Police State USA Story's

[mrmom2]

This thread is going to be about what police state actions are actually happening in the US right now .Refute them if you can add a story if you have it :wink:

1. Last night, I was booked to play an event about an hour outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The hype behind this show was huge, they presold 700 tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total. The promoters did an amazing job with the show.. they even made slipmats with the flyers on them to promote in local shops.
So, we got to the show around 11:15 or so and it was really cool. It was all outdoors, in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. They had an amazing light show flashing on to a mountain behind the site, the sound was booming, the crowd was about 1500 people thick and everything just seemed too good to be true really. Well...

At about 11:30 or so, I was standing behind the stage talking with someone when I noticed a helicopter pulling over one of the mountain tops. I jokingly said "Oh look, here comes big brother" to the person I was with. I wasn't far off.

The helicopter dipped lower and lower and started shining its lights on the crowd. I was kind of in awe and just sat and watched this thing circle us for a minute. As I looked back towards the crowd I saw a guy dressed in camoflauge walking by, toting an assault rifle. At this point, everyone was fully aware of what was going on . A few "troops" rushed the stage and cut the sound off and started yelling that everyone "get the fuck out of here or go to jail". This is where it got really sticky.

No one resisted. That's for sure. They had police dogs raiding the crowd of people and I saw a dog signal out a guy who obviously had some drugs on him. The soldiers attacked the guy (4 of them on 1), and kicked him a few times in the ribs and had their knees in his back and sides. As they were cuffing him, there was about 1000 kids trying to leave in the backdrop, peacefully. Next thing I know, A can of fucking TEAR GAS is launched into the crowd. People are running and screaming at this point. Girls are crying, guys are cussing... bad scene.

Now, this is all I saw with my own eyes, but I heard plenty of other accounts of the night. Now this isnt gossip I heard from some candy raver, these are instances cited straight out of the promoters mouth..

- One of the promoters friends (a very small female) was attacked by one of the police dogs. As she struggled to get away from it, the police tackled her. 3 grown men proceeded to KICK HER IN THE STOMACH.

- The police confiscated 3 video tapes in total. People were trying to document what was happening out there. The police saw one guy filming and ran after him, tackled him and his camera fell, and luckily.. his friend grabbed it and ran and got away. priceless footage. That's not all though. Out of 1,500 people, there's sure to be more footage.

- The police were rounding up the staff of the party and the main promoter went up to them with the permit for the show and said "here, I have the permit." The police then said, "no you don't" and ripped the permit out of his hand. Then, they put an assault rifle to his forehead and said "get the fuck out of here right now."


Now.. let's get the facts straight here.

This event was 100% legal. They had every permit the city told them they needed. They had a 2 MILLION DOLLAR insurance policy for the event. They had liscenced security guards at the gates confiscating any alcohol or drugs found upon entry (yes, they searched every car on the way in). Oh, I suppose I should mention that they arrested all the security guards for possession.

Oh another interesting fact.. the police did not have a warrant. The owner of the land already has a lawsuit against the city for something similar. A few months ago, she rented her land for a party and the police raided that as well. And catch this, the police forced her to LEAVE HER OWN PERSONAL PROPERTY. That's right. They didnt arrest her, but made her leave her own property!!!

Don't get it twisted, this is all going down in probably THE most conservative state in the USA. And this is scary.. a gross violation of our civil liberties. The police wanted this party shut down, so they made it happen. Even though everything about this event was legal. The promoters spent over $ 20,000 on this show and did everything they had to to make it legit, only to have it taken away from them by a group of radical neo-con's with an agenda.

This was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed in person. I can't even begin to describe how surreal it was. Helicopters, assault rifles, tear gas, camoflauge-wearing soldiers.... why? Was that really necessary?

This needs to be big news across the USofA. At least in our music scene (edm as a whole)... this could happen to any of us at any time. When we're losing the right to gather peacefully, we're also letting the police set a standard of what we can get away with. And I think that's BULLSHIT!

The system fucked up last night... They broke up a party that was 100% legal and they physically hurt a lot of people there at the same time. The promoters already have 6 lawsuits ready to file with their lawyers and the ACLU is already involved.

I'm sure some pictures (and hopefully some video) will surface soon. I'll make sure to post them up here on 404, so you can see the Police State of America at work.



p.s. - there are more stories of police brutality that i'll post up later. gotta hit the airport soon. can't wait to get the fuck out of this shit hole state

 

[mrmom2]

I heard an interview on the radio tonight with one of the concert goers 8O Guys in fatigues running around with assault rifles beating and kicking people unbelievable the US is so close to a police state its not funny :? I would bet that if a car bomb went off somewhere in the states Bush would declare martial law 8O

 

[no1important]

RE: Police State USA Stor

I was shocked to read this. I googled the story to find out more. What a bunch of bs. The so called authorities went way over board.

They are referring it to a rave and saying "The party organizer did get a permit from the health department but not from the health department but not from the county commissioner, which is required for a gathering of more than 250 people."

Police State or Police shut down major rave near Diamond Fork

They call it a Rave I think to mislead the public (and justify raiding and shutting down)as when general public hears rave they picture young people with "X" and other drugs causing problems. When in all reality, they are just their for a good time.

 

[mrmom2]

U.S. Develops Electric Bullets to Fire Into Crowds

Sometimes stories don't require the embellishment of a rant. They scream all by themselves.

Raw Story has unearthed this shocker: "WEAPONS designed to fire 'electric bullets' into crowds are being developed for police and border protection agencies in the US," according to the UK publication, the New Scientist.


[T]he government is developing a new generation of electric shock weapons that could be fired from across a city street or across a sports stadium. A Texas company called Lynntech is developing a projectile that can be fired from a shotgun or grenade launcher that sticks to the target and delivers an 80,000-volt shock for seven seconds. Further shocks can be triggered via remote control. (From Democracy Now! headlines, Aug. 23, 2005)

Says New Scientist: "The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, the domestic equivalent of the defence agency DARPA, has launched an 'innovative less-lethal devices for law enforcement" programme to radically expand the capabilities of electric shock weapons."
Adds Reuters UK:


The [U.S. Dept.] of Homeland Security is seeking alternatives with broader uses like light lasers or guns firing electric bullets to combat all manner of felon.
"People encountered can range from aggressors who are hardened criminals to mentally disturbed teenagers ... from protesting crowds that include children and elderly, to street gangs," the Homeland Security Department, which is soliciting prototypes from industry, said on its Web site.

You guessed it. There are no stories in the U.S. press on this, save Democracy Now!'s brief mention this morning.

MORE BELOW -- including how the weapons "stick" to the person (aka target) via "hooks" and "barbs":

Meanwhile, far less potent, shorter-range weapons -- such as the Taser -- are under growing scrutiny for numerous deaths and injuries from the supposedly safe prisoner-control device. "Stun gun manufacturer Taser is facing another lawsuit over the safety of its product," reports Democracy Now!.

The lawsuit was filed by a Missouri police chief "claiming that he was severely injured after being shocked with a Taser weapon during training."

Existing stun weapons, such as the Taser, "typically fire a pair of darts trailing current-carrying wires to shock the target, with a maximum range of about 7 metres." The new, wireless weapons can be "used over greater distances in spaces such as 'an auditorium, a city street or a sports stadium'."

Talk Left blog reports that:


Taser acknowledges that it has been sued 14 times since 2003 by officers who say they were injured in training.

The report said the company also faces 12 wrongful death lawsuits and four lawsuits alleging injuries during arrest or detention. Three other wrongful death suits have been dismissed, and one is on hold.
Perhaps fearful of being forced to compensate all the individuals who have been seriously injured (or killed) after being shocked with a weapon Taser International claims to be safe, Taser has opted to discourage litigation by refusing to settle any lawsuit. A few multi-million dollar verdicts might produce a change in that strategy. So might an SEC investigation into whether the company has fraudulently misstated the safety of the weapon, and class action lawsuits like this one:


The village of Dolton, Ill., near Chicago, stopped using its Tasers in May and filed a class action lawsuit in federal court last month. That suit says Taser's marketing portrays the unit as safe but that the product "has been involved in numerous deaths and serious injuries across the country" and has never been "adequately or independently tested for safety."

Talk Left blog has built an archive of materials on the Taser.

More from the New Scientist:



Lynntech of College Station, Texas, is developing a projectile that can be fired from a shotgun or 40-millimetre grenade launcher. Grenade launchers are already used by riot police to fire tear gas and baton rounds. On impact, the device sticks to the target and delivers an 80,000-volt shock for 7 seconds, using a pulsed delivery similar to that used by Tasers. Further shocks can be triggered via remote control.

Brian Hennings, system integration group leader at Lynntech, would not reveal how the projectile sticks to the person, although other weapons designed to adhere often use hooks or barbs. "The biggest problem was making the device non-lethal at minimum range, yet effective at maximum range," he says.

Hennings claims Lynntech has solved this by ensuring that its round's kinetic energy is low enough to meet the safety requirement at close range. As the projectile does not rely on impact with the body to incapacitate the person, it does not need to be fired at very high velocity. The weapon's maximum range is measured in tens of metres, the company says.

Meanwhile, Midé Technology Corporation of Medford, Massachusetts, is proposing the Piezer. Rather than conventional stun-gun circuitry, with batteries linked to transformers and a capacitor, the Piezer contains piezoelectric crystals, which produce a voltage when they are compressed. The Piezer would be fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, stunning the target with an electric shock on impact. Shotguns are already used to fire less-lethal "beanbag" rounds to subdue suspects, but these have short range. Midé claims the Piezer could be effective at 40 to 50 metres.

Using a different principle again is the Inertial Capacitive Incapacitator (ICI) being developed by the Physical Optics Corporation of Torrance, California. ...

 

[jjw1965]

Equivalent Of Martial Law Declared In New Orleans
Free Press International
8.28.2005

The mayor of New Orleans has ordered a mandatory evacuation due to Hurricane Katrina.

The government has 'ordered' civilians to leave their homes and property whether they want to or not.

President Bush has asked for the mandatory evacuations.

This is the equivalent of martial law.

 

[mrmom2]

TRAFFIC STOP HELL,
SOVIET UNION STYLE

A nursing mother was separated from her baby, handcuffed, and abruptly taken to jail and now, the state patrol and the Lakewood Police Department are investigating.

The mother told 7NEWS' John Ferrugia that she was terrified and humiliated by police mistakes.

It all began when the woman and her husband were pulled over during a routine traffic stop.

"I doubled up kids in the back seat in belts. So they were restrained, but not properly. But ... it was my fault for not having them in there properly," said father Ricky Archuleta.

Ricky expected a ticket but was surprised when the trooper told him he couldn't even drive.

"He ran my license. He came back and said it had been rescinded for an unpaid traffic ticket. I knew I had paid the ticket," Ricky said.

The fact is, he had and the computer got it wrong. Then, the officer said Ricky's wife, Mercedes, had to drive. While the trooper checked her license, she nursed her baby in the front seat. Suddenly, the officer was at Ricky's door.

"He said, 'Take the baby from your wife.' I said, 'Why?' He goes, 'Take the baby from your wife, now,'" Ricky said.

The officer didn't explain why he wanted Mercedes out of the car, the couple said.

"I took the baby off and started to cover up a little bit. When I started to step out of the car, he just told me put my right arm in back of me," said Mercedes. "He grabbed my left arm, put it in back of me, cuffed me and then I was thrown against the car. And my kids were crying."

"She got out of the car. He just kind of shoved her against there, and her blouse is undone. And all my kids see her just up against (the car). Immediately, they're like, 'What are they doing? What are they doing to Mom?'" Ricky said.

"I turned to him and said, 'Excuse me, why am I being arrested?' And he goes, 'You need to be silent,'" Mercedes said.

"I'm in shock. The baby's screaming. The kids start crying and screaming and I don't know what to do. I actually don't know what I said. I said something and he just yelled in the car and said, 'You need to be silent,'" Ricky said.

"He said, 'There's a warrant for your arrest.' I said, 'No, there's a mistake.' I said, 'There's no warrant for my arrest ... I've never been in trouble for anything in my life,'" Mercedes said.

"He was rude. I think he was overzealous," Ricky said.

"I thought I was going to get sick. I felt like I was going to faint. I was humiliated because I was there with this stranger and here I am with my blouse undone and he didn't give me a chance to tie it up, and I was just so worried for my baby," Mercedes said.

At the Jefferson County Jail, Mercedes was strip-searched and said it became clear to officers that she didn't match the description of a suspect who had tattoos and scars. She had neither.

"(The female officer) says, 'I know this isn't you.' And I said, 'Can you call someone? Can they release me?' She said, 'Nope, I can't do that,'" Mercedes said.

Mercedes and her husband were unaware of what got her there -- sloppy work by the Lakewood Police Department. A detective had substituted the innocent woman's information for a suspect with a lengthy police record.

Lakewood Division Chief Clarene Shelley said the detective made a big mistake. She said the Lakewood detective was trying to identify a woman involved in a domestic violence issue and when the detective pulled the name, Mercedes Archuleta, on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's crime computer, the name came up as an alias for Phyllis Rivera.

But instead of investigating whether Rivera was involved in the domestic violence dispute, the detective issued a warrant for the phony name Rivera had been using -- Mercedes Archuleta.

Shelley said the detectives never called Mercedes to ask her, 'Are you this person?' and she never checked Mercedes' address to see if it matched the address of the suspect.

What's more, the detective never pulled a photo of either person to verify identity.

"She just pulled my name up because I was the only one she could find about my age," Mercedes said.

While the police department has admitted its mistake and offered to meet with the family to apologize personally, Mercedes has declined. She said she is embarrassed and humiliated.

"If (the detective) had to spend a day in jail like I did and be scared, not knowing what's going to happen, and have her family crying and worried about her, then I think she would understand where I'm coming from," Mercedes said.

The Lakewood officer involved has been reprimanded, but not suspended.

The Colorado State Patrol has begun an internal investigation of the conduct and procedures of the trooper who made the arrest.

Meanwhile, Lakewood police and the city attorney have initiated steps to remove the arrest and any mention of the innocent woman from public records.

But clearly that has not yet been successful. Mercedes' arrest is still listed on the CBI database.