Arrest of RNC Protestors Without Charges

[xian]

They've been arresting protesters without charging them and putting them in pens. They arrested five reporters from my town (one AM). Here's some calls from jail:

http://www.ucimc.org/usermedia/audio/6/xxx090104-1155am.mp3
http://www.ucimc.org/usermedia/audio/2/zach090104-1145am.mp3

Read coverage at
http://www.ucimc.org

Right to assemble?

[cattygurl]

This shit makes me SOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed off!

I don't care if the protester are protesting the dems or the 'pubs. People have got to have the right to friggin' assemble and make their voices heard!

VOTE PEOPLE! VOTE! AND KEEP YOUR EYES OUT ON THE GODDAMNED POLITICS OUT THERE! YES! IT AFFECTS YOU!

Okay, so anything we can do?

[xian]

One good way of dealing with the situation is seeing how your local media covered the issue. Our paper pushed the story--a widespread denial of basic constitutional rights--back to page 7 and had a "news" story entirely from the standpoint of how awesome it was that they are locking up random people and tourists to make NYC "safe".

So I wrote the paper and said that they bungled it and this was why I was considering switching entirely to indie news.

Also let as many people as possible in your community know about this. People should be outraged! Call you representatives and ask their opinions about it. Ask them what they would recommend in a similar situation in your community. Give them a hard time.

[Jae Thorn]

I don't know if any of the other asian heads dealt with this, but I found an immediate solace in reading Howard Zinn's book, "A People's History of the United States, 1492-Present" when dealing with people who spout phrases such as, "Oh, this has never happened before!", etc. Definitely a good read if you have to go to verbal war with stereotypical republican; knowing history lets you see this current state of political affairs it is for the Nixon/Carter II situation it is.

[AngryEthiopian]

Hmm... My mother went through this same situation in Oakland, CA when she worked with a group called Unity House. They were all arrested for nothing and held for nothing and she had to bitch the whole time and lay out her case to all the officers and anyone she could speak to until they had to let them all go free. It's gone on before and it will continue as long as the public remains ignorant. And the media will always cover it incorrectly. Jae is right, know your history.
BTW, it's me, Ayori :D