Friday, Aug. 18, 2000



Convention Activists Protest LAPD



LOS ANGELES (AP) - For the thousands of demonstrators who came

to the Democratic National Convention to press their causes, the

last day on the streets ended simply: No shoving, no rubber bullets

and no arrests.



After a final festive march from the convention site to the jail

where nearly 200 of their number had been booked over the previous

week, they simply turned around and went home early Friday.



``This resistance is not going to die out,'' said a masked woman

who identified herself as ``Dandelion,'' a member of the loose-knit

anarchist group known among protesters as the ``black bloc.''



``This may be the last day of the Democratic convention, but the

revolution has just begun.''



Outside the jail, another masked anarchist tried to urge

protesters to continue blocking the street. ``Are we just going to

go home and watch our TVs?'' he asked.



Most ignored him as the crowd melted away down side streets

under the watchful eye of hundreds of riot-gear-clad police

officers.



Police also declared victory.



Chief Bernard Parks, shaking hands with a line of officers after

the marchers departed, said the department met its goals. He said

his troops kept the city safe, made sure the convention wasn't

disrupted and allowed citizens to exercise their First Amendment

right to protest.



``I think they did a wonderful job,'' Parks said of his

officers. ``Tactically, it's textbook.''



Some 2,500 protesters had converged outside the convention at

the downtown Staples Center on Thursday as Vice President Al Gore

accepted the party's presidential nomination. They denounced the

two-party system as a sham, and called for action on causes as

diverse as animal rights, the environment and the plight of

immigrant workers during a convention they said was dominated by

corporate interests.



Unlike a similar gathering Monday night that erupted in

violence, this demonstration ended quietly. As the convention shut

down after Gore's acceptance speech, the protesters set out on

their last march to the jail some 2 1/2 miles away.



The total number of arrests for the week and the preceding

weekend was 192, according to police. Most were for misdemeanors,

and 40 of the cases were dismissed by the time the delegates headed

for their hotels.



Also Thursday, officials acknowledged that police had undercover

officers among the protesters.



Those officers provided valuable information during a tense

standoff outside the convention center on Wednesday evening, Police

Commission Vice Pesident Raquelle de la Rocha said. The officers

passed the word that black-clad anarchists had decided against

causing trouble because of the large police presence, she said.



Undercover officers also warned that a group of animal-rights

activists in the downtown business district intended to cause

mischief in a McDonald's, she said. Police arrested the group.

Nowhere does this article mention that the police had to back off from their pre-convention thuggishness only because strong ACLU intervention. Do two police riots count as "textbook" behavior? Make me wonder if cops get training in how to riot: that's a textbook I'd like to see. "Chapter 1: Hit everyone. Chapter 2: Shoot everyone. Chapter 3: Panic makes perfect."

And I love the praise of undercover cops. That's just ducky.

Thanks to the finkish AP for another pack of lies.

I was curious if anyone saw it mentioned in the news.

AP: "anarchists had decided against causing trouble because of the large police presence"

Interpretation: Lot's of cops=no destruction=good. This sets a bad precedent and I don't need to tell you why. I wonder how many newspapers picked up the wire story and who's audience is now even more supportive a large police contingency for demonstrations?

AP: "officers also warned that a group of animal-rights activists..intended to cause mischief in a McDonald's, she said. Police arrested the group."

Something to think about: Since when is taking about "mischief" a crime? What was the group planing that justifies arresting them before they took an action?