8/15/00


L.A.

police defend swift crackdown on protest - Updated 7:46 PM

ET August 15, 2000 - Civil liberties groups threatened

to sue the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday, saying it shot innocent

people in the back with rubber bullets as they peacefully left a Democratic

Convention protest, but the city's top cop said he felt good about police

actions.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/elect2000/pres/demconven/graphics/lapdeurocopter.jpg">


triphere

The Reuters story, the first link I believe, is great. It's objective, allows both sides to speak, and reports things as they were with remarkable detail.

In contrast, the CNN story has their usual slant, with every mention of the Monday night police action revolving around phrases like 'the post-hardrock melee' or misleading explanations like 'police, under a hail of heavy concrete chunks, defended themselves with teargas Monday. Soon after the crowd dispersed.'

There were mistakes made by both sides. A small group of our people were throwing things at officers. This is sure to provoke the police, we know it will. Signs and puppets provoke police, let alone hurled objects. The signs on the fence were cool though, and the men mounting the fence to plant the black flag were such an inspirational sight, it's no wonder the mainstream media show no pictures of it. So, a minority of our number did do things to provoke police. They threw plastic bottles, and pieces of cement.

In turn, the police could have reacted to the threat, instead of the crowd. Very easily they could have come on stage, stated that the group by the fence had been throwing rocks or debris, and that this potential threat to police would force them to arrest those people or shut down the concert, something they didn't want to do. (Even if they wanted to, just saying they didn't would have bought them some good PR) At that point either the problems would have stopped, or the police would have had a valid reason to shut down the concert.

Nothing could justify spraying rubber bullets into the backs a fleeing crowd. That's just vile, and makes the police look like the jack-booted pigs so many of our number say that they are.

Let's don't get into second-guessing games about what the cops should have done or could have done at Monday's concert. The simple truth of the matter is that they don't belong at the concert AT ALL. They were there solely to conduct political repression and they came equipped to riot. Think about all the concerts that happen everyday in our communities. Think about all of the church picnics and family reunions and other meetings that demonstrate freedom of association. Do the cops show up at these events with riot gear, rubber bullets, and high tech weaponry? No.

The blame for the violence this week rests squarely on the shoulders of the police. They are a gang of murderous thugs who should be thrown out of our communities. It's a shame that their desire to show how powerful they are have cast a pall on a week of creative, effective protests.

Chuck0

www.infoshop.org

They like reporting about violence and arrests. It sure is a lot more fun than bothering to figure out what those kids are shouting about.