need credible examples of people being assaulted/imtimidated for protest

[CanuckAmok]

I'm in a conversation with someone who doesn't agree that people who wear masks at peace dems are not necessarily there to commit crimes.

My argument is that people are wearing bandannas, etc because they are worried about reprisals from people in their communities/workplace causing them harm for being anti-the war.

Is there any hard evidence that this has ever happened? I need a credible examples, not "well my sister-in-law's grocery clerk looked harshly at her when she saw her peace button".

Anyone?

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. You are arguing with someone who thinks people go to peace protests to

commit crimes?

That doesn't make sense. Which part of PEACE does this person not understand?

[CanuckAmok]

5. yeah, yeah....

Believe me, I understand the irony of this argument.

But....

this guy has an arguable position in that some participants in anti-war activism commit violent acts (the Battle in Seattle being a prime example, even tough it wasn't an anti-war demonstration).

This stems from a conversation in which he argued that masked protesters at yesterday's Portland protest were there to disrupt the downtown core, and that the few arrest that did occur are examples of this.

Basically this is a freeper I've got pinned on another board. I've bested him on several points, and have even managed to change his position on several issues.

I could save his soul, with your help. Hallelujah!

[ConsAreLiars]

8. If you want to check further into the actual facts of the wonderful WTO events

go to: http://www.seattle.gov/wtocommittee/

The pigs, directed by Republican (now congresspunk) Reichert, turned widespread civil disobedience and a few acts of petty vandalism into an excuse to exercise mass violations of civil rights. The city eventually paid big bucks for those crimes, but the model for suppressing a popular uprising was tested there, including declaring certain areas as of the city as essentially under martial law and "no speech" zones. Carrying a sign (at least a pro people one - not sure about an "I love WTO" would have bveen handled) within a certain area was declared to be illegal. And so on. See the video at http://www.thisisdemocracy.org/ for more info.

Edit to add: There are lots of examples of people being brutalized and busted for speaking out against power. Don't buy the corporate media spin on that bit of our history.

[niyad]

2. how about this? colo springs police rough up a 65-year old peace protestor

http://www.newsblab.com/blabbingmikesblog/nfblog/

oh, and here is the article about it from our local, ultra-conservative, reichwing rag (by the way, this is the SAME police department that teargassed peace protestors on 15 february 2003, the only city in the world to do so, apart from thessalonia, where, we hear, the protestors were supposedly throwing rocks at the police. NOT the situation here either time)

Parade turns into a clash with police
By BRIAN NEWSOME AND R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE
March 18, 2007 - 12:56AM


Seven war protesters who tried to march in Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Colorado Springs were accused of refusing to cooperate with police and arrested. One of them was injured as she was dragged off the road.

Police halted about 45 people with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission just steps into the parade where it began at Tejon and St. Vrain streets. They wore green shirts with peace signs and carried signs that read “Kids Not Bombs” and “End This War Now.”

The group had a permit to march under the name of The Bookman, a business owned by commission chairman Eric Verlo. But when parade organizers saw their anti-war signs, they asked police to prevent them from proceeding.
Although most cooperated, some in the group sat in the road, police and bystanders said.
. . . . . .

Elizabeth Fineron, 65, suffered a leg injury from being dragged off the road. She requested to be taken to the hospital, said Sgt. David Whitlock, a public information officer. Fineron was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Fineron could not be reached for comment Saturday night.

The anti-war group began circulating photos Saturday afternoon showing Fineron being dragged away with her pants ripping and a bruised welt showing. Other photos showed a police officer pointing a Taser gun — no target was visible in the picture — and an officer with his arm around a man’s neck.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Same person you had the discusion over our

ahem liberal media? Hope the list helped

[RagingInMiami]

4. Google the words

"Miami" and "police" and "FTAA" and you will have more than enough examples. It wasn't exactly a peace demonstration, but it was a peaceful demonstration until Miami police started bashing heads.

Fuck Miami Police.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. Here's something Canuck....

Eyewitness accounts of Freep attacks on anti-war protestors saturday:

http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/2007/03/peaceful-protesters-threatened-and.html

This isn't the same, it's about the police using pepper spray directly into the held open eyes of protestors

http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9710/31/pepper.spray.update/index.html

[alphafemale]

7. They've pepper sprayed babies

We brought our children to a peaceful protest, we stayed in the back and we were walking on the sidewalk. The march stopped at the intersection of 2nd and Alder we could not see why from our position on the SW corner of the intersection. Police quickly moved up behind us and a moment or two later sprayed pepper spray into the crowd from the NE corner of the intersection. the crowd ran toward us to escape the spray. We asked the officer closest to us how we should exit the intersection. He pointed and said to exit to the NE, into the spraying police opposite him. as the crowd pressed toward us I yelled to him to let us through (south on 2nd) because we had three small children. He looked at me, and drew out his can from his hip and sprayed directly at me. I was at an angle to him and the spray hit my right eye and our three year-old who I was holding in my right arm. In the same motion he turned the can on my wife who was holding our 10 month old baby and doused both of their heads entirely from a distance of less than 3 feet. my six year old daughter was holding my left hand and was not hit directly. We ended up on the sidewalk a few feet down alder with fellow protesters holding my screaming children and and pouring water on our eyes. Someone yelled that the police had said that we could pass through the cordon on alder with the children. I picked up the baby and other protesters brought my wife and other children to the police line. We attempted to pass through but they leaned in shoulders to block us. I yelled at them to let us pass for about two minutes and finally some officer up the line nodded me and the baby through. they were not going to let my wife and other children out but after a few minutes of pleading from the crowd and another signal from up the line they let them out. As we passed the officers were laughing and said something to the effect of "thats why you shouldn't bring kids to protests".

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2002/08/18010.shtml



And another source for the same incident.

Demonstrations' final bill written: $545,000 for protesters' attorneys
The Oregonian - Thursday, May 19, 2005

A federal judge orders the city to pay legal fees in a suit saying police used excessive force during 2002 and 2003 confrontations

"This is a vindication of the people who protested against the war," Graf said . "People who protested should feel free to come back to the streets."

One of the plaintiffs, Don Joughin, said police pepper-sprayed him after refusing to let him and his children leave the area of the demonstration. Pepper spray got into the eyes of his 10-month-old son.

"It's not the way it's supposed to be in this country," said Joughin, a carpenter.

http://www.nwcrc.org/Oregonian_05192005.htm

Hit "post" before I was done.

[sam sarrha]

9. i will never forget the Thugs holding the womens eyelids open and spraying at 1 INCH into their eyes

[sam sarrha]

10. and people dont think that the Fascists cant establish martial law. there r way too many psychopaths

[alphafemale]

11. Yet - I do say that bandanna "wearing" is off-putting...AND

every protester should be sure to never have a bandanna at hand. AND you must not carry vials of water and vinegar or other fluids. :D

[fed-up]

12. Oakland a few years ago-war protest rubber bullets/bean bags

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?archiveDate=04-08-03&storyID=16421

Violence Erupts At Oakland Port; Protesters Hurt

By ANGELA ROWEN (04-08-03)

At least a dozen anti-war protesters and six longshoremen were injured Monday morning when Oakland police fired wooden dowels, bean bags and other less lethal weapons at a group picketing at the Oakland port.
More than 500 protesters gathered around 6 a.m. at the entrances to APL and Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), two shipping corporations that have military-related U.S. government contracts. Protesters said APL, an Oakland-based company, ships military cargo to Iraq. Seattle-based SSA won a $4.8 million contract last month to handle the aid cargo arriving at the Umm Qasr seaport in Iraq.

Anti-war activists said Monday’s demonstration was aimed at highlighting the connection between corporate profits and the U.S. war in Iraq. It was held concurrently with demonstrations at the Concord Naval Weapons Station and in San Francisco, where demonstrators picketed in front of the federal building and blocked an off-ramp from Interstate 280.

Most of the injured were shot in the back of the body and treated for bruises and lacerations. At least one protester was hit in the face.




sorry don't have time to find the story with the pics