Preemptive Arrests Mark Unprecedented Attack on Civil Liberties by DC Police

Author: DC Independent Media Center

Topic: Articles

Police instigated fear of property damage and disruption kept many DC workers out of downtown, leaving the streets empty for protestors and Metro Police operations. The day started out with a variety of autonomous actions by affinity groups during morning rush hour. These were mostly traffic disruptions, using different tactics such as a Critical Mass bike ride, a snake march, sit-downs, and chalking sidewalks.

The only violence was perpetrated by law enforcement officers. There was some minor property destruction and vandalism. Someone damaged the locks to the gates at Union Station, but we are unsure that this was done by demonstrators. The corporate media reports that some tires were set on fire on the George Washington Parkway. Most notably, one window was cracked at a Citibank branch. The window was impacted by a protestor's body when he/she was shoved into it by a police officer.

The day was marked by mass arrests. Photo 2 Audio Video Most of the demos were obstructed by police quickly after they began. The police slowly closed off groups of demonstrators, eventually walling them in a space, and arresting everyone present. At least one non-demonstrator was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time - she was assaulted, then arrested by police while taking her morning bike ride.

649 protesters were rounded up, handcuffed with plastic strips, and loaded onto busses. The busses were bound for a temporary detention center at the Police Academy in extreme southern DC. Several busses took more than 12 hours to reach the detention center, spending many hours in handcuffs on the busses. Some protestors are still being processed at 3AM.

One demonstrator who was dressed as a queer was taken off his bus, transfered to a police van, and beaten by police. Queer groups are mobilizing in opposition to this discriminatory act of abuse.

Despite threats of prison terms and federal charges, many arrestees have already been released, some with fines. Common charges were "failure to obey a lawful order," "participating in a riot," and "parading without a permit" A religious group was arrested for "obstructing a sidewalk."

The messages of the demonstrators were not adequately heard today. The corporate media focussed mainly on actions, street closures, and arrests, and a satire piece, while ignoring the messages. For example, the Critical Mass bike ride was intended to bring attention to environmentally friendly transportation, and the snake march was a critique of capitalist greed. The most severe police repression was at a rally entitled "beat the anti-war drums."

Tomorrow promises to be a day of issues. The marches, rallies, and demonstrations will be accompanied by clear messages on a variety of issues.