[Seattle-editorial] article: What Does Self-Defense Against Riot Police Look Like?

Mon Dec 22 00:06:45 PST 2003

Approve. Someone with the knowhow, please post.

Gentry

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Subject: [Seattle-editorial] article: What Does Self-Defense Against
Riot Police Look Like?

Here is an article if you are interested - I posted it on openwire,
http://www.seattle.indymedia.org/en/2003/12/237239.shtml

What does legal self-defense against riot police look like? Why were
231 protesters criminally charged in the Miami FTAA protests and 0 police
charged, even though a Miami judge said, he, alone, witnessed 20+
felonies committed by police at the protests? How do we get prosecutors
to prosecute their buddies, the police? Where do you go if a Police Chief
rapes you like Tacoma Police Chief Brahms did to a woman? Where do you
get first aid when police are assaulting you and the 911 crews will not
help?

What does Legal Self-Defense Against Riot Police Look Like?
 By Kirsten Anderberg

We are in a societal crisis with police in America. I have said for
twenty years that I would prefer to see anyone but a cop at the end of an
alley alone, because a cop will get away with raping me and they
definitely are armed. As a teen, I witnessed my sister have sex with a
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer to get out of a felony crime
she got caught red-handed in. My other sister said she, and her women
friends, had sex with Boston Police to get out of vehicle tickets and
criminal charges. This trend of women giving sexual favors to police to
avoid criminal prosecution has been going on in front of me since I was a
teen in the 1970’s. Knowing that many police officers expect sexual
favors in return for criminal immunity has haunted me my whole life.

It doesn’t end with sexual harassment. I was in an interracial
relationship in Los Angeles as a teen, and the LAPD also found a need to
hassle us endlessly. As a white girl, it was a wake-up call, regarding
the way police interact with minorities, and their interracial lovers.
When I heard ex-LAPD cop Mark Furman say during the O.J. Simpson trials,
that he routinely harassed interracial couples as a cop, I knew he was
being honest. Once I was sitting alone on a park hill in LA with my lover
at dusk, and I swear to god, we were assaulted by 3 police cars, 6 police
officers, and a helicopter with a spotlight on us. They rolled the cop
cars up onto the grass, jumped out with guns, and told us to “drop the
blanket.” We did. They searched us, they asked my black boyfriend if he
was part of gangs, clubs
when he asked what they were talking about, they
literally said, “Are you in the Black Panthers?” I was stunned. He
replied he was in the Ku Klux Klan. The police called my parents and told
them I was in a park with a black man. My parents said they knew that!
Finally, the police left. There was no crime being committed except two
interracial lovers sitting on a hill at dusk! I learned early on that
police are NOT to be trusted.

Now let’s fast-forward to 2003. Mothers, community elders and leaders,
peace activists, WWll and Vietnam vets, teenagers, grannies, all
converged on the Federal Building, to protest Bush’s Iraq war. The peace
community had obtained the proper permits for marches, and 7 days
occupation at the Federal Building plaza with a stage, sound system, etc.
Yet when we got there, we were met by lines of Seattle Police officers
anonymous in UNMARKED uniforms, with riot gear, guns that said “LESS
LETHAL” on them, machine guns (AR-15’s), helmets, shin guards, big
baseball bat sticks, and they refused to talk to people at all. Seeing
this intimidated many a protester to go home and STAY home after
Thursday. By Saturday, these hoardes of riot police acting like Robocops,
now included snipers, Federal riot squads, and police from every
surrounding county. Everyone assumed these police WANTED to riot,
INTENDED on rioting (look how they were dressed), and WERE THERE to riot.
If any other group of people showed up like that to a protest, YOU WOULD
CALL THE POLICE FOR HELP! So, only the brave continued to protest the
war, against the swarms of heavily-armed Homeland Security agents at the
Federal Building. Finally, on Saturday eve, March 22, 2003, the SPD and
Federal riot police finally got to play riot. They contained peaceful
protesters in downtown Seattle, myself included, between Marion and
Spring Streets on First Avenue, and they would not let anyone leave and
then began to beat people. I am not kidding. I was there. They would not
let us leave. They would not tell us what they wanted. And they were
angry, unidentified, violent, and beyond all law. They acted like
terrorists, I was terrified.

Then in April 2003, Tacoma Police Chief Brahm shoots himself and his
wife. Now, Tacoma is an area where police ROUTINELY harass the minority
population, and police corruption is said to be tremendous. With the
death of Brahm and his wife, in front of his own kids no less, it then
came out that Brahm had previously raped a woman, and other Tacoma Police
KNEW this. Brahm also failed TWO departmental psychological evaluations
regarding his potential promotion to police chief. And yet this guy was
promoted to Police Chief ANYWAY. Again, I have known police rape girls
and women since I was in my teens in suburban Los Angeles. This did not
shock me. The fact that Brahms cried after he raped the woman, saying he
would go to his church for help, made me even more sick. Brahsm
apologized for the rape to the woman in FRONT OF ANOTHER TACOMA COP!
Brahms raped a woman, another Tacoma Police officer KNEW he did it
because Brahms confessed IN FRONT OF THE OFFICER, and yet he continued on
as Police Chief! Then he killed himself, and his wife, because she tried
to get away from him! There were warnings all along the way and everyone
knows it. Women are simply unsafe when alone with male police officers,
is my gut feeling at this point. There is no method for checks and
balances, and this is a very, very serious problem.

Then in June 2003, the Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU) hits
Seattle, with its national convention, and Seattle rolls out the protest
carpet (<a href="http://www.nobigbrother.net">www.nobigbrother.net</A>)
to greet this secretive police organization. Again, protesters go through
the process of getting a permit for the rally and the march. Yet, again,
riot police showed up, ready to riot. Again, these police refused to wear
name tags or badges, they assaulted us anonymously, although we do have
their pictures. They used unnecessary weaponry, they beat people, they
assaulted and entrapped the crowds, not letting them leave again, on
Fifth and Madison Avenues. They drenched crowds with pepper spray and
mace, as well as shooting concussion grenades, and machine-gunning rubber
bullets from AR-15’s, into innocent crowds full of mothers, children,
attorneys, and peaceful protesters. Again, police violated the people’s
trust. Again, the police acted in a way that would have made us call
police for help, if they were not the police. And since it was police
attacking us, 911 and medics would not help us. They would not enter the
containment area, and let police beat, assault, and spray us with toxic
chemicals. Thus our need for an organized street medic squad. Like Black
Cross or BALM, in Seattle.

Rob “Los Ricos” Thaxton is an anarchist youth from Eugene, Oregon, now
serving an 8 year prison sentence for what he says was self-defense, from
a rabid Eugene cop he was afraid was going to assault him. The protest
was in 1999, it was billed as a “Reclaim the Streets” action. Now, once
again, I have witnessed with my own two eyes, the Eugene Police, in riot
gear, hyped up, out of control, attacking our youth for no damned reason,
except macho adrenaline hype without accountability. According to Mr.
Thaxton, he was “attacked by Sergeant Larry Blackwell” at the protest. He
says, “I threw a rock up in order to protect myself from an imminent
beating, and it hit Blackwell, a glancing blow to his shoulder
I was
arrested and charged with Assault II – assault with a deadly weapon.” I
agree with Philadelphia’s Insubordinate Zine, that this sounds like
self-defense to me. What is your natural reaction when any armed, angry
man charges, to assault you? What would you do? Let Sergeant Blackwell
just beat you? It is a dilemma!
(You can write Rob at Rob Thaxton #12112716, OSP 2605 State Street,
Salem, Or. 97310).

Then we saw the FTAA riots in Miami this November. The pictures coming
out of that riot resemble what I have seen in Seattle and Eugene, with
swarms of crazed police, overdressed in riotous clothing (talk about
people who come prepared and dressed to riot!), acting as if they are
contracted terrorists! Is it a coincidence that Seattle Police guided
Miami Police in their riot tactics for the FTAA protests, and it turned
out so bloody and dangerous? No, it is not. How on earth any city could
look to Seattle Police as any example of what to do RIGHT in riots is
only laughable at this point. Seattle made WORLD HISTORY due to the
extreme violence police caused at the 1999 WTO riots! It is a shameful
scar on Seattle’s past. Yet no police officers were convicted of crimes
for any of that! On Dec. 20, 2003, in the Miami Herald, it was reported
that Judge Richard Margolius, 60, a judge presiding over the cases of
FTAA protesters in court, said in open court, that he saw “no less than
20 FELONIES committed by police officers” during the demonstrations.
According to court documents, the judge was quoted as saying, ''Pretty
disgraceful what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the
police during my entire career, This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace
for the community.'' The judge said he may have to take himself off the
FTAA cases, due to neutrality issues, saying ''I probably would have been
arrested myself if it had not been for a police officer who recognized
me,'' said the judge.

Judge Margolius also said he could not recognize officers that he
knew, because ``everybody had riot gear on.'' Yeah, we have been
complaining about that in Seattle incessantly, to no avail. This covering
up of all identifiers at riots by police is very incriminating, in my
opinion. They do NOT want people to know who they are once they put on
their armor and go out, like thugs in the street, to beat people and
create mayhem and chaos. They want to be faceless robots in a crowd,
which is in direct violation of Muni Code 3.28 in Seattle, which says all
police on duty in Seattle need proper ID, at ALL times, while on duty. I
have gotten to a point of advocating MEMORIZING your local cops’ FACES,
so you can say “Hey Bob, how are the kids Betty and Jim, and your wife
Margo?” as he starts to beat you, giving him a reality check, letting him
know YOU KNOW WHO HE IS, BEFORE HE STARTS THE BEATING. In Seattle, we
have downloaded lists of all the SPD officers’ names and ranks, and we
have taken their pictures at riots, and we have begun making files of
police, with information on these police, such as their pictures, files
of repeated reported violence from certain officers, which officers spray
gases first, which officers carry the grenades, tactical vests, and AR-15
machine guns, profiles of their careers, past police conduct, etc. At
this point, we feel a need to police our police. Knowing who these cops
are, what their past behaviors have been, etc. guides us in who we should
trust or not, who we should interact with or not. Copwatch.com, <a
href="http://www.copwatch.com">www.copwatch.com</A>, has a data base of
police crimes, and those involved in the FTAA Miami protests should share
their notes there. So far, approximately 231 protesters have been charged
with crimes in Miami, but no police, as usual, are being prosecuted. I AM
SMELLING THE CORRUPT PLEA BARGAINS BREWING AT THE MIAMI PROSECUTORS’
OFFICES ALREADY. This is part of the problem of the incestuous
relationship between police and prosecutors. Prosecutors do not prosecute
their cop friends. As the judge said, it was knowing the cop that
prevented him from arrest. According to the Miami Herald, the executive
assistant to the Miami Police Chief John Timoney said, ``The chief's not
going to comment on something this vague. If the judge would like to file
a complaint with the CIP [Citizens Investigative Panel] he can do that
like any other citizen.''

Yeah, let’s talk about these supposed police accountability panels.
Seattle has one of these things too. It is called the Office for Police
Accountability (OPA). Many of us lodged complaints against the Seattle
Police for violent assaults on peaceful protesters in March and June
2003, and nothing has been done AT ALL. The set-up of the Seattle OPA is
hilarious. The Seattle Police spokesman for the OPA is barred from saying
anything critical about the Seattle Police as part of her job contract!
The OPA is not open to citizen review. There are HUGE problems of
accountability in the Seattle OPA, and I can only assume that the Miami
CIP is a joke too. We will see. If they start convicting these police for
the 20+ felonies that just one judge on the scene witnessed, maybe their
system works. But I have yet to see proper prosecution of violent
felonious police officers in the recent rash of violence on America’s
streets caused by riot police out of control, drunk on Homeland Security
powers. Yet, this problem precedes 9/11 and Homeland Security. No police,
that I know of, were prosecuted in the Seattle 1999 WTO riots that
stunned the world due to the extreme police violence!

Is this some kind of bad joke? What are we supposed to do, as peaceful
citizens, who oppose our president’s policies? Are we allowed to
peacefully protest with free speech rights in America OR NOT? NOT, seems
the consensus, lately. I am very concerned about police in America right
now. They are demonstrating repeatedly that they are totally out of
control, lacking any accountability to their own constituents, and are
violent in extreme measures, so extreme that intimidation has GOT to be
part of the motive here. Intimidation tactics to scare protesters into
staying home. Intimidation tactics that say that police have a RIGHT to
HURT YOU if you DARE protest nonviolently in American streets. Police who
KNOW they will GET AWAY WITH BEATING YOU. Police who will waive criminal
charges, if you give them head. Police who sting and pinch and scorch the
free speech rights of America off, inch by inch. I want to know how
legitimate LEGAL self-defense looks against violent cops in America. I
saw Kent State. I have seen our own military and police OPEN FIRE on
nonviolent Anti-Vietnam War protesters, killing American students for
free speech, on an American college campus, in my own life time.
Government officials have learned nothing as a society, from the civil
rights and Vietnam-era protests, apparently, regarding police and
protest. Or have they learned from those movements to scare and beat the
hell out of us BEFORE we become a powerful national movement? I assume
police will beat protesters violently at the DNC in Boston and the RNC in
NY in 2004. The Boston Area Liberation Medic Squad, <a
href="http://www.bostoncoop.net/balm">www.bostoncoop.net/balm</A>, the
BALM Squad, is holding a training in street medicine in Feb. to train
protesters in first aid, since emergency services will not help us when
assaulted by violent police. Email them at bostonmedics at riseup.net for
info.

What are my options if I am raped by, say, the Police CHIEF of Tacoma?
It happened folks, and Brahms was not prosecuted AT ALL. What are my
options if I am married to a violent Police Chief who would kill me
before he would let me leave him? Well, Brahm’s wife told the Tacoma
police she was in danger, and now she is dead. The Tacoma Police Chief
shot her to death. My sisters, more than one, had sex with police to
avoid criminal prosecution. How safe am I, as a woman, in this society,
with cops like this? Are the cops really someone I can go to for
protection from harm? Are copshops a place to go to report rape by a
police chief? And how do I defend myself from violent cops without going
to jail for 8 years like Rob Thaxton? How do we get the police review
boards to actually work for citizens, not cops? How do we get prosecutors
to charge their own buddies with the crimes they commit? This is a mess,
folks. Like Judge Margolius has said about the FTAA riots, “This was a
real eye-opener. A disgrace for the community.'' I, too, had my eyes
opened by violent Robocops on Seattle streets. Once your eyes are opened,
you never feel safe closing them near cops again.

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