not think being exposed to this repression will change their views. They will actually be hardened to them by it. Very few activists who are put into jail change their views. They usually cling to them all the more because of their experience.

[Renew Deal]

4. I told you those pumas needed tranquilizers.

:spank:

[moriah]

5. This is why yesterday I asked about how the police would be handling protests this year.

But no one really seemed to care yesterday when I posted, people were too busy arguing about keys.

(Sorry, a bit miffed. The right to protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. If we are going to defend the rights for people to protest the war and protest the Republican National Convention, we must defend the rights of people to protest us, too. We can't choose who has the right to free speech and protest based on if they agree with us or not.)

AMERICA is a "free speech zone", or at least it should be.

[moriah]

7. And so people don't have to dig up my post....

Ever since I can remember, I have believed firmly that the right to protest is one of our most important rights in this country. I remember when I was young (as in still in the single digits) when asked what I might have been in a past life, I said "Likely a war protester and a bra-burner." Such an attitude was reinforced when my favorite teacher in elementary school's National Guard unit was activated and he had to go to Iraq the first time. War sucks, and the fact we can say that decisions our government makes suck and not get thrown in prison is crucial to our democracy.

Unfortunately, that just isn't true anymore. I had what some would call a "come to Jesus" moment about this concept when I moved to New York. I was there during the ramp-up for the invasion of Iraq, and participated in the protest movement. I didn't usually carry a sign, though (when I did it said "Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home") -- I carried a video camera and a digital camera and a notepad, and wore identification showing that I was a legal observer.

The intimidation tactics and the serious abuse of power during those protests opened my eyes very wide. I was never arrested, although only the fact I was 15 minutes late getting off of work one morning saved me from the April 2003 travesty, where a perfectly legal protest was turned into a round-up of everyone present. Those people ranged from college students to businesspeople to 70+ year old women who had medical conditions, and very few of them had any jail solidarity training as they never planned to do any kind of "direct action" that might lead to arrest. They were cuffed with plastic cuffs, stuffed into vehicles, and held. While they were being held they were asked questions about their protest history and their involvement in the movement for the NYPD's files, which fortunately turned into a disaster for the city as they were slapped down quite hard by the judiciary on that one. Most of the charges against them were dismissed.

And we were the lucky ones -- we weren't in Oakland that day. (I'm sure you all remember the photo of the girl with the baseball-sized knot on her face from "less lethal" weaponry.)

The protests at the DNC in 2004 were not all that horrible in regards to police misconduct and questionably legal tactics. There were a few war protesters there too, probably because it was so close to NYC. But the majority were the usual protesters of the Democratic Party -- anti-abortion activists, etc. But we all know what a fiasco the 2004 Republican National Convention turned into. And those were police who had experience dealing with the protest movement, for at that time nearly two years solid.

--------

I'm not worried about Denver. I do think that the DNC should work out a policy with the Denver PD and the Secret Service that protesters are to be treated humanely and that the right to protest should not be infringed unless there is a demonstrable danger to our nominee. It would help to set ourselves off from the Republicans.

I AM worried about Minneapolis/St. Paul. Even if most of Minnesota isn't all that liberal, those cities are. With the threatening communications that have been sent to McCain's offices, the Secret Service is going to be very protective of him and for good reason. The Republicans will attract a larger number of protesters and repression will be encouraged by the Secret Service for the safety of the nominee. The police there have rarely had to deal with protest or riot situations. I think part of the reason that the Oakland protest turned into such a nightmare was that the police did not have proper training in how to control crowds, what the rights of protesters were, and certainly did not have proper training to use their "less lethal weaponry", which their own policies said should NEVER be aimed above the waist.

Additionally in Minnesota there will be fewer trained legal observers, if the protesters are mostly local or even significantly local or midwestern, it is unlikely they will have had proper jail solidarity training, and the National Lawyers Guild is not as active in the midwest as it is on either coast so it will be difficult to implement that training.

Our country is damn lucky that no one died in Oakland, or died at the 2004 RNC given the conditions of Pier 57.

I don't want to see those kind of things happen this year, or worse.

I'm almost tempted to ask my boss for next Thursday and Friday night off, and go to St. Paul to volunteer as a legal observer. I can't really afford the trip and airfare will be a bitch (although gas prices are down so that might actually be cheaper).

[Honeycombe8]

8. Oh, they can protest. They just don't have a right to interfere w/anyone else's freedom.

Freedom to enjoy the convention without impedance. Freedom not to be yelled at for a long period of time (in other words, ability to get out of earshot). Freedom not to have a gathering interrupted. Freedom to have a fundraiser.

They apparently didn't follow the rules and wanted to interfere with others' enjoyment and ability to fundraise peacefully.

One person's rights end where another person's begins.

[moriah]

12. As I said, I have very strong opinions on this issue.

1) From what I have read, they had a permit for the area they were in for the demonstration.

2) The police said they said they had "intelligence" that there would be a "direct action". However, there wasn't one yet. And it is not fair or right to restrict one person's right to protest based on "intelligence" that another person at the protest might break the law. When the law is broken, then arrest the people who broke it. A person following the law should not be punished for the actions of others.

3) What is the point of a protest if the people who are being protested never know it? If people demonstrating for a cause are placed preferentially closer to the event than people who are protesting against the cause, that is unconstitutional. And sadly, it is very common that the above is the case.

If a permit has been given for a demonstration and protesters are not currently breaking the law, there is no need to restrict their free speech based on "intelligence".

I may not agree with their views. But if I want my rights to be protected, I have to stand up for theirs.

[OwnedByFerrets]

10. Too bad the cannons werent used on the

Brooks Brothers Riot.

[redqueen]

11. "police had classified all manner of people as a threat, " What? Bicycle riders are DANGEROUS!

I'm 100% behind their list of threats!

Ooh ooh they should put people wearing sunglasses on there! Cause how can you trust them if you can't see their EYES?!?!?!?!!!!!!

[moriah]

13. Sadly it is common.

I'm not sure if you recall the news articles about the police state in New York during the 2004 RNC.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/28/rnc.bike.protest/

Also... I know from experience that it does not take pepper spray to subdue a crowd of 100.

Does this look like the police was so overwhelmed by the "violence" of the protesters that they had no choice but to deploy weapons against them?

[LiberalFighter]

21. Those police officers are COWARDS!!

[moriah]

14. Here is a quote from a Legal Observer (who supports Obama) about what happened:

" Ron4Obama wrote:
I was a Legal Observer working with the People's Law Project and the National Lawyer's Guild and as such i was right in the middle of all the action last night.

First, in regard to the reports from authories that protesters were carrying or throwing rocks, I observed no one carrying or throwing rocks, that isn't to say that it didn't occur but as a trained observer who was every bit as well positioned as the police I saw no such activity.

Second, in the very first instance where pepper spray was used against the activists there was considerable distance between the protesters and police and the protesters were complying with the chants that were being shouted by the police to "Move Back".

As a group of marchers proceeded West on 15th I continued to observe the activities of the activists and the police from the sidewalk as the marchers moved westward they were outflanked by police who blocked any advance in that direction, simultaneously any retreat by activists was cut off from the rear so that activists, onlookers and legal observers were trapped. At no time was there and order goven to disperse at least not that was in any way audible. Shortly thereafter police arbitarily released released the majority of the activists that they had trapped including myself.

At no time did I see any throwing of "colored liquids" and I returned to survey the scene after activists and police had cleared the area and there were no signs of any liquids colored or otherwise to be observed on the ground though there was a fair amount of horse manure left in the streets buy the horse mounted police."

http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/982

[WeDidIt]

17. Please say they jailed the 50 PUMAs

There's no way they jailed a hundred PUMAs because, well, there aren't a hundred PUMAs.

[moriah]

18. Likely most of the protesters...

... were the standard Democratic Party protesters. You know, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, etc.

There are also a lot of people who protest both parties when it comes to the war because they blame the Democrats for capitulating to Bush on the war issue.

They indicated a "counter-demonstrator" to the anti-homosexual group was also arrested.

[Danger Mouse]

19. Not to defend them, but I think all of these assassination plots against Obama...

might have the police and SS more nervous than normal.
Just a thought.

[moriah]

20. Agreed, that's why I voiced my concerns yesterday.

I think that whatever we see in Denver will be 20 times worse next week. The DNC rarely draws many protesters -- the standard Democratic protesters and the ones who blame the Democratic Party for capitulating to Bush, but there are not nearly as many as there will be at the RNC.

That's the one I'm really worried about.

[zulchzulu]

22. You block the roads without a parade permit... you can expect this...

Too fucking bad...

Seriously, I've seen people "protest" in SF where they smash the windows of stores who's owners have NOTHING to do with the wars or stop traffic in busy sections where people are just trying to take their kids home or get home or get to the shitty job on the swing shift... or they are in buses commuting and will be late...

If you don't have the peabrain to get permission to have a parade and then taunt the cops, expect to be having your ass kicked.

[moriah]

23. I'm trying to read up on the reports from the Legal Observers and look at videos now.

Legal Observers are trained to witness both sides, because they are often asked to testify in court. The video footage is very useful both to identify specific instances of repression, and to see where the protesters themselves may have crossed a line.

It's very important for anyone who plans to protest to go through the proper jail solidarity training, which also includes an overview of the specific laws that can be broken and how to avoid breaking the law in the first place while making sure your voice is heard.

Most protesters do not want to engage in "civil disobedience" or "direct action". They just want their voices heard, and have no desire to go to jail. They hold their signs and speak their views, but they don't deliberately attempt to break the law. They will generally only join permitted protests and expect that they will be allowed to peacefully demonstrate.

Others do things that they know will get them arrested. For example, the people in NYC who decided to lay in the street to symbolize the dead civilians in Iraq. That protest was done by trained people who knew what would happen to them, and knew that if they resisted arrest they would get more charges against them. A few of them did the "limp" thing, but most went without resisting when the cops came to arrest them. No incidents of police brutality were recorded during that protest, mainly because the people there knew what to do, had been planning to be arrested, and felt they had made their points.

-------

The purpose of the Legal Observer is to document both sides of the conflict and to impartially record what occurred. Some "law collectives" encourage their videographers to only film constitutional violations and not film protesters breaking the law. The National Lawyers Guild encourages all to be filmed, especially incidents of protesters breaking the law, not just police behaving badly. It's important that the Legal Observers are taken seriously and are respected in court, because if they were seen as truly biased then they would have no credibility.

There is a video shot by one observer, I believe it was on Sunday, showing one protester taunting the police.

Another did record an order to disperse given on Monday, but you could hear that it was not loud enough for everyone to hear and understand it. It was hard to hear even on the videotape for certain parts.

Sometimes the only way to sort the truth from the propaganda is to look at an impartial record, and that's why trained Legal Observers are so important to the protest movement.

[zulchzulu]

24. I'm all about dissent...but...

...unless you want to get tasered or gassed and be a "hero", you have to expect the cops to be a little trigger-happy at an event like this if you don't just get a parade permit.

From the reports I saw, protestors were blocking the roads and perhaps throwing crap at the cops. That's junior league "anarchy"...