cannabisnews.com: Police and Demonstrators Clash Outside Convention 





Police and Demonstrators Clash Outside Convention 
Posted by FoM on August 15, 2000 at 12:40:47 PT
By Todd S. Purdum
Source: New York Times
The long-awaited dance between protesters and the police turned into a violent confrontation tonight when some in the audience at a concert outside the Staples Center threw rocks and bottles at officers, who responded by firing rubber-coated bullets and pepper spray at the demonstrators and moved in on horseback to disperse them. The concert of protest itself, by the hard-rock, hip-hop band Rage Against the Machine, was peaceful enough, staged just outside the center in a fenced-off spot from which the authorities had tried to bar demonstrators until a federal judge intervened. 
But once the concert was over, some in the crowd threw the bottles and rocks over a high-security fence at police officers on the other side. When the demonstrators -- a few hundred people among a crowd of several thousand -- refused to disperse, the police declared them an illegal assembly and began firing rubber-coated bullets and using mounted officers to force them away from the Staples Center, site of the Democratic National Convention, and down a nearby street. But delegates and journalists streaming out of the arena found their way blocked. "This is really a tragedy; I'm disgusted," said a man who identified himself as a stockbroker from the Venice district and would give his name only as Johnny. He was holding two rubber bullets that he said the police had fired at him. Shortly before the violence, in which no serious injuries were initially reported, what the police described as a bomb threat forced the evacuation of nearby Patriotic Hall, the scene of the so-called shadow convention and headquarters for various alternative-media outlets. The police said they were investigating a report of a bomb in a van parked behind the building. But protesters called that a ruse to break them up, and the conservative commentator Arianna Huffington, an organizer of the shadow gathering, led her followers down the street in a demonstration. Those two episodes concluded a largely peaceful if occasionally tense day in which hundreds of marchers -- and then a few thousand of them -- plied their way back and forth between the Staples Center and Pershing Square, a broad public plaza about a dozen blocks away. The official theme of the protesters' day was "Human Need, Not Corporate Greed," but the placards, banners, puppets and armbands that swirled through the usually sterile streets of downtown Los Angeles embraced a dizzying range of causes and concerns. Demonstrators were on hand to protest everything from Vice President Al Gore's investments in an oil company that plans to drill near a Colombian Indian reserve to the influence of the World Trade Organization. "Life Is Not a Commodity," read one banner. Another said, "Al Gore = Corporate Eichmann." Perhaps the bleakest placard: "All Government Is Bad." The morning began with a rally in Pershing Square, featuring the singer Bonnie Raitt, to protest Mr. Gore's family holdings in the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, which has rights to conduct exploratory drilling a few miles outside the legal boundaries of the U'wa Indian reserve in Colombia. Environmental groups have urged Mr. Gore to divest his family of the stock, worth some $500,000. "As far as I'm concerned, the only drug coming out of Colombia is oil," said Ms. Raitt, who with John Densmore, former drummer for the Doors, sang the old Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth." The crowd then headed to the Staples Center, where it greeted some delegates arriving early, including a Baltimore city councilman, Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. "I came in early just to walk around and see what it's all about," Mr. Mitchell said. "The Democratic Party and the Republican Party may not address everything, but this shows that here in the United States of America we can speak out on any issue without fear of retaliation or harm." That was not how some protesters saw it just a few moments later, after they had turned back toward Pershing Square and tried to block traffic at the intersection of Sixth and Flower Streets. After ignoring bullhorn warnings to disperse, nine demonstrators were arrested. The police moved the remaining demonstrators back to Pershing Square, where perhaps 2,000 people were gathered and still more rallies were scheduled. Just as the group reached the southwestern corner of the square, there was another tense few minutes as demonstrators again stood in the middle of an intersection, this one adjoining the grand old Biltmore Hotel, where top Democrats and aides to Mr. Gore are staying. "This has been declared an unlawful assembly," the police commander on the scene warned through a loudspeaker, his voice barely audible over the din of police helicopters circling overhead, as officers brandished tear-gas guns. "We need to clear the intersection." At that, demonstrators, with bullhorns of their own, answered back by invoking the Constitution and the First Amendment, shouting among other things that "the right of the people to peacefully assemble shall not be abridged." Eventually the protesters retreated, and traffic began flowing again. Published: August 15, 2000Source: New York Times (NY)Copyright: 2000 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.comAddress: 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036Fax: (212) 556-3622Website: http://www.nytimes.com/Forum: http://www10.nytimes.com/comment/Related Articles & Web Sites:The Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Cops Raid Shadows, IMChttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6720.shtmlActivists Clash with Police in L.A.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6713.shtmlDNC 2000 Protest News Boardhttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/protest.htm Shadow Convention 2000 News Boardhttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/Shadcon.htm MapInc. Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://mapinc.org/shadow.htm CannabisNews Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=shadow 
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Comment #12 posted by kaptinemo on August 16, 2000 at 06:47:40 PT:
sOME MORE REAL NEWS.
truncheons in the darkhttp://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/International/20000816/UDEMON.html
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Comment #11 posted by kaptinemo on August 16, 2000 at 06:16:04 PT:
Want news? Look outside of the US
Given that the US press is in the corporate pockets of politically allied CEO's, you won't find many editors sticking their necks out down here to talk about the real issues.Nope, you'll have to look elsewhere:ON THE NIGHT TWO AMERICAS CAME CLASHING TOGETHERhttp://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/Commentary/20000816/COKLEIN.html
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Comment #10 posted by dddd on August 16, 2000 at 01:50:30 PT
On the positive side
Yes..FoM,that was a really good looking horse.I'm happy to see the positives,in the midst of the negatives. Thanx again FoM....Keep on keepin' on........lol...dddd
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on August 15, 2000 at 17:51:24 PT
Great News Station
Hi dddd,I'm watching ABC LA News as I get ready to post an article on my protest board. I wondered how this would go many years ago. People are weary. Our time is coming! I can feel it in the air!Peace, FoM!PS: I also love my Direct TV!
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Comment #8 posted by dddd on August 15, 2000 at 17:45:45 PT
Brought to you by
ABC Eyewitness News,brought to you by HUD/FHA .Pricey commercial just followed. Is there something wrong with this picture?....dddd
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Comment #7 posted by dddd on August 15, 2000 at 17:39:22 PT
horse
Yes,it was a;"puncture wound to its' rear left leg". Havnt seen much about people who were batoned,pepper sprayed,shot with rubber/beanbag bullets, and trampled. Yes FoM,it's "Eyewitness News" ABC channel 7 in LA.It seems that the eyes that witness all this,are on the Disney payroll...dddd 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 15, 2000 at 17:32:28 PT
I saw it
I just watched the horse incident. It was nothing considering what dangers they push those horses into. Thought I'd mention it and it is a pretty horse.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on August 15, 2000 at 17:29:17 PT
I Love LA News!
I watch ABC LA News on a channel 7. Is that the one you watch dddd? I love my LA station. I don't have local news and I sure don't miss it. They are going to talk about the horse that's why I asked.Peace, FoM!What an exciting time!
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Comment #4 posted by dddd on August 15, 2000 at 17:24:29 PT
Tuesday nite news
 Here's a good example of news coverage.The local ABC news had cautious coverage of the police state incident last night.Now they are showing a special,touching segment,on a horse,,yes a horse,that was injured in the attack.Never mind the pepper sprayed,batoned,rubber bullet pelted humans.No word on their injuries,instead we get to see the terrible injury that a horse incurred,due to the unruly protesters.GOOD GRIEF!!!!.......GREAT SCOTT!!....... Is there anyone out there who believes that the corporate ownership,and control of the major media,is not one of the most blatant,and criminal abuses of anti-trust laws,not to mention making a joke of the supposed public ownership of the airwaves!! The events of this week are truly significant,and even though the major networks have been carefully attempting to appear unbiased in their coverage and reporting,,this whole thing is being meticulously spun to justify the police state,and avoid any specific message of dissent from protesters.Things are starting to heat up again this evening.Kap was right in predicting a hot summer.It's sizzling out here in LA................dddd
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 15, 2000 at 14:03:46 PT
Shadow Convention Blasts Drug War & Poll
The all-out "war on drugs" that's been fought since the Reagan administration is the focus of Tuesday's "Shadow Convention," one of many events addressing key issues activists say are ignored by the major parties. Are we losing the war on drugs? Convention 2000 Coverage. POLL:Take Action  Should the US end the war on drugs?YesNoUndecided http://www.speakout.com/
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Comment #2 posted by eco on August 15, 2000 at 13:43:18 PT
NEW D2K SITE URLS. Please forward to lists. March
PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR EMAIL LISTS, message boards, webpages, etc.. *NEW D2K SITE URLS. Several of the previous websites were possibly sabotaged and/or overloaded by the millions of hits they were getting from people worldwide. These 3 sites are 3 different websites, so check them all out for D2K, shadow convention, and other breaking news concerning the protests, marches, and meetings around the Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles, California. The first 2 websites below are new mirrors of 2 old sites.http://216.254.6.208/d2k/index.html and http://sacco.indymedia.org/ and http://phillyimc.org/August 16. March & Rally Against Mass Incarceration, Police Brutality, Death Penalty and to Free All Political Prisoners. USA: 6.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at yearend 1999 -- 3.1% of all U.S. adult residents. The MAJORITY(!!!) of the approximately 2 MILLION U.S. inmates are incarcerated because of the DRUG WAR! This is shown by adding together drug-only offenders, drug-related-crime offenders, and drug-related parole violations. The USA has the world's highest incarceration rate - 5 to 17 times higher than all other Western (long democratic traditions) nations! http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/charts2.htm
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Comment #1 posted by dankhank on August 15, 2000 at 13:43:15 PT:
Damn
Couldn't be there ...Hey ya'll ... know what the problem is with the demonstrations?THERE AREN'T ENOUGH PEOPLE THERE ...!!!If a million people showed up ... they would have to listen ...It's LA ... warm weather ... take a blanket ...I hung with the protestors for a day and a half in Pennsylvania.They make a lot of sense ... unless you think that most Americans are entitled to a boat and massive debt, while the rich keep getting richer.A whole 'nother subject that is connected to the whole gestalt. You just gotta go to one of these events to understand. Not my first, not my last ...By the way, we had a smoke out at the Liberty Bell in Philly, wonder where the one in LA will be. I will be there in spirit.Peace ...
HEMP n STUFF
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