Officer Commendation

I am critical of abuses of power and often those abuses are perpetrated by law enforcement officials.  I write today to compliment a police officer from Albany, Oregon: Officer Jim Estes, a gentleman who represents law enforcement well. His actions and attitude speak to his training and his composure in today's environment of presumed guilt and aggressive interactions.  It also speaks to who he is as a man.

My desire is that all officers interact with the public with as much respect for the individual and the constitution as officer Estes, whether or not they are carrying guns or cameras.  

There is the fact he was being filmed and that he was approaching someone with an AR-15...maybe his composure was in response to both occurring simultaneously as he recognized their activism and that he would be tested and/or made an example of.   I like to think that he is just an intelligent, ethical officer with a protect and serve mindset and intent.  No matter what the situation was, he passed with flying colors and should be commended.

He did his job by verifying that the young men were adhering to state laws regarding chambering and clips while respecting the 1st, 2nd and 4th amendment rights of the individuals he was questioning. 

I think it's important to point out that he also respected them as people as he spoke to them, not just adhering to the letter of the Constitution.  He didn't overreact or get defensive.  He made multiple requests for information, but at no time intimated that they were obligated to comply.

Thank you for fulfilling your role as an honorable, knowledgeable and respectful public servant.

Power-washing City Hall During Occupy Austin

I received a call that the Austin City Council made the decision to have the mall in front of City Hall power-washed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. The requirement was for all signage, equipment, tents, etc. be removed so that the city could clean.  Occupants were told they would be allowed to return after the cleaning.

Officers and occupiers were respectful and communicated with little confrontation throughout the process.  Occupiers were told that they should move across the street, which most complied with. 

 A lone occupier stays until the last moments.

 

The power-washing begins.

Initially, police had advised everyone that no one would be allowed on the sidewalks in front of City Hall. 

After discussions with occupiers, the police advised the crowd that they could be on the sidewalk as long as they did not impede traffic.

Four occupiers refused to vacate and were arrested without incident.  But not without some good humor.

 

  Of course, not all arrested were in such high spirits.

 All in all, the actions of the occupiers and the police made me proud to live in Austin. 

Main Stream Media Is Missing A Wall Street Story

No major news outlet is covering "Occupy Wall Street"!  You might call your favorite news station and ask why.

Where is the News Coverage

I have searched and have not been able to find major news sources covering the tar sands sit-ins at the White House that lead to the arrests of 1,252 people.  It's an impressive list, including top climate scientists, Texas and Nebraska landowners, First Nations leaders, Dr. James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Gus Speth, Daryl Hannah, Josh Fox and Naomi Klein.

Dr. James Hansen is arrested protesting

 the TransCanada KeystoneXL pipeline 

in front of the White House, August 29, 2011 (Photo by Ben Powless)

Reports on the protest and sit-in from the main-stream media are completely absent.  One might expect the arrests of 1,252 in front of the White House, including so many notables might have garnered some attention.  I haven't found any.  Although, the Washington Post was the first mainstream article to pop up regarding the tar sands and the white house.  

Then there is the Forbes article.

Where is the coverage regarding this outcry and these arrests?

Religious leaders protest the pipeline as U.S. Park Police arrest United Church of Christ minister Rev. Mari Castellanos, August 29, 2011. (Photo by Justice and Witness Ministries)

Special thanks the Evironment News Service all of the photos came from this article.

Dear Texan Friends - CALL SOMEBODY!!!

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

As many of you know, I have moved to British Columbia. I, however, have not forgotten about all of my friends and family in Texas. I have not been posting political stories and have been focusing on art, massage and music. But the time has come to post about a couple of stories that need the attention and action of Texans now.

The first is a video news report from Houston, TX in which the Houston Police Department has been testing spy drones. Yes, just like in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I find it intriguing that the Police feel it necessary to monitor and lie to the public. Please call Mayor Annise D. Parker at 713.837.0311 to let her know what you think of being monitored like a military enemy.



The other story that caught my eye is the El Paso Police Department is purchasing 1,145 AR-15s. You can read about it here. So we all have nothing to worry about if we are doing nothing wrong...Right?

I hope to be posting more about the wonders and beauty available to us all in the near future.

Military Police at Kentucky Derby

I retrieved these shots while surfing through new AP photos of the Kentucky Derby on Yahoo and Google, respectively.  I suppose that posse comitatus does not apply in Kentucky?

Police Photo from Tea Bag Gathering in Austin

This is a shot posted on my other blog.  I've been trying to post different photos on each blog, but thought I would share this one on both. 

It was a surreal scene, Republicans swaying together and singing the Beatles', "Revolution" and other songs of dissent.  The media advertised the event, attended in large numbers, interviewed protesters and organizers and then showed it on TV!  

Open Thread

Is skateboarding a crime?

Denton Police Force Goes Paramilitary?

In my research about a TX arrest, I visited the site of the Denton Police Department.  I was interested to see what they had to say as I attended NTSU (now UNT).   I was dismayed to see another example of marketing a paramilitary police force.   Denton is a college town of about 80,000 with two universities, UNT and TWU. 

This is the only photo on their homepage:

The paragraph under the photo begins: 

"These are exciting and challenging times for public safety service delivery and we seek to meet those challenges by creating new and different ways to better serve our customers."

Is Osama Bin Laden hiding in Denton?  What is their intent in posting this.  Is this how they want to be seen now?  Someone thinks this is good PR for them?  No one has gotten upset about this in a city filled with college students?  

Is this what serve and protect has come to look like in your town?

Where have all the sheriffs gone?

Am I just being too sensitive about all of this?  Am I blowing things out of proportion? 

Journalist and Producer Nicole Salazar Arrested at RNC

Nicole Salazar, a producer for Democracy Now! was arrested while filming at the protest.  The film is unsettling as you hear her ask the officer where to go to get out of the way.  Credentials around her neck and camera on her shoulder, she is forced to the ground and drug away, face down.

This is making me ill.

Please take action.

Journalists Arrested in a Post 9/11 World!

Wake up!!!  

It's not Terrorists!

It's not anarchists & hippies! 

They are arresting journalists!  

Wake up!!!  We have been sitting in the melting pot of the U.S. as the police state has turned up the heat.  The water is too hot!!!  Wake up or perish!!!  Wake up!!!

On September 1st, police in St. Paul arrested several more journalists including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and and AP photographer as they covered the protests at the RNC

Time to do something!!!

The people from FreePress.net have created a letter campaign to be delivered to the Mayor of St. Paul, Chris Coleman, the RNC host committee and the local prosecuting attorneys. They hope to obtain at least 10,000 signatures in the next 24 hours.  The letter requests that all journalists be released immediately.  You can sign the letter by clicking here.

This is why I blog. I am trying to prevent just this sort of activity from becoming even more prolific than it has been. Our Constitution is more than just a "GD piece of paper" (GW Bush) and should be treated as such. We are American citizens and should be treated as such. If we do not speak up, they will assume we agree. If no one says stop, do you think it will stop?

Police Detain and Attempt to Intimidate More Journalists

Thanks again to the brave people at The Uptake!  It is through your efforts and those like you that we may be able to salvage our Constitutional rights.  Keep the spotlight of truth shining in the darkness, dear patriots.  Thank you for fighting for the rights of Americans.

"Sat. Aug 30, 2008. Saint Paul, MN Police Department raids a home at 951 Iglehart Avenue at gunpoint. The journalists include a contributing photojournalist with "Democracy Now", whose host Amy Goodman appears in this clip jumping a fence to question police officers."

"This is part of a series of police actions on the eve of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul."

"After several hours, all those detained were released. No arrests. No property was seized as result of the search warrant. The clip ends with an interview with homeowner Mike Whalen. At the start of the clip, a neighbor shouts to the media and onlookers that we could all come into her backyard to see the detained people held in the adjacent backyard."

Didn't I say I wanted to focus on art, music and beauty? I said I didn't want to focus on politics. Well...I haven't given either of the false-dichotomy choices any more time on my blog. However, the police state is being documented very well at the moment and there are some very important happenings I feel people should see. If you find something wonderful and beautiful that you think might be a welcome relief to my blog readers, please send it in.

Police Seize Journalists Computers, Cameras and Notes

What is happening in our country?  

Artists/Journalists in Minneapolis were stopped, detained, questioned, searched and removed of personal property.  This group of journalists from the Glass Bead Collective is known for documenting police misconduct and first amendment protest activities around the U.S..

The all said they would not consent to a search, but the Minneapolis police allegedly searched them anyway. They allegedly confiscated their cell phones, 2 video cameras, 2 skill cameras, a computer, personal objects and money.

You can gain more information about it at http://theuptake.org

Clip from "The Uptake"

Quid cutodiet ipsos custodes?

ABC Reporter Aggressively Arrested at DNC

ABC reporter, Asa Eslocker was arrested in Denver while taking pictures of Senators, lobbyists and big donors at the DNC.  Notice how members of the press are treated and maybe you will understand my concern.  Our police are squaring off with the press and our decorated veterans. 

Watch a police officer shove ASA into traffic, across the street and then is joined by his thug buddies, one of whom grips his throat and then twists the producer's arm behind him to cuff him.

I miss serve and protect, I oppose intimidate and enslave.

amerikanischen Arbeiterjugend?

Does this bother anyone else?

Wilmington, Delaware is going to be home to The Academy for Public Safety and Security (APSS), which plans to open its doors by 2010. It will be dedicated to preparing (primarily inner-city) young men and women for front line careers in Homeland Security. Isn't that nice? Equal opportunity for the female youth to serve "The Homeland".

"... we decided to start a new school culture from scratch, one built on the premise that many children would rather be part of the solution than the problem of violence. And, given an education to prepare them academically, socially and vocationally, they will become the best-of-the-best first responders in the homeland security job sector, rather than succumb to apathy or crime."

"The tone of the first responder high school will be that of a military or police academy, complete with uniforms and daily physical training during and after school."

"Student cadets will study careers in SWAT, prison guarding, water rescue, paramedics, firefighting, professional demolition careers, in addition to the usual school subjects. They will learn Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish — any language of use in homeland security."

Read more about it in the Newcastle Community News or the Delaware Business Ledger. Students will be called cadets, wear uniforms, and will follow courses of study in special weapons and tactics, prison guarding, professional demolition and other skills needed in an authoritarian police state. Will future generations read about the Liga der amerikanischen Arbeiterjugend (APSS) Cadets like we read about the Bund deutscher Arbeiterjugend today?



Another meaningless coincidence: The first national HJ rally was held in 1928 with 600 boys present. The new school expects to take as many as 600 students. Coincidence or not, it still gives me the shivers.

Am I making too much of all of this?

A Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

This is an interesting video that is narrated by Ira Glasser, the Executive Director of the ACLU from 1978 to 2001. I am posting it as an educational piece on how to exercise your rights when confronted by a police officer. There are several scenarios presented. Each illustrates what to do and what not to do when confronted by an officer.



Although the actors in each scene have done something illegal and want to exercise their rights so that they can avoid prosecution, I feel it is important that all of us exercise our full rights each time we are confronted by police. These are our rights and making certain that they continue to be respected shouldn't be considered a hassle or an indication of guilt. The more often we, as citizens, exercise our rights; the more likely it will be that we will be approached as if we actually have rights.

Spy Drones in Your Town?

Another development in Technology to "Protect Us". (Photos courtesy of Reuters)
After tests, the FAA may approve the Miami-Dade Police Department to start flying a spy drone over urban areas. Personally, I expect more than approval from the FAA shuold be required.

Police department spokesman Juan Villalba said,

"Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes."

I feel better now. How about you?

According to the Reuters article,

"The CIA acknowledges that it developed a dragonfly-sized UAV known as the "Insectohopter" for laser-guided spy operations as long ago as the 1970s."

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been flying drones over the Arizona desert and southwest border with Mexico since 2006 and will soon deploy one in North Dakota to patrol the Canadian border as well."

Read more

Obama March

An Obama march (7.2 miles) is escorted down the highway by police and exits at Liendo Parkway.



It great to see so many people getting involved in this campaign.

Pub Fifa Street3

This video is called "Pub Fifa Street3 (Foot Capoeira)". These guys demonstrate great footwork, ballwork, balance and creativity:

Recorded: 30 January 2008Location:Clichy, Île-de-France, France

Serve and Protect?

Warning!!! This is very explicit footage of police abuses. I hate posting this sort of thing, but feel it is important for all of us to know it is going on. If the police had or if they were to charge Hope Steffey under the 2006 Military Commissions Act or under the Thought Crimes legislation that is about to breeze through the Senate...All of this would be considered legal and acceptable behavior.

CHILDREN SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!



Let me point out that I strongly believe that there are honorable, respectful, thinking men and women on the force who would never participate in or allow such a thing to happen. Unfortunately, new officers are being trained in paramilitary, rather than sheriff, style approaches to interacting with citizens. (Citizens, not civilians)

If you notice, the officers didn't appear to be doing this with joy or an evil intent. It looks as if they are just going through the mundane duties of processing a perp; like there isn't anything unusual about what they are doing. I think this is the part that is most disturbing.

We are quickly losing our liberties and our leaders are asking that we forgive those who trounce our rights because they are protecting our freedoms. Whose freedoms are we fighting for and where did habeas corpus go?