[BfB(oG)] Fwd: [illinoisgreens] One Arrested Philly Protesters Eye Witness Account

[Jim Buell]

News from Philly continues to be mildly horrific - and absent from the 
mainstream press. This was just forwarded to the Illinoisgreens list, and 
I've seen quite a few similar accounts on the web the last couple days.

It's becoming evident that the cops' response was and is flagrantly out of 
proportion to the protesters' actions (esp. the mass arrests inside the 
puppet factory detailed in this note, the conditions in the jails, and the 
million-dollar bail on misdemeanor charges for 2 supposed ringleaders). 
Note the suggestions below for contacting officials there and for 
contributing to the legal defense. Any thoughts on what might be worth 
doing locally as a group?


>From: SarahLNels at aol.com
>Mailing-List: list illinoisgreens at egroups.com; contact 
>illinoisgreens-owner at egroups.com
>Delivered-To: mailing list illinoisgreens at egroups.com
>List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:illinoisgreens-unsubscribe at egroups.com>
>Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 14:48:11 EDT
>Subject: [illinoisgreens] One Arrested Philly Protesters Eye Witness Account
>
>Subj:    Fw: christopher carley - political prisoner (!?)
>Date:   8/7/00 9:42:01 PM Central Daylight Time
>From:   tomjwells at email.msn.com (THOMAS PALAZZOLO)
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: chris <carlechr at auden.webster.edu>
>
>Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 6:17 PM
>Subject: christopher carley - political prisoner (!?)
>
>
> > --please forward to all who might be concerned about this situation--
> > --please urge yr local media to report on this story--
> >
> > greetings.
> >
> > not too long ago, i was released from the curran-fromhold correctional
> > facility in philadelphia, PA.
> >
> > as i write this, many of the brightest, most knowledgeable, most
>energetic,
> > most compassionate young people i've ever met are still behind bars. there
> > are currently hundreds of them in the philadelphia prison system. they are
> > POLITICAL PRISONERS - punished for speaking out against corporate
> > globalization, against the corporate ownership of the american political
> > system, against the growth of the prison industry, and in favor of the
> > rights of poor and oppressed people across the globe.
> >
> > if you think that democracy is important, please take the time to learn
> > about what is going on right now in philly.
> >
> > this is my story.
> >
> > love and solidarity forever,
> > - christopher j. carley  (aka john "buster" doe)
> >
> > carlechr at auden.webster.edu
> > 314-646-7047
> >
> > ..
> >
> > my friend tyrone and i drove to philadelphia last week. our primary
>purpose
> > was to observe the protest activity surrounding the republican convention.
> > for various reasons related to our personal circumstances in saint louis,
> > we each decided that (in addition to our roles as independent reporters)
>we
> > would attempt to support the nonviolent protesters in ways that would not
> > result in our arrest. ty decided he would videotape protests. i decided to
> > join an affinity group called "the puppetistas," whose purpose was to
> > provide entertainment and moral support for nonviolent protesters engaged
> > in direct action on the streets.
> >
> > on the afternoon of august 1, police officers began to surround the puppet
> > warehouse/workshop on 41st and haverford in west philly. i was one of
>about
> > 70 people inside the building. i was eating a banana. others were making
> > last-minute additions to their puppet creations and protest banners. many
> > people were loading the vehicles (that would have momentarily been
> > transporting us puppetistas to center city).
> >
> > we denied access to the police, as they had no warrant and no reason to
> > disrupt our activities. as police forces grew outside, most of the people
> > inside began to have a meeting to discuss what was happening. i joined the
> > meeting, and like many others, i covered a t-shirt with vinegar/water
>which
> > i planned to use in order to protect myself from the potential use of
> > chemical weapons by the police.
> >
> > some police tried to break in through the back door. several climbed onto
> > the roof of the building to spy on us through windows. one of them
> > attempted to SPIT on us through an opening in a window.
> >
> > one of the first persons who attempted to communicate with the police was
> > peppper-sprayed through a mail slot in the door. he ran past me on his way
> > to the bathroom.
> >
> > after about 90 minutes, the police told us that they had a search warrant
> > and that they would be detaining us while searching the warehouse for
> > "weapons."
> >
> > we lined up to exit the building. we opened the door and the garage door.
> > many of us chanted, and waved puppets and signs while we waited to be
> > handcuffed and frisked.
> >
> > by chance, i was one of the first people to exit. my backpack was taken
> > from me (i never received it back) and my arms were tightly held together
> > behind my back by plastic cuffs. i was then photographed and placed on a
> > bus.
> >
> > one young man was wearing a skirt. (in front of a live television
> > audience), the police ripped off his skirt and sent him onto the bus in
>his
> > briefs. another young man had his glasses taken away. he could hardly see
> > without them.
> >
> > the bus was extremely hot. we were kept on it for a total of FIVE HOURS,
> > without access to toilets or drinking water. three people suffered
> > immensely from the handcuffs - their hands turned blue and became numb. we
> > all demanded that their handcuffs be changed. the driver of our bus
>ignored
> > our pleas, calling one of the victims a "crybaby." luckily, after hours of
> > protest and agitation, we got the attention of officers outside the bus
>who
> > did change the handcuffs of those who were suffering. there was also an
> > asthmatic on the bus who was having trouble breathing. his inhaler had
>been
> > confiscated, and he was denied medical attention.
> >
> > the bus took us to the "round house" in downtown philadelphia.
> >
> > I WAS NEVER TOLD THAT I WAS BEING ARRESTED. i was never read my rights. as
> > i entered the processing room, i was assigned the name "john doe."
> >
> > after being processed and photographed, i was placed in a 6' x 7' holding
> > cell (big enough to fit one person comfortably or 2 people uncomfortably).
> > i would soon be joined by 5 OTHER MEN. the cell was filthy. it contained a
> > toilet and a sink. no hot water. no soap.
> >
> > i was given no information regarding the reason for my detention, and
>given
> > no indication of how long i would be forced to remain in the cell.
> >
> > ALL PRISONERS WERE DENIED ACCESS TO THE TELEPHONE. in addition, we were
>not
> > allowed to see our lawyers. OUR LAWYERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE
> > BUILDING.
> >
> > i stayed in the roundhouse for the next 44 HOURS. it was a humiliating
> > experience. i had a runny nose and a limited amount of toilet paper. we
> > were denied blankets. sleep was nearly impossible. for "food" we were
>given
> > "cheese" sandwiches and "iced tea." (a great deal of the prisoners are
> > vegans, and therefore do not eat dairy products. their dietary
> > restrictions are not being respected.) we demanded peanut butter and jelly
> > sandwiches but continued to receive cheese for the rest of the time that i
> > was there.
> >
> > WHILE IN JAIL, MANY PRISONERS WERE REFUSED MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR AILMENTS
> > RANGING FROM EPILEPSY AND ASTHMA TO DIABETES AND HEMOPHILIA.
> >
> > I SAW ONE INMATE BEING NEEDLESSLY BRUTALIZED BY AN OFFICER. (this
>officer's
> > behavior was so blatantly wrong that it shocked an officer who was
>standing
> > next to me while it happened. i watched her as she said "oh my god" and
> > looked away in shock.) I HEARD THE SOUNDS OF MANY OTHER PRISONERS BEING
> > BRUTALIZED. ALSO, I RECEIVED FIRST-HAND VERBAL ACCOUNTS OF OTHER CASES OF
> > BRUTALIZATION. I HEARD SEVERAL ACCOUNTS OF PRISONERS BEING "HOG-TIED" AND
> > ONE ACCOUNT OF A PRISONER BEING CHAINED TO A WALL IN A "CRUCIFIX"
>POSITION.
> >
> > public defenders were sent by the city to give us legal advice. they did
> > not sympathize with our cause, and instead encouraged us to cooperate with
> > the police. they lied to us. we continued to demand our lawyers, and
> > continued to be denied the right to see our lawyers.
> >
> > with the hopes that it would get me out sooner and allow me to reunite
>with
> > tyrone (who did not know where i was), i gave my name to the police. they
> > took my fingerprints and photographed me again. (the FBI now has
> > information about me. like so many other innocent americans, i can now
>look
> > forward to future harassment and repression by government agencies.)
> >
> > at my arraignment, public defenders "defended" me. i was confused and
> > upset. they were not helpful. the prosecutor told lies and asked for a
>huge
> > amount of bail. the official statement against me included that i had been
> > arrested in a van on an expressway. i had trouble making it clear that
>this
> > was false information. (luckily, the proper corrections were eventually
> > made and they realized that i had been arrested at the puppet space.) this
> > sort of sloppiness in the paperwork was not uncommon.
> >
> > i am charged with a handful of completely BOGUS misdemeanors, including
> > obstruction of justice, obstruction of a highway, conspiracy, etc, etc.
>the
> > total amount of the charges is $50,000. MY BAIL WAS SET AT $10,000. THAT
>IS
> > AN AMOUNT NORMALLY RESERVED FOR PEOPLE ACCUSED OF MURDER AND RAPE.
> >
> > THE CHARGES AGAINST ME HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONNECTION TO ANY BEHAVIOR IN
> > WHICH I WAS ACTUALLY ENGAGED OR IN WHICH I WAS PLANNING TO ENGAGE.
> >
> > a few hours after my arraignment i was taken to the county jail with ten
> > other prisoners (CFCF). on the way there, we were told that we would be
> > placed in cells with "murderers and hardened criminals." this was (of
> > course) a lie. we were given our own "pod." most of the prisoners i met
> > were very nice, and supportive of our cause. during my 30 hours there,
> > prison officials attempted to break up our attempts at communication.
>also,
> > our dietary needs were ignored. i witnessed no brutality, but i heard one
> > account of a prisoner being mugged and beaten by inmates.
> >
> > i have been let out, but many of my brothers and sisters are still in
> > prison. they are still being treated unfairly and charged inappropriately.
> >
> > fortunately, in prison, our protests of the policies of the american
> > government have continued. our democracy demostrations live on.
> >
> > prisoners are engaging in what is known as "jail solidarity," which is the
> > only method by which they can achieve the power to affect their situation
> > and let their collective voice be heard. this technique has a history
>which
> > goes back to the civil rights movement (when it was known as "jail no
> > bail"). unfortunately, the police, the prisons, the media, and the public
> > are misinformed and confused about the purpose of jail solidarity. it is
> > being said constantly that prisoners are not giving names and are
>"refusing
> > to cooperate." while this is true, it is not being presented in a way that
> > makes their motivations and justifications clear.
> >
> > in general, OUR STORY IS NOT BEING TOLD.
> >
> > for more info about jail solidarity, you can visit the following website:
> > http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/Jailsolid.html
> >
> > also, if you are concerned about this situation, it is important that you
> > get involved in whatever way you can. first of all, you might want to read
> > a statement from the prisoners at CFCF. it was written by a prisoner just
>a
> > few cells down from where i was. it is accessible at the following
>website:
> > http://www.thepartysover.org/media/cfcfletter20000806.html
> >
> > it is also very important that you get news about this situation from a
> > news outlet that is not owned by a corporation. the best source of which i
> > am aware is at the following website (which also contains the prisoner
> > statement which i mentioned above):  www.phillyimc.org
> >
> > the demands of the prisoners, which have my support, are as follows:
> > "1. Our immediate and unconditional release on our own recognizance
> > 2. That all charges be dropped
> > 3. That prisoners with dietary restrictions (vegans and vegetarians) be
> > provided with adequate food that they can eat."
> >
> > we have the support of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, the american friends service
> > committee (a quaker organization committed to social justice), and AL
> > SHARPTON, among others. the puppetistas in particular (who are not guilty
> > of ANY CRIMES and who were only planning to provide support to those
> > engaged in NONVIOLENT activity) apparently have the support of the ACLU.
> > (although stefan presser - an ACLU lawyer with whom we've been working -
> > has apparently been lying to the press about the conditions in the round
> > house and the behavior of police officers in general).
> >
> > PLEASE CONTACT PUBLIC OFFICIALS IF YOU WANT TO VOICE YR SUPPORT.
> > District Attorney Lynne Abraham 215-686-8701
> > Mayor John Street 215-686-2181
> > City Solicitor Ken Trujillo 215-683-5003
> >
> > IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS TO OUR LEGAL DEFENSE, go to the following
> > site: www.thepartysover.org
> >
> > if you have questions, feel free to contact me at
> > carlechr at auden.webster.edu
> > 314-646-7047
> >
> > ..
> >
> > IF YOU WANT TO DETERMINE THE AUTHENTICITY OF A SOCIETY'S DEMOCRACY, YOU
> > HAVE TO EXAMINE HOW THAT SOCIETY HANDLES POLITICAL DISSIDENCE. THERE IS A
> > SUBSTANTIAL MASS OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ATTEMPTING TO EXPRESS
>LEGITIMATE
> > CONCERNS AND DRAW ATTENTION TO A WIDE RANGE OF INTER-RELATED ISSUES. THOSE
> > IN POWER ARE ATTEMPTING TO SILENCE US.
> >
> > BUT THIS PROCESS IS ONLY MAKING US STRONGER, AND OUR CRITIQUES ARE ONLY
> > BECOMING MORE CONVINCING.
> >
> > DON'T BE CONCERNED FOR MY WELFARE. BE CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF
> > DEMOCRACY IN THIS COUNTRY AND WORLDWIDE.
> >
> > the movement continues. los angeles. boston. prague.
> >
> > SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
> >
> > FREE ALL NONVIOLENT POLITICAL PRISONERS!
> >
> >


Jim Buell
jbuell at uiuc.edu
graduate student in Ed Psych, UIUC

The Prairie Greens: http://www.prairienet.org/greens/
Why Nader anyhow?: http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2000/07/24/tomo/index.html