A preliminary draft report by the Miami-Dade Independent Review Panel on the conduct of police during the FTAA meeting shows that "Demonstrators who came to Miami to protest during November's Free Trade Area of the Americas conference are due ''heartfelt apologies'' because they were met by the equivalent of ''martial law.'' In some cases, police reacted with an ''unrestrained and disproportionate use of force'' and ``civil rights were trampled.''
Since the chief of police John Timoney was instrumental in the tactics used during the Republican Convention in Philadelphia during 2000 and has been consulted with by both major political parties and host cities law enforcement organs for 2004. There can only be more repression and illegal "pro-active" detentions and harrassment by both local and federal law enforcement officers of Americans who are willing to exercise their rights under the first amendment.
The officials of each city, Boston and New York, have not issued any protest permits yet.
What has been the case over the years has been massive law enforcement of over-response to people who want to use their rights to assembly and expression. With the utilization of reporters being embedded in law enforcement units ala the US military operations in Iraq there is the real danger that only one side of the argument will be heard- the establishment point of view. What has happened in Iraq is that non-embedded reporters were targeted by coalition forces because those reporters were not part of "the establishment" and therefore "fair game" for military units, and such "justifications" are now being used by such law enforcement officials such as John Timoney. The targeting of non-embedded journalists has been documented by such news programs as "Now with Bill Moyers".
The counterconvention at the RNC 2004 in New York city has been in the planning stages for the last six months. A permit to use Central Park was recently turned down by Mayor Bloomberg because 250,000 people would "trample and damage" the flora of the park. How many Coloradoans will be going to the counterconvention in NYC?
There was a large contingent of Coloradoans that went to the March for Women's Lives. The lives of women who are low income and of a minority will continue to be further degraded by this administration and its Republican allies in the legislature and judiciary branches if there is another four years. I believe that using these huge publicity platforms like the RNC 2004 can be effective in getting the message out that the policies is a threat to the quality of life for many Americans.
BTW- I'll be hosting the open mic poetry event at Oh My Goddess this Sunday. Come on down and read or listen.
Since the chief of police John Timoney was instrumental in the tactics used during the Republican Convention in Philadelphia during 2000 and has been consulted with by both major political parties and host cities law enforcement organs for 2004. There can only be more repression and illegal "pro-active" detentions and harrassment by both local and federal law enforcement officers of Americans who are willing to exercise their rights under the first amendment.
The officials of each city, Boston and New York, have not issued any protest permits yet.
What has been the case over the years has been massive law enforcement of over-response to people who want to use their rights to assembly and expression. With the utilization of reporters being embedded in law enforcement units ala the US military operations in Iraq there is the real danger that only one side of the argument will be heard- the establishment point of view. What has happened in Iraq is that non-embedded reporters were targeted by coalition forces because those reporters were not part of "the establishment" and therefore "fair game" for military units, and such "justifications" are now being used by such law enforcement officials such as John Timoney. The targeting of non-embedded journalists has been documented by such news programs as "Now with Bill Moyers".
The counterconvention at the RNC 2004 in New York city has been in the planning stages for the last six months. A permit to use Central Park was recently turned down by Mayor Bloomberg because 250,000 people would "trample and damage" the flora of the park. How many Coloradoans will be going to the counterconvention in NYC?
There was a large contingent of Coloradoans that went to the March for Women's Lives. The lives of women who are low income and of a minority will continue to be further degraded by this administration and its Republican allies in the legislature and judiciary branches if there is another four years. I believe that using these huge publicity platforms like the RNC 2004 can be effective in getting the message out that the policies is a threat to the quality of life for many Americans.
BTW- I'll be hosting the open mic poetry event at Oh My Goddess this Sunday. Come on down and read or listen.
posted by Ken at 8:31 AM
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