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Activist Times Inc. Issue 353-5earlymidweekcrisis
Hi There,
Rather than start writing a zine for this weekend,
I give you a story in this morning's Post. It is in some
ways better than anything I could pull from journal
notes, but in others they did a horrible job, because
the corporate thugs inside the post insisted that
Manny Fernandez not only vet this story through
my legal counsel and me, but through a second
reporter who is friendly with Police Chief Ramsey.
Sincerely,
Marco Frucht
aka, the prime anarchist.
e&p ati zine since 1988
tech for http://mke.indymedia.org
& ask me about the nammys
( http://nativeamericanmusic.com )
http://www.frucht.org/music/mp3notcom.html
[ insert poem here ]
"It is scary to confront
the military, because the
military teaches you to
submit to orders even when
you object. I may not be
a hero, but I know that it
takes courage to disobey.
I know that it demands
courage to say "no" in the
face of coercion."
-- Stephen Funk
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begin biased story which gives a myth of balance
===================
A D.C. police officer accused of hitting an antiwar demonstrator
several times with his nightstick Saturday has been placed on
desk duty while his actions are investigated.
The officer, whom police did not identify, was shown on WRC-TV
(Channel 4) appearing to strike the man, Marc Frucht, as Frucht
was held down by other officers. Police officers at the scene
have said that Frucht ignored three orders to get on the sidewalk,
then resisted as officers attempted to handcuff him, according to
Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham, who heads the department's
internal affairs division.
Frucht, however, said yesterday that he was tackled by police after
taking photographs of other officers who were handling a demonstrator
roughly. His attorney, Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, said Frucht suffered
welts and bruises and was later taken to the hospital by police.
Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney for the D.C.-based Partnership for
Civil Justice, said that police attacked marchers without cause
three times Saturday and that dozens of marchers were injured in
the confrontations.
But Newsham said the incident involving Frucht is the only one of
the weekend that has spawned an internal investigation. The city's
Office of Citizen Complaint Review had received no complaints as
of yesterday about police actions during the weekend's three major
events, which drew thousands of people.
D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said there might be "training
issues" raised by the officer's conduct, but he also said that
officers were in a tense situation and that demonstrators threw
rocks and spit at them during the protests.
"Certainly we'll listen to what the officer has to say" and then
make a decision, Ramsey said. "But I'm not just going to hang this
guy out to dry just because someone made an allegation."
The antiwar coalition International ANSWER organized a rally and
march Saturday to oppose the U.S. occupation in Iraq. Police
estimated that as many as 30,000 attended. Marchers left a rally
at Freedom Plaza, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, about
2:30 p.m. The march route spanned several blocks of downtown,
targeting companies that activists say stand to profit from the
war and media outlets whose coverage they criticize.
Verheyden-Hilliard said marchers were hit by officers with nightsticks
three times Saturday, including once on Ninth Street NW near the main
public library and later on 18th Street near the rear of the march.
The incident involving Frucht, 39, of Milwaukee, happened on 18th
Street near K Street when the march was almost over. Frucht said
he was trying to take photos of a woman he said he saw being attacked
by police. He said an officer on a bicycle then told him to leave the
area.
As Frucht turned to leave, he said, a group of officers tackled him.
He said he was struck repeatedly by at least one police baton.
"I remember vividly three hits, and I began praying, 'I hope this
stops soon,' " said Frucht, who added that he did nothing to provoke
the officers. "I feel like it was beyond excessive force. . . . It
felt like an act of wilding."
Police said the video aired by WRC-TV Saturday night appears to show
the officer with two hands on his nightstick, poking at Frucht's
head six or seven times while Frucht lay on the pavement. Afterward,
the video shows Frucht with a red mark on his head, apparently where
he was struck. Frucht was one of three people arrested during the march.
Newsham said investigators from the department's Civil Rights and
Force Investigation Team -- on standby during the protests --
responded to the scene shortly after the incident. After watching
the footage later that day, he said, they were able to identify the
officer involved.
The officer has consulted with an attorney and made a statement to
investigators. He is now in "non- contact" status, without dealings
with the public, Newsham said.
Newsham said that after completing their investigation, police will
hand the case over to the U.S. attorney's office. If the U.S.
attorney declines to prosecute the officer, he said, the department
will consider taking administrative action against him.
===================
end biased story which gives a myth of balance
===================
