He Respected the Badge, But `Not in Miami' (Miami Protests)

[WillyT]

<snip>

Early on Thursday morning, Bentley Killmon boarded a chartered bus to take him from Fort Myers to Miami so he could protest the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The 71-year-old, retired airline pilot said he was amazed by the heavy police presence in downtown Miami when he arrived.

Throughout the day, he said he watched police overreact to incidents. He saw a 53-year-old woman get shot in the chest with rubber bullets. He saw other peaceful protesters being gassed with pepper spray. He saw young people, who weren't doing anything illegal or improper, being pushed and harassed by cops.

"My father was in the Norfolk City Police Department for many years," he said. "Until Thursday, I respected the badge. I respected the job the police had to do. But I no longer respect the badge. Not in Miami. Not after what I saw. Not after what happened to me and others."

And...

"They were pointing their guns at us," he continued. "I guess they had those rubber pellets in them, but I didn't know, I was just incredibly frightened. Some of the people with us got down on their knees, and as I got down on my knees, I was briskly pushed to the ground. It felt like I had a foot to my back knocking me down. Everyone in our group was knocked to the ground and handcuffed. I had my hands cuffed behind my back for 7 ½ hours."

<snip>

Link: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/112403I.shtml

I'm afraid that this is not gonna be an isolated case in Miami. Remember all of the articles about 'crowd control' training that law enforcement was taking after 9\11???

What do think is gonna happen when we try to protest the rePukes at their New York Party Convention???

Be careful, but BE PREPARED!!!

:grr::nuke::mad:

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. The more you learn about police tactics,

the less respect you have for the police. What I always found incredibly ironic, was how they're legally allowed to trick and deceive an individual in order to produce a confession -- as long as they don't make any promises, it's not coercion. Once you learn the extent of the mind games they play on people, it forever changes your opinion of them. Certainly not the kind of people you can trust. And it saddens me.

[prolesunited]

2. So, what is the best way of making sure this story gets out?

    "As the story comes out, over the next few hours and days and weeks, the public is going to learn what we saw on the street, that the police provoked these exchanges and went way out of their way to increase the magnitude of their response," said Ron Judd, a regional director for the AFL-CIO. "There was nothing measured in their response. We had retired steel workers, retired firefighters, retired teamsters harassed and arrested Thursday.

I think the problem is one of perception. I've even seen it here on DU.

When people here about the arrests and the actions in Miami, they think black-clad anarchists destroying property who "got what they deserved." I don't think they envision 71-year-old retirees with a boot on their back or unionists who were peacefully assembled.

The media already has moved on. How do we get this story out there, particularly since it is coming to a town near you.

[durutti]

3. I had a similar experience.

My experience with the massive "preemptive" arrest of activists (including myself) in DC last September totally destroyed any semblance of respect I may once have had for police.

[wryter2000]

4. Sounds like

Sounds like NY will be a repeat of Chicago all those years ago. Only against the repukes this time.

[WillyT]

5. Yeah, Me Too !!! --- I Posted A Thread The Other Day Suggesting...

that this coming year might just look a whole lot like 1968.

"The whole world is watching!" was the chant of the day. But then we had a pretty robust free press back then. At least freer than we have today.

:grr:

[prolesunited]

6. I'm planning on being in NYC

but I really have to learn more about being prepared. All of the protests I've been to so far have been tea parties.

I don't engage in violence against people, nor do I destroy property so I thought I was safe. Apparently just being there is enough to get your head busted these days.

Are there any sites on how to prepare and what your rights are?