[Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and rights protests, USA, Apr-Aug 2008
Andy
ldxar1 at tesco.net
Fri Aug 29 18:03:08 PDT 2008
ON THE BARRICADES: Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/
* New York: Protesters block roads in mass protest over racist police
shooting acquittal
* Mall protest over peace T-shirt ban
* Oregon - Portland: Mayor meets with homeless protesters... then police
attack camp
* Constitution toilet paper makes statement
* Florida: Another murder by police, another protest... x2
* Milwaukee: Hmong protest over police "excessive force"
* Texas: Cabbie photo ID scheme protested
* Wisconsin: Students protest cancellation of sex toy seminar
* San Antonio: Protests over ban on fraternity beach parties as moral
policing takes root
* Ex-soldier poses nude to protest Patriot Act
* Protest over harassment of Filipina activist
* Seattle: Violent arrest of student leads to protest
* Florida: Miami protest demands lifting of Cuba travel ban
* Philadelphia: Protest against police beating, lack of charges
* Washington DC: Civil rights groups protest Palestine-style checkpoints
in black communities
* Massachusetts: Former prisoners protest job bias
* Protest over ban on marijuana
* Gitmo protest trial used for further protests
* Texas: Neighbours leave pots in gardens over petty moral policing
* Washington DC: Amnesty protest Gitmo
* Texas: 35 years in jail for spitting - gay rights groups stage protests
* Cleveland: Protests over "gang" dragnet
* Manhattan: Parents stage Mothers' Day protest over police murders
* Massachusetts: Students protest stabbing charges
* Oregon: No-hugging rule protested at school
* Texas: Rally supports murder accused
* Gun owners protest groundless ban at cafe
* Seattle: Another police murder leads to proetst
* Detroit: Cyclists protest fee to own a bike
* Seattle: Protest over police raid on medical marijuana site
* Texas: Injustice protested over acquittal of killer
* Woman takes to cross in protest at mistreatment of
psychologically-different son in jail
* Seattle: "Cameraheads" protest CCTVs
* Minnesota: Protester disrupts council meeting over police shooting
powers
* Maine: Veteran protests housing complex flag ban
* MBTA workers protest watch-while-you-pee tests
* Arizona: Speed camera protesters say "honk for privacy"
* Detroit: Mayor protested over corruption
* Shreveport, LA: Politicians' pay rise sparks protest
* Washington: Protests over medical marijuana caps
* School graffiti protests dress code
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=115574
Protesters Clog NYC Streets
Updated 5/8/2008 10:51:44 AM
Posted By: Michael King
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hundreds of demonstrators led by the Rev. Al Sharpton
clogged intersections and snarled traffic across the city to protest the
acquittal of three officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed
black man on his wedding day.
Protesters said Wednesday's "pray-in," which led to the arrest of 216
people, was a preview of potential future demonstrations designed to
paralyze the city until federal authorities investigate the shooting.
"We're going to keep coming until we get federal indictments. It's wrong,"
said Frank Rodriguez, a military veteran who attended one of six rallies
across the city.
U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but
he declined further comment about a possible federal case.
Sharpton and relatives of Sean Bell, the groom killed in 2006 in a 50-bullet
barrage, planned to meet privately with Gov. David Paterson on Thursday to
talk about the case.
The demonstrators on Wednesday prayed, sang and chanted slogans including
"no justice, no peace!" as they converged on six locations, including
heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan.
Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee lined up
and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police arrested them on
disorderly conduct charges. They were released about four hours later, said
Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger.
The protests were carefully orchestrated: Organizers circulated sign-up
sheets for those willing to be arrested and issued instructions on how to
behave when arrested. They also were advised not to volunteer if they had
warrants out for their arrests or other pending legal issues.
After marching to the New Jersey-bound Holland Tunnel behind a "Stop the
Brutality" banner, protesters blocked two entrances as some sang the civil
rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Demonstrators who moved to the sidewalk
applauded each time one of their fellow protesters was arrested.
Drivers waited patiently. "I disagree with doing anything illegal, but, hey,
this is what makes America great," said Aaron Hanson, a passenger in a car
waiting to get into the tunnel. "If this is what people really need to do to
make a statement, it's what they should do."
A few miles uptown, some protesters were arrested after blocking traffic
into midtown Manhattan on the Queensboro Bridge, while about 200 people
rallied near the entrance to the Triborough Bridge in Harlem.
Sharpton, shooting survivors Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, and Bell's
fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, linked arms as they blocked a street at the
Brooklyn Bridge's base.
They were followed by at least 200 demonstrators who kneeled down in prayer
in the road and counted from one to 50 in a stark reference to the 50 shots.
Some carried signs proclaiming, "We are all Sean Bell."
A heavy police presence initially stood by during the demonstrations,
allowing the protesters to march unimpeded to the bridges and tunnels. Mayor
Michael Bloomberg had pledged to "make sure that everybody's rights are
protected and that the law is obeyed."
The racially polarizing case has raised questions about police use of deadly
force in minority communities. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who
were wounded in the shooting; the officers were black, Hispanic and white.
The three officers were acquitted of state charges last month. They
testified that they feared for their lives after Bell and his friends got
into a testy exchange with another patron outside a Queens strip club and
appeared to be going to retrieve a gun; Bell's friends testified the
detectives fired wildly and without warning at Bell's car. No gun was found
with Bell or his friends.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that the department was
continuing to examine the possibility of disciplinary action against the
detectives.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42292
RIGHTS-US: Hundreds Arrested Protesting Police Abuses
By Haider Rizvi
Paultre Bell before her arrest on May 7, 2008.
Credit:Monica Moorehead/Workers World
NEW YORK, May 8 (IPS) - She was as happy and excited about getting married
that day as any young person in love. But fate had something else waiting.
Just a few hours ahead of her wedding, on Nov. 25, 2006, New York City
police officers killed her fiancé Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets.
On Wednesday, handcuffed like the more than 200 other detainees who
participated in a forceful demonstration against police oppression, Paultre
Bell shouted in rage: "They killed Sean all over again. I'm still praying
for justice. This is far from over. Every march, every protest, I'm going to
be right up front."
In solidarity with Paultre Bell, thousands of New Yorkers took to the
streets and shut down traffic in several parts of the city to protest last
month's judicial ruling exonerating the three undercover police officers,
who had been indicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to reckless
endangerment.
Bell, 23, and two of his friends who survived the confrontation had no
weapons in their possession, nor they had committed any crime. They were
driving home after spending a few hours of fun in a nightclub when the
incident took place. The police officers, who were investigating alleged
prostitution at the club, said they thought the group was armed and tried to
stop them, at which point the situation spun out of control.
The acquittal of the officers triggered a massive outcry around the city,
with critics charging that authorities have repeatedly failed to stop police
abuses -- most often directed at young men of colour, particularly African
Americans and immigrants.
According to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), there "are
troubling patterns" in police shootings due in part to the lack of diversity
in the department's highest ranks. Currently, about 84 percent of leadership
positions are held by whites, while African Americans constitute less than 4
percent.
In its latest analysis of police conduct released this week, the group says
during the past two years, nearly 90 percent of those shot by the police
were either Black or Latino. In 77 percent of the incidents, according to
NYCLU, where officers fired their weapons between 1999 and 2006, "the
officers were the only ones shooting at unarmed civilians".
"These numbers scream out for serious review by the City Council," said the
group's executive director Donna Lieberman. "As with the hundreds of
thousands of stops and frisks, and the hundreds of thousands of marijuana
arrests, being black should not make people a target for shootings."
According to a recent U.N. report on racial discrimination in the United
States, excessive force by police is a problem in a number of big cities
across the nation.
In its latest report, the Geneva-based U.N. Committee against Racial
Discrimination said it was extremely concerned about racially motivated
police excesses, and urged the government to take corrective measures in
abidance with international law.
Two new reports released this week, by Human Rights Watch and the Sentencing
Project, found that in 34 U.S. states, a black man was nearly 12 times more
likely than a white man to be sentenced to prison for drug offences. A black
woman is nearly five times more likely to go to prison than a white woman.
Overall, the rate of drug arrests for African Americans increased by 225
percent, compared to 70 percent among whites, between 1980 and 2003, despite
the absence of any statistical evidence that the rate of drug use in each
community had changed.
On Wednesday, before being handcuffed by the police, Rev. Al Sharpton, a
prominent civil rights leader, urged activists to denounce the state court
verdict and continue their acts of disobedience until Bell's case is
reviewed by a federal court.
"We are all Sean Bell," the crowd outside the police headquarters roared in
unison as police began to make arrests. There were many children among the
crowd. One of them, a five-year-old girl, held a placard that read: "Damn
this system." Protesters counted to 50 in reference to the bullets that
caused the young groom to bleed to death.
As they prepared to be arrested, some demonstrators knelt in prayer as
religious leaders blessed the crowd. People at the rally, both white and
black, told IPS they have been protesting against racial injustice and
police abuses since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
"It's outrageous. It's intolerable," said Andy Stapp, a veteran of the civil
rights movement and author who spent many hours in police custody for taking
part in the protest. "You have to do something. You can't just sit there. I
am optimistic about [the outcome] of this movement. It's a good start."
Mindful that public anger is growing day by day over the acquittal, a
spokesperson for the U.S. attorney said Wednesday that the case was "under
review". It remains unclear whether a federal court will retry the case.
In an interview with Pacifica Radio, New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg said
he and the police commissioner were "very proud" of the New York Police
Department and its officers. He added, "I can't tell you that every time,
everyone does the right thing. And whether they did the right thing or not
this time, it sounds to me like excessive force was used."
For its part, the NYCLU wants the police to release complete information
about shooting incidents, including the race of the civilian targets. In
1998, according to the group, the police department stopped disclosing the
race of civilian targets and "started reporting the breed of dogs being
shot".
"We want full disclosure about every aspect of police shootings, including
the role that race may be playing," said NYCLU's Christopher Dunn. "We are
deeply concerned about the figures that everyone showing that virtually
everyone shot by the police is black or Latino."
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/sean.bell.verdict.2.709369.html
Apr 27, 2008 12:09 pm US/Eastern
Bell Supporters Want Federal Charges Against Cops
Plan To Continue Rallies, Marches In Protest
Reporting
Lou Young
NEW YORK (CBS) ― With calls to shut down the city, hundreds of demonstrators
launched the start of what could be a long series of protests following the
acquittal of three New York City Detectives in the shooting death of Sean
Bell.
"What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now," protesters chanted at a
rally held in Harlem the day after the three New York City Police Detectives
who shot and killed Sean Bell were acquitted of criminal charges.
"I walk in here today and I feel a lot better," Joseph Guzman, Bell's friend
who was injured in the shooting.
The crowd supporting him filled Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network
building, and spilled out onto the sidewalk on 145th St. – the new rally
point for a new round of protests.
As marchers lined up outside to illustrate the 50 shots fired at Bell's car,
his fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell promised to keep the pressure on.
"On April 25th, 2008, they killed Sean all over again. That's what it felt
like to us," she told supporters. "Every protest, every march, every rally,
I'm going to be right up front."
The Bell family wants the three detectives who were found not guilty to be
brought up on federal charges. Rev. Sharpton promised several rallies in the
coming days. Organizers are compiling a list of men and women willing to
participate in marches and lobby efforts. Saturday's protest march was
modest in comparison to some of the plans in the works.
Protesters made a 50-block loop around Harlem spreading the word. Future
marches will likely take place further downtown, and possibly during rush
hour.
Bell's parents said they are grateful for the support, and the Rev. Sharpton
summoned his poetic powers of public speaking to promise to help his family.
"I'm going to help these two women fight for that little boy (Sean Bell),"
said Rev. Sharpton. "That little boy didn't deserve to die and this city is
gonna deal with the blood of Sean Bell."
The three New York City Police Detectives successfully argued in court that
they thought there was a gun in Bell's car and believed their lives were in
danger. It turned out Bell and his friends were unarmed. The only Detective
to publicly apologize to the Bell family was Detective Marc Cooper.
"[I'm] sorry to the Bell family for the tragedy," said Det. Marc Cooper.
That apology did not appear to diffuse the fury at this rally, where Bell's
father William said he worried the country is moving back in time instead of
forward.
"You tell me. Someone gotta answer this for me. Is this 1955?" asked William
Bell.
http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=591609
Hundreds of Bell's supporters arrested for protesting against police abuses
Posted: 2008/05/08
From: Source
In solidarity with Paultre Bell, thousands of New Yorkers took to the
streets and shut down traffic in several parts of the city to protest last
month's judicial ruling exonerating the three undercover police officers,
who had been indicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to reckless
endangerment.
by Haider Rizvi
(IPS)
NEW YORK - She was as happy and excited about getting married that day as
any young person in love. But fate had something else waiting. Just a few
hours ahead of her wedding, on Nov. 25, 2006, New York City police officers
killed her fiancé Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets.
On Wednesday, handcuffed like the more than 200 other detainees who
participated in a forceful demonstration against police oppression, Paultre
Bell shouted in rage: "They killed Sean all over again. I'm still praying
for justice. This is far from over. Every march, every protest, I'm going to
be right up front."
In solidarity with Paultre Bell, thousands of New Yorkers took to the
streets and shut down traffic in several parts of the city to protest last
month's judicial ruling exonerating the three undercover police officers,
who had been indicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to reckless
endangerment.
Bell, 23, and two of his friends who survived the confrontation had no
weapons in their possession, nor they had committed any crime. They were
driving home after spending a few hours of fun in a nightclub when the
incident took place. The police officers, who were investigating alleged
prostitution at the club, said they thought the group was armed and tried to
stop them, at which point the situation spun out of control.
The acquittal of the officers triggered a massive outcry around the city,
with critics charging that authorities have repeatedly failed to stop police
abuses -- most often directed at young men of colour, particularly African
Americans and immigrants.
According to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), there "are
troubling patterns" in police shootings due in part to the lack of diversity
in the department's highest ranks. Currently, about 84 percent of leadership
positions are held by whites, while African Americans constitute less than 4
percent.
In its latest analysis of police conduct released this week, the group says
during the past two years, nearly 90 percent of those shot by the police
were either Black or Latino. In 77 percent of the incidents, according to
NYCLU, where officers fired their weapons between 1999 and 2006, "the
officers were the only ones shooting at unarmed civilians".
"These numbers scream out for serious review by the City Council," said the
group's executive director Donna Lieberman. "As with the hundreds of
thousands of stops and frisks, and the hundreds of thousands of marijuana
arrests, being black should not make people a target for shootings."
According to a recent U.N. report on racial discrimination in the United
States, excessive force by police is a problem in a number of big cities
across the nation.
In its latest report, the Geneva-based U.N. Committee against Racial
Discrimination said it was extremely concerned about racially motivated
police excesses, and urged the government to take corrective measures in
abidance with international law.
Two new reports released this week, by Human Rights Watch and the Sentencing
Project, found that in 34 U.S. states, a black man was nearly 12 times more
likely than a white man to be sentenced to prison for drug offences. A black
woman is nearly five times more likely to go to prison than a white woman.
Overall, the rate of drug arrests for African Americans increased by 225
percent, compared to 70 percent among whites, between 1980 and 2003, despite
the absence of any statistical evidence that the rate of drug use in each
community had changed.
On Wednesday, before being handcuffed by the police, Rev. Al Sharpton, a
prominent civil rights leader, urged activists to denounce the state court
verdict and continue their acts of disobedience until Bell's case is
reviewed by a federal court.
"We are all Sean Bell," the crowd outside the police headquarters roared in
unison as police began to make arrests. There were many children among the
crowd. One of them, a five-year-old girl, held a placard that read: "Damn
this system." Protesters counted to 50 in reference to the bullets that
caused the young groom to bleed to death.
As they prepared to be arrested, some demonstrators knelt in prayer as
religious leaders blessed the crowd. People at the rally, both white and
black, told IPS they have been protesting against racial injustice and
police abuses since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
"It's outrageous. It's intolerable," said Andy Stapp, a veteran of the civil
rights movement and author who spent many hours in police custody for taking
part in the protest. "You have to do something. You can't just sit there. I
am optimistic about [the outcome] of this movement. It's a good start."
Mindful that public anger is growing day by day over the acquittal, a
spokesperson for the U.S. attorney said Wednesday that the case was "under
review". It remains unclear whether a federal court will retry the case.
In an interview with Pacifica Radio, New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg said
he and the police commissioner were "very proud" of the New York Police
Department and its officers. He added, "I can't tell you that every time,
everyone does the right thing. And whether they did the right thing or not
this time, it sounds to me like excessive force was used."
For its part, the NYCLU wants the police to release complete information
about shooting incidents, including the race of the civilian targets. In
1998, according to the group, the police department stopped disclosing the
race of civilian targets and "started reporting the breed of dogs being
shot".
"We want full disclosure about every aspect of police shootings, including
the role that race may be playing," said NYCLU's Christopher Dunn. "We are
deeply concerned about the figures that everyone showing that virtually
everyone shot by the police is black or Latino."
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:0AqbnDB08O0J:www.newsday.com/community/news/northshoresuffolk/huntington/ny-limall0629,0,2475820.story+war+protest+walt+whitman&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ukWar protesters take their cause to the mallBY MATTHEW CHAYES | matthew.chayes at newsday.com9:01 PM EDT, June 28, 2008Anti-war protester Shineye Wright, 49, from Mastic Beach, right, confrontscounter-demonstrators along Route 110 in front of Walt Whitman Mall.(Newsday / Julia Gaines / June 28, 2008)Iraq War protesters once again all but dared a mall chain to eject themSaturday for wearing T-shirts identical to the red-splotched one that landedan 80-year-old peace activist in jail earlier this year when he refused amall's demand he take his shirt off or leave.But the Simon Property Group -- which owns the Smith Haven Mall where theelderly activist was arrested in March, as well as the Walt Whitman Mall inMelville where the protesters laid down their T-shirt challenge Saturday --let the dozen people parade around en masse wearing the shirts.The shirts read "4,000+ troops, 1 million Iraqis dead. Enough!"As the protesters walked, they were trailed by at least a dozen mallofficials, security guards and publicists.Guards on foot and riding on Segway motorized scooters talked into two-wayradios. A mall-hired cameraman videotaped the group's every move. The mallhas said it is legally entitled to eject anyone protesting on its property.In a statement, the mall owner said its policies do not allow "protests ordemonstrations of any kind ... on mall property regardless of the topic."At one point, the group formed a circle near Tourneau and Banana Republicstores, reciting prayers and holding hands.Saturday's protests were triggered, organizers say, by the arrest in Marchof the elderly activist, Don Zirkel, who refused an order at the Smith HavenMall to take off his shirt or leave. The mall says Zirkel was distributingpamphlets without permission. He was arrested by Suffolk police, butcriminal charges were later dismissed.Last month, the group wore the shirts at the Sunrise Mall without incidentuntil they started displaying photos of service members who have died. Thegroup didn't show such photos Saturday.The same anti-war group plans to picket at three more malls -- RooseveltField on July 26, the South Shore Mall on Aug. 23 and the Smith Haven Mallin September, said Janet Egan of the Suffolk Peace Network, which isorganizing the protests. The group is using malls for the protests becausethey are suburbia's public squares, Egan said.Immediately after Saturday's T-shirt march inside, protesters assembledoutside on Route 110, where they vied for the attention of passing motoristswith counterparts who support the war in Iraq.http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/mayor_tom_potter_meets_with_ho.htmlMayor Tom Potter meets with homeless protesters at City HallPosted by The Oregonian May 05, 2008 17:34PMPortland Mayor Tom Potter spent 45 minutes with leaders of a group ofhomeless men and women protesting outside City Hall, but they left withoutthe biggest issue on their want list: An end to the city's anti-campingordinance.Potter told four leaders of the protest that he would work with nonprofitshelter operators to see if there's a way to provide more short-term shelterfor the growing group of people camped out by City Hall's Southwest FourthAvenue entrance. But the protesters left Potter's office angry that themayor refused to waive the camping ban or reconsider Portland'santi-loitering law, known as the sit-lie ordinance.Many of the people who've been outside City Hall for more than a week noware traveling with dogs or with their spouse or partner. Shelters generallydo not allow animals, and men and women are usually separated. Potterpromised to work with shelter providers and local kennels to see aboutfinding more flexible accommodations.Over the weekend, Portland police asked protesters to remove several tentsand other temporary shelters.Anna Griffinhttp://www.kptv.com/news/16282409/detail.html?rss=ptl1&psp=newsPortland Clears Out Protesters, Cleans Up SidewalksPOSTED: 7:39 pm PDT May 15, 2008UPDATED: 7:45 pm PDT May 15, 2008PORTLAND, Ore. -- The sidewalks in front of Portland's City Hall were cleanThursday after police cleared out groups of protesters so that the walkwayscould be washed.Portland police began enforcing the city's sit-lie ordinance Thursday toclear out the homeless campers who had been protesting in front of PortlandCity Hall for the past several weeks.Andrew Newman was arrested when, police said, he would not get out of thestreet.But otherwise the sweep was peaceful, police said.City officials said people can still protest in front of City Hall; theyjust can't camp there.http://www.katu.com/news/local/18972369.htmlHomeless protesters removed from City HallStory Published: May 15, 2008 at 8:38 AM PDTStory Updated: May 15, 2008 at 12:57 PM PDTBy KATU Web StaffPORTLAND, Ore. - Portland police removed homeless protesters who have beensitting in front of Portland's City Hall building Thursday morning. One manwas arrested for not getting out of the street.The sweep of protesters began about 6:30 a.m. after police issued a warningearlier saying the protesters were in violation of a no-camping cityordinance. A large group of officers were on hand for the confrontation, butonly one person was arrested.The protesters, most of them homeless, are upset about the ordinance andother city laws they say violate their civil rights.Many had been camped out in front of the City Hall building for up to threeweeks.On Wednesday, Portland mayor Tom Potter warned protesters they were inviolation of the law and that officers would break up the group, but thedeadline for such action was flexible.Some of the protesters left the area while others congregated across thestreet. City crews arrived with power-washing equipment shortly after theprotesters left the sidewalk area.Following cleanup of the area, it will be technically legal for theprotesters to take their spots on the sidewalk again, which may lead policeto clear them again according to current city statutes.http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200805/s2241204.htm?tab=latestPortland police arrest homeless protesters near City Hall01:33 PM PDT on Sunday, May 11, 2008By kgw.com staffPORTLAND, Ore. – After two weeks of protesting, homeless residents campingout in front of Portland City Hall were told Saturday that they will have tomove. Officers arrested seven people, focusing on the city’s “Sit and Lie”Ordinance. The arrests centered on those sitting against the fence wall thatsurrounds city hall, and blocking the interior of the sidewalk.kgw.comHomeless people gather at City Hall to protest the City's decision to removethem from bridge areas.Mayor Tom Potter has asked police to enforce a city ordinance that prohibitscamping in public places. After Saturday's warning, the enforcement isscheduled to begin Tuesday.The protest started with 15-20 people camping in front of City Hall, butthat number has ballooned to more than 100. It’s that number that has themayor concerned.“The amount of clutter has greatly affected the ability of the public to usethe sidewalk,” Potter said in a statement Saturday. “I also have anincreasing concern about the safety of both the protestors and the generalpublic.”Potter had originally supported the protest, but said there have beennumerous calls for police and medical assistance, along with sanitationconcerns in and outside of city hall.“It’s bologna,” said a protester named Jukeboxxxe, upset over the arrests.“We are having a peaceful protest and they are bringing a violent elementinto our peaceful protests. We have been policing ourselves.”Homeless residents began their protest in late April. They complain the cityhasn't done enough for homeless people.Mayor Potter said the city will connect protestors and homeless individualswith service providers who can help them find shelter or other places to go.http://www.southwestiowanews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19832356&BRD=2703&PAG=461&dept_id=555106&rfi=6Tongue-in-cheek protest on 'paper'Tom McMahon, Staff Writer07/06/2008Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendlySubmitted photo - A mock U.S. Constitution printed on toilet paper is oneman’s way of protesting what he says is a lack of adherence to the document.Larry Roe said the tissue roll is designed to make people think about whatthe forefathers intended.While polls indicate the majority of U.S. citizens are dissatisfied with thepresident and Congress, one man is taking his discontent to the bathroom.Larry Roe is printing a mock version of the country's Constitution on toiletpaper. He said the tongue-in-cheek effort is one way to get people to thinkabout the document and the nation's future."I think the great majority of Americans agree the Constitution is oftenignored," Roe said."Some leaders do what they want to do."He said the toilet paper is meant to make that statement, be humorous andget people thinking.Roe had not used the paper for its intended purpose until a radiointerviewer called him a hypocrite."It was kind of challenging," the paper's creator stated as he took his rollinto the bathroom."I was thinking the founders who wrote it could have been hanged and all therisks they took."He said he figured most people would keep the rolls on the shelf.While the print looks like the original Constitution, the fine print revealsa different document.Roe said he updated the words to reflect what he sees as the "current stateof affairs."The Bill of Rights is The Bill of Privileges. The second amendment - "Awell-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, theright of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed," reads"The privilege of the people to bare federally-licensed arms shall not beinfringed."The fourth amendment's guarantee against unreasonable and warrantlesssearches and seizures reads, "The privilege of the people to be secureduring searches and seizures by the IRS, DEA, ATF and FBI shall not beviolated, though no warrants shall be issue by the NSA or CIA."Roe, who formerly lived in Washington, said he realizes having aConstitution facsimile on toilet paper might not be seen as politicallycorrect.He said so far he has not received any criticism, although the product hasonly been on the market a couple weeks.Next week could tell the tale. An ad for the toilet paper is appearing in"The Hill," a Washington, D.C. congressional newspaper.The tissue is $8 a roll.The Web site, www.constitutiontp.com, promises a soon to be released"Federal Budget" version.http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI84206/Brother protests SWAT shooting of hostage-takerRelated LinksVideo: SWAT shootingPOMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- The brother of a man killed during a SWATstandoff is demanding answers from authorities, saying it was not necessaryto kill him.According to authorities, 57-year-old Patrick Dellisanti died Thursday aftera standoff with SWAT team members, where Dellisanti held two women hostage.The brother of the suspect, George Dellisanti, said other precautionscould've be taken before they fired on his brother. "I thought there wereother alternatives. From what I've seen, seven guys, he got shot seventimes. I mean, give the guy the benefit of the doubt. If he didn't aim atyou, you still got time for a reaction," he said, "They could've taseredhim. I think they could've tasered him down."The suspect was upset over thousands of dollars of homeowner's assessmentfees. Dellisanti had fired his gun inside the building at the Cypress BendApartments' clubhouse, located at 2204 S. Cypress Bend Drive, after takingtwo employees hostage. SWAT team members soon surrounded the recreationalbuilding.After a long negotiation, the suspect and the two female hostages exited thebuilding.Officers ordered Dellisanti to raise his hands. The suspect, however,reached into his pockets, pulled out a firearm and pointed it to his head."When you're on the firing line, and you're on the SWAT team, all you'rewatching is his hands," said Jim Leljedal from the Broward Sheriffs Office."Anyone in a situation like this, you have a gun, you're ordered to drop thegun, and you don't drop the gun, you can expect to be shot and killed."The autopsy will reveal whether or not Dellisanti did indeed shoot himself.Police also said their investigation will show if Dellisanti provoked theincident, wanting suicide by a police officer.The two hostages inside were uninjured. The SWAT members involved in theshooting are on administrative leave while the investigation continues.Dellasanti's family traveled from New York to plan for the funeral.http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/125806/Teen shooting sparks protestAbout 30 demonstrators gathered outside the police station in St.Petersburg, Fla., Monday to protest the weekend shooting death of a teenageboy.Javon Dawson, 17, was shot and killed by police during a graduation party atthe Shining Light Masonic Lodge, The St. Petersburg Times reported.You can't keep killing our young people and expect nothing to come of it asa consequence, said Omali Yeshitela, founder of the International People'sDemocratic Uhuru Movement.Yeshitela maintained Dawson was shot in the back with his hands up.There were no statements that he had a gun, fired a gun or pointed a gun, hesaid. The police department is the only one who's said anything about a gun.http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=8207854Hmong community holds protest outside City Hall in MilwaukeeAssociated Press - April 22, 2008 10:35 AM ETMILWAUKEE (AP) - Members of the Hmong community have gathered outsideMilwaukee's city hall to protest the way the police department has handledan allegation of excessive force.More than a hundred people are walking east from city hall chanting, "Nojustice, no peace." Some are carrying signs bearing a photograph of a manthey say was battered by police.Koua Moua, a 40-year-old machinist, claims Officer Kelly Parker usedexcessive force and beat him on the street in February.But Milwaukee police Chief Edward Flynn has backed the officer, sayingParker feared for his life and the community's safety and had to use force.The state Department of Justice is looking into the case.http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=8721Houston Cabbies Protest ID Card Scheme04-29-2008Houston ChronicleMore than 100 taxis paraded around downtown Houston's Tranquillity Parktoday to protest Wednesday's deadline for all cabdrivers who do business atHouston airports to wear photo IDs.Starting Wednesday, drivers who seek fares at Bush Intercontinental andHobby airports must have badges. To get them, cabbies will be required topass criminal and immigration background checks by the TransportationSecurity Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity.Cab industry observers say this is the first such program for cabdrivers inthe nation.The demonstration, which passed in front of the federal courthouse andbeside City Hall, came after a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed thismorning on behalf of the Houston Drivers Fund, also known as the HoustonTaxi Association.The group represents 700 to 1,000 independent cabdrivers, about 95 percentof whom are minorities, the lawsuit states.The drivers are asking for an emergency hearing before a federal judge tostop the city from enforcing the new rules, which the lawsuit alleges arediscriminatory and target the cabbies because most are foreign-born.Drivers already are required to pass FBI background checks to getcity-issued operating licenses.The lawsuit also asks a federal judge to force the city to improveconditions in staging areas and, because of several recent murders of taxidrivers, allow cabbies to refuse service without fear of losing theiroperating licenses."These drivers are ambassadors for people who come to our city," saidHouston lawyer Reginald McKamie, who filed the suit on behalf of thedrivers. "They've made complaints and nobody's listening to them."Officials with the Houston Airport System have said the ID cards havenothing to do with race or nationality. Hired chauffeurs already arerequired to wear badges and, once taxi drivers get their cards, shuttle busdrivers are next.http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/04/30/newsupdate/10toys.txtWednesday, April 30, 2008Students protest cancelation of sex toy seminarBy DEBORAH ZIFF / Lee Newspapers.MADISON — A group of University of Wisconsin law students asked for anapology from the university for the abrupt cancellation of a sex toy seminarscheduled at the Law School last week.Calling it a misunderstanding, Law School Dean Kenneth Davis said the groupcan hold the event if no commercial products are promoted or sold.The Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice sent a formal complaintthis week to the administration at the UW School of Law arguing the event,Sex Toys 101, was canceled without “justification or consultation.”The students say the actions “disregarded the Law School’s duty to fosterthat freedom” of expression.In a response to the complaint, Davis said he takes “great pride” in the“commitment to promoting the free expression of ideas.” He said he wasconcerned the event violated student rules stipulating that registeredstudent organizations cannot use university facilities to sell or promotecommercial products.“In my view,” he wrote, there was an “honest misunderstanding over theapplication of university rules to an admittedly difficult issue — the useof Law School facilities for an event prominently featuring a privatecommercial vendor.”The planned forum featured a presentation by A Woman’s Touch SexualityResource Center, which group members say fit with their mission to promotewomen’s sexual and reproductive health through education.A notice of the event said “the lecture will provide tips and tricks as wellas information about health, hygiene, satisfaction, and yes, the law, of sextoys.” There are bans on sexual devices in certain states and by localordinances.This is not an uncommon topic on the UW campus — the group Sex Out Loudoften features programs on sexuality — but it may be the first time a LawSchool organization has wanted to hold such an event, Davis said.The issue boils down to a somewhat pedestrian one: whether the seminarviolated the code of conduct of student organizations.Maria June Selsor, the chairwoman of the organization, asked for permissionto host the event several weeks before, noting the “potentiallycontroversial nature of the seminar.”At that time, Assistant Dean for Student and Academic Affairs Ruth Robartsresponded that the event would be permissible if it didn’t conflict with thestudent organization handbook.The students decided not to allow the sale of products at the event becausethey felt it violated those rules. But Davis said the students did notcommunicate this decision to administration, leading to the last-minutecancellation.On the afternoon of the presentation April 23, Robarts sent the students ane-mail saying, “You need to cancel today’s event.”“Associate Dean Walter Dickey has determined that your student organizationmay not sell, promote, advertise (etc.) sex toys on law school premises,”she wrote.Dickey took down posters promoting the event, some featuring pictures of sextoys, students said in the complaint.In an e-mail to the students, Dickey said he directed “that the signs,blatantly promotional material (offensive to many staff and students), betaken down because they so obviously are for the purpose of promotingcommercial products.”The students said the posters were “provocative, and intended to sparkdebate and interest in the seminar.”Once the administration learned the students did not intend to sellproducts, they “un-canceled” the event that same day, Davis said. Butstudents may not have gotten the message.Whether the event could still be considered a “promotion” of the products,Davis said, falls in a “gray area.”“This is a case where, given First Amendment issues, you err on the side ofhaving the event,” he said.Deborah Ziff is a reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal.http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA_050108_8B_TRINITY_368919b_html4693.htmlWeb Posted: 05/01/2008 2:00 CDTTrinity Greeks protest ban on beach partiesIt's not exactly violence in Sudan. But a Tuesday night decision by TrinityUniversity officials to call off beach parties planned by Greekorganizations sparked a daylong protest Wednesday, a show of rebellionthat's unusual for the reserved private university.Officials banned the beach bashes after reports of alcohol abuse andmisbehavior on previous trips. In one instance, a sorority girl's dateinjured himself after getting drunk and falling down concrete steps. Thispast weekend, a different group of sorority girls made so much noise at aPort Aransas hotel that they attracted police, and left the rooms dirtyenough to warrant extra cleanup.According to students, the canceled beach trips will cost them $16,000 innonrefundable hotel deposits.“I hate to stamp my foot and say it's not fair, but it's not fair,” saidGrant Quimby, president of the Phi Sigma Chi fraternity.On Wednesday, Quimby participated in a daylong sit-in outside the campus andcommunity involvement office, demanding to speak to administrators about thedecision. At 4 p.m., about 60 students in multi-colored Greek jerseys milledaround the office, setting up a tent, blaring music, typing on laptops andducking into the campus bar for breaks.Quimby said the university overreached its authority when it banned thebeach formals, a Trinity tradition where Greek members say goodbye todeparting seniors with a weekend bash at various hotels along the gulfcoast. Most of the university's fraternities and sororities — all locallyaffiliated — already had taken their trips. So the only ones punished werethe four groups who had not gone yet, Quimby said.“The people getting punished here have not done anything wrong,” said BillKeith, a senior who was planning to attend one of the formals.But in a letter to the campus community, Felicia Lee, vice president forstudent affairs, said the students could not honestly say they werefollowing the school's drinking policy, which bars them from buying alcoholand taking it into the hotel. Empty alcohol containers were found in roomsand public areas, she wrote.“The university has reasonable grounds to believe that similar issues andviolations would likely occur at upcoming beach weekend events,” Lee wrote.“Given what the university knows about the past history of these events andthe infractions during the two most recent weekends, we cannot in ourprofessional, moral, or legal conscience allow these events to continue.”Though the sorority girls made a bit of a mess this past weekend, MichaelKuhn, general manager of Beachgate CondoSuites in Port Aransas, said theywere well behaved.“It's actually about the most tame group we have,” Kuhn said. “They have agood time and we love them to come. It got blown out of proportion.”In the past, Lee wrote, the beach parties were unstructured and involvedheavy drinking by underage students.In recent years, the university has put the brakes on Greek partying,banning long-held traditions, implementing an alcohol- and risk-managementpolicy, and revoking charters when members did not follow the rules.Students say the transition has been tough.“There have been a lot of changes that are hard to adapt to for a smalluniversity with a lot of traditions,” said Amy Walton, a member of the GammaChi Delta sorority. “This is the culmination of several years of tension.”http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/?p=1004Former soldier poses nude to protest Patriot ActBy Muriel KaneA former member of the National Guard has posed in the nude for PlaygirlMagazine in what he claims is an act of political protest.Former Army Specialist Stewart Zamudio, a strikingly handsome man who spentsix years in the military and even appeared in a recruiting commercial, sayshe eventually began to feel he just didn’t belong. “There’s a restrictionof, like, what you shouldn’t say and what you should do and what you shouldn’t do,” he told ABC News.Zamudio posed for Playgirl wearing nothing but an American flag draped overhis shoulders. “I want to change the meaning of what the American flag is tothe people,” he explains. According to ABC, Zamudio “says he also got nakedto show his disgust for the Patriot Act, which he says strips away Americans’ freedoms.”However, another veteran interviewed by ABC found the photos an insult tothe military. “It’s a dishonor to everybody else in the service,” CraigNorthacker told ABC.Zamudio, who now appears to be pursuing a modeling career, was previouslyinvolved in controversy when he advised last fall that people not join theNational Guard as long as George Bush is commander in chief:“Ask yourself, ‘If President Bush was a soldier today and the CompanyCommander at your unit, whom you trusted with your life. And he led you intoa battle in Iraq a couple of weeks before, where three of your buddies werekilled? Would you trust him with your life in another battle? Would youhonestly follow a leader who has failed time and time again?’”One right-wing blog called Zamudio a traitor for those comments.ABC 7 News has more details here.This video is from ABCNews.com, broadcast May 8, 2008.Download videohttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storyPage.aspx?storyId=120763Groups to protest alleged NYPD harassment during PIDC paradePeewee Recaido and Rusty Fabunan at the make-shift booth of NAFCON & BAYANUSA with the Kappa Pi members providing alternative cultural space duringPhilippine Independence Day Celebration (PIDC) parade held last week in NewYork City.A US-based women’s organization and its allied Filipino Americanorganizations is set to hold an indignation rally to protest alleged policeharassment during the Philippine Independence Day Celebration (PIDC) paradeheld last week in New York City.The Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) and member organizations ofthe National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) said the rally will beconducted 5:30 p.m. in front of the Philippine Consulate, 556 Fifth Avenueon June 6.The indignation rally is to protest the apprehension of two of their friendsby the New York City Police Department (NYPD) last week.They said police seized two youth members of the Kapatirang Pilipino (KappaPi Fraternity), Peewee Recaido and Rusty Fabunan, for playing drums during apolitical street theater performance which "exposed the commercialization ofthe PIDC and the current rice crisis in the Philippines.""When the NYPD took our friends away for playing drums, it didn't make anysense. This is New York City, people play drums everywhere--in the parks, inthe street, in the subways! Why can't we play drums during our celebrationof independence? It was just music!" said FiRE member Jackelyn Mariano.The incident prompted FiRE members and other groups to chant for one hourwhile NYPD made a barricade of officers that blocked the rally including thedrummers.The Kappa Pi brothers were charged with "failure to disperse" and have beensummoned to a court hearing. The groups said the arrest was an injusticesince the two were only playing drums.http://www.kirotv.com/news/16427159/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=newsStudents Protest Officers' Use Of Force During ArrestPOSTED: 11:53 am PDT May 29, 2008UPDATED: 1:34 pm PDT May 29, 2008SEATTLE -- Students were holding a rally Thursday at Seattle CentralCommunity College to protest the police's treatment of a man during hisarrest, reported KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.Julio Hernandez, 21, was arrested on the school's campus Wednesday in frontof hundreds of students. Hernandez was accused of making threats to thecampus last Friday and referring to the Virginia Tech massacre.Student Chris Mobley shot a video of Hernandez' arrest in which police areseen forcing Hernandez to the ground. Mobley said the incident began afterpolice and school security confronted the student."As soon as he stepped back, the officer who was attempting to frisk him gothim by a head lock and tried to bring him down. The first officer who triedto arrest him kneed him in the face twice," said Mobley.School officials said police took action after Hernandez refused tocooperate, but students said the police went too far.Police said they confiscated a knife from Hernandez during his arrest.Hernandez is being held on investigation of assault and making threats tokill. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.The students who heard the alleged threat on Friday did not report it toschool officials until Monday. The school said it acted under advisementfrom police to wait to confront Hernandez until Wednesday.http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=1329Miami Demonstrators Demand Lifting Cuba Travel BanHavana, July 10, 2006 (ACN) Cuban immigrants and other Latin Americannationals demonstrated in Miami over the weekend to protest Washington’sprohibition of travel to Cuba by US residents.The action, which was the fourth of its kind over the past two months, wascalled by the Christian Women’s Association in Support of the Family.Demonstrators gathered across from City Hall in the suburb of Hialeah,reported the Granma newspaper.The US travel ban makes it impossible for a person who has a close relativein Cuba to go and visit them unless he or she requests a visitation permit.These authorizations, if granted, are made available only once every threeyears by the US Treasury Department, regardless if a family emergency occursin the mean time.Mirta, one of the demonstrators in Hialeah, took her seven-year-old daughterand her nine-year-old son to the rally because she is desperate to see hermother, who is seriously ill in Cuba. Mirta was denied a license by the USgovernment to visit her parent.http://www.workers.org/2008/us/philadelphia_0605/Philadelphia rally protests May 5 police beatingsBy Betsey PiettePhiladelphiaPublished May 29, 2008 9:50 PMOver 200 family members of victims of police brutality and their supportersgathered to express outrage over the May 5 brutal beating of three Black menby 19 white police officers caught on video from a FOX29 news helicopter.The protesters denounced city officials for not filing criminal chargesagainst the officers involved.Yolanda Dyches, family member ofMay 5th police brutality victim.WW photo: Joe PietteOne day earlier, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey announced that four ofthe officers would be fired for their part in the beatings, and three otherswould face five to 15 days suspension. Sgt. Joseph Schiavone, who was incharge of the police involved, was demoted.Given the history of unpunished police brutality in Philadelphia, few expectthe firings and suspensions to withstand arbitration hearings. The FraternalOrder of Police has already announced they will challenge Ramsey’s ruling.Over the past five years 219 claims of assault have been filed againstPhiladelphia police. The City of Philadelphia has paid over $14 million tosettle claims, yet no police have ever faced criminal charges for theiractions.D. Scott Perrine, attorney for Pete Hopkins, one of the men beaten, saidCommissioner Ramsey should order the officers to be arrested for assault—aview echoed by many members of the victims’ families. “The commissioner isputting his stamp of approval on police brutality,” Perrine said. “He doesn’t need to pretend that District Attorney Lynne Abraham needs six months towatch a video tape.”Perrine was targeted by police shortly after he spoke. He was arrested inHarrisburg, Pa., for missing a court date in another case that he had askedto be postponed. Karen Miller, a North Philly community activist who hasbeen working with Perrine to address police brutality, said she believed hisarrest was retaliatory. “We know the deal,” she said. “People in lawenforcement stick together.”After gathering across from City Hall at 15th and Market, the protestersmarched a short distance to rally outside District Attorney Abraham’soffice. Several speakers noted that she has the authority to bring criminalcharges against the police involved, but has failed to do so.Pam Africa of International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamaland the MOVE organization expressed disgust with police, “Those cops abusedtheir power. They were not supposed to beat those youth, maim those youth.They were not supposed to be judge, prosecutor and executioner, but that’swhat they did.”Leomia Dyches, mother of beating victim Dwayne Dyches, 24, criticized themedia that claimed the three youth were “raised as animals” when they knownothing about how her son and the others were raised. “How were the peoplewho beat my son raised?” she asked. Dyches also expressed concern that herson hasn’t even been hospitalized to get an assessment on injuries sufferedfrom the police attack and could develop serious health problems as aresult.She criticized their lockup as a coverup for misconduct by “Philadelphia’sfinest.”Beating victims including Dyches; Brian Hall, 23; and Pete Hopkins, 19, whopolice charged with attempted murder, are being held pending a preliminaryhearing, which was postponed from May 15 after three witnesses for theprosecution failed to show up in court. No weapon was found in the young men’s car. Also none of the three were charged with fleeing, resisting arrestor assaulting an officer.Shelly Moore, the aunt of another Black youth murdered by the police in2004, expressed her solidarity. “Every time they shoot one of us, it affectsall of us. Justice is going to be done in all of these cases. Won’t betoday, won’t be tomorrow, but we’re going to stay out here—stay the course.We’ve got to keep fighting!”Shirley Hopkins, mother of Pete Hopkins, called for the jailing of all thepolice involved, along with the commissioner and the district attorney.“They think they can pacify us with a few firings. How dare they insult ourintelligence?”Several speakers cited the lack of jobs and economic opportunities for youngBlack men as a related problem. Yolanda Dyches noted that the young menarrested had jobs, but were fired because of the police actions. “They wantto hold us back, oppress us,” she said. “It needs to end!”Paula Peoples of the National Action Network announced plans for a June 4thdemonstration and press conference at noon outside the Federal Building at6th and Market Streets to demand an investigation by the Philadelphia CivilRights Commission. “All over the country our young Black men are dying atthe hands of the police. We have to stand up like New York, like Chicago,like L.A.”Articles copyright 1995-2008 Workers World. Verbatim copying anddistribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium withoutroyalty provided this notice is preserved.http://www.examiner.com/a-1429567~Civil_rights_group_to_protest_as_first_checkpoint_introduced.html?cid=rss-Washington_DCCivil rights group to protest as first checkpoint introducedJun 7, 2008 8:18 AM (69 days ago) by Michael Neibauer, The Examiner» 69 days ago: Civil rights group to protest as first checkpoint introduced«Washington, D.C. (Map, News) - A coalition of civil rights leaders today isexpected to denounce Mayor Adrian Fenty's plan to quarantine crime-ravagedneighborhoods as a knee-jerk reaction implemented with little communityinput or support."Granted there are people who are tired of the violence, but I don't know ifthis is going to solve anything," said Mark Thompson, who heads up the NAACPMetropolitan Police Task Force. "And it is almost impossible for ourleadership ... to condone a pseudo-military presence in an African Americanneighborhood."The task force, which has coordinated on policy with the Metropolitan PoliceDepartment for more than a decade, includes the NAACP, the Black PoliceAssociation and the American Civil Liberties Union. At 10 a.m. today thegroup will converge on the Trinidad neighborhood, specifically the 1400block of Montello Avenue Northeast, where the first "Neighborhood SafetyZone" vehicular checkpoint will be conducted.More locations are to come, Lanier said this week."Our concern is that when you effectively isolate at the least, andquarantine at worst, a particular community, you have to make sure that allother means have been exhausted to try and bring about some kind ofimprovement in that community," Thompson said.The zones are designed to increase police visibility and deter crime "byprohibiting vehicles with no legitimate purpose to enter the area." Usingmanned police checkpoints, officers will stop all vehicles, demandidentification from the occupants and ask their purpose for entering.A legitimate reason for passing would include going to work, dropping achild at school, going to a doctor's office or church, or visiting arelative. The elderly and disabled will not be stopped, according to theMPD, but friends of residents within the zone will be turned away."Friends may enter the neighborhood on foot," according to MPD's Web site.Proving legitimacy will require personal identification and "informationsufficient for determining the accuracy of the reason for entering thearea," for example a telephone number of the address to which the personseeks entry.D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson, chair of the public safety committee, onFriday demanded from Lanier a host of information tied to the safety zoneinitiative, including any legal opinions issued by the Office of theAttorney General. In a letter to the chief, Mendelson said the program's"questionable treatment of District residents' civil liberties" is reasonfor concern.More on the zones- Checkpoints will last five to 10 days, manned by minimum five trainedofficers- Officers directed to get operator ID, vehicle description, tag number ofany car denied access to zone- Pedestrians may not be stopped- Vehicles may be subject to search when there is probable causemneibauer at dcexaminer.comhttp://www.workers.org/2008/us/prisoners_0612/Former prisoners protest job biasBy Frank NeisserBostonPublished Jun 7, 2008 12:03 AMWW photo: Stevan KirschbaumOver 300 ex-prisoners and supporters, many African-American and Latino aswell as Asian and immigrants of many nationalities, rallied and marched fromBunker Hill Community College to the Massachusetts State House here May 22to protest the system of employment discrimination known as CriminalOffender Record Information Act.The march was the final leg of a four-day march from Worcester, Mass., toBoston. Over 60 ex-prisoners and supporters completed the entire march.Under the draconian CORI system, employers can search and find the criminalrecords of ex-felons for 15 years. Only after 15 years can the ex-prisonerfile to have the record sealed. It’s 10 years for misdemeanors.As speaker after speaker made clear, the system hurts not only theex-prisoners but their families too, preventing them from earning a livingand surviving. The march was organized and coordinated by the Boston WorkersAlliance and by EPOCA (Ex-prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for CommunityAdvancement).Many community organizations participated, including Neighbor to Neighbor,the Women’s Fightback Network and the International Action Center. The marchwas led by a sound truck provided by USW Local 8751, Boston School BusDrivers. Bishop Filipe Teixeira, OFSJC, led chants from the truck.Articles copyright 1995-2008 Workers World. Verbatim copying anddistribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium withoutroyalty provided this notice is preserved.http://www.nowpublic.com/world/religous-group-protests-recent-genocideReligous group protests recent genocideby Gavin_Cummings | May 2, 2008 at 12:00 am | 525 views | 2 comments(The following article is a result of experiencing the churches rally inHamilton and interviewing Reverend brother Justin Bean from the G13 Missionof God in Toronto.) Supporters of the church of the universe gathered outside the John Sopinkacourthouse on Monday, April 28 in a sign of peaceful protest. A group ofabout 10 supporters handed out leaflets explaining the discriminatorytreatment that the members feel has taken place. This treatment towards thechurch by the Government and police services has been a common occurrencesince the church’s inception in 1969. Members of the church of the universefeel they are under constant threat by government and police. This feelingis also shared by Ministers of the church who are mandated to share the treeof life regardless of what the "law" says!Brother Walter Tucker and local hero Michael Baldasaro, the reverends in theChurch of the Universe, Were served with an application by the attorneygeneral to forfeit the Barton Street building the brothers call both homeand church. The AG is going after the house worth about $98,000 as "offence-related property" since Brother Tucker and Brother Baldasaro wereconvicted of selling $70 worth of the churches sacrament, cannabis to anundercover police officer. It turned out that the Hamilton Police Departmentspent three months of heavy investigation before the drug deal occurred.This was clearly not your average drug deal,the friendly and righteous church minister Rev. Brother Justin Bean stated,"Cannabis is the churches Sacrament… given by God for all to share 'the treeof life, which is for the healing of the nations'- revelations 22As Gods ministers we are mandated to tend to the garden. And share the treeof life with our brothers and sisters. It shall be that way even if we shallbe persecuted. Our churches missions around the world are under constantthreat of being raided by Police and Government. Gods’ ministers are beingput on bail conditions! I don't know why the government refuses tounderstand that God has mandated us to share the tree of life. You don'thave to agree with our beliefs, but let us practice and worship as theCanadian charter clearly states we are allowed to do. Regardless, the churchand Gods minister will never stop doing what God has mandated us to do, Nomatter what threats the church gets from the brothers and sisters who aresuppose to protect us we will always tend to the garden." -As the day grew long members kept faith and openly shared their optimisticoutlook for the future of the church and humanity. One Reverend brother fromthe G13 Mission of God saying, "I know these are the end days of cannabisprohibition, infinite love shall prevail!"Reverend Brother Wayne, a long time brother and Minister of the churchexplained straight up how he felt as he stood on the stairs in front of thetowering cement structure where his fellow brothers were sentenced “Free ourbrothers, give us back our church…don’t take our church”. He continues, “Stop prosecuting our people …and with a smile and a nod he looked out andsaid “Bless you!”I later found out that the imprisoned reverends had been refused the rightto wear religious headwear.Church clergy are mandated to wear some form of head-cover i.e. holy hat.From the church website“The Assembly recognizes the mandate of its members to cover their heads andwear sacred head gear such as a holy hat made out the churches holysacrament, hemp or Yarmulke, as required by their religious beliefs, andespecially in any association with government agencies and/or the governmentitself”. It continues, “Instances are, in court, for drivers licenses, anyother official government picture, any picture identification of any kindand in other cases that might arise.”With a lack of materials but pure devotion to their beliefs the holyreverends Brother Tucker and Brother Baldasaro have resorted to wearingpaper napkins on their heads. What ever happened to a persons religiousrights and freedoms?The church of the universe follows the golden rules.1. Do not harm yourself.2. Do not harm anyone else.Why would the government enforce such genocide on this church?I am only left to wonder...I am certain that the optimistic peace loving members of the church of theuniverse will continue to spread the word of God and share the Tree of Lifeas the generations before them did.I also know that regardless of the outcome of this trial Hamiltonians willstill love and respect Rev. Brother Tucker and past Mayoral Candidate Rev.brother Baldasaro and this act of ''genocide'' against the church will be astain on the history of Canadian culture and Canada as a country. Nearly 40years after the church opened it's doors it is gaining support like neverbefore with more members joining and Gods ministers opening up their ownmissions to share the tree of life as they are mandated to do.The Church of the Universe rally was documented by stoned monk productions,footage is available on www.youtube.com. Just type in 'Church of theUniverse rally in Hamilton'http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/27/9231/Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by The Washington PostDemonstrators Use Court Case as Another Protest Opportunityby Keith L. AlexanderThirty-five people accused of staging an illegal demonstration at theSupreme Court went on trial today and used the proceedings as anotheropportunity to protest conditions at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.Many of the 22 men and 13 women dressed themselves in orange prisonjumpsuits to show solidarity with Guantanamo detainees. They were arrestedJan. 11 for illegally protesting on the grounds of the Supreme Court, amisdemeanor that carries up to 60 days in jail.Watch the video coverage.The demonstration came on the sixth anniversary of the opening of thedetention facility set up to house suspected terrorists. Today, thedefendants continued to make political statements about the treatment ofdetainees as their trial began in D.C. Superior Court.As a clerk for Judge Wendell P. Gardner Jr. took attendance, each defendantstood up, identified himself or herself and then spoke a name of someonedescribed as a Guantanamo detainee, including some who died at the prison.The move was an act of symbolism meant to give the Guantanamo detaineestheir first voice in court.Mathew Daloisio, 31, of New York said he was speaking on behalf of Yasseral-Zahrani, who died in 2006 in what the Defense Department called acoordinated suicide with two other detainees. As Daloisio spoke, severalco-defendants said, “God forgive us,” one of the only outbursts to takeplace in the otherwise quiet courtroom.Because the charges are misdemeanors punishable by less than six months injail, the case is being heard by a judge and not a jury. In openingstatements, prosecutors told the judge that the case was not about freedomof speech but about disobeying police orders regarding assembly. AssistantU.S. Attorney Magdalena Acevedo said the group left the sidewalk, wheredemonstrations are legal and, despite warnings, ventured to the plaza of theSupreme Court, where such activities are barred by law.“If they stayed in the permissible area, they could have spoken as much asthey wanted to,” she said.About 150 people gathered on the sidewalk during the demonstration, but onlyabout 35 or so went to the plaza. They carried signs that said “Shut DownGuantanamo” and then knelt on the steps of the Supreme Court.The protesters are a part of a group called Witness Against Torture that hasheld demonstrations in various cities across the country including theDistrict, New York and Chicago. They range in age from their 20s to their70s. The group’s leaders said the defendants include a hog farmer fromGrinnell, Iowa, a social worker from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and a legalsecretary from Baltimore.In court today, the defendants filled the box normally reserved for the juryand the left side of the courtroom. Their supporters filled the other sideof the room, and the crowd was so large that some had to wait in thehallway. Many supporters wore T-shirts that said “Stop Torture,” “Stop theWar” and “Granny Peace Brigade.”The demonstrators are representing themselves at trial, with help fromlawyer Mark Goldstone, a First Amendment specialist who is acting as anadviser.During his opening statement to the court, Daloisio — who acted as aspokesman for the majority of the group — said the protesters would remainsilent throughout the trial.“We will remain silent and not exercise our rights when our country deniesthe rights to others,” Daloisio said. “Our silence in this trial is insupport of the people who have been deemed non-persons.”Prior to the trial, the group — dressed in the orange jumpsuits and blackhoods — marched from the Supreme Court to D.C. Superior Court, where theyheld a rally outside the courthouse. The trial is expected to last two tothree days.http://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=8356723Code enforcement leads to porcelain protestPosted: May 21, 2008 04:25 AMPorcelain protestAUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- Quite a few homes in the Angus Valley subdivision inNorthwest Austin are sporting a new type of protest yard art. You could callit Pottygate.The Angus Valley subdivision is located off US 183 near Parmer Lane. Only ayear after the neighborhood association was reorganized, a number ofneighbors decided they were fed up with what they considered to be excessiveenthusiasm to point out code violations.Resident Karen Flanagan rounded up dozens of free toilets last March andorganized what might be called a "porcelain protest." Nearly 20 homes in theAngus Valley neighborhood off Duval Road suddenly have added thepersonalized planters. Some residents have even doubled up on the porcelain."I did check online to make sure this is not a violation of city code,"Flanagan said. "It is construction material, but we turned it in to art bymaking it a planter. I called supply companies. These are all recycled."It's a sort of silent protest. Flanagan had heard the neighborhoodassociation was sending out letters to people who didn't have theirrecreation vehicles behind a fence or when maintenance crews' vehicles wereparked on the streets.Then the situation really overflowed when neighbors found out theirviolations were being posted on the neighborhood association Web site.Flanagan said many of the violations -- like lawns not being kept up tostandard -- were simply petty."It was public information before these people even caught wind of it, andso we thought let's poke fun at them," Flanagan said. "It's just a hootpeople come by just dying laughing."The bowls' "artistic qualities" are keeping them in neighbors' yards. Theyjust happen to be the yards of neighbors who have found a new way to protestcode enforcement."After I got my toilet, I realized we need to have something in it, it'sart," said resident Stephen Brock.The neighborhood association president declined KXAN Austin News' requestfor an interview Tuesday. Not all neighbors said they thought it was funny."I'm wondering how long it will last and when they are going to get thetoilets out of their front yards," Tom Canady said.http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=1962Guantanamo Protest in DCJune 28th, 2008Today in Washington, DC, Amnesty International and the Torture Abolition andSurvivors Support Coalition, staged events protesting Guantanamo. I learnedthat they were in town from reading VanHelsing at Moonbattery, so I took theBlogger Urban Reconnaissance Vehicle (BURV) and headed downtown. The firstthing I found was the Amnesty International’s Guantanamo Cell Tour 2008.http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080517_jh_gayprotest.1d8be16.htmlGay-rights group protests prison term for HIV-positive man02:55 PM CDT on Saturday, May 17, 2008Associated PressDALLAS -- A gay-rights group is protesting a 35-year prison sentence givento an HIV-positive man who was convicted of spitting on a police officer.Public health officials say the risk of contracting the AIDS virus fromsaliva is extremely low.Bebe Anderson of gay-rights group Lambda Legal says the verdict could createwrong impressions about how HIV is transmitted.Willie Campbell got the 35-year sentence for spitting into the eye and openmouth of a Dallas police officer while he was being arrested for publicintoxication in 2006.Prosecutors convinced a jury this week that Campbell's spit constituted adeadly weapon because he is HIV-positive, making for a longer prison term.http://www.wmji.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=122520&article=3670323Controversial "gang sweep" court case starts todayMonday, June 30, 2008 Email article | Print article | RSSKrispy Krisis in Boston HeightsCleveland parents claim police rounded upinnocent victims with little or no evidence. Video of the parents telling their own stories.(Cleveland) - Teenagers accused of being involved in gang activity will bein court today as their cases are being heard, but the crime fighting efforthas come under much criticism.In May, parents and community activists held a rally in Luke Easter Park,upset about recent gang arrests in their neighborhood.They argue that police are conducting massive roundups of youngsterssuspected of being involved in gang activity, but contend many of the kidsare innocent. Parents say much of the evidence against the teens is flimsyat best.Cecilia Casson claims her daughter was arrested because she appeared in aphoto taken at a party, wearing what was a mistaken as a gang scarf.Cecilia CassonCasson and other parents contend kids were targeted because they were inpictures flashing what were falsely thought to have been gang signs, orbecause they wore sports gear that police assumed identified them with gangactivity.Many of the parents say they can prove their children were not involved, butcharge that their hearings are frequently delayed, or changed without theirknowledge. They also complain that the public defenders assigned to helpthem are doing very little to support their cases.Michelle Berkley says her son Christian was arrested while at Central StateUniversity, for a crime supposedly committed in Cleveland, even thoughChristian is an honor student, and is on full academic scholarship.Claire Edgerson contends her son Monte, was arrested for defending himselfin a fight when he was attacked by other teens on his street.Claire EdgersonEdgerson says Montel has been in jail since February 14th, but has been anhonor student in high school.The parents plan to make their feelings known at the Justice Center. Theysay they understand the need the fight crime, but feel law enforcers areusing an unfair "blanket approach" in clearing the streets.Most of the crime sweeps were carried out in February on Cleveland'ssoutheast side.http://www.workers.org/2008/us/mothers_day_0522/Mother’s Day protest hits police murderBy Stephen MilliesNew YorkPublished May 15, 2008 9:45 PMCourageous parents whose children had been killed by cops went to theManhattan office of New York Gov. David Patterson on Mother’s Day, May 11.They demanded justice at a news conference organized by the JusticeCommittee and Parents Against Police Brutality.Outside governor’s office, parents ofgunned-down children with supporters.WW photo: Stephen MilliesSupporters joined these parents in wearing bloodstained shirts with thenames of police victims. Some brought pictures. Everyone demanded justicefor Sean Bell.Parents whose children are murdered by police “never have a happy Mother’sDay,” said Martha Laureano, a leader of the Justice Committee.In a letter to the governor, these parents called for “a special prosecutorfor victims of police abuse and violence.” They want the New York PoliceDepartment to leave Juanita Young alone.Young has never stopped fighting for justice for her son, Malcolm Ferguson,and all victims of police terror. She went to the press conference alongwith the other parents.Ferguson was unarmed when he was killed at point-blank range by policeofficer Louis Rivera on March 1, 2000, in the Bronx. Five days before hisdeath Ferguson had been arrested for protesting the acquittal of the fourcops who shot Amadou Diallo 41 times.Last year a civil court jury determined Officer Rivera was “100 percentresponsible” for Ferguson’s death and awarded Young over $10 million. TheBronx district attorney is appealing the just verdict and refuses to reopenthe criminal case against this cop. Police continue to threaten and abuseYoung and her family.Young is currently facing criminal charges of assaulting police who invadedher home. They claim the legally blind mother threw a box of cake mix atthem.Margarita Rosario also came to the governor’s office. Her son, AnthonyRosario, was shot 14 times and her nephew, Hilton Vega, eight times on March12, 1995. Both were lying down when they were killed by former bodyguardsfor ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Neither cop was ever charged.Allene Person came for her 19-year-old son, Timur Person, who was killed bypolice on Dec. 13, 2006, in the Bronx, while his hands were in the air. Fourpolice bullets were pumped into his body.Joann Mickins came for her son, Corey Mickins, who was shot a dozen times inhis favorite Harlem restaurant by plainclothes officers on March 13, 2007.Police claim Corey Mickins had a gun, yet there were no fingerprints on thealleged weapon.Loretta Cerbelli came for her son, Kevin Cerbelli, who was killed inside the110th Precinct station house in Elmhurst, Queens, on Oct. 25, 1998. “Whilemy son was on the ground, they shot him in the back,” said Loretta Cerbelli.Nicholas Heyward Sr. came for his 13-year-old son, Nicholas Heyward Jr. Theyoung honor student was killed by a housing police officer while playing“cops and robbers” in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Houses on Sept. 27, 1994.Altagracia Mayi came for her son, Manny Mayi Jr., a Queens College honorstudent. Manny was chased 16 blocks through Corona, Queens, by a white lynchmob before being killed on March 29, 1991. None of the members of thisracist gang was ever indicted; instead, one was later admitted to the policeacademy.Doris Busch Boskey sent a letter to the event on behalf of her son, Gidone(Gary) Busch. Busch was shot 12 times by cops in Brooklyn on Aug. 30, 1999,despite witnesses who said he didn’t pose a threat to anyone.None of these killer cops or lynchers was ever prosecuted.Young told the crowd, “Either we bury this system or we bury our kids.” Nojustice, no peace.Articles copyright 1995-2008 Workers World. Verbatim copying anddistribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium withoutroyalty provided this notice is preserved.http://wbz.com/pages/2169731.php?contentType=4&contentId=2035436Posted: Monday, 12 May 2008 12:56PMStudents, faculty protest UMass dorm arrestAmherst (AP) -- Supporters of a former University of Massachusetts studentaccused of stabbing two men on campus are asking prosecutors to reconsiderthe charges filed against him.About 1,700 students, alumni and Amherst residents signed a petition thatwas presented Monday to Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel.It asks her to review what they describe as excessive charges against JasonVassell.Vassell, who is black, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravatedassault by means of a dangerous weapon in connection with the Feb. 3incident that involved two white men. He says they broke his dorm roomwindow and taunted him with racial insults.Supporters say they're concerned that only one of the men who Vassell saysbroke into him dorm and attacked him faces charges.http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080515190917528Molalla River Middle School Students Protest No-Hugging RuleThursday, May 15 2008 @ 07:09 PM CDTContributed by: WorkerFreedomViews: 259The Molalla Pioneer writes, "American comic strip artist Bil Keane oncewrote, 'A hug is like a boomerang — you get it back right away.” But thanksto a rule at Molalla River Middle School, it will just get you in trouble.'"Middle school students at Molalla River Middle School in Molalla Oregon areprotesting the new rule that prevents hugging. The principal instituted thenew rule after kids started showing up late to class, which has sparkedprotest among the students. Twelve-year-old Desha Eaves, protest leader,wrote a letter to the school board saying, "We're kids. I mean, come on, youneed hugs."I mean give me a break. I'm supposed to believe that kids are so busyhugging each other that they coming to class late?That's a lot of hugging dude.Principal Bob Espenel told the Molalla Pioneer newspaper, “You’d have groupsof 10 to 15 kids and they all had to hug each other before they went toclass. It was getting out of hand,” Espenel said. “…This is not the LoveBoat.”Okaaay.Phone calls to Principal Bob Espenel weren't returned to Portland's FOX.However, the Molalla Pioneer reported Espenel said he was not likely to liftthe hugging ban (wouldn't be prudent).Can you imagine having to deal with that situation.Maybe the school needs to bring in counselors to work with these kids. Imean what kinda kids go around hugging each other?"It's just something us kids do," said eighth-grader Elizabeth Lopez.Would it be so bad if there were more hugs and less violence in our schools?“Sometimes they really need a hug and I didn’t think it was fair for me tonot give my friend a hug,” Eaves said.Someone should tell this budding anarchist that "fair" isn't what makes thiscountry great...or something.The Pioneer reports Espenel does not have any firm data on whether thehugging ban has decreased student tardiness, but said it does give studentsone less excuse to be late for class.What do you think these kids learned from their Principal's action?The following is from KOLD News (Arizona). I wonder how the look on huggingin arizona anyway.School Bans Hugging On CampusGiving a hug means breaking the rules at one Oregon middle school. Schoolleaders say they imposed the no hugging rule after students started showingup late to class because they were busy hugging each other in the halls.But kids say the rule is hard to embrace. The school says it's designed toprotect kids from feeling uncomfortable.The rule has actually been in effect for several years, but one 12-year-oldgirl is protesting it.Desha Eaves has sent a letter to the school board in an effort to change therule.http://oreaddaily.blogspot.com/2008_05_11_archive.htmlhttp://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=8321331Protestors to rally outside yogurt shop trialPosted: May 14, 2008 01:58 PMAUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- Almost 17 years after the yogurt shop murders werecommitted, Wednesday afternoon, protesters plan to rally outside of theTravis County courthouse to support the men on trial for the crime.The men, Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen, are being re-tried in thecase.An appeals court overturned their convictions for the 1991 murders of fourgirls at the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop off West Anderson Lane.The picketers are schduled to meet outside the courthouse at the same time apre-trial hearing is taking place.Scott and Springsteen will be tried separately.Scott's trial is still scheduled for later this month.http://www.wnep.com/global/story.asp?s=8320639Group of Gun Owners Protest TreatmentPosted: May 14, 2008 11:16 AMLast Updated: May 14, 2008 03:09 PMA group of gun owners attended the Dickson City council meeting Tuesday.By Bianca BarrA group of gun owners aimed for justice Tuesday in Lackawanna County. Theywant two Dickson City police officers disciplined for the way they handled asituation involving guns.A group stood outside the Dickson City Municipal Building, guns visibly ontheir hips, talking to people before the council meeting began.Inside, there was more discussion about the second amendment and whether twopart-time Dickson City police officers should be reprimanded for theiractions last week at Old Country Buffet, a restaurant in the borough.Police responded to a 911 call that there were people in the restaurant withguns. Officers arrived to find a group of people having dinner.Officers detained one man for a short time and confiscated his gun becausethey said he wasn't cooperating.Alex Arnau of Scranton was part of the group and believes the police were inthe wrong."The community doesn't have a right to exclude people if they arecontributing to the community like we are spending our money in theircommunity."But Joanne Clancy of Dickson City said she doesn't want to see a personcarrying a sidearm in a public place like that."A part of feeling safe is a community standard where firearms being wornlike the wild west isn't accepted."Dickson City Police Chief William Stadnitski said no charges will be filedand the man whose gun was taken can get it back anytime but he also insistedhis officers did the right thing."We did what we had to do for the community. We verified their ownership,verification and everything was fine. And most of the individuals were verycooperative," Stadnitski added.Since the incident, the Old Country Buffet now has a sign posted on thefront door, forbidding anyone carrying a weapon to enter."If it happens again, if we're uncertain of something, we will check it out.We feel we are obligated to do that for our community," added ChiefStadnitski.http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/police_shooting_brings_out_pro.htmlPolice shooting brings out protesters in SilvertonPosted by Joseph Rose, The Oregonian July 02, 2008 18:14PMCategories: Breaking NewsNearly 100 people quietly waved signs asking "Why?" and "Protect and Serve?"outside Silverton City Hall today, protesting what they say was anunjustified fatal shooting by a police officer earlier this week.No one emerged from the building during the afternoon demonstration, saidJessica Blade, a friend of Andrew Hanlon who helped organize the gathering."We didn't expect a response from them," Blade said. "We just wanted them toknow that we were there."The crowd that congregated outside of City Hall was a mix of friends andstrangers filled with questions and anger about Hanlon's shooting deathduring a burglary investigation Monday night.Hanlon came from Ireland to the United States last summer and stayedillegally after his visa expired.Blade said she has a hard time believing that Hanlon was armed or in theprocess of breaking into a home when Officer Tony Gonzalez shot him during aburglary investigation late Monday.She said no other protests are planned at this point in the town of 7,000east of Salem. " I think we're going to wait and see what the other sidesays," Blade said."Some people in town are angry with us, saying he had mental health issues,"she added. "We never said he didn't. But no matter what, I'm sure he didn'thave a weapon. My guess, he was scared of the police and was running awayfrom them."Blade said the demonstration was planned late Tuesday night and she wasamazed by the turnout."It just sounded like they were trying to keep their composure, but theirvoices were shaky," she said. "You just got a feeling that it was more thana small-town ruckus."Gonzalez, 35, joined the police department in 2006 and got his policecertification March 1, 2007, state officials said.-- Joseph Rosehttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080717/NEWS01/80717042/1118/RSSBikers to protest new feeBy Joe Rossiter • Free Press Staff Writer • July 17, 2008Members of a local biking group plan to attend a 3 p.m. meeting today atDetroit Police Headquarters of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners toprotest a $55 non-registered fee that the department plans to begin imposingnext month.“This proposed fee could not be more inappropriate and unnecessary andserves to create more problems for everyone involved,” said Ron Scott, amember of Bike Riders United, a metro-Detroit coalition of individuals andorganizations. “In this time of economic uncertainty and rising gas prices,we should be encouraging people to ride, not punishing them.”The Detroit Police Department recently announced that beginning Aug. 7,officers will begin issuing tickets to owners of unregistered bicycles aspart of an ordinance to protect stolen property. The $1 license fee which isvalid for five years, is a security measure used to confirm ownership if abike is stolen. Though the ordinance has been on the books since 1964, it israrely enforced.As a show of unity, Bike Riders United will hold a massive bike-a-thon onAug. 1 from 1 to 3 p.m., nearly a week before the Aug. 7 initiation of thefee for non-registrants. It will begin at Eastern Market and end at theColeman A. Young Municipal Center. More than 1,000 bikers are expected toparticipate.http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080717/NEWS01/80717075/1118/RSSGroups protest Detroit tickets for unregistered bikesBy JOE ROSSITER • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 17, 2008Several members of a local bicyclists’ group criticized the Detroit Board ofPolice Commissioners today because the city plans to begin imposing a $55fine on Aug. 7 against riders who haven’t registered their bikes with thecity. “This proposed fee could not be more inappropriate and unnecessary, andserves to create more problems for everyone involved,” said Ron Scott, amember of Bike Riders United, a metro Detroit organization. “In this time ofeconomic uncertainty and rising gas prices, we should be encouraging peopleto ride, not punishing them.”Detroit Police recently announced that officers will start issuing ticketsAug. 7 to owners of unregistered bicycles as part of an ordinance to helprecover stolen property. The department said the city’s $1 bicyclelicense/registration fee, which is valid for five years, is a securitymeasure used to confirm ownership if a bike is stolen. Though the ordinancehas been on the books since 1964, it has rarely been enforced.Explaining the rationale behind the new ordinance, Detroit Police Chief EllaBully-Cummings said the intent is not specifically to enforce the penaltyaspect of the law, but rather to identify stolen property in order to returnit to its rightful owner.“We want to encourage people to buy licenses in order to return theirproperty,” Bully-Cummings said. “We don’t want our officers standing aroundwriting tickets.”Another Michigan city that enforces a bike ordinance is East Lansing, homeof Michigan State University. East Lansing police Sgt. Mark Van de Wouwersaid today the law has proven to be quite a deterrent to crime. Riders arerequired to have a registration sticker on their bicycle or they can befined. Van de Wouwer was unsure of the fine, however.“Because this is a college town, bikes around here are stolen like crazy,”he said. “The ordinance helps us identify the stolen property and get itback to its owner.”As a show of unity, Bike Riders United will hold a bike-a-thon in Detroitfrom 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, Aug. 1. It will begin at Eastern Market and endnear Hart Plaza.The Detroit City Council is planning a future public hearing on themandatory registration and proposed fee.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008055906_webmedpot16m.html?syndication=rssWednesday, July 16, 2008 - Page updated at 07:10 PMSeattle medical marijuana operation protests police raidThe operator of a medical marijuana collective in the University Districtsays Seattle police raided the storefront on Tuesday, tore down a wall andleft with marijuana and hundreds of private patient files. King Countyprosecutors say neighbors had been complaining about the pervasive smell ofpot.By Sara Jean GreenSeattle Times staff reporterMartin Martinez says the small, private collective and outreach group heruns from a University District storefront are legal, a place formedical-marijuana patients to get help growing the medicine they need tomanage their pain.One of the earliest advocates for what became a voter-approved statemedical-marijuana law 10 years ago, Martinez says he hasn't handed out pot,nor grown any in his cramped office on Northeast 50th Street just offUniversity Way Northeast.But Tuesday afternoon, Seattle police, armed with a search warrant, cartedaway marijuana and hundreds of private patient files, and tore down a wallin search of a marijuana patch that didn't exist.King County prosecutors say the raid was justified. Martinez's neighborshave been complaining about a pervasive smell of pot, they said, soauthorities need to figure out whether Martinez has been breaking the law.But the episode has Martinez frustrated and his attorney furious. Theyaccuse the police and prosecutors of being overzealous and refusing to honorthe law that is supposed to let sick people use pot in peace. At a minimum,Martinez says, the authorities should let the whole thing blow over — andreturn his stuff."We're trying desperately to be legal, to stay alive and not have theseconflicts," Martinez said. "Science and law have to come to terms, becausethe doctors are recommending cannabis and the police have got to get on thesame page."Martinez, 48, suffered severe neurological damage in a motorcycle accidentin 1986. He later became one of the first people in King County to usemedical necessity as a defense against prosecution for using marijuana.In 1998, he helped promote the medical-marijuana initiative that votersapproved overwhelmingly. It allows people with certain serious ailments touse marijuana if authorized by a physician.For the past four years or so, he has operated Lifevine — a privatecollective of patients who work together to grow their own medicalmarijuana — and Cascadia NORML, a public-outreach organization that providesID cards to medical-marijuana patients so they can show police that theyhave a legal right. He said the groups used three different locations in theU-District on Northeast 55th Street and never had any problems.In June, Martinez moved into the storefront on Northeast 50th Street.One nearby business owner, who asked that her name not be published becauseshe's concerned someone might retaliate, said the building immediatelyfilled with the smell of pot. She said she hoped "the problem would just goaway," but it didn't. So she and other neighbors complained to police.Tuesday afternoon, Seattle police bicycle officers entered Martinez's officeafter smelling pot in various parts of the building. They called for backupand called prosecutors to obtain a search warrant.According to Martinez, the police seized 12 ounces of marijuana buds and alarge container of the less-potent leaf called "shake," which belonged tohim and four other patients who happened to be there. And the police took500 confidential patient files containing people's medical records andmedical-marijuana prescriptions, Martinez said.Martinez said one officer became convinced that Martinez was growing agarden in a secret room, so he ripped down part of a wall.No plants were found. Martinez wasn't arrested. No charges have been filed."I'm just hopping mad," said Douglas Hiatt, Martinez's attorney, who arrivedat the office during the search and called a deputy prosecutor to try totalk her out of executing the warrant."It's stupid and was totally preventable."Hiatt said Martinez is "super responsible" and makes sure he follows theletter of the law."I'd like for them to give him his stuff back and compensate him foranything they broke," Hiatt said. "If they decide to go forward with this[and file charges], we're going to have a real fight."But Mark Larson, the chief criminal deputy for the King County Prosecutor'sOffice, said an investigation is warranted to determine whether Martinez wasoperating within the bounds of the state law."We're certainly aware people have a right to use medical marijuana," Larsonsaid. "But that doesn't include dispensing, and it doesn't includepossessing unlimited quantities."State laws don't specify legal amounts or ways medical marijuana can bedispensed to others, he said. The state Legislature last year ordered theHealth Department to establish maximum amounts each patient may possess, butthe department's proposals are still being debated."We'd love to have these issues clarified so that people who need it get it,and people who operate outside the rules risk prosecution," Larson said.The business owner who complained about the smell said she didn't know untilafter Tuesday's bust that Martinez's office was being used bymedical-marijuana patients.The woman said she's highly allergic to marijuana and suffered headaches anddizziness. She said the smell was warding off some of her customers.She said she suspected someone was growing pot in the three-story building,which houses a mix of businesses and apartments."It sucks they are sick and that they have to take medical marijuana — Iwouldn't wish that on anyone," she said. "But it sucks that they'reaffecting an entire building."Martinez said Wednesday that he had no idea the smell was so pervasive."I'm really sorry — we didn't want to bother anyone," he said. "We're a veryprivate group, which is why it doesn't say 'medical marijuana' on the door."We've tried to keep to ourselves."http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou0807010_tj_daprotest.41a4237b.htmlHarris Co. justice system protested04:23 AM CDT on Friday, July 11, 2008By Rucks Russell / 11 NewsHOUSTON -- More than 100 people gathered outside the Harris County CriminalJustice Center on Thursday, protesting what they claim is a broken justicesystem in the county. Led by community activist Quanell X, the demonstrationwas aimed squarely at the district attorney's office.The protest was sparked in large part by a grand jury's decision not toindict Pasadena homeowner Joe Horn, who gunned down two burglars as theyfled a neighbor's house last fall. The protestors blame the DA for notpresenting a strong case.They also allege the grand jury did not reflect the racial makeup of thecommunity, even though the demographic information about who served on thatpanel has been sealed.Quanell X said that the group is demanding that the DA put the Horn casebefore another grand jury, that the racial makeup of the first grand jury bereleased and that local officials join Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee'scall for a congressional inquiry into the county's justice system.The group, which insists that it does not condone the criminal activity ofthe two men killed in the Horn case, is also calling for the resignation ofHarris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas.The district attorney, of course, has a much different take on the Horn caseand the protest.“All cases are judged on the law and the particular facts that comprisethem,” District Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement. “We willcontinue to perform the duties of our office with honor and integrity.”The protestors also found opposition from one of those most vocal in hissupport of Horn.“We won't counter protest Quanell this time because they have a right tosound off,” said Randi Laird, who has organized a number of pro-Horn ralliessince the shootings. “As for me and the majority of folks in America we needto understand why you think criminals deserve better treatment than workingfolks.”http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/NEWS02/807250328/1009/rss04Woman on cross protests son's careThe Associated Press • July 25, 2008DECATUR -- A Decatur woman clung to a wooden cross set atop a backyard fencefor hours in the summer heat to protest what she called the mistreatment ofher son, who is being held in the city jail.A poster placed on the fence in Maria Thornton's yard during Wednesday'sprotest declared she wouldn't eat, drink or come down from the cross untilher son received help.Decatur Fire and Rescue firefighters waited below the makeshift cross tomake sure Thornton didn't fall. A police officer tried to coax her down andthe 58-year-old woman eventually ended her protest some two hours and 40minutes after it began Wednesday morning.Thornton and her husband, James, said they believe jail staff are ignoringthe mental health problems of their son, 28-year-old John Paul Thornton. Thewoman's husband said he suspects their son is bipolar and they want him toget assistance."We don't want him out of jail," Maria Thornton told The Decatur Daily. "Wewant to put him somewhere he can get help ... He needs help."A police spokesman told the newspaper that John Paul Thornton, who isserving a 60-day sentence for driving under the influence, has beenevaluated by a mental health professional and is receiving the same careas any inmate on suicide watch.James Thornton informed Police Chief Ken Collier last week that he fearedhis son might hurt himself or be hurt by someone else because of hisbehavior. Collier said he responded by putting John Paul Thornton on asuicide watch and moving him into solitary confinement.The jailed man's parents also said he had not had a shower between theirvisits July 13 and July 20. Police said he had refused to take a shower, butdid take one Wednesday.Municipal Judge Billy Cook initially allowed John Paul Thornton to serve histime on weekends until his ex-wife filed a harassing communicationscomplaint. He is also accused of violating a protection order.http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/24/cameraheads-in-seatt.htmlCameraheads in Seattle protest CCTVs in public placesPosted by Cory Doctorow, July 24, 2008 11:10 PM | permalinkThe Camerahead Project is a Seattle protest group upset about the growingprevalence of CCTV cameras there -- they're staging a bit of theatertomorrow in Cal Anderson Park, walking around with giant cameras on theirheads to get people thinking about what it means to have their public spacesunder constant surveillance.Local artist Paul Strong, Jr. says he’s holding the demonstration, calledthe Camerahead Project, to remind people that video surveillance cameras arerecording their every move at Cal Anderson Park and three other parks aroundtown. “The project not only raises the questions of who is watching who andwho is watching the watchers, but also … why we are being watched at all,”he says. “There is so much going on in the news about wiretapping and datamining, all these little thing that happen locally go right by.”I met Paul at one of my signings in Seattle for Little Brother and loved hiscamerahead outfit -- he says it was inspired by Pablo Defendini's LittleBrother poster. Linkhttp://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=520035Protest disrupts Minneapolis City Council meetingA protester walked up to the podium in the middle of a ceremony atMinneapolis City Hall.The Mayor and other officials were at a ceremony where an insurance companydonated money to replace firefighting equipment damaged or destroyed duringthe 35W bridge collapse.The activists say they're not upset with the fire department. Instead theydo not approve of a new public safety resolution. It give police the rightto use rubber and plastic bullets to break up protests.The group also claims the new resolution gives law enforcement the right torandomly confiscate or destroy cameras documenting demonstrations andpotential confrontations. The man arrested is Jude Ortiz. He represents agroup called Coldsnap Legal Collective, which provides training to peopleabout their rights as protesters and demontrators.Police took him into custody, but there's no word on what charges he mayface.http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2008/07/22/maine_vet_protests_flag_rules_at_housing_complex/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+newsMaine vet protests flag rules at housing complexJuly 22, 2008BANGOR, Maine—A Vietnam veteran says it's downright un-American that he wasasked to take down a U.S. flag that was hanging outside his Bangor HousingAuthority apartment.But rules are rules, an official said.Arthur Brazeau, 61, got a letter from his landlord telling him to take downthe U.S. flag -- along with U.S. Army, POW-MIA and state of Maine flags --that were hanging from his porch on a handmade wooden bracket that wasattached to the railing."I was very upset," Brazeau said. "I immediately got on the phone and calledthe woman in charge and said, 'What's this? Are we becoming a communistnation and taking away all our rights?'"Brazeau removed his flag display over the weekend rather than pay a $50fine, but he wasn't happy about it.Bangor Housing Authority Executive Director Elsie Coffee said rules prohibita number of things at housing authority properties, including basketballhoops, fire pits, garden hoses and attached flags."We've got to stick to the policy," Coffey said. "It's tough, but if we staywith one set of standards it's fair to all."Coffey said she's not against anybody displaying a U.S. flag, and thatseveral residents have small flags that comply with the rules."If somebody wants to put a flag on a pole on their patio, I would be morethan happy for them to do it," Coffey said. "Rest assured, we're not tellinghim he cannot fly his flag."Brazeau on Monday tied a large U.S. flag to his porch railing in an attemptto get around the rules."I don't know what they're going to say about that," Brazeau said. "But it'sour constitutional right to fly the flag."http://wbz.com/pages/2839982.php?contentType=4&contentId=263487324 August 2008 7:00PMMBTA workers protest drug testing regulationMia CarterMBTA workers are protesting a new federal regulation requiring that they bemonitored when giving urine samples for drug tests.The Department of Transportation guidelines take effect in November andmandate the collection of urine from employees who have previously testedpositive, be observed by another party.The rule also applies to employees who have submitted past samples thatappeared to have been tampered with.Observers are required to be the same gender as the employee who isproviding the sample.Transportation officials say they need the rule to combat what they call aflourishing industry set up to help people beat the tests.But Terrence Ward, who heads the MBTA's Concerned Minority Employees Group,tells the Globe the procedures violate workers' privacy.http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/22/20080822cameraprotest0822ON.htmlSpeed-camera protesters say 'Honk for privacy'232 comments by Jane Larson - Aug. 22, 2008 07:34 PMThe Arizona RepublicWaving signs calling for "Cops, Not Cameras" and asking drivers to "Honk forPrivacy," a grass-roots group called CameraFraud.com gathered Friday inScottsdale to protest the use of photo-enforcement cameras.About 20 protesters waved anti-camera signs at Scottsdale and Thomas roadsfor about an hour starting at 5 p.m. They whooped whenever motorists honkedtheir horns and whenever Scottsdale police vehicles cruised by. Theintersection has photo-enforcement cameras.Some drivers waved and gave the group thumbs-up signs."We encourage people to get involved and express their disapproval of thesesystems," spokesman D.T. Arneson said. The group's top concern is safety,adding that cameras cannot catch drunken drivers or spot stolen cars the waypolice do.Arneson said the CameraFraud Web site has doubled its traffic daily sincegoing live Sunday. Some at Friday's protest said they also heard about theevent, the group's first, at the Meetup Web site for presidential candidateRon Paul.Protester Natalie Sharp of Scottsdale said privacy topped her list ofconcerns about the cameras. If drivers don't become aware of the issue, theintrusion will escalate, she said."I just want people to pay more attention to what's going on, instead ofgetting a ticket and not fighting it," she said.Arneson said the group hoped that elected officials take up the cause.Otherwise, he said the group would press for a ballot proposition todetermine the fate of photo-enforcement cameras.A spokesman for American Traffic Solutions Inc., the Scottsdale company thatoperates the city's cameras, said polls indicate most Arizonans favor thecameras."This is an enhancement to safety," spokesman Josh Weiss said. "Thesecameras are proven to reduce violations, crashes and injuries, and they areoverwhelmingly popular in Arizona and across the country."Arneson said the group's efforts started in part because the ArizonaDepartment of Public Safety is preparing to add up to 100 fixed and mobilespeed-enforcement cameras to the state's freeways.http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080818/NEWS01/80818080/1118/RSSUnion workers protest Kilpatrick, corruptionBY SARAH TOMPKINS • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • August 18, 2008When Sybil Offen heard today that a circuit judge ruled City Council couldnot hold forfeiture hearings against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, she gotup and did something about it.Offen, a retired Detroit Public School teacher, was one of about 30 peoplewho marched outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building Monday afternoonin protest of Kilpatrick and city corruption.“It’s time for us, we have to rise up now,” she said. “It’s in the people’shands.”The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)Local 207, a union chapter representing Detroit water and public lightingworkers, organized the event. The group’s president, John Riehl, said themayor’s problems and city’s corruption, have weighed on citizens.“We’re just part of a whole community that’s speaking out,” he said as carsbeeped to “Honk for Recall” signs.Volunteers gathered signatures to put a mayoral recall on an emergencyballot in February while protestors marched in circles, chanting, “They getpaid off, we get laid off.”Denise Tolliver, spokesman for the mayor, declined comment except to saythat “everyone has a right to protest.”At least one Detroiter was not happy with the demonstration.“It’s slander,” said Wenzial Jarrell, a Kilpatrick supporter. “They’rebeating the man down.”http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080818/METRO/808180424/1409/METROMonday, August 18, 2008Union, pickets stage protest calling for mayor's removalOralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit NewsDETROIT -- Members of AFSCME Local 207 and others sponsored a protest todaycalling for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to step down.The protest, which involved about 15 people, was held outside the Coleman A.Young Municipal Center at around 4:30 p.m.Demonstrators carried signs that read "Sweep Detroit Clean of Corruption,""Fire The Mayor" and "Resign Now" as they chanted "it's time to resign."AdvertisementHorns from passing motorists on Woodward honked in agreement.Detroiter Precious Daniels collected signatures for a recall campaign toremove Kilpatrick from office.Daniels said Kilpatrick is bad for the city."I'm tired. I'm so tired," said Daniels. "I don't want a mayor with atether. I don't want a mayor with felonies hanging around his head. Enoughis enough. He's just causing more pain for Detroit."Curtis Ray, a 21-year-old chemistry major at Wayne State University, agreed."He's defrauded the city. He's cut out jobs," said Ray. "He's doingeverything he can to run Detroit's name through the mud. He should resignnow."But Kilpatrick's spokesman James Canning said the mayor does not plan onresigning."If a handful of individuals choose to express their opinion it is wellwithin their right and we respect that. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was electedtwice by a majority of Detroit residents," said Canning. "He intends to dothe work those citizens elected him to do."AFSCME Local 207 spokesman John Riehl said he is not discouraged by a rulingMonday by a Wayne Circuit Court judge that essentially struck down thelegality of Detroit City Council members' plans to hold forfeiture hearingsto remove Kilpatrick from office."We're not defeated. The most important thing is that the public is keepingthe opposition up," Riehl said. "Governor Granholm should remove the mayorin her September hearings. The time has come for her to step up and do herjob and remove the mayor from office." http://www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=8549434Governor Bobby Jindal encounters protesters in ShreveportPosted: June 24, 2008 11:24 PMUpdated: June 27, 2008 06:03 PMSHREVEPORT, LA (WAFB) - Governor Bobby Jindal made several stops across thestate Tuesday after the end of the regular legislative session.During one of those stops, Governor Jindal faced something Tuesday afternoonthat he's rarely seen since becoming governor.In Shreveport, protestors shouted at Jindal, voicing their anger at thegovernor for not trying to stop the legislative pay raise.Many are not happy with the bill that would double legislators' base pay.However, Governor Jindal tried to talk around that issue and tout reformspassed this session.He focused on the repeal of the Stelly Plan during the session, a move thatwill put money back in the hands of Louisianians.In Baton Rouge, Jindal faced reporters and the question about why he's notvetoing the pay raise has become a traveling theme.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008136904_apwamedicalmarijuana.html?syndication=rssMonday, August 25, 2008 - Page updated at 10:30 AME-mail article Print view Share: Digg NewsvineWash. medical pot patients protest caps on supplyMedical marijuana activists plan to pack a state Health Department hearingto protest limits on how much pot a patient can have.OLYMPIA, Wash. —Medical marijuana activists plan to pack a state Health Department hearingto protest limits on how much pot a patient can have.They're upset with the state's proposed caps, which will define the amountof marijuana and plants that are considered a legal two-month supply understate law.State officials once wanted to propose 35 ounces and 100 square feet ofplant-growing area. But Gov. Chris Gregoire thought that was too high, andordered the Health Department to meet with law enforcement.Afterward, the proposed limits dropped to 24 ounces of usable pot, alongwith six mature plants and 18 immature plants. Those are the same limitsused in Oregon.http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080815/NEWS/808150355/-1/rss01Vandals protest dress code through graffiti at schoolGraffiti scrawled on the parking lot pavement outside of the StroudsburgJunior High School in Stroud Township on Thursday.Keith R. Stevenson/PoconoRecordBy Beth BreljePocono Record WriterAugust 15, 2008Graffiti vandals who hit the Stroudsburg Junior High school Wednesday nighthad little effect. The graffiti was seen by virtually no one other thanschool staff. Evidence of the extensive crime was nearly gone by 11 a.m.Thursday.It was the same message scrawled all the way around the school, onsidewalks, parking lots, all ground floor windows, and on outer walls — acomplaint about school uniforms. "No uniforms," and "(expletive)you-niforms" were the most repeated gripes.There were also a few swastikas, a few "school sucks" and some vulgar wordsabout Jews, sexual orientation, education and excrement.A crew of six custodian and maintenance personnel worked from 7:30 a.m. toget rid of the red and green car paint.Car paint is particularly difficult to remove and required extra elbowgrease for those stuck with the task of cleaning it up.The crew kept track of their hours.If the vandals are caught, they will likely have to pay restitution,including the wages for the workers.Stroud Area Regional Police say at least three vandals were caught onvideotape.In June, the Stroudsburg Area School District's board approved a strictdress code for students in grades five through 12.This school year will be the first time the dress code will be in effect.
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