posted November 24, 2003 12:00 PM            

I just returned home from Miami and some of the most harrowing experiences of my life. The feeling I had before getting on the plane to go there was frighteningly accurate. It truly was a war zone. The entire downtown of Miami was totally militarized. Riot police on every corner..they even had tanks!

The contrast to this was the activists' convergence/welcome center. It was decorated with banners that were hopeful and inspiring..that described the world we wanted to live in.. "The new global currency is LOVE" was one of my favorites. There were hundreds of young, vibrant, generous and loving people taking care of one another and organizing SO MANY different things. A healing center, a community garden in Overtown, community outreach, legal teams, media center, puppets and banners, FOOD NOT BOMBS, housing, outreach to the unions and other organizations..I was deeply amazed and inspired by what these kids -yes..the majority of them teenagers and young adults..were accomplishing.

It was extraordinarily difficult to go from an enviroment of love and acceptance and then attempt walking down the street in downtown Miami with a couple friends to simply pass out fliers and be suddenly surrounded by a herd of bicycle cops that felt the need to follow us where ever we went. I knew that the police would be attempting to intimidate and repress free speech but I didn't think they would go to the lengths they did. Three women (one of them a good friend of many in our cluster) were walking home from the convergence center on Thursday night and were surrounded by 60 cops, forced face down on the ground and kicked repeatedly and severely. They were then arrested and later released without charges. As the cops were beating them they were told by one cop, "we could kill you and nobody would know".

On Friday a group of 250 activists went to the jail to offer support to those being held as political prisoners inside. The police gave an order to disperse and most attempted to leave but the cops opened fire with their rubber bullets and pepper spray and arrested about half of them..even those who were attempting to walk away.

A hispanic man was beaten so severly by the cops that he is in the hospital with brain hemmoraging. Inside the prison, people of color and transgendered persons are being targeted for beatings, pepperspraying and sexual assault.

I am angry and grieving and emotionally drained all at the same time.
I expected violence at the hands of the cops when we were on the street and they delivered that as expected..beating and gassing peaceful protesters but I was unprepared for the violence that is taking place inside the jails at the hands of the police.

These are the people that are supposed to be protecting and serving us! I now have no doubt that many, if not most of those officers would have had no problem opening fire upon us with live ammunition. I don't think people in this country realize how precariously we teeter on the brink of being a country that murders it's own citizens for protesting in the streets.
All one needs to do to see the reality of the police state we live in is attempt to excercise your first amendment rights in the streets and it becomes painfully obvious.

posted November 24, 2003 01:09 PM            

I'm so sorry about your experiences. Sending big hugs and much healing light...

posted November 24, 2003 02:00 PM              

We don't have a hug smilie, so this one will have to do At least the heart is getting a hug. And here's a kiss too

posted November 24, 2003 06:04 PM              

I am sad that things turned so bad. Here is a hug for you {{{{{{{{{hug}}}}}}}}}

posted November 24, 2003 06:13 PM              

It saddens me to think that that's my country; every time I hear something like that it saddens me. The DC police aren't quite as harsh (at least w/ protestors...they know that there will be media coverage there), but what you've said isn't surprising.

posted November 24, 2003 07:05 PM              

Most frightening is the lack of media attention. I didn't hear it mentioned anywhere.

Hapyr, how brave you are!

posted November 25, 2003 11:51 AM            

Yes, I must say that I found it hard to believe I was still in the US at many times during the events. The actions of the Miami police are truly shameful.

"The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error"

Thank you for that quote, TINK..it bears repeating. Those guys had an insane amount of armor, you'd think they were preparing for all out war instead of just pushing around some peaceful protesters. They intended to intimidate and divide us but in fact, their ridiculous, overreactionary amounts of violence only served to bring all of the protesters closer together and strengthen our resolve to stand up in the face of injustice and repression.

posted November 25, 2003 01:21 PM            

I felt the need to post this series because I think it is important to see the people that were bearing the brunt of the police brutality. We cannot sit down while this goes on.. if we let them get away with this it will only get worse.

Nikki Hartman meditates with her prayer beads while sitting in front of a long line of Miami city riot police during a Free Trade protest in Miami, Thursday Nov. 20, 2003

here are the police aiming their rifles at eye level. Rubber bullets are classified as 'semi-lethal' weapons. Meaning if they strike a person in the head they are potentially fatal.

Nikki Hartman (see above) holds a rag to her head to stop the bleeding from a wound after being hit by a rubber bullet

posted November 25, 2003 01:47 PM              

*hugs*
*more hugs*

posted November 26, 2003 08:20 AM              

I think I am trembling.......

Pray for Peace and Light , and open the minds of the Americam people so they aren't blindly robbed of their Rights!!
If it happens to us here....it will spread all over the World in NO TIME!!!

Evil=
"The New World Order"..George Bush Sr.
"The 1000 Points of Light"( I hated that he used that word)
Just look up New World Order on Google!!

I am scared for my children......

posted November 27, 2003 05:29 PM            

Here's a really good essay about it in the meantime: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1126-08.htm

Annie,
I agree that this is almost too freaky to be real. Many times I felt like I was in a bad cop movie or somthinng..everything was soo surreal.

Not sure I believe in the whole good/evil dichotomy but I agree that those things are representative of forces that are unbalanced right now, thereby causing great destruction.

It's time to sit more heavily on the other side of the teeter-totter, so to speak before things get any more unbalanced.
This world needs more love to balance out the profusion of hate everywhere, more compassion to cure this over-whelming sense of apathy that hangs over us, cooperation to keep the competition in check and a greater understanding of the sacred interconnectedness of all things to stamp out this raging inferno of consumption that grips so many..
or atleast that's how things look from where I'm standing. It's a perspective from which it seems increasingly more people are viewing from as well, if ya ask me.

ah well..right now my mind keeps drifting to turkey and birthday cake.

posted December 05, 2003 08:15 AM              

The ACLU has denounced a classified FBI intelligence memorandum, obtained by the New York Times, which gives police detailed instructions on how to target and monitor lawful political demonstrations under the rubric of fighting terrorism.

The FBI memorandum is online at: http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=14452&c=207&MX=1055&H=0

"This bulletin confirms that the federal government is targeting innocent Americans engaged in nothing more than lawful protest and dissent. The American people deserve an explanation for what is clearly a return to the days of J. Edgar Hoover's spying tactics," said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director.

According to a front-page story in the New York Times, the memorandum was circulated to local law enforcement agencies around the country in advance of mass marches and rallies in Washington, DC and San Francisco against the U.S. occupation in Iraq.

The memorandum, the Times reports, details peaceful protest activities such as rehearsing for demonstrations, and using the Internet for activities like raising money and purchasing gas masks to defend against tear gas.

Of particular concern is one section warning law enforcement about protesters' use of videotaping as an "intimidation" technique. Most mainstream demonstrators often use videotape during protests to document law enforcement activity and, more importantly, deter police from acting outside the law.

Citing no evidence of suspected unlawful activity by the protesters, the memorandum claims that law enforcement officials, including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF), should track these lawful protest tactics.

Disturbingly, the ACLU has already seen proof that peaceful activities were being monitored by the JTTF. Documents recently obtained by the ACLU of Colorado as part of its "Spy Files" lawsuit against Denver police confirmed that the local JTTF has been collecting information about peaceful protest activities that have nothing to do with terrorism or any other criminal activity.

Read more about the FBI memorandum and the ACLU's response to it: http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=14450&c=206&MX=1055&H=0

posted December 05, 2003 12:36 PM            

The memo also says most protests and protesters are peaceful.

Illegal activities should be dealt with by police and reported to the FBI.

This is more hysterical whining by the ACLU over normal and routine police procedures. If these activities occur, the protesters should have their butts hauled off to jail and prosecuted. This is a nation of laws. There is no place in America for mob rule.

jwhop

posted December 05, 2003 04:05 PM            

It gave an advisory, much like we receive in biomedical research concerning safety measures and what to look out for concerning people falsely representing themselves in order to gain access to a person or persons.

So in the document is states to be watchful of violent organizations. It states that MOST DEMONSTRATIONS ARE PEACEFUL, but to be mindful of those violent protestors that communicate via cell phone and gain illegal access to building by providing false identification. It instructs that "Extremist elements may engage more aggressive tacits such as vandalism, physical harrassment of delegates, trespassing, formation of human shields, barricades...etc..." Whereas it condones normal / "traditional" protesters that march, use banners or conduct sit-ins.

They did not state 'Hurt, maim, beat, attack any protester" There was nothing in their about using tactics AGAINST protesters but it does serve as a warning of what to look out for regarding the extremists.

I'm sorry, but I see nothing wrong with being warned. Infact, I do not see the difference between this kind of warning and a warning pointing out violent protesters at an abortion clinic or a potential watch on a criminal in a region.

Please show me where I misunderstood the part about tracking law abiding citizens performing legal demonstrations.

By the way, I am totally FOR protesting for your rights and views. I have nothing again lawful protests in any way, whether it is against a church, abortion clinic, animal research facility or so forth.