by charles amsellem
Tuesday, Mar. 04, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Even a minor incident of police harrassment could be a prelude to something major.
I used to be affiliated with the los angeles indymedia center. I have done many cartoons for this and other indymedia websites.
A little more than an hour ago, I was badgered by an LAPD police officer in uniform. I walked into a local restaurant and proceeded to enjoy my meal as best I could with two police officers across the room. I made no eye contact and did nothing unusual and made no kind of fuss of any kind. I did not behave in any unusual manner whatsoever.
There was a black police officer and a caucasian. The black officer did nothing out of the ordinary throughout the entire incident. He also did not ask the caucasian to leave me alone.
The cacasian acted belligerently when I refused to interact with him. I merely ignored him. I didnt say anything at all in response to his rudeness. After I refused to respond to his insistent tone to interact with him, he stated, "Thanks for saying that." I repeat that I made no comment or statement whatsoever to either police man.
That phrase has been a code word in the past that extreme harrassment and torture will follow. I have been subjected to extreme harrassment and torture by the police in the past and that is one reason, among many, that I refuse to interact with them. The abuses where instigated to prevent me filing official complaints against my employers and the corrupt police officials that participated in my marginalization and censorship of my artworks.
I made no agressive statement nor communicated any threat, nor behaved threateningly, nor gave the police any excuse whatsoever to make aggressive overtures to me.
This incident, on its own, is too minor to make any official complaint to IAD, not that that would get me anywhere even if it was significant enough, as IAD doesnt do a good job of containing police brutality. There are other agencies, such as Amnesty International, and various legal workshops that could help me if I am subjected to further abuse. And a collection of such incidents does constitute harrassment.
The licence plate on the black and white is 1264492. This incident took place minutes before 3:20 PM on March 03 2008.