After reading Loss Angeles Times article about LAPD police undercover rats mixing in and mixing it up with the black block, etc., and catching some of the rubber bullets and pepper spray amid the fracas, you got to wonder if some of these dirt bag slime were among the group throwing shit on Monday night. After all, the LAPD needed to justify all the high-tech counter-democracy weaponry that they requisitioned in the weeks prior to the DNC. Were some of these “scouts” throwing a few nice, soft plastic bottles over the fence to their buddies on the other side, thereby egging on some of the black block kids to keep it up with (the only slightly more dangerous) pieces of concrete and glass bottles? I was there, and those cops seemed fully aware of the whole scenario and comfortably practiced in the escalation of emotions that was to follow.
There has already been a great deal of speculation that the post-NBA championship pandemonium at Staples a couple months ago was significantly choreographed by LAPD undercover operatives so as to convince the LA city council that the police department needed a big budget and open hand to effectively do their business - especially with the upcoming DNC. I for one think it is quite likely that the LAPD got all they wanted in the past month and in the past days, that they, the protesters, the media, etc. everything and everybody performed just as they wanted. As at the Lakers game, the LAPD just needed a little bull-shit violence to establish a basis for confrontation - and in both cases, LAPD undercover pigs, posing as Lakers fans, black block or other protesters, initiated the violence on queue. In the LA Times article it was clear that these "scouts" obviously dug mixing it up on the ruckus side of the fence, enjoyed running from their buddies shooting the rubber bullets at them. Sick bastards!
...but i personally believe that this week was more successful than that. i have heard a few people expressing concern that there wasnt enough civil disobedience taking place on the streets. i believe that we can consider that our victory and not any sort of defeat. the LAPD is very interested in engaging in violence with "unruly" crowds & would have leapt at any opportunity to bash our skulls. the fact that around 40,000 people were capable of seizing the streets of los angeles for 5 days and raising our voices in the name of freedom is enough in itself. it is very unfortunate that the violence of monday night and the small skirmishes throughout the other days took place, but i believe that the los angeles police department feels that it did not accomplish the level of oppression that it would have liked to. we succeeded in showing the media and citizens of planet earth that the people dont need tactical weapons of urban warfare to attain our goals. we can do it peacefully & with our voices alone.
Clearly the corporate power structure is starting to sweat a little and they've ordered their police agencies to ratchet up the repression a few notches. Both sides are in an escalating situation and as our movement grows we can be sure to see even more harsh measures taken against us.
One area we've been neglecting are electronic countermeasures. Why is it, with all the technical talent within our ranks, we've allowed the opposition to communicate without interruption on their own secure radio channels? Where are the hackers when we need them?
Captain Chaos
"Where are all the hackers"? Well, to cite a police-phrase, I would say they appear to be "exercising admirable restraint" (not to mention admirable *judgment*). This particular suggestion has cropped up in comments here at least once before (that time, regarding corporate-media-broadcasts), and I'm going to repeat here what I said there : if you want to play "terrorist" -- at the expense of the credibility, message and hard work of thousands of other dedicated activists -- then you can count me out. I don't care who you are or what your agenda is. I can simply say that, even on a purely pragmatic basis, this sort of activity would merely buttress the state's "violent anarchist" propaganda-line. And I don't intend to make that lie easier for them to sell.
MDN
also : what are you going to say when the aforementioned police hold a big, nationally-televised press conference talking about, for example : the loss of 911 calls and dispatches (say, for ambulances, fire vehicles, domestic violence calls, etc)? Again, no thanks. Such a tactic would be both counterproductive and flat-out irresponsible.