-Caveat Lector- --------- Forwarded message ---------- >Here is the latest shocking letter I have received. The Seattle police >actions against law-abiding citizens looks to me like something that >should >not be allowed to just fade away. What I am receiving sounds like >more than >just the actions of an incompetent mayor and a rambo police chief. >Someone >let me know if I am overreacting. >Date: Sat, 04 Dec 1999 11:59:08 -0700 >From: Jim and Jenni Muir <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >We just received this forwarded post (originated in US) from a friend in >Australia. It's the worst we have heard yet! Jim and Jenni Muir > *** Begin of forwarded message *** > > >>>---------- Forwarded message ---------- > >>>Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 14:59:37 EST > >>>From: Free Student Press Project <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >><snip> > >>>Subject: More from Seattle -- 12/3/99 > >>> > >>>The following is written by me, Damon Krane, a 20 year-old college > student > >>>who rode a bus two and a half days from Pittsburgh, PA to join the > protests > >>>against anti-democratic corporate domination and the exploitation of > human > >>>and animal life and the natuaral resources of this planet for the sake > of > >>>profit, as represented by the WTO, which seeks to worsen the situation > and > >>>take decision further and further away from the people whose lives are > >>>affected by them. The oligopolistic interests of corporate domination > >>>fought back, the Constitution was suspended, and seattle became a > police > >>>state. But yesterday we prevailed, winning several important > victories > and > >>>raising public awareness. > >>> > >>>Permission is given to reprint this piece or excerpts from it to all > who > >>>recieve this message. Please forward it to others. > >>> > >>> > >>>Much more has happened since I wrote Tuesday's story. Wednesday night > my > >>>friend and I were hit with a concusion grenade and a tear gas > cannister > >>>fired from an armored personnel carrier. We were in our house on > 10th. > Ave. > >>>on Capitol Hill when we heard teargas being shot off outside. Capitol > Hill > >>>is a residential area and the part we are in is blocks and blocks away > from > >>>the curfew zone where martial law had been established, yet police > were > >>>pursuing protesters and gassing bystanders. We rushed outside, and > standing > >>>in the front yard we saw the armored vehicle traveling down the street > >>>toward us. My friend was outraged. This was his house, his > neighborhood. > >>>People were allowed to be outside their houses and on the streets. > But > when > >>>we didn't run back inside and showed our objection to the police's > tactics > >>>(I raised both middle fingers and my friend shouted "Go Home! We > don't > want > >>>you here!"), an officer in full riot gear and gas mask raised his > gas-gun > >>>and aimed it directly at us. As he was doing that, another officer > fired > a > >>>concussion grenade at us. It exploded and a few of the rubber pellets > hit > >>>me in the arm. As we turned to run back inside, the first officer > fired > the > >>>tear gas cannister. It hit the house inches from a window and just as > close > >>>to our heads. It exploded in a bright flash and began spewing gas as > we > ran > >>>to the door. We got inside, yelling and grasping our friends. We > realized > >>>we were right in front of a window that faced out onto the street. We > >>>turned to see the armored vehicle passing as the officers aimed their > >>>weapons in at us. I yelled, "Get down!!" and everyone dropped to the > floor. > >>> As the vehicle passed we began stuffing clothes underneath the door > to > >>>keep out as much of the tear gas as we could. > >>> Their was no crowd to disperse in that instance; no unruly mob > >>>threatening to destroy property. My friend and I were standing in > front > of > >>>his house, and after identifying ourselves as protesters (this time of > a > >>>police state and not the WTO) the police attacked us. They attacked > many > >>>other Capitol Hill residents that evening, gassing, beating and > >>>pepper-spraying them. We watched on the news as one resident > approached > >>>police yelling, "There are no protesters here. We're all residents! > What > >>>are you doing here!?" Three officers then sprayed the man > simultaneously > >>>with pepper spray. We watched a woman be tackled and held to the > pavement > >>>as one officer hit her repeatedly in the head with a club and another > >>>sprayed her face. The scenes we witnessed were worse than any footage > I've > >>>seen of police brutality during the Civil Rights Movement of the > 1960's. > It > >>>became very clear that the police posed an incredible threat to the > safety > >>>of the people of Seattle that night. As paranoid as this may sound, > we > >>>devised an escape plan if police raided our house. But with that > vision > of > >>>a man in uniform raising a gun and firing it at my head -an image I > don't > >>>think I'll ever forget- it seemed better to be safe than sorry. > >>> Another friend said that evening that we weren't unique in our > >>>situation, and she wasn't just talking about Seattle. Throughout the > >>>history of this country similar violence has been aimed at people > struggling > >>>for social justice. Right now all across the world it is aimed at > such > >>>people. Similar violence has been -and is- aimed at African-Americans > in > >>>this country for simply being African-Americans. "There's plenty of > people > >>>that this system thinks are worth less than shit," she said. "We > aren't > >>>unique." For privileged white kids like us, though, this was a very > new > >>>experience. But for one night we new what it was like to live in a > >>>totalitarian police state. We knew what it was like to be a > Salvadoran > >>>peasant; an indegenious farmer in Chiapas, Mexico; a native advocate > of > >>>Timorese or Tibetan independence; a student struggling for democracy > in > >>>Burma; an black man in America; a Native American in America; a Jew in > Nazi > >>>Germany. > >>> Tuesday and Wednesday the police were targeting anyone with a > medic's > >>>armband who was trying to help give first aid to the injured > protesters, > by > >>>singling them out for pepper spray and beatings. They soon learned to > hide > >>>their armbands. It's hard to imagine that it was a coincidence that > the > >>>residents of Capitol Hill were terrorized by police, for it was the > >>>residents of Capitol Hill who had been most sympathetic to out-of-town > >>>protesters, providing them with places to stay. Anyone offering > support > or > >>>protection to the portesters was targetted by police and the city made > it > >>>illegal to buy, sell, or carry gas masks. > >>> The same officer who I had pleasantly spoken to earlier that day, > whose > >>>hand I had shook, could have been the same officer who had fired that > tear > >>>gas cannister at my head; the officer who had clubbed me the day > before; > or > >>>the one who pulled my hand away to spray me in the eyes with pepper > spray. > >>>The worst attorcities this world has ever seen have not been committed > by > >>>deranged psychopaths or the "criminally insane." They have been > committed > >>>by ordinary people, no different from you and me, who have been > trained > to > >>>blindly follow orders: soldiers, police officers. And now my friends > and > I > >>>were the targets of these people as was anyone who did not flee them; > anyone > >>>who did not readily submit to their tyranny. And, by virtue of their > >>>uniform, these people had become our enemies and the greatest threat > to > the > >>>people of Seattle. > >>> That night the national press coverage started to reveal some of > the > >>>real story in Seattle and public pressure came down on Seattle; the > ACLU > >>>filed suit against the city for it's disregard for the Constitution; > and, > >>>though it was still prefaced with the outright lie that the attacks of > >>>police were justifiably provoked by protesters, one local station > began > >>>airing the notion that "police may have gone too far" between clips of > >>>unarmed bystanders being brutally beaten. I'm assuming that it was > all > of > >>>this public pressure that finally restrained the police and their > superiors. > >>> No pepper spray, clubs, tear gas, concussion grenades, or rubber > bullets > >>>were used during a fulll day of protests, rallies and marches > Thursday. > And > >>>to the surprise of none of the protesters, there was NO VIOLENCE and > NO > >>>DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY! > >>> Last night, residents of Capitol Hill organized a march against > police > >>>brutality and joined WTO protesters One local station finally let the > >>>residents --many of them visibly bruised and battered-- tell their > stories. > >>>An emergency city council meeting was held yesterday, and many people > are > >>>calling for the resignation of the mayor and police chief. I think > that's a > >>>good place to start. > >>> After not being turned back by two solid days of the police in > full > >>>riot gear, their gas, bullets, clubs, and the National Guard, we > protesters > >>>won a huge victory yesterday. In defiance of the No-Constitution, > >>>No-Democracy zone, we marched into the city's downtown streets and > >>>congregated in Victor Steinburg (sp?) park. With the Puget Sound > behind > us > >>>and a beautiful blue sky overhead for the first time in three days of > rain, > >>>the sun shined down on a rally of several thousand people. Ralph > Nader, > >>>Vandana Shiva, Jim Hightower, and many, many others addressed the > crowd. > >>>Labor Unionists and small farmers spoke from the same stage as a woman > from > >>>Eath First! and other envornmentalists. They cheered for one another. > >>>Small family farmers -not just from the US but from France, Brazil, > the > >>>Philipines, Korea, and Brazil- spoke out in solidarity against the > World > >>>Trade Organization. A man from Green Peace anounced that they had > succeded > >>>in blocking a ship full of genetically engineered, WTO endorsed > >>>"Franken-food" from Entering France. We heard of an all-day > demonstration > >>>being held in the Neatherlands, and of anti-WTO demonstrators > surrounding > >>>the embassy of the counrty most directly responsible for exploiting > their > >>>people and resources -- the United States. From there, we split up > and > >>>marched to various the headquarters of various corporate criminals > like > the > >>>Cargill Corporation and others. After demonstrations where held in > those > >>>places, we coverged on the King County Jail and staged a sit-in in > response > >>>to the 587 protesters who had been illegally arrested and had been > illegally > >>>detained for over 36 hours without being charged for anything or being > >>>permitted access to phones or lawyers. > >>> We demonstrated there for several hours and local businesses > delivered > >>>pizza, bread, and sandwiches in support of us. After nightfall, > lawyers > >>>from the Direct Action Network's legal team addressed the crowd. The > city > >>>had been forced to enter into negotiations with them and had ageed to > let > >>>them meet with the prisoners for the first time on the condition that > we > >>>would leave the jail. If an acceptable agreement is not reached, > we'll > be > >>>back at the jail today. > >>> Once the lawyers waved to us from inside the we left voluntarily > and > >>>marched out of downtown, this time with a police escort, as onlookers > >>>cheered, waved from bus windows and honked car horns in support. On > the > >>>windows of one local business was a sign reading: "Closed in support > of > WTO > >>>protesters." As we marched through the streets we chanted "This is > what > >>>democracy looks like!" and "The people united will never be divided!" > and > >>>"This is only the beginning!" > >>> Some of us were veteran activists accustomed to pepper spray, > some > >>>were young newcomers like me who had never been sprayed or suffered a > blow > >>>from a police officer's club before this week, but we all refused to > be > >>>silenced, and yesterday we prevailed. The past few days have included > the > >>>worst experiences of my life, but yesterday may have been the best. > To > be > >>>part of a movement made up of people of conscience from across the age > >>>spectrum, the country, and the world; to be part of that movement's > >>>successes from shutting down the first day of secret WTO meetings, to > >>>getting lawyers to our friends, to overcoming police violence and > biased > >>>media coverage; to be inseperable attached to the struggles of the > past, > the > >>>struggles of the world, and the struggle for a just future, is a > feeling > of > >>>community and solidarity and empowerment that I don't even have the > words > to > >>>describe. This country is long overdue for a political awakening and > this > >>>is only the beginning. > >>> > >>>-Damon Krane > >>>Seattle: 12/3/99 -- Kathleen If we were directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we would soon want for bread. - Thomas Jefferson DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
