Joshua, I woke up this morning and heard a brief story on NPR about this. I said to myself, "I'm probably in some dang database". I heard something about an RNC/NYPD work task force.
For those outside the U.S. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/25/news/protest.php This is a direct result of an imperial presidency and the PATRIOT Act. And yeah, I've suspected that we had/have increase scrutiny from certain governmental agencies in this list as well. I could say that it is a perverse badge of honor. But that may be a little too optimistic spin on this. I could bring up ancient anger and say that this is what we get when Americans collectively chose not to participate in the process of elections. That this is what we get when in fear mode we permit all kinds of abuses in the name of "safety". My country tis of thee? Sometimes yes, lately ??? This is one instance where being African-American helps me to cope with this kind of thing. It happens. You were not a person. You were an objective. A "Not Like Us" person. The "Other". It will continue to happen until attention is focused on this event. NYPD has to be made to feel so uncomfortable that it will promises heaven and earth not to do it again. Unlikely but possible. Be angry. Be aggressive in finding out the complete truth and be strong in your conviction that you were exercising your rights as a citizen. After you do all of that. Acceptance. The acceptance part is that you and your rights were violated. As you think about it more it is gonna eat at you. You will need to find a healthy way to discharge that energy. It will take some time. Because you are going to realize just how deep this cuts and the number of layers this is going to penetrate your being. The best metaphor I can give you is in the winter when the wind blows. You are standing there. The wind blows. Because of the wind chill factor it feel much colder than what it is in reality. You have two choices: One is to clench up and take it full blast - this will ensure the shivers. Discomfort. A loss of personal power. Until it stops. Two is to accept the wind and allow it to pass through you. You are still cold but you decide what you will and will not latch on to as you deal with this situation. I wish I had better words for you. I know what I'm trying to say but it isn't coming out right. So I'll stop with "do the best you can". ...peace, be still Gena --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Joshua Kinberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Today, I'm unsure how to react to this news -- having your person, > property and rights violated is an unsettling experience. Would > definitely like to hear your thoughts on this as I'm processing the > information. > > On Friday morning, I was informed by a NYTimes reporter that recent > documents uncovered just how far the NYPD went to suppress Free Speech > -- mine and others -- at the Republican Convention in 2004. Here's > what the NYTimes reported in the Sunday edition: > > "City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention" > <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/nyregion/25infiltrate.html?ex=1332561600&en=3af0cd0ac568e430&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink> > > Bikes Against Bush <http://www.bikesagainstbush.com> was my graduate > thesis project, a combination of mechanical engineering, WiFi, > interactive mobile messaging, and videoblogging. It was featured in > Popular Science magazine for the engineering design of the bicycle > that printed chalk text messages sent through SMS and from my website > onto streets and sidewalks in NYC. > > Apparently, the NYPD considered this project to be a threat and was > determined to shut it down. They had a copy of the Popular Science > article in a file along with 4 pages of notes as to why my project was > a threat. This led to my bizarre arrest, which happened on national > television while I was being interviewed by Ron Reagan on MSNBC's > Hardball. > > I was arrested with no crime being committed. Just simply plucked from > the street, jailed for 24 hours, and my computer, cell phone and > bicycle confiscated and held for over a year (the bicycle was never > returned). The fake charges against me were dropped 6 months later. > > The NYTimes article confirms what I had long suspected -- that the > NYPD was unlawfully conducting surveillance of artists, activists, and > others seeking to exercise free speech at the RNC convention in 2004. > > Here are the videos: > > The Bike Project > <http://www.bikesagainstbush.com/blog/iloveny.mov> > > The Arrest -- Street Footage > <http://www.bikesagainstbush.com/blog/bikesarrest.mov> > > MSNBC Interview > <http://www.bikesagainstbush.com/blog/msnbc_8-29-2004_med1.mov> > > BikesAgainstBush was important because it was one of the earliest > demonstrations of the power of the blogosphere to distribute video -- > the raw street-footage of the arrest circulated around the blogosphere > and was viewed by millions of people both before and after the edited > version aired on MSNBC's Hardball. > > Immediately after this project, I began working on software to > distribute video via RSS. I met Jay Dedman around this time in NYC, > and we began working together. This became ANT (ANT's Not Television) > and later FireAnt <http://FireAnt.tv>. > > I wanted to share my thoughts here, in the videoblogging community, as > I'm reflecting today on the state of media, how far we've come and the > work that remains... > > Best, > Josh >
