Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for President in our most recent election, was absolutely correct when she predicted a Grand Bargain had already been hammered out between the Democrats and the Plutocrats which would be revealed post-election, naturally. Obama & Co. will blame the Republicans who will argue in return that fiscal policy demands eating our elders if we’re to avoid eating our young.
Currently, Social Security incorporates a mechanism for Cost Of Living Adjustments so our seniors can starve more slowly. But certain bean counters (the same ones that brought you AIG, Enron, and Corn Ethanol) argue this strategy overestimates inflation, they say, because what REALLY happens when, say, the cost of hamburger goes up, seniors switch to eating pet food. This, they continue, should be the new standard for adjusting social security benefits for the elderly poor so they have some skin in the game. That’s the trouble, you see, with the poor: They have too much skin left. The sooner we can eliminate them, the more for the rest of us.
“They’re actually getting more than they should,” says economics correspondent John Ydstie.
Cost of living adjustments, which were added to Social Security in 1975, are based on inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, which measures the cost of a basket of goods. But many economists believe the CPI overstates the effect of inflation and prefer a different index, the chain CPI, which takes into account the substitutions that people make when prices rise.
“Let’s say the price of beef goes up a lot,” Ydstie says. “What people do is eat less beef and maybe more chicken, to keep their cost of living down. The current CPI doesn’t account for those substitutions very well, and the chained CPI does. So, it measures inflation more accurately.”
It seems the sm(a)shy sm(a)shy monster (A)narchists created came home to roost when the windows of their Santa Cruz collective’s meeting space were shattered by vandals overnight. Perhaps the ‘Empire’ struck back…possibly efforts to be more ‘selective’ as to whose property is trashed failed. Live by the sword, die by the sword. One is left to wonder if the members ‘snitched’ by reporting the crime to the police?
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the h(a)ters of capitali$m and the state, the deniers of human/civil rights, then put out a call begging for the blood of the ‘wage $laves’ in their area to repair the damage and help make it ‘safe’. Yeah, SAFE! The violently inclined radical street elements who advocate assaulting photojournalists want a ‘safe place’ to meet.
The following excerpt was lifted from an (A)narchist news website article describing the incident:
“Windows can be replaced, of course. But it is expensive (and disheartening). If you’d like to help, come in during staff hours (9am-2pm M-F) and help make the space feel safe. Or if you can’t make it in, please support our winter fundraiser.”
In true (A)narchist fashion, other radical elements under the same banner guffawed at such appeals for public sympathy/aid. The kids should have listened when their grandmother gave them the following advice: “Hang your clothes on a hickory limb, but don’t go near the water.” 🙂
And now you know why the ‘blac bloc’ crowd is so obsessed with hiding their identities–they don’t want a bite of the same meal they’re dishing out.
Senior veterans emeritus of the famous George Jackson brigade spell out the fact that with illegal acts come consequences. The following clip goes on to urge there are many various honorable alternative tactics to aid the resistance to global destruction.
Corruption in our judicial system typically flies beneath the radar and rarely receives the light that would reveal the maggot infested rotting carcass most citizens rely on for justice. Like the tainted hamburger recalls, this isn’t the 1st or 2nd time rat droppings have been discovered in the Cheerios. From the FBI crime lab to the agency itself and countless State jurisdictions involving bad cops or even entire departments, it’s always passed off as ‘rogue’ elements, never endemic/intrinsic/systemic.
It’s yet another example of why (A)narchists argue ‘liberals’ merely continue to feed the monster that needs killing. i.e. The state cannot be ‘reformed’, but must be destroyed because it is intrinsically based (and always has been) on racism and genocide…not just here but virtually all states around the world. The state is inherently and intolerably oppressive to the individual. Read on (and listen) for the particulars in only this single instance out of the 100’s of thousands that go unreported on a daily basis.
Massachusetts is reeling from a massive scandal in its state crime lab. Details are still emerging about what officials call a “rogue chemist” who may have mishandled evidence in as many as 40,000 cases over 10 years.
It could mean the unraveling of countless convictions.
Even lawyers prone to hyperbole may not be overstating it when they call the scandal a catastrophic failure and unmitigated disaster.
“Any person who’s been convicted of a drug crime in the last several years whose drugs were tested at the lab was very potentially a victim of a very substantial miscarriage of justice,” says defense attorney John Martin.
He represents the man believed to be the first convict sprung because of the scandal. David Danielliwalked out of prison Thursday after a judge agreed his guilty plea was undermined by questions about the evidence. Those same questions may also undermine efforts to retry him.
Even Martin concedes countless guilty people will probably go free.
“Talented defense attorneys will be able to strongly suggest that any results from that lab are tainted, and people who deserve to be incarcerated for a very long time are going to walk — and that’s the reality of it,” Martin says.
Even prosecutors supported the defendant’s release on Thursday, saying the Constitution demands it. And it’s not the end of the fallout.
District Attorney Joe Early, head of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, says prosecutors will move on some cases even before defense attorneys ask.
“The DAs are used to putting people in jail. They’re not used to letting them out because of technicalities or mistesting. In that regard, a lot of people have some tough decisions to make,” Early says.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is investigating the chemist, Annie Dookhan, who’s accused of tampering with samples to make them weigh more, or even to test positive. She and three others have already lost their jobs, including Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach, who says supervisors should have picked up on red flags.
Dookhan was caught a year ago after she failed to sign out evidence and signed out evidence using aliases. She was handling three times the normal caseload.
“That the actions of a single person could cause so much damage, and the possibility that justice was not served — I’m furious at that,” Auerbach says.
Defense attorneys like Max Stern are already buzzing about civil suits.
“There’s many people who for years have not been able to get jobs, not [been] be able to get driver’s licenses, not [been] able to live in particular housing,” he says. “There are enormous consequences nowadays to drug convictions.”
It’s still unclear what the chemist’s motive may have been, but if some innocent defendants were wrongly convicted, former prosecutor Wendy Murphy says people should be equally concerned about bad guys who may have gotten off.
“There is no legal remedy. Prosecutors cannot go back in front of a judge and say, ‘I want this wrongfully acquitted man to be brought back up on charges,’ because double jeopardy would bar that remedy, and that’s a problem for the public,” Murphy says.
Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge and now a Harvard law professor, agrees that the crime lab scandal could “turn the system on its head.” She says courts might dismiss cases not only because of tainting, but also just to punish and deter misconduct.
“There have been times when government misconduct was so outrageous, the only response is to dismiss charges. It doesn’t happen often, and it takes extreme situations, but this is a level of negligence which is really stunning,” Gertner says.
The crime lab in question used to be run by the Department of Public Health but is now under the state police, as in most other states. But Northeastern University law professor Daniel Medwed says that can be problematic.
“There are often implicit pressures [on crime lab technicians] to help out prosecutors — to testify in cases in a way that supports their perceived colleagues in law enforcement,” Medwed says.
A legislative panel is looking into possible reforms. Prosecutors say the obvious answer is better oversight.
The creative genius behind this production has been banned from Youtube for, as you’d expect, his total disregard of the archaic copyright laws. His profanity laced Lenny Bruce/Hunter S. Thomason style narrative is original, irreverent, and provocative. The language and images aren’t for the faint of heart, i.e. Parents: Protect your children if you don’t want them exposed to some pretty coarse, but often witty, adult humor. RECOMMENDED for those critical thinkers willing to look outside the box!
F(*)ck the Police!
How cool is that!?
JUST DO IT trailer
What would make you cross the line?
JUST DO IT
JUST DO IT is an innovative indie documentary that lifts the lid on climate activism and the daring troublemakers who have crossed the line to become modern day outlaws. Documented over a year, Emily James’ film follows these activists as they blockade factories, attack coal power stations and glue themselves to the trading floors of international banks despite the very real threat of arrest.
Exposing the politics, responsibilities, fears and resolutions that lead people in increasingly visible number to take direct action on climate change, Just Do It is an independent, partly crowd-funded project offering an inside view on ‘civilized disobedience’: the strategies and tactics of organised dissent against environmentally and socially destructive corporate practices; and the methods of supporting and growing public challenges to corporate power at local levels.
Do NOT be like *this* (A)sshole
The film offers a unique inside perspective as it follows activists through strategic interventions and disruptions, from planning to realization, in which they willfully risk being subjected to violence and arrest in order to raise consciousness about the impact of otherwise unchallenged cultural, industrial and political norms on individuals, communities and ecologies. It provides this in-depth expose’ thanks to the willing participation of its subjects who opt to be recognizable in their choices to defy the law for the purpose of promoting their causes, and thanks to the decision of the Director, Emily James, to affiliate herself with their actions to gain insight into their previously untold story.
When you see people attempting to fix the world using only their bare hands, D-locks, superglue and bunting, how do you not offer them a hand? If the state says that makes me a criminal, well, I say it’s not really up to the state to decide. I am certain history will vindicate these people. Resisting what you think is wrong, and empowering yourself to change it, is always the right thing to do.
-Emily James-
Seriously topical but never so serious that it gets caught up in polemics, it’s a terrific story packed with characters and told with passion.
-Empire-
If eco-documentaries in the past have acquired a reputation for being unwatchable, here is a remedy.
-The Guardian-
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Emily James studied documentary directing at the National Film and Television School in the UK, her student films winning international awards. After her first broadcast commission, The Luckiest Nut in the World (Channel 4, 2002), the Guardian asserted “Emily James is a genius and will, in time, be revered as a television innovator.“
Following the experimental Don’t Worry, (Channel 4, 2004) and What Would Jesus Drive?, (Channel 4, 2006), Emily moved into the world of feature documentary in 2009, serving as Executive Producer on The Age of Stupid. ‘Just Do It: a tale of modern day outlaws’ is Emily’s feature directorial debut and screened in over 45 independent cinemas across the UK in Summer 2011, alongside a far-reaching community screenings program.
Some tiny minority of youth are swayed to engage in violent street demonstrations under the pretext of (A)narchism, even assaulting photojournalists–reviling the cops as ‘bastards’, ‘Nazis’, ‘Fascists’, and ‘pigs’ while ironically insisting their ‘rights’ (which some armchair anarchists even dispute exist as a concept) are being violated because the competent police are protecting private property and citizens in the community. Indeed, there is much footage of police brutality and incompetence–perhaps commonplace abuse of tasers and bullying. But labels are dangerous and not all cops are villains. There are a number of competent very professional LEO’s right here in Mason County and even the City of Shelton. The LEO’s from various agencies present at the Seattle federal courthouse during an (A)narchist demonstration supporting the Grand Jury Resisters on 9-13-12 also behaved very professionally and with great restraint. Many of the youth at that event did not. Some of the young people openly defaced public property, taunted the police, insulted and called them names. No protesters were arrested, assaulted, or bullied by the police despite their overwhelming numbers and full riot gear attire/equipment.
What’s dramatically different in the Albany airport story is the youth were effective, respectful, law abiding (a hated idea among some (A)narchists) and ultimately successful as role models for young people inspired to make constructive contributions to their community, to bring about positive lasting change. They, and the officer who defended them, are examples of the best America has to offer today.
Hero Cop’s Message: “I Hope Other Fellow Officers Will See This And Not View Freedom of Speech As A Threat”
Deputy Stan Lenic, the law enforcement officer recently caught on tape in an incident at the Albany, NY airport involving airport officials and TSA-opt out activists Ashley Jessica and Jason Bermas, has reportedly received an overwhelming public response for his defense of the First Amendment .
In a video originally published at Infowars, Lenic is shown advising an airport public relations director that activists who were distributing fliers about the dangers of TSA backscatter scanners and Americans’ rights when being subjected to TSA security checks were acting within their Constitutionally protected rights.
With the public regularly treated to scenes of officers involved in police brutality and activities violative of the principles of liberty, Lenic’s actions have become a shining example of what it means to serve the people and uphold the rule of law.
The American people are desperate for officials and representatives with their best interests at heart, and the support Lenic has received since the video was made available is proof positive.
Lenic later emailed [videographer] Jason Bermas the following message;
“I am overwhelmed by the support your viewers have given me. I hope other fellow officers will see this and not view the freedom of speech as a threat, but an opportunity to show the professionalism that law enforcement should be held to. I remember the day I was sworn in, and I remember that I am supposed to protect the constitution of the United States. I am proud to be a Deputy Sheriff, and try to do my job to the best of my ability so help me God.”
Lenic also told Bermas that his superiors were considering giving him an official commendation for his exemplary actions in defending the constitutional rights he swore to uphold.
“I am supposed to protect the Constitution,” says Deputy Sheriff Lenic
November 29, 2012
Deputy Sheriff Stan Lenic, the cop who stood up for the First Amendment by refusing to impede the free speech rights of activists at Albany International Airport, has become an Internet icon, with messages of support flooding in to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Lenic being honored with a commendation.
A video that has now gone viral on You Tube shows Lenic refusing to follow the demands of Albany Airport’s PR director Doug Myers in having activists Jason Bermas and Ashley Jessica identified, detained or removed for handing out flyers warning travelers about the dangers of airport body scanners as part of the Opt Out and Film campaign.
“Obviously this is your constitutional right, OK? As far as you’re concerned, you’re not breaking any laws. That’s what we want to get across to you guys,” Lenic told the activists, dismissing efforts by Myers to have the two kicked out of the airport.
When Myers attempted to have the activists identify themselves, winking at Deputy Lenic as he demanded Lenic take their IDs, Lenic fired back, stating, “If I was to ask for his identification he does not have to give it to me because he’s not doing anything wrong.”
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office has since been bombarded with hundreds of positive emails and calls from liberty lovers championing Lenic for his fine work in defending the First Amendment against petty enforcers like Doug Myers.
Comments on YouTube were also overwhelmingly supportive of Deputy Lenic.
“Finally a cop that does his job properly. Makes a change from all of the bad cop films we’ve seen lately. Hats off to the man,” wrote one.
“This Sheriff is an absolute paragon for justice,” added another.
Lenic already has his own Facebook page where people are reposting the video and urging Lenic to run for Mayor.
“That’s a little overwhelming. I mean, I was doing my job. I felt I was doing the right thing protecting people’s First Amendment rights,” Lenic told NewsChannel 13.
[New York, NY] On November 20th, 2012, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska denied bail to Jeremy Hammond, a 27-year-old Chicago activist accused of hacking into the private intelligence firm Stratfor and releasing information to Wikileaks (full transcript).
Jeremy Hammond, a 27-year-old Chicago activist
On November 22nd, 2012 a communique from hackers highlighted Judge Preska’s failure to disclose that her husband, Thomas J Kaveler is an employee of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, a current Stratfor client and associate, and moreover was himself a victim of the alleged hack (Kaveler’s Stratfor issued user ID is 234103 SOURCE). After independent confirmation of these facts, activists and attorneys have issued a call for Judge Preska to immediately recuse herself for failure to disclose this conflict of interest. At 1:00 pm on Thursday, November 29th in New York’s Foley Square (MAP) activists, attorneys, and friends of Jeremy Hammond (including NLG President, Gideon Oliver, activist film maker Emily Kunstler, Andy Bichlbaum co-creator of the Yes Men, John Knefel cohost of Radio Dispatch, and Chicago activist Natalie Wahlberg) will rally and hold a press conference to brief the media on their efforts to see Judge Preska recuse herself and assure Hammond access to a fair trial and due process.
WHAT: Press Conference & Rally WHERE: Foley Square, NYC (At Center & Pearl) WHEN: Thursday, November 29, 1:00pm INFO: Jeremy Hammond Support | Facebook RSVP
The criminal complaint against Hammond alleges that the hack exposed the private information of 860,000 Stratfor clients, as well as 5 million emails, which WikiLeaks later published under the name “Global Intelligence Files.” The complaint goes on to say the hackers used Stratfor-associated credit card data to charge at least $700,000 on behalf of “dozens of charities and revolutionary organizations.”
Some of this data released belongs specifically to Judge Preska’s husband. Judge Preska failed to disclose her relationship with Stratfor and in doing so has denied Jeremy Hammond the opportunity for a fair trial. Hammond has pleaded not guilty to all charges alleged in the complaint.
Tom Kaveler & Judge Preska
A press release issued by the Anonymous Collective reads, “Judge Loretta Preska’s impartiality is compromised by her husband’s involvement with Stratfor and a clear prejudice against Hammond exists, as evidenced by her statements.” The press release continues, “Without justice being freely, fully and impartially administered, neither our persons, nor our rights nor our property, can be protected.”
Jeremy’s friends, family and supporters stand in absolute solidarity with the following concerns expressed in the press release issued by Anonymous, “Judge Preska by proxy is a victim of the very crime she intends to judge Jeremy Hammond for. Judge Preska has failed to disclose the fact that her husband is a client of Stratfor, his email contents were released as part of the Stratfor dump and should recuse herself from Jeremy’s case or be in violation of multiple Sections of Title 28 of the United States Code.”
According to Sue Crabtree, a member of the Jeremy Hammond Solidarity Network who attended the bail hearing last week, Judge Preska ordered the continued incarceration of Hammond on the basis that he is a danger to the community and likely to flee the country if released from holding. Crabtree notes that Hammond, “does not now, nor has he ever, had a passport and has also since been added to the Domestic Terrorist Watch List.”
According to Judge Preska, Hammond was denied bail due to the possibility of a 37 years-to-life sentence, combined with his “lack of regard for legal authority make him a flight risk.” She also said Hammond’s peerless computer savvy puts him in a different class compared to defendants who make bail while facing other computer crimes. According to Crabtree, Judge Preska said Hammond’s alleged crimes “make him more dangerous to the community than an online sexual predator because he is able to hide his identity.” Judge Preska closed Tuesday’s bail hearing with a reiteration that he could be sentenced to serve anywhere from 360 months-to-life if convicted on all charges relating to last year’s Stratfor hack.
While Hammond’s case continues to develop a laundry list of stories of extralegal misconduct at the hands of Stratfor are being uncovered from the leaked Stratfor emails. Documents show Stratfor contractors spying on members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) upon the request of Coca Cola, documents detail jovial conversations about extra-judcial killings in the U.A.E., and repeated mentions of Dow Chemical hiring Stratfor to surveil The Yes Men, an activist-artist group who have used media stunts to shed light on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy where as many as 20,000 Indians lost their lives and 500,000 others were exposed to methyl isocyanate gas. Moreover, the documents reveal that Stratfor was spying on the Bhopal victims who had since spoken out against Dow’s negligence.
“What could be sicker than an irresponsible company spending millions of dollars to spy on its victims? Thanks to the Stratfor leak, we know that’s just what Dow Chemical did, when they hired Stratfor to spy on us Yes Men—and on actual Bhopal victims—to keep tabs on anti-Dow activities, none of which were illegal. Neither we nor the Bhopal victims would have found this out if not for the leak of the Stratfor emails. However it happened, we’re very grateful for this contribution to democratic transparency, and to the effort to rein in these corporate giants that have gotten completely out of hand. Fortunately, people always find ways to resist,” said Andy Bichlbaum, co-creator of The Yes Men.
“In our increasingly authoritarian culture, the law is often used as a shield to protect those in power and bury their secrets far from the public eye, rather than as a mechanism for accountability. Those who are accused of fighting to bring transparency the shadowy world of the national security state and reveal information that is in the public interest are punished to the full extent of the law, while those who benefit from ever-increasing surveillance measures are protected at all costs,” say’s John Knefel, Cohost of Radio Dispatch.
“The bigger story is what they’ve done in this country to Jeremy Hammond, Bradley Manning, and what they have proposed to do to Julian Assange, and that really says that they’re going to come down as heavily as they can on people who expose government secrets, whistleblowers,”said Michael Ratner, President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
The Jeremy Hammond Solidarity Network, as well as friends, family and supporters of Jeremy have issued a call to demand that Judge Preska explain her personal involvement with Statfor, to demand that Judge Preska immediately recuse herself from Jeremy Hammond’s case, to demand a judicial investigation into Judge Preska’s ethics violation, and to demand all charges against Hammond be dropped.
Hammond is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. He is not expected to take the stand until next year, but so far has been imprisoned for eight months without trial.
SPEAKERS AT THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE WILL INCLUDE:
GIDEON ORION OLIVER Gideon Oliver is the President of the National Lawyers Guild and a celebrated champion of social justice efforts in the New York metropolitan area.
EMILY KUNSTLER Emily Kunstler is an activist and a documentary filmmaker. She is currently serving as a paralegal on Jeremy Hammond’s legal team.
ANDY BICHLBAUM Is an artist, activist, film maker, and the co-creator of the infamous Yes Men. The December 2011 hack of Stratfor reveled that Andy was being followed and surveilled by Stratfor at the request of Dow Chemical for his work with the Yes Men to support the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas disaster.
NATALIE WHALBERG
Is an organizer of Occupy Chicago and a close friend of Jeremy Hammond, Natalie will be speaking about the importance of prisoner support and solidarity.
JOHN KNEFEL
Is a journalist and cohost of Radio Dispatch! John recently covered the military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. His writing has appeared in The Nation, Truthout, and Salon. John will be speaking about the ever-growing and pervasive practices of private intelligence outfits like Stratfor.
WHAT: Press Conference & Rally WHERE: Foley Square, NYC (At Center & Pearl) WHEN: Thursday, November 29, 1:00pm INFO: Jeremy Hammond Support | Facebook RSVP
Six months after black-clad protestors smashed windows and attacked police during May Day protests in downtown Seattle, an exhaustive police investigation appears to have sparked charges against five suspected rioters.
The riotous string of protests that saw a federal courthouse attacked, several shops smashed and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s home vandalized prompted Seattle police to circulate photos of several masked protestors, hoping to identify those most responsible for the violence.
Federal authorities continue to pursue a wider investigation into a group of anarchists believed to have planned some of the violence.
In charges filed earlier in November, King County prosecutors contend photos and video collected by Seattle police in the wake of the May Day protests support the charges filed earlier this month against five Seattle-area residents.
Among those charged is 24-year-old Phillip Neel, a Leschi neighborhood resident suspected of injuring a police officer during the protest, which authorities claim was turned violent by a small group hoping for destruction.
Prosecutors have also identified the protester caught on camera smashing the downtown Niketown store while wearing a pair of Swooshed shoes as Ballard resident Kellen M. Linnell.
Neel and Linnell, 27, have been charged with felony property destruction, as has Jason J. Michaels, a 29-year-old West Seattle man. Matthew A. Erickson, 26, of Seattle, has been charged with riot, as has Shoreline resident Meaghnn A. Gonzales, 21.
Charges filed Nov. 20 describe an intensive, long-running police investigation into the May Day activities. Law enforcement officers were ultimately able to identify several of the suspects, according to charging documents, as were members of the public.
Setting the scene in charging papers, Seattle Police Department Det. Wes Friesen noted a variety of labor movement-oriented events drew thousands of people downtown on May Day, and that a small, core group of protesters seemed committed to causing violence.
On May Day, a group of demonstrators, wearing all black, massed at Westlake Park around 12:20 p.m. Friesen asserted the masked demonstrators chose their “black bloc” attire so they could conceal their identities while fighting police or rioting.
According to the detective’s account, the black-clad demonstrators included “several known anarchist extremists” from Seattle and Portland, Ore., who previously had destroyed property as a political act.
“Property destruction carried out by black blocs tends to have symbolic significance,” Friesen said in court documents, noting that common targets for rioting anarchists have been banks and chain stores.
The 50 or so demonstrators in “black bloc” were scattered through a larger crowd of nonviolent protestors unaware that some among them planned to vandalize downtown businesses, Friesen told the court. The group was walking toward the downtown core when the protest turned violent.
(A)narchists Remonstrate w/photojournalist
(Note: Leah, Kteeo(?), & p(a)ls can be seen in this 9-13-12 clip)
Near the intersection of Pike Street and Third Avenue, a black-clad demonstrator attacked a videographer for a Seattle television station. The demonstrator hit the man in the face with a wooden dowel before fleeing.
“Black bloc” demonstrators then surrounded a car, taunting occupants and climbing atop the vehicle, Friesen told the court. Members of the group then proceeded to a Wells Fargo bank branch at Fourth Avenue and Seneca Street, where they caused about $26,000 in damage by breaking windows and throwing paint bombs.
“Employees in a terrified state activated their bank robbery alarms to identify the seriousness of the situation and to initiate an emergency response by the police,” Friesen told the court. “Officers were unable to respond to this specific incident in a timely and safe manner based on the group’s actions.”
According to charging papers, demonstrators had blocked traffic to a degree that prevented officers from reaching the bank until the vandals had moved on to the William Kenzo Nakamura U.S. Courthouse in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue. They damaged several parked cars on their way.
Investigators contend 12 people dressed in black – what investigators describe as “black bloc” uniform – vandalized the courthouse, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. According to an FBI agent’s report, a vandal threw an incendiary device similar to a road flare at the courthouse.
The FBI is currently investigating that vandalism, as well as several Portland residents suspected to have traveled to Seattle to riot.
The group then looped back on Sixth Avenue to Pike Street, where demonstrators damaged a Nike retail outlet and an American Apparel store. Friesen described the scene there as a “massive frenzy of destructive violence” that included incendiary devices.
Describing the incidents as a “spree of violence and property damage,” Friesen said police responding to the area forced the demonstrators to retreat to Westlake Park. They continued to vandalize property on the way, Friesen continued, while some ditched their black clothing to blend into the May Day crowd gathered at Westlake.
Protesters then began a second march to a totem pole memorializing John T. Williams, a Seattle woodcarver killed by a Seattle patrol officer in August 2010. That march took a particularly anti-police tone, with marchers chanting “No justice, no peace, (expletive) the police.”
Having been directed by Mayor Mike McGinn to seize all weapons at the protest, police attempted to do so while allowing the march to proceed. As the protest wore on, though, one officer was struck in the head with a glass bottle while others were kicked or manhandled.
While police arrested several people during and immediately after the protests, many of the demonstrators suspected of vandalism or attacking police were not immediately apprehended.
Seattle Police Chief John Diaz formed a task force to continue the investigation. Officers assigned to the group pored over hundreds of hours of footage in an effort to identify those responsible for the vandalism and property destruction; photos of several suspects were publicized by the department.
Friesen now contends that effort ultimately led to the identification of the five defendants charged earlier this month.
Linnell is alleged to have participated in the vandalism of the Nike store and the Bank of America branch, and to have climbed atop an occupied car during the protest. Friesen noted Linnell wore a pair of Nike shoes during the protest, as well as a bright pink headband identifiable on several videos.
According to charging documents, Linnell was identified by a tipster who saw a photo of him on KOMONews.com. The tipster directed police to Linnell’s Ballard home, which police searched on June 15 in an effort to recover clothing worn at the protest. The detective said officers also seized “incendiary devices,” paint and unspecified weapons.
Detectives contacted Linnell at an Eastside worksite later that day. Asked about the vandalism, Linnell denied destroying any property while refusing to cooperate with police when asked to identify the vandals.
“Linnell said even if … he knew who they were, he would not tell, because it was against his moral and ethical code,” Friesen told the court. “Linnell stated he would only help if the person had committed a violent act against another person.”
Gonzales was identified as a suspect after her boyfriend arrived at a meeting with his community corrections officer wearing paint-spattered black clothing, Friesen told the court. The Department of Corrections officer recognized the man’s girlfriend from photos publicized by police.
Investigators searched the man’s Shoreline home and recovered clothing alleged to have been worn by Gonzales during the protest. Gonzales and her boyfriend were both arrested.
According to the detective’s statement, Gonzales admitted she was pictured in the photos publicized by police.
“I remember I was very angry and upset with the way the police were treating people,” Gonzales told the detective, according to charging documents. She was unable to explain footage showing her throwing an object at a police officer, denying that she did so.
Writing the court, Friesen argued Gonzales is suspected of hitting a police officer in the face with a book. She has not been charged with that more serious crime, but is instead facing a single riot charge.
Neel is accused of kicking a police officer in the knee during one of the May Day marches. According to charging documents, Neel was identified through photos taken during the protest, which purportedly show him damaging an American Apparel store window.
SWAT officers and May Day Task Force investigators searched Neel’s Leschi neighborhood home on July 10 after obtaining a warrant.
Officers detained Neel and three other residents while searching the home. According to charging documents, officers recovered clothing Neel is alleged to have worn during the protest; Neel declined to speak with police.
Erickson was caught on video damaging a downtown Bank of America branch and subsequently identified by police who had other dealings with him, Friesen told the court. Michaels, who is accused of vandalizing the Nike store, was also identified by an officer who’d previously had contact with him; she said Michaels described himself as an anarchist at the time.
Court documents show Friesen completed his 19-page report on the May Day demonstration in late August. King County prosecutors filed charges against the five defendants without fanfare on Nov. 20; none of the defendants have been jailed.
What relationship, if any, the new state charges have to the ongoing federal investigation into anarchist activity in the Northwest remains unclear.
At least two protesters suspected of smashing windows at the Nakamura Courthouse have previously faced minor charges in federal court. But court documents and a widely publicized grand jury proceeding indicate federal prosecutors are preparing to level more serious allegations.
In a statement filed in federal court in early October, an FBI special agent outlined the allegations against six Portland anarchists suspected of traveling to Seattle for the May 1 demonstration. An FBI surveillance team apparently followed the group north from Portland.
Five of the six protestors are suspected of damaging the Nakamura Courthouse during the May Day demonstrations. They were joined in the vandalism by seven other anarchists in “black bloc” and several unaffiliated demonstrators.
Writing the court, the FBI agent said the protesters came to Seattle to riot.
“Although many anarchists are law-abiding, there is a history in the Pacific Northwest of some anarchists participating in property destruction and other criminal activity in support of their political philosophy,” said the agent, who is assigned to the FBI Seattle office’s terrorism task force.
The agent went on to name six Oregon residents suspected in the vandalism. All are anarchists known to Portland-area law enforcement; the FBI agent contends text messages and surveillance show they traveled to Seattle for the protest, and, in one case, described the day as “awesome.”
Inquiries are ongoing before federal grand juries in Seattle and Portland, though no indictments have been publicly issued.
An FBI surveillance team followed five of the suspects north from Portland when they drove to Olympia the day before the May 1 riots, the FBI agent told the court. The surveillance team broke off after the group arrived in Olympia but text messages recovered by the FBI and rental car receipts indicate they arrived in Seattle the following morning.
Having identified the Oregon suspects, investigators in Portland searched a Mississippi Avenue “squat” where several were believed to be living. The search was conducted as part of an investigation into vandalism of a Portland KeyBank in which one of the men is accused.
Text messages recovered in that search purportedly show the group planned to participate in a riot. In subsequent searches, investigators recovered other clothing they contend links the suspects to the vandalism. Investigators also seized electronics and CDs, which they’ve now thoroughly searched.
Writing the court, the special agent asserted several vandals are suspected of destroying government property, crossing state lines to riot and conspiring to commit the same crimes.
The charges filed in King County earlier this month are among the most serious allegations made to date in the May Day demonstration.
All five defendants have been charged with riot. Linnell, Michaels and Neel have been charged with second-degree malicious mischief, while Neel has also been charged with fourth-degree assault.
Protester Paul W. Campiche previously pleaded guilty to attempted assault of a police officer and was sentenced to seven months on home detention. Robert Ditrani, 24, was initially charged with assault in the May Day protests, but has since pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to a suspended jail term.
Charges against two other people involved in the May Day protests – Joshua Garland and Maria Jannett Morales – were subsequently dismissed with prejudice.
None of the defendants charged on Nov. 20 has been jailed. Each is expected to be arraigned in coming weeks.
(w/certain highlighted retractions plus apologies to Amy Davis & spouse for inaccuracies and misidentifying Sheri Staley as her: mea culpa!–see comments. The Mason County Blog regrets the error.)
Newly elected County Commissioner, Terri Jeffreys called an informal meeting of ‘liberals’ from the community (according to one giggling source in the know) at Osaka’s restaurant in Shelton less than 1 day after being sworn in.
Learning of the planned caucus of Mason County Democrats (women, as it turned out), yours truly had only 1.5 hours to get all beautiful before showing up at the appointed 5:00 pm hour–but not beautiful enough, it would appear. Not that the press wanted to engage the women in small talk, but this meeting wasn’t called as a quilting bee or social. It’s purpose was for Jeffreys to shore up her political base since none of the ‘liberals’ attending had supported her in the narrow race for County Commissioner. Nor is she a Democrat. But she has taken detailed notes from Tim Sheldon’s playbook on how to leverage cross-party politics to her advantage. She’s proving to have been a dedicated student during her internship and later stint as the head of the local Chamber of Commerce.
While the State’s Open Meetings law doesn’t appear to have been technically violated when this ladies group excluded the press from reporting on the huddle concerning local policies & concerns, the spirit along with the point of these very party loyalists’ prior objections to a long history of insufficient transparency in Mason County government certainly was. All that was missing from the smoke filled room was the cigars.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but, this coalition of Mason County Democrats supported Ross Gallagher running against Terry Jeffreys. They have groused about the good ol’ boys network in Mason County government. Moreover, that Sherri Staley felt at liberty to exclude the press from a meeting Commissioner Jeffreys had called, given Terri’s tacit approval to the reporter, says something about the hierarchy in Mason County. Perhaps Tim Sheldon is correct when he chides party bosses and the Mason County Democrats as an organization?
Ironically, the well known and accepted Tom Davis expressed objections to being excluded from a Seattle Convention, hosted in a hotel, which included reps from Adage during its ill received presence in the community–the point of Mr. Davis’ interest in attending. Similarly, Katherine Price, herself, participated in a rally seeking an audience (denied) with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell when she blew through Shelton for a fundraising ($100/plate) event at Xihn’s Restaurant where only those with the $ were permitted access to the senator. Katherine was part of the group of demonstrators seeking redress for local environmental problems who were excluded. But, there’s nothing to salve a green conscience like being invited inside the tent. It’s an old story: Buy a beggar a new pair of shoes, and soon he’s using them to kick his contemporaries–her offer to ‘filter’ a report from the meeting notwithstanding.
Over 3,000 signatures on a petition requesting an advisory ballot vote were presented to the County Commissioners, about the time Adage still breathed and threatened to consume almost everything in sight. The board unanimously rejected it despite Mr. Davis offering to pay the entire cost such a ballot question might incur. His argument: Let the voters decide…or at least listen to what they have to say and offer a remedy for their having been excluded from/kept in the dark about the process.
Paradoxically, during a citizens advisory work group studying a recommendation on increasing the County sales tax 0.1% to fund additional mental health services, Mr. Davis took the opposite tack. After enjoying almost unanimous support from the group, Tom recommended the Commissioners be invited to impose the tax increase without asking the voters to weigh in on what they’d end up paying. Openly expressing reservations about trusting the community with the ballot box on the issue, the tax was passed without voter approval in a cynical move designed to exclude them from the issue. This is an example of why the press should not be excluded from such gatherings–there’s entirely too much at stake.
This evening, a theme cut from the same warp & weave was played out. Policy, suggestions, and the state of the County was discussed behind closed doors with the press being emphatically excluded. The reporter on hand wore a press badge in plain view and announced his purpose…to no avail as the sirens of open government reversed course and admitted giving little/no thought to the need for it when it applied to them. Their mumbled excuses/pretexts can be heard on the audio file linked below.
Katherine Price was there. She’d been contacted before and expressed no objections, but neither did she defend the concept of transparency when the crunch arrived. Neither did Jeffreys who also had been contacted before hand by the reporter. Several other local women Democrats were seated at the table in Osaka’s. They can be heard chatting with the waitress taking their orders. Then Sherri Staley arrived. She immediately displayed a hostile demeanor and stated she wasn’t ‘comfortable’, that the meeting was ‘private’ or just the ‘girls getting together’ in an unorganized fashion, ignoring the reality it was Terri Jeffreys who’d called the meeting.
Ms. Jeffreys was asked to comment on this rebuff to the public’s ear. She mumbled an insincere apology along with some of the others but did nothing to remedy the situation. So the new bosses of Mason County are starting their tenure, not with a bang, but a thud.
At one point, gender pretexts are offered to justify excluding the press, though Staley can be heard making the most vehement objections.
SPD Hiding Video of Beating /Choking Causing Partial Blindness
Seattle area lawyers say video of an alleged beating by a Seattle police officer is so explosive that if released, it would immediately go viral.
They claim that is the reason Seattle police are keeping the video hidden from public view. As a result, they and their client are suing the department.
Back in October, Leo Etherly was bruised and black-eyed. As for how he got that way, a Seattle police dash cam video could tell that story. Except police won’t allow Etherly to have a copy, and they won’t allow Etherly’s attorney to share his copy with the public.
Here’s how Etherly tells it: “I was motionless, and he (the officer) was still punching me and says something to the effect of, ‘You effing idiot.'”
Witness video shows Etherly’s face after he is already handcuffed on the ground.
More Brutality from Seattle’s Finest
Store surveillance video indistinctly shows Etherly on the hood of a police cruiser.
“At that point, (the officer) throws a tremendously fast fist to Leo Etherly’s eye, causing permanent partial blindness,” said attorney James Egan.
But the best video of Etherly’s Oct. 6 arrest would be from the police officer’s own dashboard camera.
Etherly says he was first choked then knocked out, and didn’t realize the extent of what happened until he saw the dash cam video.
“When it happened, I understood I got mistreated. But when I seen it, it hit me. It really hit me like, ‘Wow!”‘ he said.
“Clearly shows choking and punching for no reason,” said First Amendment attorney Jim Lobsenz, who is also representing Etherly. “It’s not exactly in the same realm as the Rodney King beating, which went on and on and on, but it’s bad.”
As Etherly’s defense attorney, Egan has obtained the dash cam video. But the attorney can’t share that footage as the SPD has warned him it could cost him his license. And police will not allow Etherly to have a copy.
“You don’t maintain public trust by doing what the police chief is doing, which is hiding this video,” said Egan.
Etherly was stopped in connection with a hit-and-run crash several blocks away. Seattle police told KOMO News Etherly was uncooperative and spat on the arresting officers; however, King County prosecutors have declined to file any charges.
So nearly seven weeks after the incident, why can’t Etherly get a public copy of his own dash cam video?
Even the city’s own policy says, “…any person who is shown in police dash camera video has an absolute right to request and receive video depicting their incident at any time.”
Lobsenz says the city is stalling.
“They don’t want this video to get to you guys,” he said.
Etherly says his video needs to be made public.
“‘Cause it needs to stop,” he said. “I could have been dead.”
Late Monday afternoon, Seattle police released a brief statement saying that Egan has already received a copy of the dash cam video, but will get another copy through the Public Records Act when the department’s process is completed.
Yet despite KOMO’s questions, SPD made no mention of the restrictions on the 1st video or when this 2nd video would be released.
UPDATE:
After weeks of requests, the Seattle Police Department released video of a rough October 6 arrest in the parking lot of the Midtown Center at 23rd and Union.
As we reported previously, the arrest left Leo Etherly with a bloodied face and shook the neighbors and workers who witnessed the incident. Dashboard video of the incident clearly shows the arrest, including a strike from Officer Eric Faust to Etherly’s face that sent Etherly to the hospital.
Screen capture from SPD dash video
Etherly was arrested on investigation of hit-and-run and assaulting a police officer, though both charges were quickly dropped.
CLARIFICATION:
The charges were referred to King County, which refused to pursue them. There is still a chance Etherly could be charged in Seattle Municipal Court, says SPD.
The video was not released until Etherly’s attorney James Egan filed a lawsuit alleging that the Department was illegally withholding the video.
SPD launched an investigation into “a particular force tactic” used by Officer Faust.
Shortly after the incident, CDNews spoke with several people who work or live in the area and saw what happened. They voiced concern that the force was not called for, and that the incident reinforces feelings of injustice between people of color in the neighborhood and the police department.
Officer Faust stopped this car rolling down Jackson in 2009
Officer Faust was commended with a Medal of Valor in 2009 for stopping an unmanned car rolling down Jackson St after an officer-involved shooting at 20th and Jackson. Coincidentally, Officer Chin, who was also involved in Etherly’s arrest, was accused of using excessive force in the 2009 incident.
2nd UPDATE:
SPD has posted video from their media briefing about the video, which includes a narrated version of the video:
One observation which received no commentary, the local residents recoil from the officers, presumably out of fear and disgust. Their behavior in this Black community during the altercation is quite different from those likely to be seen in white/privileged communities. The press officer for the PD clinically dissects the video events but glosses over the traumatic force initially applied to the suspects neck (strain) and chin. The officer who struck the suspect (partially blinding him) can be seen aggressively and threateningly confronting the suspect, thereby heightening the likelihood of a violent confrontation which the officer’s training, no doubt, recommends as a method of ‘control’.
The lessons from the police academy focus on ‘control’ over psychology. The body English, especially of the assaulting officer, tells much of the story which the narrative attempts to minimize.
Marriage equality vote means marriage/divorce certificates must change
Public hearing Nov. 28 for comments on changes in gender-specific terms
OLYMPIA – The Department of Health is seeking comments from the public on proposed changes in gender-specific terms for Washington’s marriage and divorce certificates in response to the new same-sex marriage law that takes effect on December 6, 2012.
A public hearing will be held at 8 a.m., Wednesday, November 28, at 310 Israel Road SE, Rooms 152-153, in Tumwater. The department collects records of all people who marry or divorce in Washington, and issues copies of records to the public. Current forms use gender-specific terms, including bride, groom, husband, and wife. State health officials propose using gender-neutral terms on certificates. The proposal includes identifying the gender of couples on the certificate form, so the public will have information about the number of same-sex couples in Washington.
Proposed changes to the rule defining the content of Washington marriage and divorce certificates (WAC 246-491-149) are available on the agency’s website. Written comments on the proposed rule change will be accepted until 5 p.m. on November 28, 2012. Comments may be submitted online or by writing to Washington State Department of Health, P.O. Box 47814, Olympia, WA 98504-7814.
