>From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Los Angeles was the scene of four days of protest demonstrations. In >preparation for these events. The police had observers at the Seattle, >Washington D.C. and Philadelphia protests. For the last several months the >police conducted mock demonstrations using part of the police force as >dissidents so they could perfect street tactics in curbing an angry crowd. >For two weeks Mayor Richard Riordan and Police Chief Bernard Parks warned >the public that participants in demonstrations could expect forceful >resolute intervention by the police . Chief Parks was critical of the soft >approach of the Philadelphia department. (Some of the arrested had bail set >at $ 1 million) He promised a tougher stance in Los Angeles. An unbiased >observer of these advance press statements led to the obvious conclusion >that the warnings were to frighten people from the protests and to prepare >the way for violent acts of the police. > >A member of the Rampart division was caught stealing cocaine from the >station and in a plea bargaining revealed that officers had systematically >framed arrested citizens in the predominately ethnic neighborhood. There >were indications that similar practices occurred in other divisions of the >police. The testimony of the convicted police officer led to a score of >prisoners being released from jail and the review of several thousand other >cases. It represents the biggest police scandal in the country. What an >opportunity for Police Chief Bernard Banks and the Mayor to turn public >attention from the scandal to the mobilization of thousands of police to >protect the Democrat convention. > >The police prepared to violate protesters constitutional rights until >Councilwomen Jackie Goldberg, a participant in the free speech fight at >Berkeley in the 60's, asked the council to set a protest site at Pershing >Park directly in front of the Biltmore Hotel. A deal was cut for the city >to contribute four million dollars to the DNC in return for support of the >protest site. Deal or no deal ,Police Chief Banks was enraged and was >joined by the merchants of the one of the worlds largest jewelry centers. >The council reversed its position. The ACLU intervened and their action >opened the door to the right of protest demonstrations. The police ignored >the constitutional rights of citizens began to harass the young students >engaged in making street puppets for the parades.Several unannounced visits >were made by the police to the store front. Overhead, the Police helicopter >flashed lights on the building fifty times a night. Two young women were >arrested for jay walking. The ACLU achieved relief from the police in an >order from federal Judge Dean Pregerson. The police had to obtain a warrant >if they wanted to get into the puppet making operation. > >The first march took place a day before the opening of the convention. The >temperature rose to the nineties and the humidity was unbearable. The >police reported 3,500 people in attendance and the organizers figure was >7,000. The theme of the march was support for a new trail for Mumia Abu >Jamal and an attack on the criminal justice system. The parade was >monitored by 200 lawyers from The National Lawyers Guild. > >On Monday, the protesters met again. Not all were the same. New forces >arrived from the striking members of the Screen Actors Guild, The >International LongshoreUnion, Labor Party members. Oil Chemical Workers >Union. The intention was to have the labor contingent lead the march but >thousands surged forward. In this mass were members of the Green Party, >International Socialist Organization and many other radical groups but of >great interest was the 200 supporters of the Anarchists dressed all in Black >with Black Bandannas. The marchers reflected the ethnic composition of the >city. Browns, Blacks, Asians and whites were every where. > >The march was to culminate near the Staples Center where Men Against the >Machine were giving a concert. The crowded swelled to 15,000. After the >concert the police decided it was time to put into practice all they had >been preparing for these past months. Hundreds surged forward firing rubber >bullets and using batons. Among the victims were photographers and a >delegate to the DNC Miguel Contreras, head of the County Federation of >Labor. Contreras was hit across the chest by a baton wielding cop. It is >not hard to imagine Contreras on the phone to Riordan and Parks that >evening. > > > _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________
