Solidarity, people!
forgive the veiled reference to
Abby Hoffman's iconic
'Steal This Book'
Abby Hoffman's iconic
'Steal This Book'
I write to the people in our streets and occupying OUR public property of the United States, the men and woman of OUR vast land, and our brothers and sisters overseas: this post is Vital Information and should be shared, saved, disseminated bookmarked, etc.
It could mean your SURVIVAL, in Court or... in Life.
Chapter One: your Consciousness
Simply, it's hard to remember at the street, how to be 'arrested'; make sure you have the NLG (National Lawyers' Guild) local chapter number INDELIBLY printed on your skin (forearm suggested);
Remember every cop show you ever saw: the rights being read or spoken are your Miranda Rights: 'the Right to remain silent' applies even more during a protest arrest. These will be revisited below.
Chapter Two: your Evidence
Are you, or someone with you filming an out-of-control Police 'crack-down' on nonviolent protesters?
Remember: whoever is closest to the microphone, or you on your iPhone or 4-gen phone (mine is HTC), should ALWAYS - at least ONCE per two minutes announce the TIME and DATE. Something like this:
“This is zenmud productions:
it's 23h05, I'm at 15th and Colfax, facing northwest... this is zenmud productions: it's 23h07, I'm at 14th and Colfax, facing south... (continuously!)”
it's 23h05, I'm at 15th and Colfax, facing northwest... this is zenmud productions: it's 23h07, I'm at 14th and Colfax, facing south... (continuously!)”
This will establish a higher threshold for the video as legal evidence of oppressive and illegal police actions.
For still photo shots, having a wristwatch with date serves if you can take every 10th (or less) photo with the time and date.
Chapter Three: your Opponent
You are (I presume) a non-violent civil disobedience disciple, and you want to both state your views and keep the peace amongst like-minded protesters. Yet you are an Unknown Crowd to your opponent.
With their Kevlar, Tasers, Sound Cannons, Batons, GUNS and 'team-work' (they are much more organized than you are!) they operate in synch, under 'color of the law' and yet... they are human, and will certainly be carrying a mindset that is, frankly, similar to your own emotive state. They react to pressure in various ways, and implement 'marching orders' with the verve of a Marine breaking out of the forest.
Know this.
Chapter Four: your Arrest
When things get out of control, 'the tie goes to the winner' (under State authority), and the zip-ties go around your wrists. Youtubes show how to get out of Ziptie handcuffs, but do you want to add the count of 'escape from capture' to the mysterious charges you are being charged with?
Are you being read your Miranda rights? Do you know when those rights come in to play? That would be 'before interrogation', not necessarily the moment you are restrained. But police become expert at 'listening' and even a tirade against them may perhaps be admissible if you can't keep quiet: do that!
Read the Miranda below, from the Court Decision that created it:
...The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he or she has the right to remain silent, and that anything the person says will be used against that person in court; the person must be clearly informed that he or she has the right to consult with an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning, and that, if he or she is indigent, an attorney will be provided at no cost to represent her or him.
Your Fourth Amendment?
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Within the Fourth Amendment lays the 'Exclusionary Rule'; courts were (in more rational days) quite stringent in enforcement of police procedural rules under this clause for the admission of evidence.
Know this: seek any avenue to have the Police evidence excluded to the degree you want YOUR evidence to prevail.
And yet the Fifth Amendment stands above as your shield against speaking, especially when the Police have violated your First Amendment Right to free speech, may have illegally searched your person or property (leave VERY LITTLE in your tent, if you are that lucky), and could easily intimidate you through interrogation techniques shared around the world, epicenter ABU GHRAIB.
The Fifth Amendment give you the right against self-incrimination:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Know this.
Chapter Five: your Case
Arrested (by whom? If at all possible find out as soon as possible)? Going to prison, hopefully without abuse. End of story after booking, or whatever... (I move on to the abuse cases)
An arrest under color of Brutality? Did your Officer (or Officers) use excessive force, illegal actions or otherwise 'come unglued'? You may be a victim of an Officer under the influence of unauthorized Prescription drugs.
I used to write extensively about the international regulation of Anti-Doping regulations for the World of Sport: this body of transferable knowledge is available to anyone who brings comments forth. One impressive 'ally' in that world was Dr Gaffney, of Steroid World (another focused blog), and I am glad to find him interested in Police Abuse of Steroids as well. The link above goes to his blog's collection of various cases of demonstrated abuse by Police in America.
Several states have investigated this, but maybe no State has been more transparent about it, as has New Jersey...
In New Jersey, The Attorney General's Steroids Study Group published its hard-hitting report only this last July (2011), and reading it is enthralling: hundreds of Police (in one State!) using their taxpayer-paid medical care to purchase (via a certain 'Dr FeelGood': named in Report) millions of dollars' worth of drugs, taken simply to improve their musculature and not for a legitimate medical reason. In the world of Sport, Athletes require a 'TUE': a Therapeutic Use Exemption; these are issued by the Medical Officer taking legal responsibility for the issuance of a Prohibited Substance found on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
It is highly doubtful that hiring municipalities are held to a systemically wide, uniform system of employee drug testing, especially for their Police (under the 'who would think it?' theory), as is the world of sport. Yet, Police have no more right to be illegally medicated than you, I, or any Professional Cyclist, amateur or NFL players (a list in no way limited to these categories...), and...
TESTED Officers found positive and without legitimate medical 'extenuating circumstances', standing over you with a Fury in their eyes? Broken ribs, teeth, fractures or deep bruises from thrusting baton-points; sonic canyons, tear gas or flash grenades... some 'authorized' personnel may have taken their 'initiative' outside the scope of that authority.
And...
Those Officers found 'positive' for Steroids or Amphetamines, or any other 'narcotic' that they (ironically) should be prosecuting and not consuming themselves, are losing 100s of thousands of dollars in liability cases, for the Abuse they've offered victims of criminally-dangerous drug-taking Jack-booted goons (who sadly, remain the 'scabs' of the 99 percent...
It's in the report: know this.
Call the NLG (If you read Chapter One above, you should have the phone-number on your arm, in indelible ink. (Magic Marker: name and phone of 'contacts' may help if you are unconscious...!) Know these things; they are what they are because of the Country we have: for good or evil peeps...
This IS the year: I posted this elsewhere on Facebook today, on the Occupy Denver page:
"377 days until the SHIT-STORM of 2012"
people... don't waste time 'reinventing the wheel' with each idiological (intentionally misspelled) opponent who wants to WASTE your time in 'blame-games' for the sake of their egos!
They're either in 'the trenches' with you, or bringing you protest-supplies, or sharing YouTubes and articles around the world in support of 'our' efforts, or they don't realize they are WASTING precious time, not having the benefit of an 'A' in inertia-studies...
... because...
There are TWENTY-FOUR presidential elections next year, around the world!
From USA-France-India to East Timor and Russia...
don't spin your wheels peeps!
March and Occupy...!
This is THE YEAR... three-hundred and seventy-seven days"
... tick-tock ...
___________________ we've only just begun...
SNOW all day... Snow all night?
/°/***/°/* crystelZENmud *\°\***\°\
© 2011
© 2011
1 comment:
Hmm.. not only do we both use the term "Bush the Lesser" but I've deliberately used the idiology spelling to describe ratwangers' (right wingers pronounced with a drawl) idiotic ideas too.
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