A day before Occupy Wall Street hopes to shut down New York and cities across the country in massive May Day protests, the NYPD visited at least three activist homes in New York and interrogated residents about plans for tomorrow’s protest.
Today “there was definitely an upswing in law enforcement activity that seemed to fit the pattern of targeting what police might view as political residences,” said Gideon Oliver, the president of the New York Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which offers legal to support to Occupy Wall Street. “They were asking what are your May Day plans, do you know who the leaders are—these are classic political surveillance questions.”
Oliver said the National Lawyer’s Guild is aware of at least five instances of NYPD paying activists visits, including one where the FBI was involved in questioning. (He wouldn’t elaborate.) We spoke to three of these activists.
In the first case: activist Zachary Dempster said that six NYPD officers broke down the door of his Bushwick, Brooklyn apartment at around 6:15am this morning. Dempster said they were armed with a warrant for the arrest of his roommate, musician Joe Crow Ryan, for a six-year-old open container violation. But Dempster believes this was an excuse to check in on him, as he’d been arrested in February at an Occupy Wall Street Party that was broken up by cops, and charged with assaulting a police office and inciting a riot.
After running his ID, a detective questioned Dempster in his bedroom for about five minutes about tomorrow’s May Day protest, he said.
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4 comments:
Harassment and intimidation at its best, or worst. Which ever way you wanna see the light.
This is what they do in China and Russia.
Really? A six year old open container citation was used to justify this illegal search and questioning?
Police are becoming more desperate all the time to validate themselves.
Police DON'T need to validate themselves at all. IF they want to do something they are going to do it and neither you or I can do anything about it. But of course we all must "rspect law enforcement" and "listen to their commands" only if you are a college student but if you are someone who I guess means something then you are allowed to stand up for yourself.
As I've said before, revolutions are usually started by youth. And no one knows what the "spark" will be. But it is often begun by authorities ruthlessly and abusively wielding power until something breaks. Keep pissing off the kids. Pepper spray them. Beat them. Kick their doors down at 6AM for a 6 year old charge. Keep acting like you don't "serve" anyone. Keep using your guns and badges as a "I can do anything I want and there's nothing you can do about it" permission slip. Keep getting caught (by those idiots with cameras) shooting people, beating handcuffed women and kids, robbing and extorting people, and everything else you can think of.... keep it up. Its not going to end up with someone dumping tea in a harbor, or storming the Bastille, but it WILL end up badly. For the (so-called) authorities...
Fight fire with fire! Law without force is Impotent!
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