No subject

pepper-sprayed children
by Don Joughin
8:51pm Sat Aug 24 '02
(Modified on 10:13pm Sat Aug 24 '02)

This is an open letter describing our experience and an
urgent call to action. First and foremost I want to
thank from the bottom of my heart the kind human beings
who helped my children, my wife and me after we were
pepper sprayed by the Portland Police.

We were aided immediately by fellow demonstrators, the
black cross and passers-by caught in the crossfire.
These people shielded us with their bodies and soothed
us with their treatments and words, and argued with
police, putting themselves in danger, to secure our
safe passage through the cordon. Their actions stand in
beautiful contrast to the savage inhumanity of the
police.

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 "that's why you shouldn't
bring kids to protests". I immediately called 911 as we
moved up to the corner of 3rd and alder. I explained
that a baby had been directly pepper sprayed and that I
needed an ambulance. They informed me that they would
not send one and that all protesters were to report to
a first aid tent on the other side of the police lines.
Fellow protestors aided us until Black Cross arrived.

Business people brought water from the nearby offices
and someone bought some juice for the children. Two
KBOO staffers drove up in their Volvo and took us to
Emmanuel ER. One of the protestors who had helped us
from the beginning accompanied us to the hospital and
waited with us until the kids were admitted (special
thanks!).

The children were examined for respiratory problems and
chemical burns. Luckily all were only suffering
"normal" pepper spray reactions that have no treatment
but to wait. The Pediatrician kept us a little longer
so that she could call poison control to check for
other recommended procedures as she had never in her
career seen an infant pepper spray victim. On the way
to the E.R. my three year old said that those guys back
there were trying to get us and said we should call the
police. That is the story.

============================================================================
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2002 21:52:11 -0500
From: Jeff Moebus <jgmoebus at bellsouth.net>

  ("No one will believe you."
  "That is exactly as it is meant to be."
  Salavi laughed.
  "But tell them anyway.  Tell them once.
  Then tell them they have been told and leave."

  -  The Vision of Salavi
         Chichimeca story from ancient Mexico
         as related by Captain Paul Watson,
         Sea Shepherd Conservation Society)

The Coup of September 11, 2001
is a success.

All near-term tactical and strategic objectives
have been achieved.

The search for the truth
about The Event that day ---

     what actually happened...
     how it happened...
     who made it happen...
     who let it happen...

was diverted within hours
of the collapse of the North Tower,
quietly aborted, and
ultimately abandoned.

The People have been rendered
"comfortably numb"
as they embrace, resource, and surrender
to the architects, engineers,
craftsmen, and cheerleaders
of this so-called War
Against so-called Terrorism
     abroad and at home.

There is no protest
in a war zone.
There never is; there cannot be.
There, there is only resistance,
     insurgency,
     sabotage,
     and revolution.

Here, there is only acquiescence,
     compliance,
     perpetuation,
     and participatory complicity.

The Terrorists have won.

All that remains is for a simple, single, second Event,
and The People will demand
a seizure of total, unconditional, unchallengeable
authority, power, domination, and control.

A "dirty" nuclear device
detonated in a major metropolitan area
in the days just before
the 2002 Congressional Elections
     (transparently traceable to Saddam)
will do just fine.

And it will be the end
of the beginning
of the beginning
of the end
of The Terror.

8.28.02

--

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