-Caveat Lector-
>>This one is not very funny.
I got this one in the mail this morning. Thought you might like to see it.
It contradicts strongly the media version. It's also hearsay, but it's
interesting to note that all the hearsay I've been getting is consistant.
This one is fairly typical.
--- nessie
*********************************
>>This was written by someone from Atlanta, sent to a friend in Berkeley,
>and
>>so on. I cannot verify any of the facts, but I can't imagine they are
>>totally fictitious:
>>
>>
>> > I am reporting from a battle zone. I have been working at the
>>Independent
>> > Media Center coordinating the audio desk, so I've been in a good spot
>to
>>get
>> > reports from the field. Yesterday, there were reports of undercover
>>police
>> > marking protesters then tracking them down, viciously beating them,
>>slamming
>> > their heads into the ground and arresting them. It's on our
>>website-photos
>> > and audio.
>> >
>> > >>The site is at http://www.indymedia.org. <<
>> >
>> >
>> > There are also audio clips of a man crying because he had just
>witnessed
>>an
>> > 80 year old woman pepper sprayed after being tear gassed in the face
>and
>> > then beaten with a baton.
>> >
>> > I don't know what you've been getting in the papers in your area, but
>>until
>> > tonight the tv reporting was on the side of the police. The mainstream
>>media
>> > reported the property destruction of about 20 people and ignored the
>>massive
>> > police brutality and a completely non-violent protest of 85,000 (AP
>>News)
>> > protesters, who were shot, point-blank, with rubber bullets, sandbags,
>> > concussion grenades, teargas and heavy fire extinguisher streams of
>>pepper
>> > spray all day yesterday and today. This was in response to people
>>dancing
>>in
>> > the street, and sitting down to shut down the WTO from meeting. The
>only
>> > violence on the part of protesters were the return of tear gas can
>>volleys
>> > by the police. When anyone throws a bottle or piece of garbage at the
>> > police, they get yelled down and pulled and pulled out of the protest
>by
>>the
>> > protesters. There is a really strong ethic of non-violence...it's
>>amazing.
>> > The most beautiful acts of human solidarity I've ever seen.
>> >
>> > THIS VIOLENCE WAS UNPROVOKED!! I was tear-gassed about 4 times
>yesterday
>>for
>> > what I think was public assembly. The really telling thing was that
>the
>>cops
>> > never even thought about protecting the wto delegates from protesters.
>>Why?
>> > Because all the protesters were doing was putting our bodies in front
>of
>> > them blocking the way to the convention center. They fired on us, not
>>for
>> > public safety, but to keep the Trade Talks happening.
>> >
>> > Yesterday we were barracaded into the media center. The police shot
>>teargas
>> > into the alley behind the building and filled the street with it in
>>front,
>> > shot reporters in the face with pepper spray as they to get into the
>> > building and then barracaded us inside for about an hour. We let in
>one
>>man
>> > who was just walking to his car and was shot in the face with a
>>concussion
>> > grenade and had to be rushed to the hospital for possible concussion.
>> > Another IMC reporter was shot in the face and avoided losing an eye
>only
>> > because he was wearing glasses. They were even shooting kids at point
>> > blank....6 year old kids.
>> >
>> > The police began arresting people today for walking on the sidewalk.
>>There
>> > are now over 250 in holding cells at Sandpoint naval air base and at
>>least
>> > another 200 in King county jail for similar kinds of protest. A
>friend
>>of
>> > mine, a steelworker, was downtown, sitting in the street with about
>200
>> > others during the steelworkers march. A police officer stomped his
>head
>>into
>> > the ground after he had thrown him down.
>> >
>> > Other friends of mine are being held at Sandpoint for refusing to
>leave
>>the
>> > busses, in solidarity for illegal arrest. The police were threatening
>to
>> > shoot them with (teargas? rubber bullets?, live ammo? -- they couldn't
>>tell)
>> > if they didn't leave the bus. This was after the media left, so they
>had
>>no
>> > witnesses. We got a call from them on a cell phone from inside the
>bus.
>>Last
>> > night the national guard came in. They've just extended the "state of
>> > emergency" although its more like martial law, to 24 hours until
>friday.
>> > Trying to get into downtown to the media center I was stopped twice by
>> > guardsmen.
>> >
>> > I'm working on a piece thats going to run something like "Top ten
>>reasons
>> > why you aren't getting the news in Seattle," but the tide seems to be
>> > turning. Now the protesters are all people from the neighborhoods
>under
>> > siege, upset that the police are putting them in such danger and the
>> > mainstream media is covering it from the side of the people. Tonight
>the
>> > police shot teargas into the windows of a church where an AA meeting
>was
>> > taking place and then threatened to shoot the people if they came
>out.
>>The
>> > city has passed an ordinance that it's ILLEGAL TO CARRY A GAS MASK,
>but
>>it's
>> > hard to get around without at least a hankerchief soaked in vinegar,
>>just
>>in
>> > case. We'll see what happens.
>> >
>> > The amazing thing is that the work we are doing is actually reaching
>>people.
>> > The web server is down half the time because we are getting 30 hits a
>> > second, thats between 2-3 million visits a day and we've now added 2
>>extra
>> > servers. It's not perfect, sometimes not even the best reporting, but
>>it's
>> > an amazing experiment in grassroots media.
>> >
>> >
>> > >>The site is at http://www.indymedia.org. <<
>> >
>> > When you get bored of listening and looking at accounts of police
>>brutality,
>> > you can weed through the material on the site and you'll find some
>>amazing
>> > interviews. People like Vandana Shiva, and David Korten, Cunya
>>indigenous
>> > people from Panama, Tibetans, French farmers, and average people
>talking
>> > about how the WTO, World Bank and IMF have impacted their lives in
>>really
>> > terrible ways.
>> >
>> > I hope you're having a less exciting holiday season.
>> >
>> > Love,
>> >
>> > [redacted]
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