You can tell they're dangerous by the way they disperse peacefully
Salon.com News | "This is not America"In Miami, police unleashed unprecedented fury on demonstrators -- most of them seniors and union members. Is this how Bush's war on terror will be fought at home?
A must-read article on the way police beat down the "anarchists" in Miami a month ago. Provoking then chasing protesters (and bystanders), shooting them in the back, and other mayhem. Incidentally, the police chief responsible is also the man picked to head security in Boston during next summer's Democratic convention. Oh, and bars will open til 4am, what could possibly go wrong?
Try a Google News search on simply, "
Miami FTAA". I like this one:
'Miami Model' of FTAA security is lightning rodToday, as secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, the 54-year-old Trumka is one of the most powerful men in organized labor and has made it his personal mission to settle the score with Miami city leaders and its police force for what happened during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit last month.
''The American labor movement is committed, and I am personally committed, to see that the brutality we saw never happens again anywhere in this country,'' he said Tuesday during an AFL-CIO meeting to gather testimony from people who say they were abused by the police.
...
The Miami Model, and its architect, Police Chief John Timoney, have galvanized an array of national groups, including the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club, the National Lawyers Guild and the Alliance for Retired Americans. All now have their sights set on Miami.
And, for the record, what happened in Miami isn't being hailed. It's being derided.
New York Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez warned the mayor and police in his city, as they prepare to host the Republican National Convention in September, to take note of what occurred in Miami.
''City leaders should start examining what happened in Miami to make sure it's not repeated here -- because something definitely went wrong down there,'' Gonzalez wrote.
The New York Times ran a lengthy story recently on the complaints of excessive violence along with a picture of Miami cops in riot gear toting billy clubs and shotguns.
The St. Petersburg Times wrote an editorial this month saying police overreacted, noting ''dissent was shut down, protesters were injured and harassed, and baseless arrests were made.'' It concluded by saying, "Timoney's paramilitary response should not be a model going forward.''
...
"I think they are both cowards,'' Fransetta said of the two mayors.
Added Trumka: "They made a big mistake. We're not going away.''
* Ray, 12/19/2003 02:58:04 AM
