Long Beach May Day 2001 Legal Update 5/06/01

Recap: Last Tuesday May 1st 100 people were arrested in Down Town Long Beach at the Southern California Carnival Against Capital; Approximately 75 of those arrested were adults, the other 25 were juveniles. The original charges placed against the majority of those arrested were Felony Conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor. The misdemeanor charges ranged from failure to disperse to provoking a riot.

Casualties of the Class War: The participants in the carnival against capital sustained many injuries. Rubber bullet and bean bag shotguns were fired from as close a 3 feet away into peoples backs. Many had severe rubber bullet wounds. One individual had a hole blown thru his jeans and several rubber bullets imbedded inches into his leg. There was also one broken arm, one broken elbow, and many broken and hyper-extended fingers and wrists.

Yesterday, Saturday May 5 after a court support network meeting we learned that there are still 4 adult males being held in custody at Twin Towers County Jail in Down Town Los Angeles. One of these prisoners is being held in INS detention and is facing possible deportation. The other three males are facing serious assault charges and are being held on bail ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 dollars. In addition to these 4 people, there are also 8 John Doe prisoners who may or may not still be in jail at Twin Towers. There is also still one Juvenile being held.

The first set of arraignments was held last Thursday, May 5. Of those arraigned some had their conspiracy charges dropped and some did not. The Long Beach Police Department harassed and intimidated court support people and confiscated all writing utensils (pens and paper). In addition, the LBPD arrested a court support participant for truancy.

The next arraignments will be held Wednesday May 11, Thursday May 12, and Friday May 13 at the Down Town Long Beach courthouse. We are asking for a large showing of support at court on these days.

So far all defendants have plead not guilty!

What we need: The main thing that we can use right now from people from around the country is monetary support. We need bail bond money for the prisoners still being held and we need to develop a legal defense fund for future court/legal costs. We can also use any referrals of criminal defense lawyers.

Please send any donations to the:

Long Beach May Day 2001 Support Fund:

PO. BOX 424

996 Redondo Ave

Long Beach, CA 90804

LBmaydayfund@disinfo.net

For general Information please call (562) 437-4040

the dates for the upcoming arraignments are actually wednesday may 9th, thursday may 10th, and friday may 11th. i believe that there are also some pre-trial hearings on the 9th.

also, if you were arrested and have not given us a statement, been to a meeting, or otherwise been in touch with the people who are co-ordinating court solidarity, CONTACT US PLEASE!!! email mayday@libertad.ucsd.edu . check with your friends who were arrested too to see if they are in touch with us, ok?? thanks!

Sympathies from au.I saw one brutal racist P.I.G exposed in a sting op.that was at long beach.More than a few bad apples A?Try and get as much information on the worst of the worst.

There is already a peoples contract out on officer mark davies at riverside.(dead man walking)

Down the track,sue the mutherfucking PD to high hell,they cant afford all their weapons if they are bankrupt.

And when the bones heal we will make our bones.

Its gonna be a long hot summer,think sting,exposure and LA riots nationwide.The amerikkkan civil war has begun.

Power to the people.Viva anarki,VIVA!

Hey guys, I think you should know that there is little chance of receiving pro bono (free) legal assistance at this point because of the lack of public knowledge about your organization and its philosophies. There is a possibility that a civic-minded law student may come forward to advise your group, and I wish to hell I was a law student right now. As for future demonstrations I suggest preplanted media representation and video documention like there is, reportedly, of the Long Beach demonstration, and the absence of weapons, as the Right to Assemble is only afforded to those who are peaceful and non-violent. I'm not saying you were wrong, I'm just giving you the straight dope. No Judge is going listen to a group who throws rocks and/or bottles at cops. You guys know as well as I do our police don't even need a reason to beat down demonstrators in the first place.

As for your comrades who are unable to post bail, my heart goes out to them, and I think there is an organization of Anarchists in the Bay area who are funded and possibly willing to help. I'll get back to you on their name and contact info. Also I was wondering if you were aware of the necessity to use legal avenues such as the ACLU, petitions, and letter writing to your city councilmen to further your cause. If for whatever reasons you are either ineligible to gain this type of support because of any illegal actions on your part, or you are opposed to this type of action on principle, you need to get used to the idea of being thrown in jail and staying there until you are tried in court. Our system does not respond well to what they percieve as chaos.

I wish you the best and will continue to monitor the events in your case as they unfold. I would like to offer my support by way of pursuing the civil rights violation angle, with my physical presence at the LB Courthouse and by researching the ACLU and any other helpful academic ammunition I can uncover. I'll keep in touch.

Whoa, there, kid...back up some. Allow me to stop laughing at your overzealous declaration of war....The recent growth in Anti-Capatalist demonstrations, while very important, are not even close to reaching the numbers of people needed to revolt. (Though the possibilty of more Riots in LA is a reasonable prediction...Angelenos riot if they win a Pro Sports Championship) But really, if we act out with chaotic violence do you think George W. would hesitate to deploy heavy artillery in order to stop us? Is there a secret bunker of weaponry in Oregon that I am unaware of, waiting for us so we may take up arms against our government? Just back it up...we've only begun. We are so far from overthrowing our government, I can't even imagine what would have to transpire for we anarchists to obtain the people-power needed for such a thing. We haven't even had mainstream media coverage yet, fer christ's sake!

Unless you know something I don't, the cause of human rights is nowhere near the battlefield.

And another thing, for those of you out there who promote violent action, might I suggest you carry out your attacks as secretly as possible? I still think Big Brother will crush you with hardly an effort, but you might at least TRY to avoid incarceration. Might I suggest you think, PERIOD? Gets things done, thinking does. You're no good in jail or dead, right?

You kids kill me! Prepare for a civil war this year? Talk about jumping the gun!

As I understand it there is video footage of the May Day Demonstration. This is key evidence that should clarify the actual circumstances of the upheaval. It may not feature all of those arrested, but it is VERY IMPORTANT! The people facing charges should tell their Public defender or private attorney of this evidence, but MAKE A COPY before the tape is subpoenad by either the defense or the prosecution. Those of you out on bail right now should try to view the footage to see if they show up on the tape or not, so HEADS UP to the people who have video. My guess is a lot of the charges won't stick, but anyone who at any point struck a police officer, be prepared to be indicted, and take the god damn plea bargain if it is offered (unless you have retained a private lawyer who can assure you that going to trial is better). Juveniles...I'm thinking probation, unless you have a prior record, esp. one of violence.

I've been racking my brain trying to reason out whether or not claims of police brutality should be made. I'm leaning toward NO, unless there is video documentation of unecessary force. Cops are rarely held responsible for violently dispersing a 'hostile' crowd, especially in this town.

For those unable to post the exorbinant bails, your lawyer is able to call for a hearing to 'reconsider bail.' If anyone knows what evidence/testimony was given by the DA to warrant such high bails, and you consider it to have been exaggerated or there exists proof to refute it, try and contact the people still locked up to pass along this info. Also, if you know the name of the incarcerated individual, some persistent phone calling will reward you with the name of the public defender assigned to him or her, in order to keep tabs on the defendent.

As I said, there will be cause for many of the charges to be dropped. For first time offenders, there will be opportunities to plea bargain. All should be prepared to at least come out with probation and a record. If you are sincere in your committment to civil disobedience, get used to being arrested. The more non-violent your actions, of course, the less you have to worry about in the way of jail sentencing. There will be FINES in every case unless all charges agianst you are dropped.

Getting info from the court and jail houses can be very trying so you must be persistent and willing to call every god damned department in the county before you reach the person you need to talk to.

I suggest all those who plan to be at the courthouse, inside or out, be on their best behavior. It is not yet appropriate to demonstrate in front of the courthouse, and you may be sealing the fate of your fallen comrades. Remember, if you plan a life of civil disobedience, you're going to have to learn to deal with the judicial system. I'm sure most of you already know this. MORE IMPORTANTLY do not be discouraged that police action was taken, or think that your demonstration days are over. Some people can't even count how many times they were tossed into the paddy wagon. I don't think there's been a demonstration in 3 years that wasn't violently dispersed by the COPS. EXPECT THIS!

Oh, yeah...try and take a crayon into the courtroom next time. If this is also not allowed then I'll be god damned.

See 'Bulletin Board' for info on the American Civil Liberties Union. Infringements upon the 1st Amendment right to Assembly/Protest is their favorite cause.

I mentioned before it may not be a wise move to bring up the issue of police brutality. If you feel you are being strongly represented by your attorney, by all means, file charges against the LBPD...especially if you have won the support of the ACLU.

As long as we're giving out advice here, this 37 year old May Day protester who is definitely not a "kid" has some suggestions:

Prosecute the police as much as you can! I was there, and it was definitely blatant police brutality on everyone. The more you cost the police, the less likely they are to do the same in the future.

Have yourself named as co-counsel on the case (like being co-attorney), especially if you have a Public Defender. Co-counsel allows you to be in all the private talks between attorneys and judges. Don't let attorneys you can't fully trust meet in secret and discuss your life without your input.

Don't plea bargain or take any probation or any of that shit. Stand up for your rights. Don't lie and say you are guilty when you're not. Take a short jail sentence over a long probation if at all possible. Probation gives police the right to raid your home whenever they want, requires you to be drug tested, and can include conditions like not being able to attend protests or associate with anarchists for a number of years. Spending time in jail can be good. Work with prisoners to obtain justice in prison. Just because you're in jail doesn't mean you can't still fight the struggle.

Protest at the courthouse as much as possible. On jury selection day, hand out information to potential jurors as they arrive on the situation and police brutality, and inform them that they can choose their conscience and don't have to be bound by the law and forced to convict. If it's morally wrong to be persecuted like this, jurors can say not guilty. In the early days of the USA, people often protested in front of, or took over courthouses where people were being unjustly prosecuted.

Don't follow any advice, including mine, without knowing what you are doing. But I know my fellow comrades, not "kids," are smart enough to know this.

Revolt or Die!

Anonymous:

I certainly meant no disrespect in using the word "kid" to address any May Day demonstrators...old habit...and one of my most common terms of endearment. So check yourself! As for what advice I gave, I should have drawn the line between what was good advice for the young man who contacted me with questions, who was arrested while taking no part in the protest, and what is good advice for those directly involved. One of the things I was counting on was more legal specifics so I could give this young man an educated guess as to what he should expect. As one who has been wrongfully incarcerated for 7 weeks in LA County Jail, I thought I might help. Should I apologize for reaching out? I was not there, so cut me a little slack "anonymous," input was requested. I responded. Throw me a fuckin' bone, man. I'm not on the opposing side, after all. If the consensus of those arrested is to carry out the upcoming court proceedings with unrelenting and vocal protest, I say you absolutely have a case, a god damned important one. Meanwhile calm your narrow ass down! THe young man i was consulting was not prepared to face the very serious criminal charges he now faces, and was quite nervous. Input and support was requested, after all, by one of your "comrades." I have no problem that you and possibly everyone else involved don't consider my advice as reasonable. But if it was a call to launch a volatile civil rights suit, why wasn't that said in the first place? Then I wouldn't have needed to hesitate or wait for an update from someone who could clarify things for me. I know a violation of the first amendment when I see one. Your anger astounds me, whoever you are...

Well, you people, having now brushed up on what the BLack BLoc is all about, I can assume nothing I said means shit to your cause. Something tells me you all already know how to stage a revolt, don'tcha?

i was led to believe the young man who was so frightened as he sought my advice was not affiliated with the BB marchers, though I just found out he is, indeed. You can dig that, can't you? I get an email from a scared young man, who hasn't the first clue about judicial proceedings, so I tell him what he should do. I shouldn't have assumed his behavior was representative of the majority. And he shouldn't have misled me, but I s'pose he was all shook up after being thrown in jail.

But i seem to have offended the delicate sensibilities of Ms. Anonymous a.k.a. Revolt or Die! who is undoubtedly Anarchy personified.

Clue: If you want to effect civic change, don't alienate people who support you with snide comments as Ms. Revolt has. From what I have now read of the BB, I am wholly impressed. If you don't think that's worth anything, why don't you take a head count of average citizens who wish to support you. Not too good, is it?

I wish you all the best of luck and I will stay on top of events in which I may be able to be at least one more body present. I ain't afraid of no god damn riot squad, either.

Hey Mama C! Just so you know, not all of us are angry young suburbanites who can't appreciate someone else's opinion. Thanks for taking the time to do what you think is right. That is the point of anarchy. That everyone do what is right by them and not to fall under the rubric of some heavy handed authoritarian. Rhetoric is all fine and good, but each individual is capable of making some good points as you did. I know what the average joe schmo thinks of us. I also keep in perspective that the average anarchist is full of fire and often doesn't know where to point it. Happens to me quite frequently. Some of them haven't even looked into why Monsanto needs to go down or what the actually wording of the current proposed energy bills are. Everybody is a work in progress. For you and everyone else, just remember fight for what you believe and ask if you can believe in what you fight for.

Educate to Erradicate...Refuse, Resist, Revolt!

Fuck, some of you people are so stupid with your complaints upon anarchists. The fucker who wrote before was unbelievable. "Some anarchists dont even know the exact wording on the energy bills" or some shit like that. WHO THE FUCK CARES? I dont even perpetuate electric energy, the whole california energy 'crisis' is one long joke to me, and im laughing all the way through. i cant wait for it to happen everywhere. As for 'MAMA', yr comments are ridiculous. Why do you even fucking care how one person decides to make announcements?? For yr information, this is a fucking war. but maybe you wouldnt understand that if you werent out there. You talk about all this shit about big brother, when you really know as much shit as the rest of us. Realize something: we're fucking strong, this isnt the end, this isnt the beginning. its all coming down one day. does that mean until the exact minute it does come down, all of this is not a war?? fuck yr self-important rhetoric. get out on the fucking streets and start picking off pigs one by one by one.

This is amazing. First we have Mr. Profrr, who has been posting absurd things on IMC's all over the world and has brought a subpoena to one of them. Then we have Revolt or Die, who sends insults at someone who tried to help. Sure, I don't like the use of the word "kids" either, but if we're going to work together, we don't denounce each other, okay? Then this "exit" person starts telling people to "off pigs" one by one, suggesting useless violent bravado (and probably attracting even more police attention to this site).

Can people drop the ridiculous rhetoric and try to build a movement, please? Our numbers are not big--we need to be recruiting allies, not pushing them away and not posing as if militant words will bring a revolution. A small cell that considers itself revolutionary but has little or no popular support is far more likely to be smashed than to "inspire" serious revolt--look at what happened with Weather in the late Sixties and early Seventies. Rallies in the tens of thousands are great, but they're honestly not that big. Without numbers, we're not going to get too far, however revolutionary we want to act like we are.