My experience in New York at the RNC
has left me very unsure as to what is "acceptable"
in our free society. I had no intention of doing anything
"arrestable" while in NY. I fulfilled this intent
and yet was arrested, twice. Both times while wearing my
Independent
Media Center Press Badge around my neck. Both times
attempting to leave an area after video taping group arrests.
Both times I was arrested while in the process of complying
with the orders of the police.
#1 8/29/04 Times Square
On a tip that things were getting a little
hairy in Times Square I arrived in time to stand around
and video the aftermath of .... what was a possbly the most
unwarranted mass arrests of the week. In Times Square many
shoppers and tourists were sweep up in the Big Orange Cop
Nets and arrested along with people who were on their way
home from other protests and the few who were actually there
to protest.
After the Mouse
Bloc mass arrests and Kissing
Bloc mass arrests were all said and done I started back
to the subway and saw a crowd on one corner of the intersection
and went over to see what was happening. When I got to
that corner of the sidewalk, they announced "Please
clear the sidewalk anyone remaining on the sidewalk on this
side of the street will be arrested. Please cross to the
other side of the street".
As I stepped onto the sidewalk on the other
side of the street I heard "Please
clear the sidewalk on THIS side of the street. If you remain
on the sidewalk you will be arrest-.... Ok
you're arrested."
They started grabbing people closest to
the corner immediately.
I had moved on through the crowd on the
corner and had 3 or 4 people between me and those first
grabbed. I immediatly started backing down the sidewalk
away from the corner. I thought the video camera was recording...
but it wasn't. The situation got scary looking quickly
and I decided to duck into the SWATCH watch store in order
to clear the sidewalk because I didn't think continuing
to walk AWAY was going to be good enough to keep me out
of jail. I entered the revolving door camera and arm first...
I had not seen the Japanese Tourist Couple that were inside
the revolving door and my arm and camera were now stuck
inside the revolving door that would not move forward or
back.
If I had tried to yank the camera back
through the door it would have been severely damaged. I
said "take it, take it".
They were understandably a little confused and frightened..
as was I. I said "take it"
several more times before the cop grabbed me and
pulled me Out Of The Door to be arrested. As I
was being pulled backward out of the door I yelled "take
it" and lobbed the camera and mono-pod
into the air.
When they sat me down on the corner. I
crossed my legs pseudo lotus style and tried to remain calm.
I held my Indymedia Press Card out in front of me to make
a good Photo Op. I held my head high and politely waited
to be cuffed. A lot of pictures were being taken so a Cop
grabbed the string and tried to rip the Press Pass off of
my head with enough force to rip through the plastic card that
I clutched tightly. He said "quit resisting",
I said "I'm not resisting, I'm keeping my Press Pass".
Then I was Cuffed.
While sitting on the sidewalk waiting to
be stuffed in to the van; I had determined through winks
an nods that the tourists had indeed caught the camera and
left it with SWATCH employees; so when released, I returned
to SWATCH where they cheered my release and gave me back
the camera and mono-pod. Before leaving the City I went
back to the store again to leave a note requesting any witnesses
to step forward. Several days later I was informed by the
SWATCH manager who accepted the note that the company would
not allow the 2 employees who admitted witnessing the event
to step forward voluntarily to be witnesses.
A fellow videographer friend with better
credentials informed a White Shirt (ranking officer) that
there was press arrested. The White Shirt popped his head
into the van they were hauling us off in and asked if anyone
was press I told him I was credentialed through the Independent
Media Center. He said that was worthless. Apparently
he was right. "Proper" (i.e. Corporate) credentials
may have gotten me out of this one, but they're not worth
selling my soul for. I spoke to a few mainstream press
during the week that had been brutalized and/or arrested
... but then quietly released. The unspoken "deal",
I suppose, is that if they want to keep their "get
out of jail free" card... they'll keep their mouth
shut.
For this I received..
* 2 counts of Disorderly Conduct
1 count of Parading without a Permit
| Here is what the Public Servant
that arrested me claims I was doing. |
"the defendant, with intent
to cause public inconvenience, annoyance and alarm
and recklessly creating a risk thereof, obstructed
vehicular and pedestrian traffic; the defendant, with
intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance and
alarm and recklessly creating a risk thereof, congregated
in a public place with other persons and refused to
comply with a lawful order of the police to disperse;
and the defendant paraded in a procession, parade
and race upon a street and in a public place without
obtaining a written permit from the police commissioner.
The offenses were committed under the following circumstances:
Deponent states that deponent observed defendant
intentionally cause public inconvenience, annoyance,
and alarm by walking back and forth with over 50 other
individuals on the sidewalk at the above location,
thereby obstructing pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk
and preventing people from entering the building directly
in front of the large gathering. Deponent further
states that defendant and other individuals were advised
by the police that they were obstructing pedestrian
traffic and should move off the sidewalk, and that
the defendants then stood shoulder to shoulder in
front of the location and still refused to leave the
sidewalk.
Deponent states that deponent observed the defendant
parading upon the sidewalk at the above location,
a public place, with at least 50 other without a permit
from the police commissioner." |
~~~
#2 8/31/04 Financial District Bright
an Early in the AM
Roughly 18 hours after being released ...
While walking my bike down the sidewalk and carrying my
camera out of the area of
a group arrest that I had video taped, chatting with
2 new friends, both medics; one of them looked down an alley
where they saw a large group of people, possibly another
protest action. The 3 of us stopped at Exchange & Wall
St. and looked down the alley.
An Indy Videographer,
with a bike and 2 medics.
We fit all 3 profiles for preemptive arrests @ the RNC.
Instantly, I heard a voice say "wa
wa wa blah na dada" at least thats what I
heard. As I turned to the voice, I noticed that there was
a large number of Cops around us, and the voice had come
from one of them. I said something to the effect of "What?".
A Cop said "gotta keep moving with the bike,
this is a sensitive area", I said "OK"
and began to continue down the sidewalk. I was
terrified of the consequences of going back to jail and
had every intention of complying with whatever order I was
given because on the "inside" the cops repeatedly
warned us that if we got arrested again this week we'd be
in serious trouble. A couple of steps later, a
White Shirt Cop stepped in and grabbed my arm, I
said "I'm moving Sir" and he
said "No, your arrested." I
turned my head to the still free medics who were maybe 10
feet away and said "Go!" but
before I could finish the word they too were grabbed
and detained. All of this, mind you,
might have taken as long as 15-20 seconds.
Our "Arresting
Officer" arrived on the scene after we had ALL been
cuffed, searched and our belongings bagged up.
Many times during the week I witnessed
White Shirts telling the "regular" cops to arrest
someone. There were often 3 levels of ignorance at work
here.
1) The White Shirt's (Big
Time Cop) were most often the "true" arresting
officer; but they were too important to be taken off the
streets for hours while they escorted their innocent victims
thru the arrest process. (each arresting cop had to spend
another 8-10 hours shuffling their arrestees through the
system).
2) The cuffing cops. Blindly
arresting people without having a clue what they've done.
3) The "official"
arresting officer. The poor sap or inexperienced newbie
that got to share the asbestos laden air of the Pier
57 Detention Center with the innocent victims. These
cops, being twice removed from the decision to arrest, had
absolutely no idea what the victims had done to be arrested.
It took 5 days for the numbness
to leave 2 fingers on my left hand from the excessively
tight plastic handcuffs. I was further harassed
by constant, blatant surveillance on the day of my release
on this charge.
I have heard that someone saw them stuffing
me into the paddy wagon on national TV. I would love to
see this if anyone has it taped. I was explaining that
they were arresting press.. for nothing... to several mainstream
press folks who, as usual, didn't show up in time to get
anything more than the perp walk.
For this I received..
* 2 charges of Disorderly Conduct.
I have no idea what they think was disorderly
about my actions.
~~~
I no longer have a clue how to conduct
myself in the presence of cops.
They order, I comply, I get arrested. Twice.
Gee, I feel so safe.
|
