el_empty
03-09-2004, 04:24 AM
so 2 days ago here in new york city, i was close to being arrested in herald square, close to madison square garden where the republican national convention (RNC) is being held. no i was not protesting, but was on my way home from work when the crowd grew and like a faithful malaysian i stopped to take a look.
within 5minutes (we were about 10meters from the msnbc stage where the hardball program was being filmed) the police taped us up with nets and later metal barricades were unloaded from trucks to wall us along the sidewalk as the crowd jeered at the busses ferrying the convention delegates.
every now and then numerous officers would jump over their own barricades to pull out several protestors for arrest, throw them on to the ground and cuffed them up. many were left sitting, ostensibly as a public display of warning. all this while, people were still chanting against the war in iraq, against the bush tyranny, and amusingly, also for pay raise and employment contracts for the police officers.
i was kinda getting worried when truckloads of nypd officers, not in their usual uniforms but with hardhat helmets and batons began to form along the road. i watched them as they surrounded the protestors across the street , while more and more gradually formed along my side of the street. the intensity started when about 2m from my end, these officers began to give the dispersion order, pushing us in the crowd with their batons. those who argued were pulled out (someone claimed to be hit). adding to the confusion, everyone was shouting and screaming as anti-bush protests changed swiftly into shouts of "let us go!" and "stop pushing us" and "there's a baby!" and "we need help here!" - the police ignored us as they marched on against the crowd, issuing more orders and warnings through loud hailers and angry voices.
i found a clearing and got out and hung around to chat with a coworker whom i bumped into. then i left. the next day i came in to the office, and they told me he was arrested and may not be coming in for the week. wtf!
today he came in and told me they started rounding everyone up like 10mins after i left. everyone. protestors, bystanders, tourists, kids (!)... everyone.
i'll tell you his account later. i'll also post some pics that i took when i get home. meanwhile, you can check out
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2004/08/600.shtml
see the pic with the gap store? that's where i was :?
and this is saveourliberties.org's photo gallery. if you know new york you can spot out herald sq. i met some of these people in the pics!
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2004/09/623.shtml
within 5minutes (we were about 10meters from the msnbc stage where the hardball program was being filmed) the police taped us up with nets and later metal barricades were unloaded from trucks to wall us along the sidewalk as the crowd jeered at the busses ferrying the convention delegates.
every now and then numerous officers would jump over their own barricades to pull out several protestors for arrest, throw them on to the ground and cuffed them up. many were left sitting, ostensibly as a public display of warning. all this while, people were still chanting against the war in iraq, against the bush tyranny, and amusingly, also for pay raise and employment contracts for the police officers.
i was kinda getting worried when truckloads of nypd officers, not in their usual uniforms but with hardhat helmets and batons began to form along the road. i watched them as they surrounded the protestors across the street , while more and more gradually formed along my side of the street. the intensity started when about 2m from my end, these officers began to give the dispersion order, pushing us in the crowd with their batons. those who argued were pulled out (someone claimed to be hit). adding to the confusion, everyone was shouting and screaming as anti-bush protests changed swiftly into shouts of "let us go!" and "stop pushing us" and "there's a baby!" and "we need help here!" - the police ignored us as they marched on against the crowd, issuing more orders and warnings through loud hailers and angry voices.
i found a clearing and got out and hung around to chat with a coworker whom i bumped into. then i left. the next day i came in to the office, and they told me he was arrested and may not be coming in for the week. wtf!
today he came in and told me they started rounding everyone up like 10mins after i left. everyone. protestors, bystanders, tourists, kids (!)... everyone.
i'll tell you his account later. i'll also post some pics that i took when i get home. meanwhile, you can check out
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2004/08/600.shtml
see the pic with the gap store? that's where i was :?
and this is saveourliberties.org's photo gallery. if you know new york you can spot out herald sq. i met some of these people in the pics!
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2004/09/623.shtml