National Lawyers Guild: Guild Members Witness "Unwarranted Use of Force in Pittsburgh"

[Hissyspit]

For Immediate Release-September 25, 2009

Contact: Paige Cram, Communications Coordinator

Pittsburgh-National Lawyers Guild members witnessed first-hand yesterday the unwarranted display and use of force by police in residential neighborhoods, often far from any protest activity.

Police deployed chemical irritants, including CS gas, and long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) in residential neighborhoods on narrow streets where families and small children were exposed. Scores of riot police formed barricades at many intersections throughout neighborhoods miles away from the downtown area and the David Lawrence Convention Center. Outside the Courtyard Marriott in Shadyside, police deployed smoke bombs in the absence of protest activity, forcing bystanders and hotel residents to flee the area.

Later, while some protests were ending, riot-clad officers surrounded an area at the University of Pittsburgh, creating an ominous spectacle that some described as akin to Kent State. Guild legal observers witnessed police chasing and arresting many uninvolved students.

Among other questionable tactics, officers from dozens of law enforcement agencies lacked easily-identifiable badges, impeding citizens' ability to register complaints.

Heidi Boghosian, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild, said: "Accountability and chain of command is virtually impossible to establish given the lack of visible individual identifying badges on officers. The small, paper armband badges that law enforcement are wearing are difficult to read, and many wore black chest coverings with absolutely no identifying information. We've seen many law enforcement personnel, including Pittsburgh Police Department officers, deliberately covering up the arm IDs by rolling their shirt sleeves up over them."

The National Lawyers Guild is a progressive bar association, founded in 1937, with chapters in every state. Its national mass defense program includes education about laws and practices that affect individuals engaging in dissent, criminal defense of protesters and civil litigation to curb unconstitutional police practices, and its legal observing program. Resources detailing police tactics are available on the Guild's website, www.nlg.org, including Punishing Protest and The Assault on Free Speech, Public Assembly, and Dissent.

[Ian David]

1. What color ribbons shall we ask the Iranians to put on their Twitter avatars for us? n/t

[nc4bo]

2. Good question. nt

[Luminous Animal]

3. Hah! Indeed.

[Nikki Stone1]

30. One day, they're gonna shut down Twitter if we all end up helping each other

transnationally. :(

[timeforpeace]

4. The cowards just stood there and watched it happen? Where was the president?

[Leopolds Ghost]

7. The president probably thanked them for shutting down the protestors.

[orpupilofnature57]

5. NWO

[Kievan Rus]

6. This is why police should be employed "at will"

I normally disagree with the "at will" employment doctrine (used in most U.S.A. states in the private sector) and instead favor "for cause" (used for Federal, state and local gov't employees, plus union workers and Montana private sector workers), but police officers are an area where "at will employment" SHOULD be the rule.

Riot cops beat the crap out of uninvolved persons who did nothing more than refuse to kiss the ground upon which those jack-booted thugs walked. Tear-gas and rubber bullets were fired at innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with the hooligans smashing windows.

Cops that abuse their authority and beat up and antagonize innocent bystanders need to lose their jobs...pure and simple. It's just like the rest of us...if you do a crappy job, you should get fired from said job.

[bertman]

24. How about criminal prosecution for illegal activity? We civilians can't just beat the piss out of

someone because we don't like what they're doing or where they are, so why should a cop get to do that with impunity just because he's rushing with adrenaline, armed to the teeth, and wearing a badge?

In the videos I saw, there seemed to be a bunch of police officers who were simply holding the line, but then one of them would come charging from out of nowhere and take a protester down. Is that standard procedure? Who makes the call that allows that to happen?

My suspicion is that this is just part of the grand intimidation plan that is being implemented to stifle any dissent. Given the economic environment in this country, it's no wonder they're ratcheting up the police state tactics.

I'm very interested in seeing how President Obama responds to this type of "crowd control". If I'm not mistaken, this is the first incident like this on his watch.

[Kievan Rus]

29. Just like in the Depression

I just dusted off my copy of John Steinbeck's "the Grapes of Wrath." Classic anti-rich novel.

[defendandprotect]

32. Agree . . .

[PM Martin]

36. I agree.

I also want to see police unions busted.
The police have the power of the state behind them, they do not need a union.

[PA Democrat]

8. K & R.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Smoke bombs, sonic canons, abductions

maybe it's an "exercise" or "experiment" with unwitting real life participants.

This needs investigation.

[Luminous Animal]

10. This is a show of force to frighten the populace into submission.

The message being, if they can do this to, you, the innocent, just imagine what we'll do to you if we deem you "guilty."

[defendandprotect]

34. And now . . . who is to protect anyone against "torture" . . . beatings???

All law is blown away by police cooperating with this fascism --

corporate fascism --

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. I agree.

[DoctorMyEyes]

11. LE has done itself no favors here

I've lived in Pittsburgh a couple of years and the people here are really, really (almost weirdly) nice. Pittsburgh police, from my experience are among the best city police in the country and are NOT heavy handed. The G20 has brought a lot of outsiders into town and I've got to tell you that I've seen the sympathies of MANY totally non-political "low information" types swing from fear of protesters and respect for law enforcement to support for the protesters and disgust with the over-reaction of the police.

Inviting outside law enforcement to Pittsburgh and the results of the last two days seem to have shocked and appalled a lot of natives.

[Kievan Rus]

13. Any feds from three-letter agencies?

I know the Secret Service were in town, but there were probably some three-letter agents in with the riot police also.

[DoctorMyEyes]

16. I don't know for sure

but I'd imagine all the three-letters have sent a presence here. It's looking like a police state and the people of Pittsburgh are freaked out by it. They're used to their criminals being taken into custody instead of beaten to pulps, and being able to get away with burning a couch or two in celebration of a superbowl win without riot police interfering.

[G_j]

17. well

check this out:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6630424
National Guard & NORTHCOM taking center stage in protest suppression at G20

[indepat]

21. Making a mockery out of the land of the free and home of the brave, making a mockery

of freedom and liberty, making a mockery out of the Constitution as if law enforcement were boot-jacked brown-shirt thugs and goons. Or don't I understand? :P

Edited to add if

[PA Democrat]

12. Thanks for posting. The police actually arrested one of the National Lawyer's Guild

volunteers who was on the Pitt campus observing the protests. The guy is a second-year law student and was arrested despite showing his NLG credentials (or maybe more like BECAUSE of showing them).

[PM Martin]

37. Because he showed them.

[kas125]

14. Sounds pretty much like what went on in St. Paul at

the RNC last year.

[Kievan Rus]

15. Simple rules...don't protest against the rich!

When you protest IN FAVOR of the rich (teabaggers), you can get away with spitting on other demonstrators, carrying guns around the President, beating people up and ripping up signs...and the cops just don't care.

Protest against the rich, be prepared to get the hell beaten out of you for no reason. It's no different than the Gilded Age.

[nc4bo]

18. What really frightens me is that I don't think the economic collapse has finished with us yet

and if or rather when it finally does go BOOM!, the reasons for field testing military grade weapons on your own citizens will become painfully obvious.

:toast: Here's hoping we won't ever have to find out.

[90-percent]

19. Sonic Cannons

I saw this covered on Rachel last night. Can these things easily cause permanent hearing loss?

Does that mean when you lawfully and peacefully assemble you can be permanently handicapped by your won government?

Even Rachel seemed un-alarmed by this. I guess we all feel hearing is one of our most expendable senses? Hearing loss is permanent damage folks. It doesn't ever get better or heal itself back to former capacity. What you loose is FOR LIFE!

When do you think the government will come out with a microwave device that boils eyeballs and uses it on lawfully assembled citizens? Do you think this would cause any concern to the citizenry?

I mean, WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

-90% Jimmy

[madmom]

25. My hubby saw this and tried to find some info on these sonic cannons. He said

from what he read that ear plugs and ear muffs will defeat them and if you are so equipped if you put something solid up and reflect it back, possible useful info? :shrug:

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PA Democrat]

20. Video of one example of excessive use of force

Watch as the police repeatedly shove the girl on the bike as she is trying to comply with police orders to leave the area. When the girl reacts by throwing her bike at the police, she was hit in the back of the head by one of the cops. Other people are also seen being pushed and shoved forcefully by the police as they are trying to comply with police orders to leave the area. The cops appeared to be trying to provoke a physical confrontation with a group of people who were not protesting but simply observing the events. Unfortunately, they seem to have gotten what they wanted from the young woman who threw the bike.

http://www.wpxi.com/video/21110533/index.html

[Altoid_Cyclist]

38. That's the one that really pissed me off.

I told my wife before that even happened that the police always seem to go after a girl pushing a bike for some reason. Well actually, the reason is that they're the easiest to abuse with a display of their "manliness". I saw that on the news later and wasn't surprised at all by their choice of target. It was bad enough hitting her with their bike, but when she responded by throwing her bike at them, did they really need to use their baton on her head? What threat did she pose that justified that?

[pleah]

22. K&R

[slay]

23. K&R

This was a fucked up scene. Fuckin G20 rich ass bastards.

[Kievan Rus]

27. This is why we need 55% taxes on the rich

I live in Pittsburgh, and seriously plan on canvassing Oakland with a petition to increase the tax rate on all those making more than $2 million to a rate of 55%. After the ruckuss there, I expect on getting a lot of signatures.

Then again, realizing that police are nothing more than armed muscle for the rich, I wonder how long they'll let me be down there with such a subversive petition. Of course, if I was getting signatures for any sort of PRO-RICH petition, hell, the cops would sign it and help me out.

[defendandprotect]

33. Let's take it back to where it was in the IKE years . .. and more . . .

[Nikki Stone1]

28. If you watch the videos here:

http://pittbriefly.com/index.php/site/comments/armed_police_set_off_tear_gas_outside_towers

It is clear that the police went over the line.

[pundaint]

31. It can't be fascism, Obama's president

That quacking sounds like a duck to me.

Who ran those sound cannons and from what budget line?

[Blue_Tires]

39. kick