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Hard to Believe: Police are Treating Protest Movements Like They are Terrorists
The New York Police Department has reportedly been giving young adults free tickets to screenings of “Selma,” and last month, on Martin Luther King Day, officers with the 81st Precinct in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood even drove a group of local teens to see the film, which depicts the historic march for voting rights. At the same time, however, the NYPD has sought to thwart, criminalize and defame the current incarnation of civil rights activism underway in New York, treating the Black Lives Matter movement as a threat on par with terrorism.
On Feb. 10, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton asked lawmakers in Albany to elevate resisting arrest from a misdemeanor to a felony. Arrestees going limp and forcing officers to carry them off to jail was a common tactic of the civil rights movement — which has continued to this day — and is considered resisting arrest by the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies. At the end of January, Bratton announced he is arming a new unit called the Strategic Response Group with machine guns that will “assist us in dealing with demonstrations.” Speaking at a breakfast organized by the Police Foundation, Bratton explained that the unit “is designed for dealing with events like our recent protests, or incidents like Mumbai or what just happened in Paris.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Police State Is Upon Us
The Police State Is Upon Us
Anyone paying attention knows that 9/11 has been used to create a police/warfare state. Years ago NSA official William Binney warned Americans about the universal spying by the National Security Agency, to little effect. Recently Edward Snowden proved the all-inclusive NSA spying by releasing spy documents, enough of which have been made available by Glenn Greenwald to establish the fact of NSA illegal and unconstitutional spying, spying that has no legal, constitutional, or “national security” reasons.Yet Americans are not up in arms. Americans have accepted the government’s offenses against them as necessary protection against “terrorists.”
Neither Congress, the White House, or the Judiciary has done anything about the wrongful spying, because the spying serves the government. Law and the Constitution are expendable when the few who control the government have their “more important agendas.”
Bradley Manning warned us of the militarization of US foreign policy and the murderous consequences, and Julian Assange of WikiLeaks posted leaked documents proving it.
Were these whistleblowers and honest journalists, who alerted us to the determined attack on our civil liberty, rewarded with invitations to the White House and given medals of honor in recognition of their service to American liberty?
No. Bradley Manning is in federal prison, and so would be Julian Assad and Edward Snowden if Washington could get its hands on them.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Boiling point: Hundreds of anti-fascist protesters clash with police in Italy
Boiling point: Hundreds of anti-fascist protesters clash with police in Italy
Clashes broke out at an anti-fascist rally in Cremona, Italy when around 2,000 protesters took to the streets to object to an attack by far-right group supporters. The fracas left a political activist in hospital.
A couple of thousand anti-fascist protesters attended the rally on Saturday, which started off peacefully. The protesters marched through the city center chanting slogans and waving banners to draw awareness to the plight of anti-fascist activist Emilio Visigalli, who is currently in hospital in a serious condition, following last week’s attack by the far-right group CasaPound. He was injured when the event organized by the CSA Dordoni cultural center was attacked on January 18 by dozens of neo-Nazi supporters.
However, midway through the rally, a group of youths appeared wearing helmets, dressed in black and carrying sticks. They began to throw stones, bottles, flares and smoke bombs at the police. Law enforcement officers responded by firing tear gas at the rioters, who according to the Turin based newspaper, La Stampa, had arrived from different parts of Italy. The standoff lasted for around two hours.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Haiti protesters urge president’s departure
Haiti protesters urge president’s departure |
Anti-government protesters burn tyres and hurl items at police in clashes amid stalemate over long-delayed elections. |
Protesters have burned tyres and thrown rocks and glass bottles at riot police during another anti-government demonstration in Haiti’s capital amid a political stalemate over long-delayed elections.
The demonstration of mostly young men reached a peak of about 1,500 in downtown Port-au-Prince as protesters called for the departure of President Michel Martelly.
Police fired tear gas and sprayed water from an armoured vehicle, scattering the crowd at a plaza close to where the National Palace stood before it collapsed in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.
There has been no let-up in protests since last month’s resignation of Martelly’s prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, and other concessions aimed at resolving the stalemate holding up legislative elections.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
More Police Does Not Mean Less Crime
More Police Does Not Mean Less Crime
According to a interactive crime map, crime in the city of Hamilton was on the rise with 380 incidents in the month of December.
The map clearly shows that most of the criminal activity was in the downtown core. Which is interesting considering that this area of the city has the largest police presence and most of the cities CCTV camera’s.
The Hamilton police Action team, made up of officers on foot, bikes, horseback, and in cars patrol the area heavily. There are many times that even taking a ten minute walk through downtown you will see upwards of eight to ten officers in that short amount of time.
The Hamilton police service Action strategy has been recognized internationally for “lowering crime and restoring civility to downtown streets”.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Over 30 arrests as Sao Paulo erupts in protest over bus fare price
Over 30 arrests as Sao Paulo erupts in protest over bus fare price
A massive rally against a bus fare hike has turned violent in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Shops were pillaged and objects thrown, with riot police resorting to tear gas and rubber bullets. This is the first such incident since the World Cup protests this summer.
Thousands of people chanting “Freedom now” marched through Sao Paulo’s downtown on Friday and police started firing tear gas to stop them from entering a major thruway. Police estimate the crowd was 2,000 people strong, but local news outlets such as Folha De S. Paulo put the number at 10,000.
The organizers of the event – the Free Fare Movement (MPL) estimate the numbers at 30,000.
“I came to the protest because transportation should be free. So we can begin to change things and have improvements,” Pietro Battiato, 19, one of the students at the rally, told journalists.
The majority of the protestors were reportedly peaceful, but some elements became aggressive and are said to have provoked the police. The MPL, however, blames the escalation on law enforcers.
“The MPL did not direct aggression towards the police or other acts of vandalism,” representatives of the movement told journalists.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Moscow Anti-Corruption Protest Escalates, Riot Police Arrive – Live Feed | Zero Hedge
Moscow Anti-Corruption Protest Escalates, Riot Police Arrive – Live Feed | Zero Hedge.
As the crowd in Moscow grows to an estimated 10-15,000 protesters chanting “No Putin, No War”, Russia has unleashed police in riot gear, apparently fearful of the consequences of this ‘unlawful’ assembly. The massive crowd of protesters gathered in Moscow’s Manezhka Square on Tuesday, following the guilty verdict of anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, remain peaceful for now; but scuffles are breaking out and tensions are rising.
Navalny, a leading foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found guilty of fraud and given a suspended sentence of three and a half years on Tuesday, while his brother was sent straight to prison.
“The government isn’t just trying to jail its political opponents — we’re used to it; we’re aware that they’re doing it — but this time they’re destroying and torturing the families of the people who oppose them,” he said, calling for people to attend the protest on Tuesday evening.
Hours after the ruling, Navalny himself appeared alongside protesters at Moscow’s Manezhka Square in defiance of a house arrest order — and was quickly detained by Russian authorities for breaking the terms. He was taken away in a bus and reportedly escorted back to his home.
Protesters chanted “Free Navalny! Free Russia!” and “Russia without Putin!” as he was carted away in a police bus.
For police, when it comes to law and order, ‘order’ historically comes first
For police, when it comes to law and order, ‘order’ historically comes first.
Police misconduct has ignited a political firestorm in New York and many other cities across the nation, not seen in quite some time. Relations between the public and the police are fraught with tension, mistrust and violence. Many are outraged. Politicians and the media are posturing and promising reform. The police are angry, feeling besieged.
It is all pretty ugly — and thanks to modern media it appears that things are worse than ever before. We can now watch video of people being killed. Protests can be organized, recorded and broadcast instantly. Guns make deadly confrontations easier to provoke.
There are many reasons specific to this time that have brought us to this unhappy point in the relationship between the police and society. But the problem of police violence is hardly new.
In New York City, recent events have stirred memories of violent confrontations of the not-so-distant past, from Sean Bell and Abner Louima to the murdered policemen Rocco Laurie and Gregory Foster. Violence, however, has always been inherent to policing, and its troubled history goes back much further than anyone alive can remember.
Windsor Police Unveil Military “Armored Tactical Rescue” Vehicle | Canadian Awareness Network
Windsor Police Unveil Military “Armored Tactical Rescue” Vehicle | Canadian Awareness Network.
Windsor police unveiled their new armoured tactical vehicle on Friday – don’t call it a tank, they hate that — stressing it will only be used in very specific cases.
Essentially, police said they will use it in rare, extreme “critical” response and rescue situations, and perhaps the odd parade.
“It’s an armoured box that we’re going to use to rescue people should something really bad happen,” said Const. John Nayduk, a former military man now in charge of training other officers to drive the vehicle.
“Maybe we’re not going to need it for a couple years, but the one time we do, we’re going to be very glad we have it.”
The Windsor Police Service received its Tactical Rescue Vehicle (TRV) in April 2013. It’s a Cougar model, the kind used in United Nations missions for protection and convoy escorts in Somalia and Yugoslavia.
Mexicans fight back over their missing – Features – Al Jazeera English
Mexicans fight back over their missing – Features – Al Jazeera English.
Baja California, Mexico – Mexico has been in the grip of civil unrest since 43 student teachers from southern Guerrero state went missing after they drove to protest what they perceived as discriminatory hiring practices by the government.
Police intercepted the students’ convoy and opened fire, killing six people – including a student who was later found dead with his eyes gouged out and his face flayed. The last time witnesses saw the students they were being loaded into police vans.
Since then, people across the country have been demanding change to the impunity and corruption that has dogged Mexico’s politics for generations. Former President Felipe Calderón’s militarised anti-drug offensive that began in 2006 only helped amplify the opportunity for corruption by people in power.
Mexicans were terrified into silence by the ongoing violence – until now.
Even in places such as Baja California, the Mexican state that is physically separated from the rest of Mexico by its proximity to the United States and the Sea of Cortez, people have been moved to act.
Here’s Why Hong Kong Police Are Beating Umbrella Protesters
Here’s Why Hong Kong Police Are Beating Umbrella Protesters.
Fear. That’s the explanation the son of a police officer arrived at to answer the question of why police acted aggressively towards protesters during the Hong Kong protests.
Chiang Kang, a writer for Hong Kong news website inmediahk.com, recently asked his father, who’s a Hong Kong cop, why the force is so jumpy about protesters.
“What if you burn the car? What if you occupy the airport and shut down Hong Kong?” Chiang Kang’s father said.
The police “refuse to believe that ‘peaceful protesters’ really exist in this world,” Chiang Kang added.
Chiang Kang father’s perspective on protesters is perhaps representative of people his age.
In a blog post, Chinese University of Hong Kong journalism lecturer Chan Yuen discusses a generational divide that is preventing today’s Hong Kong youths from communicating their views on politics and society with previous generations.
Cops of the future? British bobbies get a sci-fi makeover | UK news | The Guardian
Cops of the future? British bobbies get a sci-fi makeover | UK news | The Guardian.
Home Office researchers are looking into a range of sci-fi equipment that will transform British police officers into figures closer to Robocop than Dixon of Dock Green.
Innovations on the Home Office wishlist includes a robotic exoskeleton to take the load off weary legs, a range of wearable computers including Google Glass-type spectacles and body armour made from graphene (the novel material that earned its discoverers a Nobel prize in 2010).
The glimpse into the future was contained in a presentation to companies by the director of the Home Office’s Centre for Applied Science and Technology (Cast), which has been released following a Freedom of Information request by the Guardian.
Rob Coleman was speaking at an evening event behind closed doors in central London in July hosted by TechUK, an umbrella group for the tech industry. While a list of the companies that attended the meeting has not been made public, TechUK’s membership ranges from small firms through to major players including Apple, Google and BAE Systems.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Civil Unrest is Rising Everywhere & Government Digs in its Heels | Armstrong Economics
Civil Unrest is Rising Everywhere & Government Digs in its Heels | Armstrong Economics.
I have warned that governments always turn against the people. Illinois just made it a felony to film police abuse in the USA. The Spanish government has followed the same course. Despite protests from political, judicial and population, the politicians who are becoming ruthless elite dictators rather than democratic representatives of the people, passed a law which provides extensive fines for protesters who dare to film the abuse of police. They have the audacity to claim filming police is an “offense against public safety” with fines of up to 600,000 euros. It is the police who protect government – not the people. So let’s get this straight. “public safety” has become a code word for “government safety” that no longer gives two shits about the people.
Switzerland enacted laws requiring registration of all guns in the country for the first time when. Why? There have not been any incidents of “public safety”. They too realize that the people are starting to wake up against the abuse of government everywhere. The people have caused this. As a whole, people watch sports, buy clothes, and go to dinner. Generally at best half even bother to vote. That has sent the signal to government elites the people do not care so corruption has run wild. But now with taxes rising, unemployment rising, pensions vanishing into thin air, and living standards declining, people want real change no words.
Even in the USA, the Republicans wrongly believe their ideas are what the people want. They too raise taxes. This funding bill allowing the banks to repeal Dodd Frank is an example of the corruption behind the scenes. They votes for Republicans because who is ever in power is being tossed out. Come 2016, it will be the Republican’s turn as we see a rise in third-party activity. This repeal of Dodd Frank is a John Andrew Boehner special that goes against the conservative T-Party Republicans.
Politicians will be politicians. What is left to say?
Policing Justice Requires Economic Justice, Part I | Occupy.com
Policing Justice Requires Economic Justice, Part I | Occupy.com.
Demonstrating in Ferguson late in the summer, activist and former Green Party vice presidential nominee Rosa Clemente posted to Facebook:
“We ran to get away and were surrounded on a small path on [a] bridge, surrounded by all types of police and told to lie down and put our hands up. We complied and we were told if we did not stop moving we would be shot. We were breathing. The young brother lying on my feet as I was holding him was not able to control his breathing he said ‘I’m choking’ the cop told him to stop or he would shoot him. I told him ‘try not to move, just lay still I got you.'”
“The gun was at his chest. I looked at the cop and said ‘please, he is not doing anything’ I tried to record but the cop had his finger on the trigger . . . We laid there until one Black officer said ‘Let them go, we got who we wanted.’ In all my life I have never been so terrified . . . What is going down here in Ferguson in all my years of activism, organizing, I have never seen.”
A few months later, Ferguson exploded again as a highly problematic Missouri grand jury failed to indict Darren Wilson, the cop who killed Michael Brown. A week later, a New York grand jury failed to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo for killing Eric Garner—on video, with Garner pleading for his life, not behaving violently, the victim of an illegal police procedure.
Dayvon Love, director of the Baltimore-based Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, wrote in response: “The goal is not to make white people care about our pain, the goal is to be so effectively organized that it does not matter if they care.”
– See more at: http://www.occupy.com/article/policing-justice-requires-economic-justice-part-i#sthash.vwfyvLNZ.dpuf
Now Eric Garner | KUNSTLER
The Beauty Shop had barely stopped smoldering in Ferguson, Missouri, when the Eric Garner grand jury decision came down on Staten Island — no probable cause to indict one particular cop for something — manslaughter? — in his choke-hold take-down of the 300-pound cigarette-seller. For my money, they should have indicted the whole gang of cops who were there that day, including the black female NYPD sergeant on the scene ostensibly “supervising” the action, at least for something like negligent homicide, since the infamous video shows them acting cruelly, stupidly, and indifferently as the poor guy just lay dying on the sidewalk.
Worse, the decision only muddied the public’s view of several events in recent years involving black people, police, and standards of behavior so that now a general opinion prevails that all black people are always treated badly for no reason. That was the same week, by the way, that a white Bosnian immigrant named Zemir Begic was bludgeoned to death by three black teenagers wielding hammers who were out beating on stopped cars on a St Louis street — a crime that was barely covered in the news media, and went unprotested outside the immigrant neighborhood where it occurred. It’s hard to blame the public for being confused about what may or may not be happening across the nation, but history will surely judge this as a tragic time for America.
If we can’t or won’t unpack the separate issues in these matters, the country is going to get into a lot more trouble. One issue is whether police forces in the USA are becoming goon squads. The decision by the federal government to offload tactical military equipment, including armored war wagons, on police departments far and wide was disgracefully stupid since it only gives the impression, when hauled out, that the police are at war with the citizenry. There ought to be public discussion of just flat-out taking all that stuff away from them.
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