[Onthebarricades] Student revolts at Evergreen, Olympia and in Miami; protest in British Columbia

[Andy]

*  US:  Police car damaged in response to police repression at Evergreen; 
wrongful arrest at rap concert leads to protest before riot police attack
A racially-motivated arrest, denounced by the band on stage, and frustration 
over arming of campus police triggered resistance
Peaceful blockades of the police car were attacked by riot police
Students then responded by flipping and destroying a police car

*  US:  Violent police attack on Miami school student protest; protesters 
respond by throwing things
School bosses called police to break up protests against administrators

*  US:  Police attack student street party in Los Angeles
Police suppressed attempts to video their actions, covered their badges, and 
assaulted with weapons including tasers, pepper balls and batons to the 
head; police explicitly deny that people have rights
One masochistic individual supported the police despite being attacked 
himself?!
Students defended themselves with a peaceful sit-in and later by throwing 
bottles

*  CANADA:  BC students stand up to police violence at protest against land 
grab of popular student hangout
Students peacefully formed a line around a police cruiser and earlier to 
stop a cop abusing a protester
Police attacked and arrested students, and solidarity protests have been 
held

NOTE:  Police at Evergreen are launching a vicious vindictive crackdown 
because of the unrest they caused.  Five students have been charged with 
exaggerated "offences" which police are hoping to use media hysteria to push 
through the courts.  In addition, the school management have suspended the 
local chapter of SDS, interfering with their cashflow and ability to help 
defendants.  Contributions to legal defence are needed.  They can be made 
here:
http://evergreen6.x10hosting.com/


Publicly Archived at Global Resistance: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance



http://www.komotv.com/news/local/15665292.html

Riot at Evergreen State damages deputy's car

Sheriff's Deputy Jamie Gallagher walks past her patrol car that was 
destroyed during a riot at The Evergreen State College early Friday morning, 
Feb. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Tony Overman, The Olympian)

Story Published: Feb 15, 2008 at 7:11 AM PDT
Story Updated: Feb 15, 2008 at 6:24 PM PDT
By KOMO Staff & News Services
Watch the story
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A concert at The Evergreen State College ended in a 
disturbance in which a Thurston County sheriff's patrol car was overturned 
and looted.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Brandy Kessler said officers were pelted by 
rocks early Friday but there were no serious injuries.
She says it began about 1:30 a.m. when a fight broke out at the 'Dead Prez' 
concert and a campus police officer tried to arrest a concertgoer for 
misdemeanor assault.
Kessler said a crowd of about 200 surrounded the officer's car, demanding 
that the man be let go, so the officer called for backup.
"Some people blocked the police car that was trying to take the student 
away," said Dan Hilden, a 20-year-old Evergreen student who attended the 
concert.
Sheriff's deputies responded and removed the campus officer and her car and 
released the man, since they knew his identity and he could be summoned 
later to court.
A deputy's car was disabled and when it wouldn't start, the crowd overturned 
it, broke out the windows and wrote graffiti on it. Kessler said the 
deputy's laptop computer and a radar gun were stolen. No weapons were lost.
Troopers and a Thurston County SWAT team dispersed the crowd using pepper 
spray with no more arrests.
"Well, this was a threat," said Thurston County Sheriff Dan Kimball. "The 
only way to describe it would be mayhem. This is every officer's worst 
nightmare. Talking to the deputies there and reading the reports they filed, 
this is serious stuff. We're fortunate that really all we lost was 
property."
Alvina Wong, who was at the concert, says both sides were wrong and the 
crowd may have interpreted the rap duo's comments as encouragement to rebel.
"They did suggest that the crowd should question why this guy was being 
detained," she said. "It's not their message to destroy police cars or 
anything. It's just, they want people to be more aware... and to have that 
awareness in the decisions that they make."
Samples of saliva and blood from people who cut themselves on the overturned 
car were being tested for DNA evidence that may help identify those 
responsible, Kessler said.
Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain said officers made 
the right call in releasing the man because of the unruly crowd.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/286973.html

Agency denies group incited riot
JEREMY PAWLOSKI; The Olympian
Published: February 19th, 2008 01:00 AM
Carolyn Hauser said that when an Evergreen State College police officer 
handcuffed a friend and escorted him out of the Dead Prez concert early 
Friday morning, the hip-hop duo said words to the effect of "Are you going 
to let this happen at your school?" and "What are you going to do about it?"
But Dead Prez's management on Monday denied that either member of the 
hip-hop duo exhorted the crowd to riot.
Hauser also said that even though she heard the Dead Prez members ask the 
crowd if they were going to do anything about the arrest, she doesn't think 
the band was responsible for inciting the crowd to riot.
Hundreds of young people blocked an officer's patrol car after she put the 
young man in the back seat outside the concert at The Evergreen State 
College's Campus Recreation Center. The crowd later rioted, throwing 
bottles, trash and rocks after backup law enforcement units arrived, police 
said.
Ultimately, the rioters caused $35,000 to $50,000 in damage to four Thurston 
County Sheriff's patrol units, including one patrol car that was overturned 
and damaged beyond repair. Riot police used pepper spray to disperse the 
crowd.
Scott Beibin of Dead Prez's management group, Evil Twin Booking Agency in 
Philadelphia, said the only thing that Dead Prez members said to the crowd 
was, "Get his badge number." The members did not know that a female officer 
was making the arrest, he said.
Beibin said he worries that Evergreen will not have Dead Prez or any other 
hip-hop act back to play again at the school.
Evergreen spokesman Jason Wettstein said Monday that the school does not 
blame hip-hop for causing the riot. He added that the college plans to 
continue to book concerts for all types of music.
"We've had a number of hip-hop concerts in the past and never had any 
incidents," he said. "It's not about the type of music, it's about personal 
responsibility."
The Thurston County Sheriff's Department plans to continue its investigation 
today.
Beibin confirmed that Dead Prez has a song called "(Expletive) the Police," 
and that the song is part of their normal set list. But Beibin said he does 
not know at what point they performed that song in the concert at Evergreen.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20080215105517174

Saturday, March 29 2008 @ 01:44 PM PDT
Washington: Riot at Evergreen State College
Friday, February 15 2008 @ 10:55 AM PST
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 1,651
Last night, following a Dead Prez concert, a campus police officer at 
Evergreen State College in Olympia took a student into custody for allegedly 
fighting with another student. After a few students began yelling, in order 
to call attention to the police misconduct, a crowd of 200 (according to 
corporate press) surrounded the officer's patrol car which contained the 
student and officer. The crowd began screaming, "Let him go!" and refused to 
allow the patrol car to move.

Terrified by the power of the students, the officer let the arrestee go and 
called for back up. Upon arrival, the back up rushed the officer out of the 
crowd, leaving behind multiple patrol cars. The cars had windows smashed out 
of them, were looted, and spray painted. One police car was flipped and 
completely totalled. On a wall behind the flipped car someone spray painted, 
"Welcome to Evergreen! (A)." Soon it became clear that a few police officers 
would not be able to subdue the crowd, so riot squads were quickly 
mobilized. Students were shot at with pepper spray and rubber bullets before 
finally dispersing. Video coverage can be seen here:

http://www.komotv.com/news/local/15665292.html

With this type of resistance becoming increasingly popular and liberals now 
using terms such as, "direct action" the Political Conventions this summer 
will prove to be rather interesting.

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/373116.html

Views of police action at riot split Evergreen

Dozens gather in anti-police rally; others voice their support of officers
Jeremy Pawloski
The Olympian
OLYMPIA - More than 30 demonstrators took turns speaking through a bullhorn 
Wednesday at The Evergreen State College, marching on Evergreen's Police 
Services building to condemn perceived brutality during a Feb. 15 riot 
outside of a hip-hop concert on campus.

The protesters were met by some students who expressed pro-police views.
The riot has created divisions among Evergreen's faculty members, police 
officers, administrators and 4,500 students who see the riots - and widely 
circulated riot footage on YouTube - from strikingly different perspectives.
Deputies' reports
Deputies wrote in reports that they were surrounded by an intimidating mob 
outside of the school's Campus Recreation Center when they responded to 
provide support for an Evergreen officer.
The concertgoers had surrounded the Evergreen officer and were angry about 
her arrest of a man during the concert by the hip-hop group Dead Prez.
Rioting concertgoers flipped and destroyed a Thurston County Sheriff's 
patrol car. They damaged three other patrol cars, causing $50,000 in damage, 
the sheriff's office has said.
Many students who spoke during Wednesday's forum criticized Olympia police 
actions. Olympia police are seen on videos striking concertgoers with batons 
or flashlights and firing pepper spray at them.
Complaint filed
Student Bruce Wilkinson, who has filed a complaint against Olympia police 
for officers' roles in the riot, said, "The Thurston County sheriffs did a 
pretty good job; Evergreen police did a pretty good job. The Olympia Police 
Department started the riot, though. They were the most violent people of 
the bunch."
Also during the forum:
Student John Jacobsen said the riot was "really just a reaction to police 
beating people up."
Other students stated their support for Evergreen police, including the 
officer who arrested a student accused of assault during a fight earlier at 
the concert.
"When April tried to talk to students (after she made the arrest but before 
the riot), there was absolutely no listening whatsoever," Elisa Otter said, 
adding that she doesn't support the Olympia police response to the riot.
Josephine Jarvis pleaded with fellow students to look at police as real 
people.
"They are people, and they have feelings; they're capable of being 
intimidated," Jarvis said. "Really open yourselves up to the idea that 
police could actually be people."
'Disarm the cops'
The anti-police demonstrators who marched at Evergreen earlier Wednesday 
afternoon chanted "disarm the cops" as they marched on the campus's police 
building.
They carried signs with slogans such as "Get the Pigs Off Our Streets" and 
"All Cops are Murderers."
Student Casey Jaywork said he, too, has questions about the behavior of 
police, but "I'm frustrated by how easy it is to turn the police into this 
bogeyman excuse for what students do."
Student Dave Anderson, standing near a group of students who had an "I heart 
police" sign, didn't think the police protesters were representative of the 
student body.
"They don't represent all of Evergreen; they represent a small fraction," 
Anderson said.
Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 
360-754-5465 or jpawloski at theolympian.com.

http://www.theolympian.com/570/story/360206.html

Crowd destroys deputy's cruiser

Jeremy Pawloski and Christian Hill
THE OLYMPIAN
A hip-hop concert at The Evergreen State College ended in a riot early 
Friday in which a Thurston County sheriff's patrol car was overturned and 
looted.
A campus police officer was dispatched around 1:30 a.m. following a report 
of a fight inside the College Recreation Center where the group Dead Prez 
was performing.
The female officer arrested a man and placed him in the back of the patrol 
car. Some of the concertgoers were taunting and questioning the actions of 
the officer, said Trooper Brandy Kessler of the Washington State Patrol.
"They didn't feel the arrest that was being made was fair," she said.
Campus police Sgt. Darwin Eddy refused to release the man's name Friday 
afternoon saying, "I don't have the authority to release that and I've got 
to call a concerned parent."
He did say the case would be forwarded to prosecutors for review.
The crowd continued to grow and became more aggressive.
"Some people blocked the police car that was trying to take the student 
away," said Dan Hilden, a 20-year-old Evergreen student who attended the 
concert.
Concerned for her safety, the officer called for backup and the man in the 
police car was eventually released. The officer took down his name and 
address.
Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain said authorities 
made the right call in releasing the male because of the escalating unruly 
behavior of the crowd.
"It was a very volatile situation at one point, and I'm proud of the 
officers in how they responded," Chamberlain said. "They backed out of there 
to try and de-escalate the situation instead of making more arrests and 
possibly making it worse."
Six sheriff's deputies who arrived to assist the campus officer reported 
that several people in the crowd were throwing rocks, bottles and even a 
garbage can at the them, and others were grabbing at the deputies' guns.
They were, however, able to clear a path so the campus police officer could 
leave the scene in her car, Kessler said.

http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2008/02/264774.shtml

A Series of Fortunate Events (Dead Prez)
author: Rook
Feb 17, 2008 17:26
The following is a statement from a witness, Rook. He/She was there, at the 
"riot", and it is only meant to put shine some sort of light onto the events 
that took place.
This is what happened. This is how. This is in what order. This does not try 
to explain why in great detail, it is meant only to put fact into a topic of 
riddled with suppositions and rumors. Only the characterizations of 
inanimate objects are embellished, and Rook assures you that it is purely 
for reading pleasure.

A- Violence begets violence

Five hundred humans filled half a gymnasium. Someone confronted someone, 
confrontation turned to altercation. Ten people had a scuffle, and the 
scuffle ended. The show must go on. Thirty minutes later an Evergreen Cop 
arrived, and listened to the story of someone involved in the fight. Thirty 
minutes after that the cop went into the concert and arrested the only black 
person anywhere near the fight, as picked out by the informant. There is 
still confusion as to whether or not he was even one of the ten people 
fighting. He was escorted outside by the police officer, the snitches, the 
suspect's friends, and concerned people, and put in the back of the cop car. 
Dead Prez said something to the tune of 'the cops are here, they are taking 
someone. Get the badge number.'
Outside, other witnesses approached the officer and told her the suspect was 
wrongly accused, and offered their eyewitness accounts. The police officer 
told them to file reports at the police station the next day. The cop also 
stated that she had 'probable cause' to arrest him. Demands were made to let 
the captive go, on the grounds of blatant racial profiling. Did I mention 
that ten people were involved in a fight, and the only black person around 
was the only person arrested?
The now discontented people outside asked the officer if more arrests were 
to be made, specifically of the people who were fighting with the 'suspect' 
(the snitch did admit they were involved in the fight), and the officer 
repeated that people should give forms to the bureaucracy the next day, 
implying no more arrests were to be made and no more evidence would be 
heard. The officer told the crowd that more police were on their way, and 
she was going to take the "prisoner" to the station when they arrived. Five 
minutes of frustration followed until three more cops arrived.
The Evergreen police officer began to drive away in her car with the 
captive, while the other cops stood around and got yelled at for allowing 
racism to not only exist but actually be state-supported. A trash can 
knocked itself over in front of the car. The policed sighed and cleared it. 
One person now stood in front of the cop car, the car stopped. He was pushed 
out of the way. Two people took his place, and the car again stopped. One 
was pushed and the other dragged from the path. The car then stopped in 
front of a whole row of people, with rows behind them. The concert was now 
over, and the crowd had grown to two hundred plus. The squad car was 
surrounded and chants ensued.
"Let him go."
"Where's our friend?"
"Fuck the Police."
Simple garbage like paper wads and soda bottles bounced off the cop car. The 
car drew on itself. The first letter of the alphabet with a halo around it.
"FUCK THE POLICE"
Chants found harmony with the sound of fists pounding on the car (who would 
have thought drum circles would be so inspiring? - I jest.). The police 
suddenly realized they had no control of the situation. They began to 
entertain the idea of release. One cop wanted to speak. He was allowed: "We're 
going to let him go. We need to ID him first". A few cheered, many did not 
believe. More chanting, more drums, more papers and plastic.
One cop looked over the crowd to the east, he held up his hand, he pointed 
his index finger up and he bent it repeatedly- pepper spray. Within seconds 
more cops were beating a hole into a crowd with batons, pepper spray, 
flashlights, and taunting with tasers. Those attacked retreated, covering 
their faces.

B- Police violently attacked people who had done nothing violent.

therefore
C:

A myriad of objects rained at the attackers. The first bottle broke; glass 
glittered in the air, then on the car and the ground. The cop car quickly 
started leaving, still with the suspect. The car and the cops were chased by 
people, bottles, rocks, and trash cans. A second car was dented. A third car's 
windshield was attacked by the trashcan that knocked itself over not long 
before. The suspect was finally let go just outside of the crowd, not many 
noticed. The fourth car wouldn't start? Police shoved things into a 
container from inside the car and made a hasty retreat.
The crowd was angry at the cops, nothing else. Someone broke the first 
window. Others broke the rest. Someone else grabbed something from inside 
and yelled "I GOT THE MIXTAPE!" Twenty or thirty people convinced the car to 
roll over, after coaxing it three times before. This car, too, drew on 
itself. The bumper ripped. Someone cut his or her hand on some broken glass. 
Other than this, nobody was hurt. Government property was damaged. NOBODY 
WAS HURT.

http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2008/02/264735.shtml

Olympia's V-Day Ruckus
author: kohlrabi
Feb 15, 2008 23:52
100 people raise a ruckus after V-Day Dead Prez show in response to 
questionable arrest of African American man and violent police retaliation. 
3 cop cars sustain significant damage, a fourth is rolled over and looted. 
Estimated $30-50,000 in damage.
About 100 people raised a ruckus after Evergreen State College (TESC) police 
officers arrested a Dead Prez concert goer on alleged assault charges. The 
event took place around 1 AM (2/15), shortly after Dead Prez finished their 
set. TESC police officers were called to the show after a fight broke out 
among 3-5 people in the crowd. The sole arrest was of a black man, although 
most of the "fighters" were white.

As police escorted the man to their cruiser they were confronted by a small 
crowd of people who had witnessed the fight, including one woman who had 
been hit. They all told the cops that the man they were arresting was not 
involved in the altercation and they needed to let him go.

The cops responded that the community members could file their 
statements/objections at a later date. In response a handful of people stood 
in front of the police vehicle and demanded that the man be freed. As more 
and more people left the venue, they added their numbers to the crowd that 
now surrounded the police vehicle. Chants of "Fuck the police!" and "Let him 
go!" accompanied a steady percussion of fists on the hood and roof of the 
car for about 20-30 minutes. During this time TESC cops called in Olympia, 
Thurston County and WA State police for backup. When the cops had sufficient 
numbers, they proceeded to charge the crowd preceded by a cloud of pepper 
spray and flying clubs. Throughout the incident police never made an audible 
public announcement via megaphone ordering the crowd eto disperse.

After thoroughly enraging the already on-edge crowd, the cops found 
themselves looking for a fast exit. Unfortunately they had all parked in 
such a way as to be in one line facing the same direction and essentially 
blocking themselves in. The slowed retreat of cop cars offered easy targets 
for rocks, garbage cans, bottles, and boots. Much to the delight of many 
ruckus raisers one Thurston County car was left behind in the fray. In short 
order the car was on its roof and became the target of any remaining anger.

After the majority of people dispersed, the State Police SWAT team moved in 
to "secure" the area.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004263998_evergreen06m.html

Evergreen State College divided after riot
By Nick Perry
Seattle Times higher education reporter
PREV 1 of 9 NEXT

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES
A sign stuck to a building on Red Square at The Evergreen State College 
reflects the vibe at the Olympia-area liberal-arts school, which is known 
for political activism but is undergoing some soul-searching after last 
month's riot.

TONY OVERMAN
Thurston County Sheriff's Deputy Jamie Gallagher walks past her burning 
patrol car, set afire and looted during last month's riot at the college.

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES
The 4,500 students at The Evergreen State College do not declare majors and 
there are no departments; they design their own courses of study. The also 
agree to a "social contract" that emphasizes intellectual freedom, civility 
and respect for others.

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES
April Meyers, a police officer at The Evergreen State College, says rioters 
spit on her patrol car and pelted it with bottles.


Chase Hill, charged with theft


Nina Hinton, charged with rioting and malicious mischief


Monica Ragan, charged with rioting and malicious mischief


Jake Silberman, charged with malicious mischief, rioting with a deadly 
weapon


Peter Sloan, charged with rioting, malicious mischief
Related
Archive | Riot at Evergreen State College damages deputy's car
Hip Hop Congress: Rap not to blame for riot
The Evergreen State College
About:The Evergreen State College is a small, state-funded liberal-arts 
college. It's unusual in that there are no departments or majors, and 
students don't get letter grades. Rather, students get individual written 
evaluations from professors and design their own curricula.
History: Opened in 1971. Located on 1,100 acres of forest near Olympia.
Student and faculty profile: 4,500 students, 93 percent of whom are 
undergraduates. Twenty percent are students of color, and 78 percent of 
students are Washington residents. Median student age is 22. There are 158 
full-time and 84 part-time faculty.
Popular programs: Visual and performing arts; social sciences; natural 
resources and conservation
Mascot: The geoduck, a giant, edible clam that can live more than 100 years
Source: The Evergreen State College; Seattle Times archives
OLYMPIA - The Evergreen State College is known across the country as a 
liberal, politically active campus where students are ready to challenge 
authority.
But when a riot broke out here three weeks ago in which a police cruiser was 
overturned and trashed, the mood changed. The campus has found itself 
divided over who is to blame. Already-strained relationships with police 
have deteriorated. And Evergreen has found itself with a mark against its 
name that may be difficult to erase.
On Wednesday, Thurston County sheriff's deputies arrested five suspected 
rioters on felony charges and were holding them overnight pending a hearing 
today. Four of them are Evergreen students, including two women who play 
college soccer and one man who plays baseball. The sheriff's office said it 
expects at least a dozen people will face felony charges by the time the 
investigation is complete.
The riot was the first in Evergreen's 37-year history and came as a shock to 
alumni, students and faculty, many of whom consider the close-knit school a 
bastion of peace. Students even agree to a "social contract" when they 
attend, which emphasizes intellectual freedom - as well as civility and 
respect for others.
The riot
Some Evergreen students have been at odds with Olympia police since last 
November, when dozens of people were arrested at the Port of Olympia during 
protests against military shipments to Iraq. Two students and a professor 
are among four people who are suing Olympia Police for more than $10 
million, alleging officers' use of batons, pepper spray and other 
crowd-control methods amounted to brutality.
What's become known as the Valentine's Day Riot began peacefully enough Feb. 
14 with a hip-hop concert in Evergreen's recreation center featuring the 
group Dead Prez. Organizers say 900 people showed up - about 500 Evergreen 
students and 400 other fans.
At two minutes past midnight, April Meyers, the lone college police officer 
on duty, got a call: Organizers had tried to toss out a man for allegedly 
smoking pot and groping women. But he'd thrown punches and now, half-a-dozen 
people were fighting.
By the time Meyers arrived, the suspect had left. But another man, who 
witnesses said also threw punches during the scuffle, remained. Meyers 
handcuffed him and led him away.
Someone in the crowd told the men on stage.
"Oh yeah? ... Say '[Expletive] the police! [Expletive] the police!' " the 
hip-hop group told the crowd, which chanted in response. But the group 
quickly changed its tone, video footage posted on the Internet shows:
"Hold up, hold up, it's not just '[Expletive] the police.' That's great. But 
now you've got to organize behind this here. Make sure you find out that 
man's name and after we organize and have some justice, right?"
Some concertgoers remained incensed at the arrest. They followed Meyers out, 
arguing that the man had simply tried to intervene and was singled out 
because he was African-American.
As Meyers led the man to her car, the crowd continued chanting and grew 
increasingly agitated. Meyers tried to reason with students and explain her 
actions but was soon surrounded by about 200 people. Several deputies from 
Thurston County arrived to help out, but they, too, soon felt overwhelmed.
Meyers tried, unsuccessfully, to drive away with the suspect. "Within a 
minute, I could hear my car getting struck," Meyers said. "The windows were 
getting covered in spit, and glass bottles were bouncing off the 
windshield."
Meyers, a former Seattle police officer, said she finds it ironic that part 
of the reason she moved to Evergreen is because she strives for social 
justice. "I wanted to be in an environment that questions authority and is 
socially conscious and active," she said. "I was attracted to the very thing 
that got me in trouble."
Meyers let the suspect go, but it went almost unnoticed by the crowd. By 
then, officers from the Olympia Police Department were also getting 
involved.
The Olympia officers moved in with batons and released pepper spray to try 
to extract the other officers. The situation exploded. Meyers described it 
as "Lord of the Flies-esque."
The officers retreated under what they describe as a hail of rocks, trash 
cans and branches that rioters used as spears. One Thurston County deputy 
couldn't start her car, so she grabbed the weapons inside and left it 
behind. Perhaps a dozen rioters overturned the car, trashed it and stole a 
laptop computer, a hand-held breath tester, even a seat. The laptop 
contained no sensitive data, according to police.
Nobody was seriously hurt during the riot, although at least one officer and 
several protesters sought medical treatment for minor injuries. Film clips 
of the riot soon surfaced on the Internet and became central to the 
sheriff's investigation. Damage to the trashed cruiser and three other 
police vehicles is estimated at $50,000.
The aftermath
Evergreen has been nursing the hangover since. At a campus forum, a shaken 
Evergreen President Les Purce told students that the college would pay the 
costs for the vehicles, and that campus concerts were banned until further 
notice.
"The range of emotions that I have gone through - from just being flat sad, 
to disappointed, to angry, to violated - have just swung back and forth," 
Purce told students. "Because I think about ... the promises that we made to 
you and your parents about what this place was and what we strive for it to 
be. And to have that kind of event occur in our house has caused me great 
pause."
But soon after the president finished talking, Peter Bohmer, a professor of 
political economy, spoke out with a different message.
"I really urge people here not to cooperate with campus police and 
administration," he said to raucous cheers and boos. "We need to deal with 
this among ourselves rather than use a police state, what appears 
increasingly like a militarized police state that is more and more 
restrictive."
Bohmer, an MIT graduate who took part in the port protests, said he made the 
comments because he was worried that students could implicate each other and 
face felony charges when the matter should be dealt with in-house.
"The police came in swinging. They were the original aggressors," he said.
Since the riot, there have been a number of campus demonstrations and 
meetings.
"I saw a sign yesterday that said, 'All cops are bad cops,' " sophomore 
Rebecca Papageorge said last week. "I just disagree with that. I feel like 
it poorly represents us."
Another student, who didn't want to be named, said he admired the rioters 
for taking a stand.
"Everybody's been talking about it," said Belinda Man, a freshman and the 
photo coordinator for the campus paper, the Cooper Point Journal. "People 
are still venting their emotions."
Some say it's time to think again about having campus police carry weapons 
on all patrols, the policy since 2003. There are seven patrol officers in 
the Evergreen force, which is stretched thin covering 24-hour shifts. But 
others say the riot only reinforces the need for tight campus security.
The healing
Student leaders and administrators hope that continuing forums and 
discussions will help the campus heal. Trevor Kinahan, a representative of 
the Geoduck Student Union, said it may be time to review the social 
contract, reassess police protocols and perhaps set up meetings with Olympia 
Police and the Olympia community. He said the riot may become a point of 
discussion in classes. And a student group has formed: Greeners for Truth 
and Reconciliation.
The man who was arrested at the concert, Kaylen Williams, 24, has been 
charged with misdemeanor assault. He is not an Evergreen student.
Purce said he will put measures in place "to make sure nothing like this 
ever happens again."
"We are relatively quiet here in the woods, but we ended up with a wake-up 
call," Purce said. "Sometimes, events come together in ways that no one 
expects."
Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry at seattletimes.com

http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2008/02/264867.shtml

Olympia SDS Statement on Police Racism and Violence on February 14th
author: Olympia SDS
Feb 20, 2008 21:38
Olympia SDS Statement on Police Racism and Violence on February 14th

The Olympia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society condemns the racist 
arrest that occurred after the Dead Prez show on February 14th. The police 
are an occupying force that brings violence and enforces racism in our 
community, and they demonstrated both of these traits during the incident. 
The violence after the concert was not initiated by the performers or the 
crowd, but rather by the police. This is a concrete result of a history of 
interactions between our communities and the police.

In accordance with our mission statement, Olympia SDS supports all people 
who resist racist, sexist and fundamentally oppressive police. This 
statement does not mean that all members of SDS agree with all tactics used, 
but we agree that the police were the initiators of the violence and had 
previously demonstrated racism that evening.

Olympia SDS urges complete non-cooperation with police investigations. We 
call for the removal of police from The Evergreen State College as they 
enforce racism and violence in our community.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/29/school.disturbance/

Protest at Miami high school turns rowdy
Story Highlights
The disturbance began during lunch hour and involved about 200 students
Students say they were angry the principal put a student in a "choke hold"
Officials: Police secured the area and got students safely back into the 
school
Several students and police officers were hurt in the incident

I, Florida (CNN) -- Police were called to Miami Edison Senior High School 
after a student protest became unruly Friday, officials said.

Parents wait behind crime scene tape after a disturbance at Edison Senior 
High School in Miami.

"A couple of hundred" students were involved in the protest, which began 
during lunch hour in an open patio next to the cafeteria, said Quintin 
Taylor, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade School Board.
Minor injuries were reported among police and students, and video from the 
scene showed several students being led away as if under arrest.
Students told CNN affiliate WSVN they were angry the principal put a student 
in a "choke hold" Thursday.
Taylor said officials are investigating how the protest, which started 
peacefully, became unruly.
"Our officers assigned to the school became a target at the school of 
objects being thrown at them ... books, soda pop, water bottles, milk 
cartons," Miami-Dade Schools Commander Charles Hurley told WSVN.
The Miami-Dade superintendent of schools issued a statement saying police 
"were able to secure the area and get students safely back into the school. 
... Police will continue to investigate this matter to find out exactly what 
took place today and ensure that this type of incident does not happen 
again." Watch as some students are led away in handcuffs »
Don't Miss
WSVN: Police put down disturbance at high school
Ten Miami-Dade School police officers received non-life threatening 
injuries, according to Lt. Iggy Carroll with the Miami Department of Fire 
Rescue.

Several students complaining of minor injures were treated on scene and one 
student who said she is four weeks pregnant was taken to a hospital as a 
precaution after she said she was hit in the stomach, he said.
Some students told WSVN police were using stun guns and pepper spray to 
break up the protest. Miami Police spokesman Delrish Moss said there was no 
evidence to support those claims.

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI78489/

Police put down disturbance at high school

Related Links
Interview with police and school officials
First person account from students that witnessed
Interview with Lt. Ignatius Carroll, Miami Fire
Interview with an injured student
MIAMI (WSVN) -- Several Police units have arrived at Edison Senior High 
School to break up what they are calling "a disturbance."
At about 11:30 Friday morning, scores of police cars surrounded the school, 
and police could be seen running around the perimeter of the school. Many 
were in the middle of making arrests. It remains unclear how many students 
police arrested and how many individuals were injured.
School Board police, City of Miami Police and Miami-Dade Police all reported 
to the scene. City of Miami spokesperson Delrish Moss said the situation is 
under control and officers are investigating into exactly what occurred. 
"It's no longer an active situation. It's now a crime scene," Moss 
clarified.
The Interstate 95 northbound exit to Northwest 62 Street, the road that runs 
right in front of the high school, has been closed to traffic.
Moss said his department first reported to the scene when school board 
police called for backup in the arrest of several unruly students in an 
open-air courtyard where students often have lunch. "We did get a emergency 
call for back up to assist them for several arrests that had been made," he 
said.
Miami-Dade Schools Commander Charles Hurley said they had to call for backup 
when a demonstration "became very unruly." He said students started hurling 
projectiles at them. "Our officers assigned to the school became a target at 
the school of objects being thrown at them ... books, soda pop, water 
bottles, milk cartons," he said.
Fire rescue also arrived on the scene but the extent of injuries have yet to 
be confirmed.
City of Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll said some police officers 
suffered some scrapes and bruises. Several upset students reported that 
police hit students with batons, slammed some of them to the ground, used 
tasers, fired pepper spray and left some students bloodied. "You should have 
seen the way they were doing those children," said one of the witnesses who 
appeared on the scene as police were making arrests. "What I saw when I came 
here was people grabbing children by the hair, slamming them on the ground, 
beating them." Some students even said police punched a pregnant girl in her 
stomach.
Carroll said none of the students received any life-threatening injuries. 
Commander Hurly added that his officers did not deploy any tasers.
At one point there were rumors of a shooting, but Carroll quickly put that 
rumor to rest. "There was no shooting, there was no stabbing," he said.
Two witnesses who said they watched the disturbance unfold said they had 
been trying to stage a protest against an incident involving a student and--  
who the witnesses identified-- as Assistant Principal Javier Perez. They 
said Perez put a student in a choke-hold Thursday, and they wanted to 
protest his actions. They said when school police arrived, things went out 
of control.
John Schuster, spokesperson of the Miami-Dade School Board, reported to the 
scene and said "classes have returned to normal." He added dismissal will 
occur, as scheduled, at 2:30 in the afternoon.
He was unable to shed much light on how the riot started, but he said he was 
aware of the incident that students said inspired their protest. "At this 
time we are still looking at the cause of it," he said. "There is something 
that happened yesterday between a student and an administrator and a police 
officer, and a student attacked a police officer."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGkcUlTenkwCwtwMpugutUTcGyWwD8V5KN880

Students Held in Miami Protest Released
Mar 2, 2008
MIAMI (AP) - More than two dozen teens who were arrested after seven police 
officers were hurt in a violent demonstration at a high school have been 
released, an attorney said Sunday.
Circuit Judge Barbara Areces found insufficient evidence Saturday to hold 
two of the students held in Friday's clash. Another 16 juveniles, most 
charged with resisting arrest and disturbing the peace, were given home 
detention until a Monday hearing.
Two 18-year-old students charged with resisting arrest with violence, 
disturbing a school assembly and disturbing the peace bonded out after a 
hearing Saturday, said Karen Andre, an attorney with the Haitian Lawyers 
Association.
Six other adult students bonded out before the Saturday hearing, Andre said.
The disturbance at Miami Edison Senior High School north of downtown Miami 
began during a protest Friday over the arrest of another student the day 
before, according to police.
Dozens of police cars responded to the school, which has an enrollment of 
more than 1,100. Injuries to the officers included a dislocated shoulder, a 
broken nose, a twisted ankle as well as cuts and bruises. No students or 
teachers were seriously injured.
Students met with school officials Sunday afternoon over how police 
responded.

http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2008/01/28/News/Riot-Forces.Break.Up.Party-3170685.shtml

Riot forces break up party
Many students reported incidents of unnecessary police violence.
Alexander Comisar and Dan Loeterman
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Savannah Wood
Pushing back | A woman falls to the ground as students struggle against an 
LAPD task force dispatched to clear the street

A seven-house 30th Street block party turned into a mob scene Friday night 
when police tried to break up the party and more than 1,000 partygoers 
refused to leave, prompting at least 75 Los Angeles Police Department 
officers in riot gear to use clubs, smoke bombs, Tasers and pepper ball guns 
to control the crowd.

Nine were arrested after at least 100 students staged a "sit-in" in the 
street to prevent police from ending the party. Witnesses said students 
taunted the officers and threw beer bottles at them.

Officers responded by shooting students with pepper balls and striking them 
with nightsticks, according to students at the party.

Shortly after midnight, Department of Public Safety officers, who had 
learned about the party a week earlier, warned the party's organizer that 
the party had become overcrowded. The hosting houses turned off their music, 
but hundreds of people remained in the street.

DPS then called LAPD officers to break up the party.

Because of the crowd's size, LAPD declared a tactical alert, said police 
spokesman Mike Lopez.

The crowd turned hostile when two police squad cars arrived at the party.

"The kids were throwing beer bottles, not just at the cars but the officers, 
too, so they called us out," said an LAPD officer who responded to the 
alert. "Basically there were too many people in the street and they got LAPD 
out here to control the riot."

Between 75 and 100 LAPD officers arrived from several different divisions, 
some in riot gear, witnesses said.

The officers gathered in front of the crowd and warned students through a 
megaphone they had three minutes to disperse.

When students continued to sit in the street, a line of officers began to 
walk into the crowd to force them to leave.

Most students stood up and left the area, but some confronted the officers, 
according to witnesses and video footage of the incident. Multiple videos 
posted on YouTube captured much of the conflict.

"Two cop cars were in the middle of the street and people were dancing and 
singing around them," said Ray Morales, a senior majoring in psychology. 
"When the cops told us to leave, we staged a sit-in. They just sat on the 
street and refused to leave."

Students said they were angered by the conduct of LAPD officers during and 
after the confrontation. Many students said they were Tasered by officers or 
struck with nightsticks.

Daniel Bell, a junior majoring in communication, said he was recording LAPD 
officers struggling with students on his cell phone when one of the officers 
pointed at him.

"Three officers jumped me and threw me onto a car. I didn't struggle or 
anything. They made me put my head down and spread my legs."

When Bell realized he had lost his phone and asked for it back, "The officer 
picked it up, looked down at it, pressed the delete button, switched it off 
and put it in my pocket."

Some students also said LAPD shot them with rubber bullets.

One student also said that an officer covered up his badge when the student 
tried to read the number. Another student claimed an officer denied a mark 
on his ribs was caused by a Taser shock.

"When I was filling out my police report, I told one of the cops I got 
Tasered," said Dan, a USC student who asked that his last name not be used. 
"The cop looked at the big mark on my ribs and told me it wasn't a Taser 
mark."

Dan also said that while he filled out his police report, he attempted to 
read a police officer's badge number, but the officer covered his chest.

"I got a baton to the face and I tried to scuffle backward, but they came at 
me too fast," Dan said. "I got another baton to the knee, and the wall of 
police just continued to move at us."

Mario Imbert, a student at the Art Institute of California, said a police 
officer used a Taser to subdue him.

"Dan got hit, and I tried to help him up," Imbert said. "Then [police] tased 
me a couple times. It felt like my entire body was out of control. They 
Tasered me in my ribs, and I could feel it in my jaws and in my feet."

Not all students were frustrated by the LAPD response.

Schwartz said he thought LAPD's actions were necessary to settle a party 
dangerously close to being out of control.

"Every house was full and the street was full," Schwartz said. "It was way 
too out of hand. It wasn't a good feeling at all."

Schwartz said an LAPD officer fired a pepper ball at him, but that he 
thought it was necessary.

"People were yelling obscenities and egging them on," he said. "It was a 
good thing LAPD came. I don't think they were doing anything that was 
unjustified."

An LAPD officer on the scene, who declined to give his name, said 
nightsticks had been used but that no shots had been fired.

But Elizabeth Whitham, who lives on 30th Street and watched a large part of 
the disruption from her balcony, said she saw an officer fire pepper balls 
at her apartment complex's manager.

Other students also reported being shot by pepper balls.

Four students were arrested on suspicion of failing to disperse when police 
told them to leave the party. One student was arrested on suspicion of 
assaulting an officer, and four others on suspicion of trespassing.

Joel Avery, who organized the party, said he thought the party atmosphere 
cultivated partygoers' defiant attitudes.

"There was just this really awesome party and it was being taken away," he 
said. "There was too much energy for it to have ended at that point."

Dan said he and other students tried to ask police why the partying was 
being broken up. He said the officer responded, "You don't have any rights."

A member of the Daily Trojan's editorial board was one of the nine students 
arrested.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBHl0lTc080RyoUrikGQHo609OdA

UBC students arrested after development protest bonfire
Apr 5, 2008
VANCOUVER - Nearly 20 people at the University of British Columbia face a 
series of charges including assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest 
after a protest escalated into a confrontation and arrests.
Police arrested students rallying Friday in support of a peer who was 
blocking a fire hose being used to douse a protest bonfire.
About 100 people with Students for a Democratic Society and Trek Park for 
People gathered outside UBC's Student Union Building to demonstrate against 
the redevelopment of a nearby grassy knoll, a popular student hangout, for a 
bus loop.
A release from the society said a woman was told she was violating a bylaw 
by blocking the hose.
"(the woman) was grabbed by an RCMP officer and thrown to the ground, 
pinned, and handcuffed. Her face was literally shoved in a puddle of mud 
while an RCMP officer sat on top of her," the release said, describing it as 
an "uncalled act of police aggression."
The society said another student was immediately arrested for questioning 
the police action.
It said the detentions led to students forming a human chain in protest.
As a result, the release said, 26 students were arrested after 30 police 
cars from throughout Metro Vancouver arrived on the scene.
However, RCMP Cst. Annie Linteau with RCMP's E Division said only 19 people 
were arrested at the scene.
She said they received a call from campus security and the Vancouver fire 
department for assistance of dealing with the large crowd and bonfire.
"Upon their arrival, the firefighters deemed the fire to be unsafe and asked 
for our assistance to move the protesters," she said.
When they protesters were told to move, Linteau said "they banded together 
against the police and prevented the fire crews from putting out the fire."
At this point officers from Vancouver and Richmond detachments were called 
in the deal with "combative" protesters.
When one man was arrested and put in a police cruiser, the protesters banded 
around the car. Police then made their arrests.
University students belong to the Alma Mater Society, the school's student 
association.
Society vice-president of administration Tristan Markle called on university 
president Stephen Toope to condemn the arrests.
He called the arrests a "collective punishment" for students who have been 
protesting development on the campus.
Steve Klein from the Students from Democratic Society said protesters 
confronted security after they were holding a female on the ground in a 
puddle of water as they were trying to put out the fire. He said they tried 
negotiating with the officer to let the woman go.
"He finally stood her up and eight people locked arms around her and said 
that this was a complete overreaction," Klein said, in a phone interview, 
adding that they spoke with the officer for about an hour.
The woman wasn't arrested but the same people who were negotiating with the 
police, surrounded a car where a fellow protester was inside, under arrest.
"We danced around the police cruiser and sang songs for maybe an hour," he 
said. "We were careful not to touch the police cruiser or anything else."
At this point, more officers were called in and the situation escalated. 
Klein counted 18 police cruisers, two paddy wagons, a police van and several 
undercover police car.
He said the commanding officer at the scene would not allow the people 
surrounding the car to negotiate with them and the crowd started to get 
upset. It was then that the arrests were made.
"It seemed to me like it was inexperienced police officers escalating the 
situation rather than diffusing it and letting it get completely out of 
hand," Klein said.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2008/04/07/5216551-sun.html

Students protest RCMP arrests at UBC

UBC undergrad Steven Klein took issue with RCMP accounts of a Friday night 
dust-up as he gave an eyewitness account yesterday of students being 
arrested at a protest rally on campus. (Rob Kruyt, 24 hours)
By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS
UBC students are demanding answers after 19 of their colleagues were 
arrested Friday night in what police called a "volatile" protest.
But if you ask Steven Klein, a student who witnessed the police crackdown at 
UBC's "grassy knoll," the only thing volatile about the incident was police 
reaction.
"There was no threat of violence or aggression," Klein claims. "Students 
feel the arrests were unjustified and want to know why police dealt with it 
the way they did."
According to the RCMP, some of the students attending the KnollAid 2.0 
event - an all-day concert to help save a small green space behind the 
school's student union building from development - lit a large bonfire and 
blocked firefighters from putting it out.
One student was arrested and a group of students locked arms around a police 
car to prevent the student from being taken away.

At that point, scores of police arrived at the site to deal with the crowd, 
resulting in the arrest of 19 students.
But Klein and fellow student Morghain Gibbons told 24 hours that while the 
students did protest the arrests, they were far from "volatile" or 
"dangerous."
"It's just absurd," Gibbons said. "There were like 20 cop cars called in 
when it looked like everything was under control."
The Students for a Democratic Society UBC group is planning on filing a 
complaint against the RCMP.
SDSUBC organizer Margaret Orlowski said students will continue to protest 
the development plans and their petition to save the grassy knoll already 
has over 3,000 signatures.
"It's an important part of student life," she said. "There is so much 
development on campus right now and none of it is for the students' 
benefit."