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DOREMUS OBSERVES :
MATTERS OF INTEREST
Doremus Jessup, editor of the Fort
Beulah The Daily Informer, in Sinclair Lewis'
famous book "It Can't Happen Here", at its
conclusion, drove out saluted by the meadow larks, and
onward all day, to a hidden cabin in the Northern Woods
where quiet men awaited news of freedom.....still Doremus
goes on, into the sunrise, for a Doremus Jessup can never
die.
.POLICE VS. PROTESTORS AT PORT
[Col. Writ. 4/22/03] Copyright 2003 Mumia Abu-Jamal
Police, dressed in the ominous black uniforms, helmets
and jackboots reminiscent of stormtroopers, level their
shotguns and fire into crowds of innocents. People
standing around and people trying to run away are hit by
wooden plug-like bullets, bean-bag projectiles and
concussion grenades. The wooden plugs look like the
spools around which thread is wound, and their wide, flat
ends raise welts on the bodies of a score of
people. One young woman's right jaw is swollen to
the size of a baseball, her neck reddened and discolored.
This is not Belfast at the time of 'the troubles'; nor is
it a roiling perpetual protest in the heart of the
neo-dragon, South Korea. This is Oakland, April
2003, under the mayorship of Jerry Brown, the state's
former Governor, who ran as a 'progressive' in recent
presidential elections. The shot, wounded,
arrested, and seized are legal protesters and bystanders
at the Oakland docks, who have come to protest the
then-raging Iraqi War. The police lash out at them
with a vengeance that is stunning. Jack Heyman, the
Business Manager of the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union (ILWU) tries to approach police to speak
on behalf of workers who were attacked, and then he finds
himself arrested, and would be among 29 people held for
19 hours in jail before being released, for nothing more
than exercising the alleged First Amendment right of
protest, free assembly, and free speech.
Why? Because the anti-war protesters were trying to
block the work of the APL (formerly American President
Lines) which stands to gain millions of taxpayer dollars
from the Defense Department each year, shipping military
cargo. It was to protect these private business
interests that those sworn to 'serve and protect' the
people, lashed out at the people, with weapons that
caused broken bones, hearing loss, puncture wounds and
abrasions. They may be sworn to protect
the people, but they are paid to protect the
established. As ever, when it's a conflict between
labor and industry, labor is left holding the bag.
The march, which began at Oakland's City Hall, originally
featured the presence of national and local luminaries,
including acclaimed singer and actor Harry Belafonte,
film star Danny Glover, U.S.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, various Bay Area artists like
D'Wayne Wiggins, Goapele, Boots of the Coup, and even the
Vice-Mayor of Oakland, Nancy Nadel. But police
follow the orders of business, not politicians.
The unprovoked attack was an attempt by the state's armed
forces to quiet the spreading anti-war movement, and to
protect the wealth being made on this war by U.S.
corporations. The police attack was designed to quiet the
growing swell of anti-imperialism being heard across the
land. That's why everybody was targeted, trade
unionists, students, dockworkers, you name it.
The formal stage of the Iraq War may have ended, but the
war against Empire must still be waged. For
millions of Americans, they never voted for, and do not
approve the establishment of a Middle East Empire in
their name. They know that such a state will do
nothing to secure their security, but only makes their
lives, and the lives of their children, woefully unsafe.
That's why protests are so important. That's also why the
state so opposes them.
It is time for those who have always taken their alleged
constitutional rights of free speech, freedom of
assembly, and the right of protest to seriously question
these actions by the police. They should call for the
immediate dropping of all charges against the Oakland
Port protesters (and, of course, those who were
simplythere, as workers and passersby). They should
also demand that the police be held responsible for this
violent attack on the people.
ILWU business agent Kevin Willis declared the attacks
were "unnecessary," and an
"overreact[ion]". "This is the
second protest in two months where the Oakland police
reacted violently to anti-war protests," Willis
charged. "The other time," he argued,
"it was against the children." (San Francisco
Bay View, 4/9/03, p. 12).People angry at this behavior
should let the Mayor know about it. Oakland's Jerry
Brown's number is (510) 238-3141.
Drop all the charges now!
Copyright 2003 Mumia Abu-Jamal
Doremus says: Have we
found the ANSWER ?
..
MAY 17-18 NATIONAL
A.N.S.W.E.R. CONFERENCE IN NYC : INITIAL REPORT
Plus ACTION PLAN
More than 850 activists and organizers who have
helped forge the U.S. arm of the global peace
movement came together from across the U.S. and
several other countries to participate in the
National Conference Against War, Colonial Occupation
& Imperialism sponsored by the A.N.S.W.E.R.
Coalition on May 17-18 in New York City. Those who
attended the conference came in buses, vans and car
caravans from communities throughout the East Coast,
South and Midwest, and nearly 100 people attended
from the West Coast. The worldwide anti-war movement
sent messages and delegations from many countries.
The conference included major plenary sessions
entitled "What is the Bush administration
planning?" and "Where is the movement
going?", plus 16 different workshops where
panels. Organizers and leaders in different struggles
analyzed the imperialist objectives of the Bush
administration's foreign policy and the racist and
anti-worker assault on civil rights and civil
liberties at home, and then discussed effective
organized resistance. Reports and discussions took
place on a wide range of issues, including the
occupation of Iraq; the Bush administration's threats
and attacks against Cuba, Korea, the Philippines,
Zimbabwe, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and other
countries; civil rights, civil liberties, immigrant
rights, union and workers' rights; and much more.
Particular attention was paid to the rise over the
past year of the global movement and which presents
the greatest hope and potential political power to
stop the U.S. war machine.
Participants also reflected on their experiences of
organizing over the last year, and discussed building
on the momentum of the peace movement and strategies
and plans for mobilizing against the administration's
drive for empire and war at home. On Sunday, the
conference attendees formed into several discussion
breakout groups where organizers and activists from
around the country - who have assumed responsibility
for mobilizing both local
and national actions during the past year and a half
- met with each other for information sharing and
free flowing discussions. During these discussions
organizers proposed next steps, discussed a national
action plan, and began charting coordinated local
organizing initiatives. In the final plenary,
volunteers gave reportbacks from the multiple
discussion groups to the full conference. Notetakers
are currently preparing more detailed reports from
these discussion sessions.
The National Action Plan, detailed below, includes a
demonstration on July 4 in Philadelphia where Bush
will be speaking; a September 27 International Day of
Protest Against War and Occupation from Iraq and
Palestine, to Korea and the Philippines; and a summer
public education campaign to spread the word about
the need to fight war and militarism and in defense
of social and economic rights. The Action Plan also
included May 19-20 coordinated local actions opposing
Bush's new attacks on Cuba. On these days, rallies,
press conferences and street meetings took place in
Tucson, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; San
Francisco, CA; Boston, MA; New York, NY; Providence,
RI; Houston, TX; Washington DC; Winnipeg, Canada; and
more.
For those who were not able to attend the conference,
the A.N.S.W.E.R. website will soon contain a section
with talks from the conference and additional
information about the discussions that took place
there. The full conference program including
plenary speakers, and topics and descriptions of the
16 workshops is available at http://www.internationalanswer.org/pdf/m17program.pdf
We want to thank all the A.N.S.W.E.R. volunteers who
gave so much of their time to make the conference so
successful, and also the plenary and workshop
panelists who represent the depth and breath of the
struggle for global and domestic justice. Thanks also
to the organizers and activists who were able to
attend for sharing their successes and learning
experiences, as well as to the many thousands of
other A.N.S.W.E.R. organizers in towns large and
small who have committed themselves to working for
real justice and an end to military and economic
conquest and exploitation.
Below is the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition's projected
Action Plan:
JULY 4:
THOUSANDS WILL MARCH TO PROTEST GEORGE W. BUSH IN
PHILADELPHIA
George W. Bush has been invited to the opening of the
National Constitution Center. We need to be there to
say No to U.S. Wars at Home and Abroad; No to
Colonialism and Empire; End the Occupation of Iraq;
No to Racism, Attacks on Civil Rights and Immigrants,
the USA Patriot Act and the Shredding of the
Constitution; and to Call for Funding of Social
Programs - not the Pentagon's War Machine.
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition supports this initiative
brought forward by local Philadelphia organizations
who have come together to issue a call for thousands
of people to join in a national march on July 4 in
Philadelphia protesting U.S. wars at home and abroad.
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition urges its Organizing
Centers and all people of conscience to be in the
streets of Philadelphia. In addition to the July 4
national protest, a number of groups are sponsoring
local and regional protests on that weekend.
Philadelphia organizations involved in the local,
regional and national protests include Philadelphia
A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism),
PRAWN (Philadelphia Regional Anti-War Network),
Minority Experience Network, Avenging the Ancestors
Coalition (ATAC), Unite for Peace, International
Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, and
others.
In addition to the July 4 national protest, a number
of groups are sponsoring local and regional protests
on that weekend. Philadelphia organizations involved
in the local, regional and national protests include
Philadelphia A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War &
End Racism), PRAWN (Philadelphia Regional Anti-War
Network), Minority Experience Network, Avenging the
Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), Unite for Peace,
International Concerned Family
and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, and others.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27: GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST
OCCUPATION AND EMPIRE, & IN SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE
WHO RESIST FROM PALESTINE TO IRAQ TO THE PHILIPPINES
TO CUBA AND EVERYWHERE
September 27 is the third anniversary of the
beginning of the second Intifada of the Palestinian
people whose resistance against colonial occupation
in the past decades has been the very center of the
anti-colonial struggle throughout the Middle East.
This will be a global action of solidarity with all
of those who are resisting empire.
SUMMER PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
In response to requests from activists across the
country, this summer, A.N.S.W.E.R. - on a national
level - will produce educational materials, including
fact sheets, brochures, pamphlets, booklets, and
more. We will focus on a wide range of issues,
including (but not limited to) countries that the
Bush administration is attacking, social service cuts
versus military spending, racist repression at home,
and the expansion of U.S. militarism globally. We
encourage local organizers to use these resources to
carry out mass leafleting and tabling
campaigns in cities around the country. A.N.S.W.E.R.
national organizers are available to speak at forums,
teach-ins and community meetings.
answer.general@action-mail.org
Friendly
fire suit to be tried under
Afghan law
Broadcast News
Thursday, May 15, 2003
HALIFAX -- Lawyers for the family of a
Canadian soldier killed in an accidental
bombing in Afghanistan have been told their
wrongful death lawsuit will have to be tried
under that country's law.
A lawyer representing the mother of Private
Richard Green says the U.S. Air Force told
him Afghan legal codes would have to be
applied in the case against the U.S.
government.
Dick Murtha says he and his colleague were
told Afghan laws would apply because it was
in Afghanistan that two American pilots
dropped a bomb on Canadian soldiers, killing
four and injuring eight.
Green's mother, Doreen Coolen, filed a
wrongful death claim against the U.S.
government in February.
But the action falls under the Foreign Claims
Act in the U.S. and requires the family to
use the legal statutes of the country where
the incident took place.
That means the factual circumstances of the
case would be interpreted in light of Afghan
customs.
Murtha says he is reviewing the case and
might try to proceed through the U.S. State
Department.
Homeland
Security" Raids NYC Restaurant,
Threatens Detentions
Truthout 12:27am Sun May 4 '03
Jason Halperin
t r u t h o u t | Report
Saturday 03 May 2003
A month ago I experienced a very small
taste of what hundreds of South Asian
immigrants and U.S. citizens of South
Asian descent have gone through since
9/11, and what thousands of others have
come to fear. I was held, against my will
and without warrant or cause, under the
USA PATRIOT Act.
While I understand the
need for some measure of security and precaution
in times such as these, the manner in which this
detention and interrogation took place raises
serious questions about police tactics and the
safeguarding of civil liberties in times of war.
That night, March 20th, my roommate Asher and I
were on our way to see the Broadway show
"Rent." We had an hour to spare before
curtain time so we stopped into an Indian
restaurant just off of Times Square in the heart
of midtown. I have omitted the name of the
restaurant so as not to subject the owners to any
further harassment or humiliation.
We helped ourselves to the buffet and then sat
down to begin eating our dinner. I was just about
to tell Asher how I'd eaten there before and how
delicious the vegetable curry was, but I never
got a chance. All of a sudden, there was a
terrible commotion and five NYPD in bulletproof
vests stormed down the stairs. They had their
guns drawn and were pointing them
indiscriminately at the restaurant staff and at
us.
"Go to the back, go to the back of the
restaurant," they yelled.
I hesitated, lost in my own panic.
"Did you not hear me, go to the back and sit
down," they demanded.
I complied and looked around at the other
patrons. There were eight men including the
waiter, all of South Asian descent and ranging in
age from late-teens to senior citizen. One of the
policemen pointed his gun point-blank in the face
of the waiter and shouted: "Is there anyone
else in the restaurant?" The waiter,
terrified, gestured to the kitchen.
The police placed their fingers on the triggers
of their guns and kicked open the kitchen doors.
Shouts emanated from the kitchen and a few
seconds later five Hispanic men were made to
crawl out on their hands and knees, guns pointed
at them.
After patting us all down, the five officers
seated us at two tables. As they continued to
kick open doors to closets and bathrooms with
their fingers glued to their triggers, no less
than ten officers in suits emerged from the
stairwell. Most of them sat in the back of the
restaurant typing on their laptop computers. Two
of them walked over to our table and identified
themselves as officers of the INS and Homeland
Security Department.
I explained that we were just eating dinner and
asked why we were being held. We were told by the
INS agent that we would be released once they had
confirmation that we had no outstanding warrants
and our immigration status was OK'd.
In pre-9/11 America, the legality of this would
have been questionable. After all, the Fourth
Amendment to the Constitution states: "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."
"You have no right to hold us," Asher
insisted.
"Yes, we have every right," responded
one of the agents. "You are being held under
the Patriot Act following suspicion under an
internal Homeland Security investigation."
The USA PATRIOT Act was passed into law on
October 26, 2001 in order to facilitate the post
9/11 crackdown on terrorism (the name is actually
an acronym: "Uniting and Strengthening
America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required
to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.")
Like most Americans, I did not recognize the
extent to which this bill foregoes our civil
liberties. Among the unprecedented rights it
grants to the federal government are the right to
wiretap without warrant, and the right to detain
without warrant. As I quickly discovered, the
right to an attorney has been seemingly fudged as
well.
When I asked to speak to a lawyer, the INS
official informed me that I do have the right to
a lawyer but I would have to be brought down to
the station and await security clearance before
being granted one. When I asked how long that
would take, he replied with a coy smile:
"Maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a
month."
We insisted that we had every right to leave and
were going to do so. One of the policemen walked
over with his hand on his gun and taunted:
"Go ahead and leave, just go ahead."
We remained seated. Our IDs were taken, and
brought to the officers with laptops. I was
questioned over the fact that my license was out
of state, and asked if I had "something to
hide." The police continued to hassle the
kitchen workers, demanding licenses and dates of
birth. One of the kitchen workers was shaking
hysterically and kept providing the day's date --
March 20, 2003, over and over.
As I continued to press for legal counsel, a
female officer who had been busy typing on her
laptop in the front of the restaurant, walked
over and put her finger in my face. "We are
at war, we are at war and this is for your
safety," she exclaimed. As she walked away
from the table, she continued to repeat it to
herself? "We are at war, we are at war. How
can they not understand this."
I most certainly understand that we are at war. I
also understand that the freedoms afforded to all
of us in the Constitution were meant specifically
for times like these. Our freedoms were carved
out during times of strife by people who were
facing brutal injustices, and were intended
specifically so that this nation would behave
differently in such times. If our freedoms
crumble exactly when they are needed most, then
they were really never freedoms at all.
After an hour and a half the INS agent walked
back over and handed Asher and me our licenses. A
policeman took us by the arm and escorted us out
of the building. Before stepping out to the
street, the INS agent apologized. He explained,
in a low voice, that they did not think the two
of us were in the restaurant. Several of the
other patrons, though of South Asian descent,
were in fact U.S. citizens. There were four taxi
drivers, two students, one newspaper salesman --
unwitting customers, just like Asher and me. I
doubt, though, they received any apologies from
the INS or the Department of Homeland Security.
Nor have the over 600 people of South Asian
descent currently being held without charge by
the Federal government. Apparently, this type of
treatment is acceptable. One of the taxi drivers,
a U.S. citizen, spoke to me during the
interrogation. "Please stop talking to
them," he urged. "I have been through
this before. Please do whatever they say. Please
for our sake."
Three days later I phoned the restaurant to
discover what happened. The owner was nervous and
embarrassed and obviously did not want to talk
about it. But I managed to ascertain that the
whole thing had been one giant mistake. A
mistake. Loaded guns pointed in faces, people
made to crawl on their hands and knees, police
officers clearly exacerbating a tense situation
by kicking in doors, taunting, keeping their
fingers on the trigger even after the situation
was under control. A mistake. And, according to
the ACLU a perfectly legal one, thanks to the
Patriot Act.
The Patriot Act is just the first phase of the
erosion of the Fourth Amendment. From the Justice
Department has emerged a draft of the Domestic
Securities Enhancement Act, also known as Patriot
II. Among other things, this act would allow the
Justice Department to detain anyone, anytime,
secretly and indefinitely. It would also make it
a crime to reveal the identity or even existence
of such a detainee.
Every American citizen, whether they support the
current war or not, should be alarmed by the
speed and facility with which these changes to
our fundamental rights are taking place. And all
of those who thought that these laws would never
affect them, who thought that the Patriot Act
only applied to the guilty, should heed this
story as a wake-up call. Please learn from my
experience. We are all vulnerable so speak out
and organize, our Fourth Amendment rights depend
upon it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Halperin lives in New York City and works
at Doctors Without Borders/Medicins San
Frontieres. If you are moved by this account, he
asks that you consider donating to your local
ACLU chapter.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,
this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research
and educational purposes.)
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