Police abuse

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Do You See The Culture Of War?

August 9, 2014 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Environment, Iraq, Israel, Police abuse, Wars and Militarism

No matter how police militarization and violence affects your community, the trend is disturbing and justice is lacking for people of color. It is up to us to demand a demilitarization and de-escalation of police violence. Sonali Kolhatkar provides some insight and ideas into how this can be done. If you are concerned, we recommend starting a local group to discuss how your community is affected and to make plans to change local practices. Police violence and incarceration are symptoms of the militarization of our culture. Instead of common-sense, restorative practices to make our communities healthier, we are indoctrinated in the ways of Empire from a young age. This article reveals that military recruiters bend and break rules to gain access to youth in our High Schools. Look around you this week and you’ll be amazed at how deeply war culture has penetrated all aspects of our society.

After Police Killing, Activists Organize Campaign for Justice

August 7, 2014 Chris Steele, www.PopularResistance.org Organize! killed by police, Police abuse, police terror

On July 2, 2014, Denver Police shot and killed 20-year old Ryan Ronquillo, who was unarmed, outside of his friend’s funeral at the Romero Family Funeral Home in Northwest Denver. Ronquillo was reportedly shot 12 times while in his car after he stepped outside of the funeral to decompress. News and outrage about yet another DPD killing of an unarmed man of color spread quickly, and a response is already underway. A group of local activists and musicians from the community came together to organize a fundraiser and concert for Friday, August 8, 2014 at Denver's historic Atzlan Theater aimed at raising funds to pay for Ryan’s funeral and burial. The group is encouraging as many people as possible to donate, not only to support the Ronquillo family - who are currently facing foreclosure and eviction from their home - but also because excess donations will go towards the cost of hiring an attorney to challenge the police shooting of Ronquillo in court and to defend against the unjust foreclosure.

Is There An Effort To Suppress How Deadly Tasers Can Be?

August 6, 2014 Fusion Investigates, www.fusion.net Educate! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Police abuse

Tasers have been promoted as a non-lethal weapon that helps law enforcement officials subdue suspects. But are they really non-lethal? Fusion’s investigation examines questions about efforts to suppress information about how deadly the weapons can be, and reveals that the federal government doesn’t keep track of deaths caused by this supposedly non-lethal weapons because they are “highly controversial.” As a part of Fusion’s reporting it found Taser International has been sued for product liability a total of 225 times since 1998, according to the company. The majority of the cases have been settled out of court or dismissed by judges. Six cases went to trial, and Taser won four.

Abusive Albuquerque Police Buying Military Assault Weapons

July 13, 2014 Ryan Luby, , www.kob.com Educate! militarism, Police abuse

New Mexico's largest police department, mired in controversy over the use of excessive force, is about to supply military-style weapons to officers using taxpayer money. The investigative team at KOB Eyewitness News 4 learned that Albuquerque Police awarded a bid to a local vendor for the purchase of AR-15 rifles -- the type of gun used to kill James Boyd in the foothills in March. According to the request for bid, which ended two weeks ago, the department would likely purchase 350 guns in the first year of a two-year contract. Thereafter, it would order quantities of 50 as necessary. "You're asking for trouble, in my opinion," Peter Simonson, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Mexico said. Simonson was unaware of the department's purchasing plans until KOB contacted him. He thought APD was moving away from using high-powered weapons after the Department of Justice said APD officers have a "pattern and practice" of using excessive and deadly force.

Men March To End Violence In Baltimore

July 13, 2014 Brew Editors, www.baltimorebrew.com Organize! Police abuse, Violence

Last night’s second annual 300 Men March to End Violence, from one end of North Avenue to the other, attracted about 250 marchers at any one time, but was not without a contingent of politicians and police brass. Marchers of all ages walked from Hilton Parkway in West Baltimore to the Baltimore Cemetery in East Baltimore and back, a total of about 10 miles. The organizers hope that a show of solidarity will encourage young people to put their guns down. Or in the words of Second District Councilman Brandon M. Scott: “Men, remember the true work begins today. Every one of us must continue to be seen and heard in our communities. Every able-bodied man in Baltimore must be positively engaged in their community and, most importantly, in the lives of our young people. If a male is not meeting that standard, then they are not a man in the true sense of the word.”

American Revolutionaries | Acronym TV 009

July 2, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Corporatism, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Government, Occupy, Police abuse, Protest, Wars and Militarism

Adam Kokesh, who recently served four months in prison in connection with an Independence Day incident in which he videotaped himself loading a shotgun in Freedom Plaza, near the White House, sits down with Dennis to discuss Libertarianism, performance art in protest, and the book he wrote in prison, Freedom. In part 2 of the show, Eleanor Goldfield, the front woman of the band Rooftop Revolutionaries, joins Dennis to discuss the movement to get Money out of Politics, and her new venture Art Killing Apathy.

While Country Goes Forward, NY Goes Backward On Marijuana

June 27, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Organize! Catholic war on women, Healthcare, Marijuana, Police abuse

The NY Medical Marijuana Patients Cooperative announced Manhattan's oldest marijuana buyer's club was closing due to the passage of the new law named the Compassionate Care Act, the patient's cooperative was known for it's unique blend of harm reduction and medical marijuana. "The NYMMPC was the only dispensary in the nation that counseled its patients on how to use less marijuana. Group members included patients living with: AIDS, cancer, Glaucoma, Bi-polar disorder, PTSD, Krohn's Disease, depression, anxiety, Multiple Sclerosis, and myriad other illnesses. "The new law was written to limit and exclude many care providers. Our policy was to accept any patient who could prove they had any serious disabling illness," said an unnamed spokesperson for the club, "either with a doctor's note or an equivalent."

The Albuquerque March To End Police Brutality

June 21, 2014 Wendy Davis, www.firedoglake.com Resist! Albuquerque, Police abuse, police murder

Remember the are doing this for all of us: It wasn’t until a couple hours ago when I saw the photo of the coffin inscribed with the all of the names of those killed by the Albuquerque Police Department that the tears in my eyes brimmed over, and thought that I needed to share this with you. For background, please read here, here and here. My admiration for these folks is extreme; they are in this important social movement for the long haul; their tactics have been precise and thoughtful; their social gospel unyielding and it is spreading among New Mexican citizens, and garnering international attention as well. I know all of our spirits are with them in solidarity, both today, and in the future.

Obama Admin Urges Police Silence On Cellphone Surveillance

June 13, 2014 Jack Gillum and Eileen Sullivan, www.suntimes.com Educate! Police abuse, Privacy, Surveillance

The Obama administration has been quietly advising local police not to disclose details about surveillance technology they are using to sweep up basic cellphone data from entire neighborhoods, The Associated Press has learned. Citing security reasons, the U.S. has intervened in routine state public records cases and criminal trials regarding use of the technology. This has resulted in police departments withholding materials or heavily censoring documents in rare instances when they disclose any about the purchase and use of such powerful surveillance equipment. Federal involvement in local open records proceedings is unusual. It comes at a time when President Barack Obama has said he welcomes a debate on government surveillance and called for more transparency about spying in the wake of disclosures about classified federal surveillance programs.

Post 9/11 Strategy: Invent Terrorists In The US

June 13, 2014 Stephen Downs and Kathy Manley, www.projectsalam.org Educate! 9/11, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Police abuse, Terrorism

This study focuses on post-9/11 claims by the U.S. government that it keeps the county safe from terrorism by arresting hundreds of so-called “terrorists” who were about to strike the U.S. until the FBI foiled their plots. In fact, this study shows that there have been remarkably few actual terrorism threats to this country in the last decade. The study shows that the war on terror has been largely a charade designed to make the American public believe that a terrorist army is loose in the U.S., when the truth is that most of the people convicted of terrorismrelated crimes posed no danger to the U.S. and were entrapped by a preventive strategy known as preemptive prosecution. The theme of the study links preemptive prosecution to the metaphor of “lawfare,” the use of the law as a weapon of war, in this case the war on terror.

Man Dressed As A Pig Arrested For Impersonating An Officer

May 28, 2014 Dan Thompson, www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk Resist! Police abuse

Ahh the irony, as police arrest a man dressed as a pig for impersonating a police officer. A man who dressed up in a pig mask, toy bobby’s helmet and hi-vis jacket was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a police officer. Steven Peers said he has often donned the mock outfit to perform ‘comical parodies’ of Greater Manchester Police after becoming unhappy with how officers behaved during the Barton Moss anti-fracking protests. He wore it around Manchester city centre while filming sketches yesterday but was stopped by an officer near Bootle Street police station. Video of the incident shows the policeman pose questions about the outfit before arresting Mr Peers, 46, on suspicion of impersonating a police officer. He said: “My reaction to being arrested was total disbelief. I was wearing a toy hat and a pig mask and was arrested for impersonating a police officer. It’s ridiculous. “If they want to take it to court they will be a laughing stock because there is no substance to it whatsoever.”

Cecily McMillan’s ‘Law Of Love’ Suffers US Injustice

May 20, 2014 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Police abuse

Cecily McMillan received a 90 day jail sentence plus five years’ probation. This comes after an unjust trial managed by a prosecutor in robes, Judge Ronald Zweibel. Cecily remained true to herself and true to the movement at her sentencing. During the sentencing Judge Zweibel hid behind a phalanx of court officers who surrounded the courtroom knowing that what he was about to do would spark outrage among many. Before issuing his sentence, Cecily spoke, refusing to acknowledge the guilt found by the jury in Zweibel’s Kangaroo Court. She described how she is on a “path where dignity is derived from the law of love” and that: “This being the law that I live by, I can say with certainty that I am innocent of the crime I have been convicted of. And as I stand before you today, I cannot confess to a crime I did not commit; I cannot do away with my dignity in hopes that you will return me my freedom.” She concluded her statement apologizing for any harm done to Office Bovell saying: “. . .the same law of love requires me to acknowledge the unintentional harm I caused another – for this accident, I am truly sorry. And in this spirit, your honor, I ask you to halt the violence there. Consider my words as I ask you to not perpetuate one injury with yet another.”

They Can’t Outlaw The Revolution

May 19, 2014 Chris Hedges, www.truthdig.com Educate! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Police abuse

If you react out of white privilege it sets you apart. I have learned to respond as a collective, to speak to authority in a unified voice. And this has been good for me. I needed this.” “We can talk about movement theory all we want,” she went on. “We can read Michel Foucault or Pierre Bourdieu, but at a certain point it becomes a game. You have to get out and live it. You have to actually build a movement. And if we don’t get to work to build a movement now there will be no one studying movement theory in a decade because there will be no movements. I can do this in prison. I can do this out of prison. It is all one struggle.” McMillan has been held in Rikers’ Rose M. Singer Center, Dorm 2 East B, with about 40 other women. They sleep in rows of cots. Nearly all the women are poor mothers of color, most of them black, Hispanic or Chinese. McMillan is giving lessons in English in exchange for lessons in Spanish.

Secret Military Device ‘Hailstorm’ Used By Michigan Police

May 19, 2014 Staff, www.pontiactribune.com Educate! Police abuse, Privacy, Surveillance

‘HailStorm’ is a new device obtained by the Oakland County Sheriff with monies from a U.S. Homeland Security Grant and so far, there isn’t much information available on what exactly it can and cannot do. There were no questions asked when Oakland County commissioners unanimously approved the use of this cellphone tracking device previously used by the US military in Iraq. Undersheriff Michael McCabe told The Detroit News that the federal Homeland Security Act bars him from discussing the Hailstorm device. Many privacy advocates are questioning why one of the safest counties in Michigan needs the very powerful, super-secretive military device called ‘Hailstorm’. The Detroit News sought basic information about Hailstorm and the county denied their Freedom of Information Act request.

Silence Speaks Volumes At Albuquerque Community Meeting

May 11, 2014 Cindy Carcamo, www.latimes.com Resist! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Police abuse

After months of protests against deadly police shootings, the Albuquerque City Council heard from outraged activists and a few police supporters Thursday night as it considered alternate ways to select the police chief. But it heard nothing but silence from at least seven activists who had signed up to speak -- some of whom turned their backs rather than address the civic leaders. They were ejected from the council chambers, cited for criminal trespass and banned from council meetings for 90 days. That penalty seemed to surprise at least some of the council members, however, and may be altered. “Silence is speech,” some audience members shouted, pumping their fists in the air as security ushered out the mute activists. The backdrop for the meeting was the Albuquerque Police Department’s 25 deadly shootings since 2010, and a U.S. Justice Department report, released last month, that found many of the shootings unjustified.

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