Paul Heslop wrote:
>
> elag wrote:
> >
> > Today I saw a tree stump on Avenue B, just outside Tompkins Square,
> > which was studded with small plaques. They turned out to be marking the
> > growth rings according to the year. Each one commemorated events in
> > counter cultural history, such as:
> >
> > 1940 - death of the Anarchist, Emma Goldman
> >
> > 1955 - death of jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker (he lived across
> > the street)
> >
> > 1988 - the "police riots" (I was there)
> >
> > 1991 - "tent city" inhabited by the homeless destroyed by police and the
> > park closed for 2 years
> >
> > 2003 - cutting down of this American Elm
> >
> > Surprisingly there are a couple of American Elms still thriving w/in the
> > park. Most of them were wiped out by Dutch Elm disease years ago, and
> > they're still an endangered species.
> >
> > A bit of history:
> >
> > In January 1874 as unemployed workers demonstrated in Tompkins Square
> > Park, a detachment of mounted police charged into the crowd, beating
> > men, women and children indiscriminately with billy clubs and leaving
> > hundreds of casualties in their wake. Commented Abram Duryee, the
> > Commissioner of Police: "It was the most glorious sight I ever saw..."
> >
> > Ah, well... another piece of the neighborhood gone...
>
> Pretty sick the way some people were, and the way some still are. They
> glory in the death and torture of others.
Yeah... and the same types are still attracted to positions of power...
loads of totally innocent folks were beaten during the '88 riots just
because they happened to roam into the vacinity of the park... some cops
even taped over their badge #'s in anticipation.
> I caught a programme called Maximum Exposure last night (american with
> british voiceover I think) and one clip was off a bunch of ladies in
> California who took a tree stump into an office building and locked
> themselves to it in protest at deforestation or something. Anyway, to
> cut a long story short the cops arrive and after a bit of yacking the
> cop says to the ladies if they don't leave they will be maced. They're
> just sitting there all peaceful and one says 'you're going to use a
> chemical weapon on us for a peaceful protest?' so the cops say yes, if
> they don't leave. Then, get this, they say they will use a limited
> amount, so they put the mace in a cup, dip cotton buds in it, hold the
> women's heads and apply it directly to the eyeballs!
> Some of the women gave up at this point, but a couple hung on and again
> the cop says they will be maced, all these women are crying etc at this
> point but the one sticks it out and again they take hold of her head,
> hold the mace right upto her face and blast her.
> Apparently despite the video footage the cops didn't get done, yet
> surely this is classed as torture? It was slow, methodical and in no way
> was it done in self defense.
Oh... I agree... It seems like "cruel and unusual punishment"... but I
suppose one must pay the price for civil disobedience.
|
| Follow-ups: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|