The Latest On Arrested Protesters From Yesterday's Bush SS Town Hall!!!

DistressedAmerican

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Sat Mar-05-05 01:20 PM
Original message

The Latest On Arrested Protesters From Yesterday's Bush SS Town Hall!!!

Edited on Sat Mar-05-05 01:25 PM by DistressedAmerican

Please help document additional abuses by the police that are keeping protesters from approaching Bush's Social Security "Town Hall Meetings"!

I have decided that it is important to begin collecting accounts of police imtimidation and harrassment of the many protesters that will be showing up for these events across the nation.

I will be adding accounts and photos to a running tally on the Distressed American website:

http://www.seedsofdoubt.com/distressedamerican/main.htm

Please help me out by attending protests of these events, photo documenting police actions and submitting any accounts you have from the protests.

Who went to the protests yesterday? Do you have any additional stories?

WE MUST WATCH THE WATCHERS! SHOW UP AND MAN THE BARRICADES!

Emily Colvin the girl referred to in these reports is fighting the charges in part with information that we have been able to collectively provide to them. If you have anything to add let me know.

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As requested on the original thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1637958

Here is a series of accounts of police intimidation of protesters during yesterday's protests in West Field, New Jersey culled from the thread I started yesterday. It has become too large and confusing. I'll abandon it in favor of this thread.
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The Latest - Emily's Side Of The Story -

NEW INFO FIRST: My sister spoke on the phone to the father of Emily Colvin who is now at home after several hours detained and issuance of a summons for disorderly conduct. Her story is as follows (it conflicts with some of the earlier info and suggests more out of line conduct by the police than previously thought):

According to Emily, She at no time crossed the barricade. She was turned away from the front and was approached by someone coming out of the "town hall meeting". That person began yelling insults and obscenities at the crowd of protesters. Emily turned around and stretched out her arms to reveal the banner she was carrying.

At that moment she reports hearing one of the offers say "That's it. She's out of here." She was immediately grabbed by several officers who dragged her across the barricade, slammed her up against a Westfield municipal police car and cuffed. She reports being extremely confused as to why she was being grabbed as she didn't feel that she was acting any different that those around her. My sister, says that is clear from her expression in the video she shot.

She was taken and booked at the Westfield police station and held in hand cuffs for several hours. A reporter from New York's WNYC, a local NPR affiliate met up with the family when they arrived to get Emily out. Emily's father reports that the police said that 9 adults and 7 or 8 minors had been arrested in protest related activities.

According to WABC, it now appears that a 9 people IN TOTAL were detained.

Two local network affiliates, WABC and WNBC got good footage of her arrest and the arrest of a second individual up to now referred to as the "kid with the Mohawk". I still do not have his real name. If anyone sees it please let me know.

Emily's father is hiring a lawyer and has requested copies of my sister's footage. She will very likely speak to the lawyer on Emily's behalf. They have taken their own video of the damage to her wrists from the several hours wearing them in the station.

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Another Corroborating Account:

i would tend to believe emily...

i didn't see the incident, but i was right in back of them. we were walking along after they made us move from our original position. we were kind of confused and disorganized because we couldn't figure out why they were making us move. it was only later that i realized that they wanted to confuse and isolate us. crowd control in bushworld. i had forgotten that they herded people into pens in new york, or maybe i didn't think they'd bother with such advanced tactics with "mild, civilized" westfield residents. i guess they figured they'd practice for the future.

after 2 blocks we came to a barricade of police cars, and people stopped in their tracks before they realized we were supposed to make a left. i bet emily stepped off of the curb. i was up the street a little way, and the next thing i heard was a new chant "let her go." we continued to chant for a couple of minutes (i assume they were putting her in the squad car, but i didn't see it.) the chant changed to "shame on you." we headed down the street to the next roadblock, somewhat dispirited. maybe some folks felt like i did. for the first time, i realized that i was in the camp that was considered the enemy...

a good portion of the group turned back, i guess they felt too threatened. by the time we got to the end of the street, there were far fewer people, and any new protesters were kept further down the street. we were so few, and there was so much space between us, that it was hard to make sounds that would carry. there was never any hope that the cretin would hear us, between the running police vehicles and firetruck, and being 1/2 a block away.

even though i learned a lot about how much things have deteriorated, i'm glad i went. i met a lot of nice people. i grew up in westfield. the scum was within spitting distance of my family home -- i went to westfield high school and graduated in that armory. it was definitely personal for me!

karen
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More from Karen:

i wish that i had seen the incident myself. i would have been willing to testify in court if i had. all i could testify to was the mood of the crowd. a good portion of the crowd was older people (with signs about social security) and young people (high school or early twenties). i would estimate about 200 people were herded to the new location.

after we witnessed the incident with the girl and we walked to our "hog pen," there were 75 folks left. when the police in their riot gear costumes arrived and police blocked us in back with patrol cars, a lot more people left. it was kind of scary.

it was also frustrating, to be so close to the scum and know that you were being kept from being heard. between that and fear of physical violence, i can't blame them for leaving. i tried to tell everyone that these methods were used in new york, specifically to remove our right to peaceful assembly and protest. i think a lot of people were unfamiliar with the enemy mentality the police have at these protests, finally coming to the realization that their grievances were purposely being ignored and marginalized.

i hope a lot of people were enlightened about exactly what our country has turned into now. if you went to this protest with the idea that you had a choice, and you could make yourself heard, you left with the knowledge that our right to protest and be heard is now gone. if the citizens all over the country who witness these outrages, and want to make their voices heard, work to inform others of how bad things have gotten, we may have a chance to take back our country. i believe there are more good people than bad, and the lack of knowledge and naivete of the good guys is the thug's ace in the hole.

thank you so much for posting these informative threads. it is useful to get other folks opinions about what happened, and contribute mine! knowledge of these tactics is the only power we have!

karen

You sure are right there! - DA

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A FULL REIEW OF THE DAY'S EVENTS FROM THE START:

Sister Called From The Protest Of Bush's Jersey Talk. Arrests Under Way!

Edited on Fri Mar-04-05 12:51 PM by DistressedAmerican

She went down to protest. They have begun arresting folks in the large (500-1000 person) protest crowd.

She says that they are arresting "little kids", high schoolers I think. She is getting shots and video. I will get it posted as soon as she gets it to me.

I hate these jackbooted thugs! Welcome to the American Police State!

ON EDIT: SEE POST #32 FOR MORE TO THE STORY!

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32. Sister Is On Phone Right Now. Protests Have Been Dispersed

Edited on Fri Mar-04-05 12:53 PM by DistressedAmerican

Called to report this arrest she witnessed:

Police arrested 18 year old protester Emily Colvin, slammed her against police car after she tripped on barricade trying to get back from police. She has some video of the arrest and stills of her banner on the ground. Banner text decried corporate oil. Several others also detained.

My sister and a friend were followed for several blocks by the cops who repeatedly threatened with arrest if they did not keep walking.

Several fairly large groups of protesters cleared from the area as the "guests" left the "town hall style" talk.

The Social Security driven talk was billed in advance as an "orderly" event.

My sister estimates between 500 and 1000 protesters in total participated today!

She is rushing home to send me shots and video. Stay posted.

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Sister Just Called. Couldn't Find Car After Being Herded By

the police through several residential neighborhoods.

While she was looking she ran into the kids (one of which was her brother) that were with the girls that was arrested. They recovered her banner from the street. I will post shots shortly.

They have not seen her since she was arrested. She has not contacted her family. My sister is doing so. She got the number from her friends. She will turn over the footage to her family as well for any possible legal follow up.

She spoke with a reporter from WNYC that had also seen the incident and was going down to the police station to try to pressure them to release her.

As my sister described it the police were jamming their clubs into the chests of the kids who were trying to assist the girl after she tripped and fell over the barricade. During which time they grabbed and arrested the her.

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Also describes a witnessing a highschool aged kid with a mohawk

arrested with the girl and another being tackeled by 4 cops and held down by his neck during arrest. Kid with the mohawk was dragged over the barricade by the police and arrested, apparently singeled out from the crowd.

All protesters were herded into seperated pens. They were approximately a block and a half away fenced in like sheep.

When the crowd was broken up they were herded by the police for at least 6 blocks, shouting insults and pushing the group the whole way.

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Another Eyewitness Account Of The Event:

the police worked very hard to disperse the crowds...

some people were told to assemble in a park about 1.5 miles away from the armory. others assembled near the parking lot where pallone spoke, and walked a block or so to the armory. a block from the armory, we ran into the police and about 15 pro-bush supporters, including 4 or 5 seven year olds chanting "four more years." as more protesters arrived, the bushies disappeared, except for the older gent in the nice overcoat who told us to "get a job." they must hire one for every protest.

we were getting a good head of steam, chanting loudly and getting organized, when the police herded us around the corner to a street a little closer to the armory (but still too far to be heard.) they could've lifted their barricades and allowed us to walk 50 feet, instead of around the corner, but they were obviously trying to interfere with the dynamic.

as we were rounding the corner, there was a commotion and we heard that someone was arrested. a girl stepped out of line and they decided to make an example of her, i guess. a lot of folks left at that point (scared to be arrested, i think.) we became kind of disorganized. the end of the street was blocked with a line of policemen, police cars and a fire engine. in the meantime, other protesters assembled at the corner where we started out. i think there were more than 500 people in the area of the armory. there might have been more in the park.

they brought in riot police in their stormtrooper outfits, and we saw about 20 vehicles, including the massive bushit transport hummer, but we were too far away to be seen or heard. we stood around and chatted. there were many students from the high school directly across from the armory at the protest (it was kind of heartening.) i was told that the students at the high school had standardized tests today, and had to be relocated due to this nonsense.

there were many more police than protesters at the end. a couple of the police were nasty - most seemed just bemused. we stragglers watched the stupidmobile and its protective convoy head into the distance and walked away...isn't the first amendment GREAT?

karen

Thanks Karen for giving me permission to use this!