Vote here for video of police breaking up a peaceful march in New York City.
Current TV Current TV is a recently launched cable channel chaired by Al Gore. Ordinary people submit videos about culture and politics to the channel. On the Current TV website, the public votes on which videos are aired. (Voters are not required to have access to the Current TV cable channel, which is not available to all subscribers.)
"Made in USA" Video About Free Speech
Made in USA is a video recently uploaded to the "Current TV" website. The director uses one name, "Voytek."
The description of the video reads: "Freedom -- Aren't you losing it America? Summer 2003. New York City. Tompkins Square Park."
The video shows people peacefully marching in New York in 2003.
A uniformed bicycle cop rams into the crowd, starting a fight that gives police a pretext for arrests.
There is at least one undercover cop at the march who arrests people after the bicycle cop starts a fight.
Protest Marches and Undercover CopsThe presence of undercover cops should be illegal at marches.
Firstly, it's covert government spying on people exercising their First Amendment rights.
Secondly, the message sent by the presence of an undercover cop is the government's message --- not the organizer's message. (And at a rally, the protesters and counter-protesters should "own" the message -- not the government.)
Thirdly, there is the
agent provocateur issue.
While "Made in USA" shows provocation by a uniformed cop, in Miami at the 2003
Free Trade (FTAA) protest, plain-clothes police used their disguises to more easily mix the crowd and
act violently against protestors, tackling and tasering unsuspecting people. You can't get a badge number for accountablility when the police who attack you don't wear badges.
Go VotePlease vote to "green-light" the "Made in USA" video , even if you don't get Current TV.
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