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http://anarchistnews.org/content/stay-calm-some-tips-keeping-safe-times-state-repressionFrom Bay of Rage pdfs for printing and viewing below The spectre of state repression has been growing over Bay Area radical milieus. Grand juries in the Pacific Northwest and in Santa Cruz, threats by police of using gang enhancements against activists, the recent string of mass arrests, the profusion of political divisions and threats, abundant conspiracy theories, surveillance of our social spaces, FOIA paperwork that references a confidential informer–The list goes on and on and on. Murmurs of imminent repression can be heard everywhere. Even though everything we hear cannot be entirely proven or disproven, recent events underscore the importance of preparing for a possible crackdown. The state seeks to isolate us with repression, as individuals and within our tendencies. Against that, we can prepare together, support each other and continue actively struggling against the oppression and misery of this world.

Repression always exists and now is the time to take security very seriously. Without knowing the exact form repression will take, there are some likely scenarios to prepare for, as well as some precautions that can be taken to reduce the ability of the feds and police agencies to monitor, divide and prosecute our networks.

Sound the Alarm if an Agent Knocks . . .

. . . or if an agent calls your parents, shows up at your place of employment or is waiting for you at a BART station. Don’t say anything to the cop, except that you will remain silent and that you are going to talk to a lawyer. Request the agent’s business card to give to your lawyer and share with comrades. They may threaten you, your friends, and your family or they may seem genuinely concerned for your safety: Whatever they say, their intention is to send you and your friends to prison. Don’t tell them anything.

Let your friends and comrades know that you were visited and what, if anything, the agent said to you. Spreading this information will help others prepare for the possibility of getting visits, frustrate the state’s ability to isolate people, and help you get the support you might need.

Preemptively, it could be useful to talk to your parents, employers, and housemates about the possibility of police or FBI visits. Tell them not to say anything at all; even the smallest slips of the tongue have totally fucked people over.

House Raids

As has happened recently in the Northwest, and in countless past investigations, houses of active activists and antagonists might be raided by local police or the feds. In the selection below, remember that “sensitive material” has, in the past, meant everything from black clothing to anarchist literature to shoes to a pack of tampons. Keeping in mind the events of the past year here, remove materials from your house that could be construed by the police as evidence.

Some advice on preparing for the possibility of house raids, from the Practical Security Handbook:

Keep all sensitive material in your house together so that if you have to remove it in a hurry, you are not wasting time searching for that elusive but damning piece of paper. Planning a process to deal with the risky information in your house will make this much easier; it helps prevent you losing material and gives you a greater degree of control over it. Remember, if you are being watched, any panicky action will be noted, thus bringing further attention yourself. This is one reason why police knock on activist doors – they may know you are not going to tell them anything, but if they can rattle your cage enough so that you slip up then they may be able to get something on you.

Sensitive material should be removed from your house on a regular basis in a calm manner – not furtively! This does not prevent you from practicing counter-surveillance techniques, but do so discretely. […] If you get wind that something has happened and you suspect you may get a visit as a result, stay calm and prioritize what you need to get out of your house. Get friends to call around and take stuff out for you, or ‘take back their possessions’.

Grand Juries

Right now, there are Grand Juries targeting radicals in the Northwest. Three people have been imprisoned indefinitely for refusing to testify against themselves and their comrades. Treat this situation as if it is actively threatening your city as well. Because it is. It has been confirmed that one Grand Jury was convened in March of 2012, and is not limited to (what was publicized as) investigation of the May 1st demonstrations in Seattle. It will continue through March of 2014. The comrades who have been subpoenaed are from all across the northwest and it is entirely possible that additional subpoenas will be delivered to others.

Comrades and radicals in the Bay Area should be prepared for the possibility of a grand jury here. In-depth information about Grand Juries can be found in the pamphlets If An Agent Knocks and Grand Jury Investigations. Both are full of valuable information about how grand juries work and how to resist them.

Some basic advice for dealing with Grand Jury Subpoenas, from If An Agent Knocks:

Grand jury subpoenas are served by law enforcement agents, usually police officers or federal marshals. A grand jury subpoena must be personally served on you, meaning, it must be handed to you. If you refuse to accept it, it must be placed near you.

A grand jury subpoena does not give an agent the right to search a home, office, car or anywhere else, nor does it require you to relinquish any documents or say anything at that time. A grand jury subpoena only requires you to do something on the future date stated on the subpoena.

If an agent shows up and tries to serve you with a subpoena, take it and do not do anything else. Do not answer any questions; do not consent to a search; and do not invite them into your home for any reason.

De-escalate Interpersonal Conflicts

Stop publicizing interpersonal conflicts and de-escalate the conflicts within your milieu. Rumors, personal drama and gossip have always been an exploitable tool of the state. Contradictions and tensions are obviously an important part of our shared political and social spaces but this is probably not the best time to pick fights and draw out divisions. Let’s find ways to continue to explore our political differences, acknowledging our common commitment to liberatory struggle against the state, capital, patriarchy and white supremacy.

Phones

It should be no surprise that phone calls and text messages shouldn’t reference illegal activities. Beyond surveillance of the content of messages, care should also be taken in the pattern of calling and text messaging. I.e. if a house raid were to happen, the investigators could look back at the patterns of calls from confiscated phones to map social networks. Having unmediated (real world) ways to find people and have conversations is very important in our hyper-mediated world.

If your phone has a screen lock, use it. If it has full or partial encryption, use it. Delete your text messages regularly. Be careful in both the content and pattern of your phone calls, especially during or after actions, raids, and the like. Apps like TextSecure (for SMS) and RedPhone (for VoIP) are useful end-to-end encryption tools for cellular communication. If you have an Android phone, turn USB debugging off.

While it is possible for cellular phones to be used as surveillance devices, don’t let the absence of phones lull you into a false feeling of security. It is much more common for houses or cars to be bugged then for phones to be used to monitor conversations. That is to say, it is meaningless to put away one’s phone and still have a conversation indoors.

Regardless of any encryption or anonymity, always assume that your phone’s security can and will be compromised at some point. Accordingly, keep important information elsewhere and have sensitive conversations in person.

Social Networking

Limit your internet/electronic social networking interaction. Facebook, websites, Twitter, blogs, emails, etc. are becoming a favored sources of evidence for the state when they seek to destroy our networks. See: the RNC 8, the Asheville 11, the Latin Kings, the SHAC 7.

Computer Encryption

We all use computers to communicate about our activities and this makes us vulnerable. Having a working understanding of computer security and encryption could save you and others a lot of grief down the road. That said, don’t assume the absolute safety of encryption. There shouldn’t be any directly incriminating information on your computer, encrypted or not.

If you chat online, use encrypted instant messaging. For Windows and Linux, use Pidgin with the OTR (Off The Record) plugin. For Mac, use Adium.
Use encrypted email. Install Thunderbird and the Enigmail plugin. Or, set up PGP encryption, using GnuPGP for Mac OSX and GnuPG for Windows.

If you can full disk encrypt your computer, it will help reduce the amount of useful evidence it gives in the case of it being seized by the police. Know, however, that if your computer is on when seized, the encryption is compromised. For Windows, TrueCrypt provides an easy utility for full disk encryption. With Linux, LUKS is a built-in utility that encrypts the most sensitive information on your computer. Use Truecrypt to encrypt all or part of your hard drive (OSX or Windows) and overwrite the disk’s free space at regular intervals (CCleaner for Windows, Disk Utility for OSX).

Analysis & Practice

Let’s understand our current moment and why we are seeing the forms of repression that are currently unfolding. In most places, that mass movement of 2011 has now largely dissipated and the participants have gone home. In some places, such as the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest, radicals and militants have continued publicly and socially organizing. It might be that the state has been waiting for this moment, when they perceive us to be fractured and isolated, to pursue legal action; our response must show the strength and vitality of our networks.

Dealing With Sketchy Behavior

Those who are driven to paranoia and desperation by the threat of repression can be as dangerous as those that make no preparations whatsoever. Encourage your friends, gently but firmly, to to go the extra mile to practice security culture. Encourage practicality. When someone seems overworried or paranoid, extend yourself to them for reassurance.

Bad security culture or naivete often lead to accusations of someone being an informant or undercover agent. Address the practices, not the accusations. If someone does not take the safety of themselves or others seriously, it might make sense to distance yourself from that person. Accusations of collaboration with the state, though, are to be taken very seriously and not thrown around lightly.

When it comes down to it, if someone is doing the work of the state then it doesn’t necessarily matter whether they are actual paid infiltrators. If they are spreading paranoia or being disruptive or putting comrades in unnecessary risk then the important thing is to deal with them on those grounds and not based on loose speculation as to their role in a government plot.

However, if there is strong evidence (usually court paperwork, public records requests, etc.) suggesting one’s cooperation with the state, still be careful about putting it on blast. Talk to people in private to vet the accusations beyond any shadow of a doubt. If there is great degree of certainty, spread the information far and wide. If there isn’t, deal with the situation privately. Either way, talk to a trusted lawyer.

Solidarity Against Isolation

Repression functions to isolate individuals. Our solidarity and support to those facing repression should affirm our shared lifes and projects. Our safety lies in one another: When people are arrested or subpoenaed, our support and solidarity is a reminder not to snitch or cooperate. On another level, our safety lies in the strength of our connection to the world around us: If our networks respond to repression by becoming insular, we lose social insulation, risk becoming irrelevant and make us more susceptible to demonization.

Stay Calm

The looming possibility of repression, sometimes more than repression itself, can often send people into a whirlwind of panic. This sort of stress can prevent people from taking the necessary steps to take care of themselves and their friends. Beyond whatever specific preparations for house raids, FBI visits, or providing arrestee support, it is important to encourage our friends to take care of themselves and remain levelheaded. In the Bay Area, people have varied levels of experience with government repression. Some people need to be encouraged to take the possibility seriously, others need to be discouraged from becoming paralyzed in their paranoia. This active support also needs to extend beyond our immediate circles; political divisions, while important sites of dialogue and constructive conflict, cannot become fault lines that tear apart our solidarity against state repression.

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Events Brought to you by   AFSC/ Coloradans For Immigrant Rights Events: Coloradans For Immigrant Rights, a project of AFSC meets every Tuesday at our office from 5:00 – 6:30 (or so!) All are welcome! 901 W 14th Ave, Suite #7, Denver, CO 80204 We are a group of allies and immigrants who work together to educate the citizen community while supporting the efforts and voices of immigrants.  We share our knowledge and skills to plan actions, strategize and address the challenges we face in our schools, communities of faith and the public. Members write letters to the editor; testify and participate in legislative visits; attend and organize rallies and counter-protests supporting immigrant justice; and lead workshops with faith communities, educators, and community and business groups about immigration. Coloradans For Immigrant Rights envisions communities that welcome all people, regardless of immigration status… we need you to make this vision a reality! Drop in any Tuesday or contact Jordan Garcia at 303-623-3464 ext 2 or jgarcia@afsc.orgfor more info. SAVE THE DATE! Monday, November 5th, 2012 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm Join us for our monthly first Monday of the month Vigil at the Aurora Immigrant Detention Center. Meet us on the corner of 30th and Peoria in Aurora and we’ll walk over to together. Feel free to bring anything you’d like to share on the open mic, including announcements. We will be raising awareness regarding a GEO executive who threatened his daughter in law with deportation when she brought forward a domestic violence case in Boulder, CO. FB event: Other Amazing Events Statewide: LA MEXICANA: FEMALE ICONS in MEXICAN CULTUREis the title of the art exhibit that will be on display from September 13 through December 16 at the Arvada Center for the Arts located at 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada. In memory of businessman Luiz Albarca, the Abarca family is making his extensive art collection available for the exhibit. The exhibit contains a variety of art forms that represent the power, influence and significance of women throughout Mexico’s history. Some of the images pay homage to La Adelita, La Chicana, La Frida, La Virgen, La Luna, and many more. Al Frente de Lucha has just launched an online fundraising campaign for our Tierra Amarilla Youth Leadership Institute. The institute is a space where youth can learn their true history, understand their culture and build the capacity to transform society. We are raising funds to send a delegation of 55 youth, ages 12-19, to the northern mountains of New Mexico. The money raised will help cover operational costs, which include daily activities, transportation, supplies, food and medical expenses. Please consider making a contribution to this project through a monetary donation and/or by sharing our page with your networks. We have a variety of gifts to provide you for your donation. Please use our link below to learn more about the project. Tierra Amarilla Fundraising Page - http://www.indiegogo.com/TierraAmarilla Any help is greatly appreciated. En Resistencia! Hosted by the office of Chicana/o Studies Department Theme:  Sacred Water y Tierra Sagrada -October 23 – 25, 2012  Featuring  Dr.  Devon G Peña PhD a lifelong activist in the environmental justice and resilient agriculture movements, and is Professor of American Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, and Environmental Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. His influential books include Mexican Americans and the Environment: Tierra y Vida(University of Arizona Press, 2005) and the edited volume Chicano Culture, Ecology, Politics: Subversive Kin (University of Arizona Press, 1998). Dr. Peña is the founding editor of the Environmental & Food Justice blog, and is a Contributing Author for New Clear Vision.Secretary of the Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association in Colorado All events are free and open to the public. All students are welcome! Tuesday, October 23, 2012  6-8:00 p.m. La Binvenida-Welcome Reception  Center for Visual Arts 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204 RSVP to www.msudenver.edu/news/castro Wednesday, October 24th 2012 Luncheon and Keynote Address 11:00 1:00 p.m.  Auraria Campus St.  Cajetan’s Event Center Dr. Devon Pena Wednesday, October 24th 5:00 -7:00 p.m.  Panel Discussion Springhill Suites Marriott 1190 Auraria Parkway, 2nd Fl Salon B/C, Denver Panel: Paula Garcia Mora County Commission Chair and Exec Director of New Mexico Acequia Association and Ryan Goltlen  Esq.  Colo Water and Land  Rights Attorney All events are free and open to the publicwww.msudenver.edu/news/castro For more information, contact Mercedes Salazar 303-556-3124 Jobs with Justice is sponsoring a series of state candidate forums around the Denver metro area with 9to5 Colorado; FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities; and NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation, along with other local community groups. Please join us and hear where your candidates for the State Legislature stand on issues that are important to you. We’ll be sponsoring both the Denver North andDenver East forums. On Tuesday, October 23rd, at 5:30 at the IBEW hall (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), 5660 Logan Street, is the Denver North forum. Candidates from both major parties in House Districts 5, 7, 8, 31, 32, and 34 have been invited, along with Senate Districts 21, 31, 32, and 33. On Wednesday, October 24th, at 5:30 at the Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, is the Denver East forum. Candidates from both major parties in House Districts 3, 6, 9, 30, 36, 41, adn 42 have been invited, along with Senate Districts 25, 28, and 29. Childcare at these forums is available on request; please contact Bridget (bridget@9to5.org) for more details.   Please join us for a very special event. Nicholas P. Cafardi, Doctor of Canon Law, will speak on Catholic Social Teaching: The Intersection of Faith and Politics at a dialogue hosted by the Institute on the Common Good at Regis University at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25th.  The dialogue, Catholic Social Teaching: The Intersection of Faith and Politics, will take place in the Mountain View Room located in Peter Claver Hall on the campus of Regis University. The event is free and open to the public. An open dialogue will follow Cafardi’s remarks, with everyone attending invited to participate in the discussion. We hope to see you there. Sincerely, Paul K. Alexander, Ph.D. Institute on the Common Good The We Belong Together campaign invites you to join us for a multimedia briefing on women, migration and the impacts of U.S. immigration policies at the U.S.-Mexico border. Thursday, October 25th 9:00-10:30am PST / 12:00-1:30pm EST ** Note that the briefing will be presented as a webinar, so you will need both internet and phone access in order to participate. Please RSVP to Wida Amir, wamir@napawf.org, to receive login instructions. In September, We Belong Together traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to meet with women who have been deported from the United States and have been separated from their families on both sides of the border. Their testimonies are compelling evidence of the humanitarian crisis that has been created by U.S. immigration policies. They are also powerful illustrations of the bravery of migrant women who risk everything to provide a better future for their children, families and communities. Join us for a presentation of migrant women’s testimonies, for a discussion of the issues they raise, and for a conversation on the importance of using a multinational approach to ensure the human rights of all migrants. We Belong Togetheris a collaboration of women’s and immigrant rights groups, initiated by the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. WBT works to expose the negative impact of anti-immigrant policies on our families and communities, and to achieve a society that upholds possibility and dignity for all. ¡Aparte la fecha! La campaña Nos Mantenemos Unidos los invita a participar en una conversación sobre las mujeres, la migración y los impactos de las políticas inmigratorias de los Estados Unidos en la frontera con México. jueves, 25 de octubre 9:00-10:30am PST / 12:00-1:30pm EST ** Este evento será presentado como un “webinar” así que necesitará tener acceso al internet y a una línea telefónica para poder participar. Por favor responde a Wida Amir, wamir@napawf.org, para inscribirse y para recibir instrucciones sobre cómo participar. En septiembre, un grupo de participantes en la campaña Nos Mantenemos Unidos viajaron a Tijuana, México, para reunirse con mujeres migrantes quienes habían sido deportadas de los Estados Unidos y quienes se encuentran lejos de sus familias en ambos lados de la frontera. Sus testimonios son evidencia de la crisis humanitaria que han creado las políticas inmigratorias de los Estados Unidos. También demuestran la gran valentía de las mujeres migrantes quienes arriesgan todo por proveerles un futuro mejor a sus hijos, sus familias y sus comunidades. Todos están invitados a participar en una presentación sobre estos testimonios, una discusión sobre los temas que plantean y una conversación sobre la importancia de un análisis y una estrategia multinacional para lograr derechos humanos de todos los migrantes. Nos Mantenemos Unidoses una colaboración entre grupos de mujeres y organizaciones pro-derechos de los inmigrantes que fue iniciada por la Alianza Nacional de Trabajadoras del Hogar y el National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. NMU trabaja para dar a conocer el impacto negativo que tienen las políticas anti-inmigrantes en nuestras familias y comunidades y para lograr una sociedad que defienda la dignidad de todos. “Braceros: Stories from the Earth” Friday, October 26th, 7:00 pm Regis University, Claver Hall, Mountain View Room The show is free and open to the Public. This is the final event as part of our series of events highlighting the Smithsonian exhibit “Bittersweet Harvest,” on display at Regis’ Dayton Memorial Library until the end of October. Please join us as we explore the story of the largest guest worker program in U.S. history, and its enduring legacy in the 21st century.  A discussion with the audience will follow the performance. For more information, visit romerotroupe.org or contact Jim Walsh at jwalsh@regis.edu. https://www.facebook.com/events/120113848141318/ Racial Justice Hotline Volunteer Training Date: Saturday, October 27, 2012 Time: 9:30am until 4:00pm Location: 1029 Santa Fe, Denver Please RSVP with Mu Son at muson@progressivecoalition.org and you will be sent a very brief volunteer application. Join us in our efforts to document abuses by law enforcement in our communities by becoming a volunteer on our Racial Justice Hotline. Our hotline depends on community members like you that document the abuses faced by community members. JOIN US in our efforts to develop a community narrative on racial profiling and police violence. Background on Racial Justice Hotline In 2002, CPC launched the Racial Profiling Hotline in response to our communities’ call to document the abuses faced at the hands of law enforcement. The Racial Justice Hotline will respond to calls from residents across the state that have been racially profiled, harassed, and assaulted by law enforcement. The goals of the hotline are to: • Document statewide abuses of law enforcement regarding racial profiling and disproportionate affects of policing on communities of color • Address individual cases of profiling and police misconduct in order to seek justice. This can include filing official complaints, legal resources, media attention, etc. • Inform ongoing direction of CPC’s Racial Justice and Civil Rights Program and identify policy solutions from our community’s experience with police violence. Roles and Requirements Racial Justice Hotline Volunteers play an extremely critical role in assembling our community narrative on police violence. As a Hotline Volunteer, you will be responsible for answering statewide calls from community members who have been racially profiled, harassed or assaulted by officers and performing initial intake. Greater responsibilities (filing complaints with internal affairs/independent monitor, legal resources, and other) are available. Please contact Mu Son with any questions. Hotline Volunteers are expected to • Be reliable and able to follow through on commitments • Attend one full day Hotline Training • Commit to 4 week-long hotline shifts per year (One shift every 3 months) • Be responsible for the Hotline cell phone and charger during the week of their shift • Pick up Hotline cell phone at the beginning of their shift (on Monday) and return at the end of their shift (Monday). Shifts start at 9am on Monday and end at 9am on the following Monday • Respond to Hotline calls within 24 hours and perform appropriate follow up • Perform intake of Hotline calls and enter information into the database form • Provide staff and volunteers with any information about callers who were unable to be contacted • Find their own replacement amongst other volunteers if they cannot fulfill their committed Hotline shift • Attend 2 Hotline Committee meetings per year • Maintain open communication with staff as needed • Participate in evaluation processes to improve the hotline and volunteer structure FILM SCREENING HAITI SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2:00 PM THE MERCURY CAFÉ, 2199 CALIFORNIA ST. UPDATE ON POST-EARTHQUAKE HAITI  1)  FILM:  “HAITI:  WHERE DID ALL THE MONEY GO?      When the devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, the world responded with billions of dollars in donations.  What happened to all that money?  Filmmaker Michele Mitchell spent an extended period of time in Haiti and raises questions about aid in Haiti and the “aid industry” in general. 2)  WYCLEF JEAN –  videotaped interview Musician (formerly with the Fugees), and patriot/philanthropist who is committed to assisting Haiti. Copies of his recently released book, PURPOSE, will be for sale at this event. $5.00  – Suggested Donation for event Co-sponsored by the Colorado Committee on Africa and the Caribbean and the Service Learning Center at Regis University. Contact:  (303) 329-5881 Please visit our website. . . .. www.tinyurl.com/coloradocommittee Sandra Cisneros Tuesday, October 30, 7:30 pm, Historic LoDo Sandra Cisneros, the internationally acclaimed author of The House on Mango Street, will read from and sign her lyrical new novel Have You Seen Marie? ($21.00 Knopf). Helping Youth Apply for Deferred Action / Ayudando a jovenes con la Accion Diferida Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a program announced by the President Obama on June 15, 2012. Under this program people between the ages of 15 and 30, who arrived in the United States before they were 16 years old and graduated, have a GED or are in school can apply for 2 year permits that will allow them to legally work and study in the United States. We are helping people apply for this program at no charge, and are training community volunteers to help us help applicants. La acción diferida es un programa que fue anunciado por el Presidente Obama el 15 de Junio del 2012 para aquellos que llegaron en su infancia. Personas bajo este programa entre las edades de 15 y 30, que entraron a los Estados Unidos antes de los 16 años de edad, que son graduados, tienen un GED o están en la escuela pueden solicitar permisos de 2 años que les permitirá legalmente trabajar y estudiar en los Estados Unidos. Nosotros estamos ayudando a personas a solicitar este programa sin costo alguno y están entrenando voluntarios de la comunidad para ayudarnos a ayudar a los solicitantes. Workshop to Help Youth Complete the Deferred Action Application Forms: November 3, 10:30 AM – Unitarian Universalist Church 3005 Thomes, Cheyenne, WY 82001 – 307-638-4554 LUNCH WILL BE SERVED! Please bring all the documents that you will need to apply and fill out as much of the application as you can ahead of the workshop. Favor de traer todos los documentos necesarios para aplicar y llenar lo mas de la aplicación que pueda antes del taller. This event is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.       For our application packet, please visit: http://www.fccan.org/helping-youth-apply-deferred-action-ayudando-jovenes-con-la-accion-diferida Sponsored by Fuerza Latina and Jovenes con Fuerza, affiliates of the Fort Collins Community Action Network. We are a 5013c organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. Hello, Justice & Peace friends! The DJPC Award’s Night 2012 is coming soon on Saturday, November 17th, and we are looking forward to honoring Grahame Russell of RIGHTS ACTION and Steve Piper for their great accomplishments. The closing reception is always fun and delicious! Are you able to bring some munchies for the occasion? We will serve “simple finger-food” (NO soups, dinners, main dishes!!). Please respond to klrodriguez@comcast.net or call 303-964-8818, so we can make appropriate plans. Thank you so much for your help, Kathryn RAP’s 12th Annual Posada Without Borders La Doceava Anual Posada Sin Fronteras de RAP Saturday, December 8, 2012 Sábado, el 8 de diciembre de 2012 4-8 pm Join Rights for All People (RAP) for the biggest holiday party of the year! “La Posada Sin Fronteras” is a fun-filled event for the whole family. Highlights include a theatre presentation, music, food, piñatas, prizes, and more! RSVP on Facebook now and stay tuned for ticket sales starting soon. For more information contact Liz at liz@rap-dpt.org or 303-893-3500 x105. Acompañe a Derechos Para Todos (RAP) para la fiesta de navidad más grande del año! “La Posada Sin Fronteras” es una noche de diversión para toda la familia. El evento incluirá una obra de teatro, música, cena, piñatas, premios y más! Reserve su espacio en Facebook ahora y anunciaremos la venta de boletos pronto. Para más información contacte a Liz al liz@rap-dpt.org o 303-893-3500 x105. ON – GOING EVENTS: Job Action Cesar Chavez Memorial Building 1244 Speer, Denver, CO This Memorial has one token union group working on it and the rest is non-union workers. I ask that you Join LCLAA and the community in a job action against the construction in this building. Our speakers are Former Colorado Senator Polly Baca, City Councilman Paul Lopez, Denver Area Labor Federation President John Fleck, Solomon F J Juarez President LCLAA Denver and others. Se Si Puede! For more information contact Brynn McKenna at bmckenna@denver.co.lclaa.org or Solomon F J Juarez at sjuarez@denver.co.lclaa.org http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=239584466093177 ¿Hablas español? Do you want to? Come and learn Spanish. The Comite en Defensa del Pueblo is offering conversational Spanish, with truly native Spanish speakers, this is a great opportunity for you and/o your friend to learn Spanish. Every Thursday. 6pm to 7:30pm. Classes will be at 27 Social Centre Located: 2727 W 27th Ave. Denver Co. Free classes, but donations are welcome. For information contact us: Nacho: (720) 621- 7468 Homero: (303) 437 7805 https://www.facebook.com/events/172087579554810/ https://www.facebook.com/events/275141269207727/?ref=ts Job Postings: As some of you all know, i’m working for a national organization All Hands on Deck (http://allhandsondeck.net/) – known on the street as VoteMob – mobilizing millennial progressive voters around the state of Colorado (http://www.facebook.com/SmallMoneyVsBigMoneyColorado?fref=ts).  The work is highly collaborative, campus-based, and arts & social media involved.  I have just been authorized by our national group to hire 4 more student organizers for a last 26 day push outside of the denver metro area. I’d love referrals to great potential youth and student organizers (of any age, citizenship status, etc) who can work outside of the Denver metro area (and especially CO Springs, Pueblo, Durango, and Grand Junction). What we’re doing is different from the usual model.  We’re talent scouting for ingenious organic local organizers with a long term vision for their communities. Below is a paragraph from VoteMob’s national director about the kind of work state-based VoteMob’s are doing for some examples of the type of organizers & organizing that we are interested in. Please pass this on far & wide – and let me know of any specific referrals that you have!  I’d like to have four folks hired by Monday! thanks, seth donovan VoteMob CO State Organizing Director http://allhandsondeck.net/ http://www.facebook.com/SmallMoneyVsBigMoneyColorado 720.936.6974 from Billy Wimsat: “Our local organizers are blowing my mind with their creativity. One of our Ohio organizers Kirin came up with the idea to re-label and hand out condoms that say: “Don’t Get F#$&ed by Romney.” They are recruiting super volunteers, building teams, registering voters, doing class raps, raising money, pushing provocative messages designed to shock, excite, and LOL disillusioned young voters with messaging like: Are You Under 30? DON’T VOTE. Paid for by Billionaires for Mitt Romney. Our Wisconsin organizer Maxwell helped get $20,000 allocated by the statewide student association to hire 12 additional student organizers! We have been lucky to hire some of the best young organizers in America – they are unleashing some real magic! And it’s NOT just registering voters. Our Iowa organizer Simeon is organizing skateboarders, among others. Our Nevada Organizer Nathaniel is helping elect a progressive slate for student government at UNLV. Our North Dakota organizer Shylah is fighting to get some of the state’s oil money allocated to reducing student debt (UND has the highest average student debt in the nation). And our New Mexico organizer Vanely is connecting DREAMer work with multi-issue organizing. Many are explicitly using the vote work to build their skills and their base to build a long term youth organizing movement in their state post-election.” http://9to5.org/local/colorado/about/jobs/colorado-transit-organizer-ii RAP is Hiring a Development Assistant for our Annual Posada Sin Fronteras! RAP is seeking an outgoing, organized, and creative person with fundraising experience to assist our Development Associate with all fundraising and donor cultivation activities for annual end of the year Posada. This position requires the ability to effectively communicate by phone, email, and face-to-face contact. Spanish fluency is required. Job Summary: This position is part time, 20 hours per week, October – December. The Development Assistant position entails working under the supervision of the Development associate to lead the planning and execution of RAP’s annual event; making direct mail appeals, meeting with local business owners, designing advertising, meeting deadlines, and engaging in donor cultivation activities. The Development Assistant is responsible for helping solicit and track gifts from a diverse base of individual donors and sponsors. Required Qualifications: Comfortable with data-entry Desktop publishing Excellent interpersonal skills Ability to multitask Spanish Fluency Compensation: This part-time position pays $15/hour, 20 hours per week for approximately 9 weeks. How to Apply: Applicants should send a cover letter (two copies: Spanish and English) explaining your interest in fundraising with RAP and a resume to christopher@rap-dpt.org. The closing date for applications is Wednesday, October 5 at 5 p.m. Positions for an Events Coordinator, Community Resource Advocate, Shelter Children’s Counselor, and Spanish Bilingual Shelter Advocate at the nonprofit Safehouse Progressive Alliance For Nonviolence. Click “Jobs” on their home page at www.SafehouseAlliance.org For details of job openings through the Denver City Government, click: http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/672/documents/JobsOpen.pdf For details of job openings through the Colorado State Government, click: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/colorado/default.cfm For details of job openings in the nonprofit sector, click: http://www.ColoradoNonprofits.org/board.cfm Other job openings and career opportunities in Colorado can be found through a free resource that matches job seekers and businesses seeking employees. Go to www.ConnectingColorado.com Eat for Peace! Purchase a King Soopers Debit Card to benefit AFSC: This is a great way to contribute to AFSC! Purchase an AFSC/King Soopers debit card for $25. Add money to your KS debit card using cash, check or credit card. Every time you add money to the debit card, 5% goes to AFSC. Your debit card is good all year long, every year. AFSC/KS Debit Cards can be used at City Market or Loaf N Jug or any other Krogers Store.

 

This mailing is from AFSC’s Colorado Office

901 West 14th Avenue, Suite #7
Denver, CO 80204
United States

Contact Information
Email: coloradoinfo@afsc.org | Web: http://afsc.org/office/denver-co
Facebook: AFSC & Coloradans For Immigrant Rights
Blog: coloradansforimmigrantrights.blogspot.com

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Welcome to Greece. The country of Democracy, logic, the country that gave birth to equal rights, the country of civilization, the country of many Philosophers :

1. We have neo nazi’s in the parliament and nobody is able to touch them since every cop, every military staff is in their favor due to their patriotic stand and because they’re beating the crap out of foreigners or sometimes (I even witnessed this) killing anyone who is not a Greek, white enough, Orthodox Christian or anyone against their will and/or opinion. You may google the Neo Nazi party of Greece under the name: “Golden Dawn”.

 

 

2. We have no freedom of speech. Theater plays get canceled because they’re against religion. Internet personas get sued because they’re against religion. The Golden Dawn is teaming up with the Church and hunting down everything they dislike with sometimes seeing priests kicking people to the ground and waving in a Nazi greet way

links: http://www.businessinsider.com/geron-pastitsios-2012-9

and http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2012/10/11/golden-dawn-mp-frees-detainee-as-fanatics-storm-theater-to-stop-t-nallys-corpus-christi/

 

 

3. Cops are planting Molotov bombs to peaceful protesters in order to get them arrested. It has been documented several times that cops in Greece have been infiltrating the protesters, creating violent riots while some of the protests are and begin in a VERY strict peaceful way

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQatfuAxTE

Cops are also great fanatics of the SS, the Golden Dawn and get to prove that everywhere they can:

link: http://sup.kathimerini.gr/kath/engs/img/NEWS/2011/02/policehelmet_390_1002.jpg

 

4. You all remember the cop in USA who pepper sprayed a bunch of students and the entire world got shocked right? Well, we were not in shock cause this, is the air we breathe every day:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/12/07/greece460x276.jpg

 

and

 

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Agit6GLuWk/0.jpg

 

you US kids have nothing on us, heh.

Cops even use innocent girls for shielding against protesters:

 

http://www.theinsider.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21698%3Ai-diadilotria-aspida-gia-ton-andra-ton-mat&catid=3%3Asociety&Itemid=41

 

 

5. Suicide rates are way too high

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD_phmSldow

and get it from me cause I have had some experience, these rates are very very real and they’re very very serious since…

 

6. …the average household is under the poverty limit right now and each one of us is in great debt. Some have no heat for this winter, I was lucky I got some chance from a guy who is facing a similar issue and was kind enough to help me out. Others, are not very lucky.

Food is somewhat of an issue as well since you see people on the streets eating off of trashcans. Some of them even have homes that are ready to lose due to bank loans. Most of them don’t even live in a house anymore.

link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16878756

 

7. Hospitals are shutting down

link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/greek-election-blog-2012/video/2012/jun/15/greece-hospital-austerity-cuts-video

 

8. The citizens of Greece have a government that decides against their will. We even have a government we NEVER elected.

This government is dooming the fate of each Greek household so people go outside to riot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80%932012_Greek_protests

 

but it ain’t easy..

Political parties, both left wing and right wing are infiltrating freedom movements, spreading hate against each other, making it impossible for people to organize against a big protest that will indeed bring some results. So we mainly have violent riots due to disagreements, due to infiltration, due to the fact that the government doesn’t even allow us to protest sometimes:

 

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=el&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=el&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.astynomia.gr%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dozo_content%26lang%26perform%3Dview%26id%3D20947%26Itemid%3D975

 

9. Jobs and payments are OVER:

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7wcEka-oto

 

10. Pensions are OVER, with more than 4.000.000 old people struggling every day facing the dilemma “should I get my meds or buy food? or the other way around?”

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kse2lBx7Xa8

 

11. A list of people from inside the parliament and not only, that made fresh bank accounts in Switzerland in order to save their money and escape the taxes has been given to Greece and now is lost. This list included the names of politicians that right now run this country:

link: http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2012/10/02/the-odyseey-of-a-list-with-1991-tax-dodgers-from-lagarde-to-greece-with-love/

 

12. If you’re not 100% Greek, 100% white, 100% Orthodox Christian, you simply have NO rights in this country and nobody gives a crap about you. So basically we have no human rights in Greece.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4OphwDxpJ0

 

13. Riots are all over Athens since 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaUyPzXqWKo

 

14. The media spread terror and even make their own news to scare people off. They spread government propaganda making people more miserable, more suicidal and more destined to turn to fascism, religion and death.

 

 

15. Members of the Golden Dawn are searching in Kindergardens for kids not being Greek and ask for their teachers to NOT teach these kids.

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https://gawker.com/5951977/leaked-debate-agreement-shows-both-obama-and-romney-are-sniveling-cowards

 

Time‘s Mark Halperin has made himself useful for once by obtaining, and publishing, a copy of the 21-page memorandum of understandingthat the Obama and Romney campaigns negotiated with the Commission on Presidential Debates establishing the rules governing this month’s presidential and vice presidential face-offs. The upshot: Both campaigns are terrified at anything even remotely spontaneous happening.

They aren’t permitted to ask each other questions, propose pledges to each other, or walk outside a “predesignated area.” And for the town-hall-style debate tomorrow night, the audience members posing questions aren’t allowed to ask follow-ups (their mics will be cut off as soon as they get their questions out). Nor will moderator Candy Crowley.

Most bizarrely, given the way the debates have played out, the rules actually appear to forbid television coverage from showing reaction shots of the candidates: “To the best of the Commission’s abilities, there will be no TV cut-aways to any candidate who is not responding to a question while another candidate is answering a question or to a candidate who is not giving a closing statement while another candidate is doing so.” The “best of the Commission’s abilities” must be rather feeble, seeing as how almost every moment of the two debates so far was televised in split-screen, clearly showing shots of a “candidate who is not responding to a question while another candidate is answering a question.”

Which means some of the rules below that both campaigns stipulated to in a desperate attempt to wring any serendipity out of the events may be honored in the breach:

• “The candidates may not ask each other direct questions during any of the four debates.”
• “The candidates shall not address each other with proposed pledges.”
• “At no time during the October 3 First Presidential debate shall either candidate move from his designated area behing the respective podium.”
• For the October 16 town-hall-style debate, “the moderator will not ask follow-up questions or comment on either the questions asked by the audience or the answers of the candidates during the debate….”
• “The audience members shall not ask follow-up questions or otherwise participate in the extended discussion, and the audience member’s microphone shall be turned off after he or she completes asking the questions.”
• “[T]he Commission shall take appropriate steps to cut-off the microphone of any…audience member who attempts to pose any question or statement different than that previously posed to the moderator for review.”
• “No candidate may reference or cite any specific individual sitting in a debate audience (other than family members) at any time during a debate.”
• For the town-hall debate: “Each candidate may move about in a pre-designated area, as proposed by the Commission and approved by each campaign, and may not leave that area while the debate is underway.”

Here’s the full document:

The 2012 Debates – Memorandum of Understanding Between the Obama and Romney Campaigns

[Image via AP]

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http://tarsandsblockade.org/9th-action/

As the Winnsboro, Texas tree blockade enters its fourth week, over 50 blockaders publicly demonstrated on the Keystone XL easement despite the threat of a newly-expanded Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) by TransCanada and egregious criminal overcharges by local law enforcement. Here’s a photo of our spokesperson, Ron Seifert, holding the stack of legal papers we just got served.

 

Due to the SLAPP suits’ outrageous claims, the tree blockaders have by-and-large felt too threatened to safely reveal their identities, despite their protest being nonviolent. Today’s defiant walk-on protest is the largest in the history of protests surrounding Keystone XL construction sends a clear signal that we will not be deterred by SLAPP suits and other legal threats to limit our civil liberties.

 

 

ICELAND REVOLUTION:  In Iceland, the people have made the government resign, the primary banks have been nationalized and it was decided not to pay the debt that these created with Great Britain and Holland due to their bad financial politics, and a public assembly has been created to rewrite the constitution. And all of this has been done in a peaceful way. A whole revolution against the powers that have created the current crisis. This is why there hasn’t been any publicity during the last two years: What would happen if the rest of the EU citizens took this as an example? What would happen if the US citizens took this as an example? This is a summary of the facts: 2008. The main bank of the country is nationalized. The Krona, the currency of Iceland devaluates and the stock market stops. The country is in bankruptcy 2008. The citizens protest in front of parliament and manage to get new elections that make the resignation of the prime minister and his whole government. The country is in bad economic situation. A law proposes paying back the debt to Great Britain and Holland through the payment of 3,500 million euros, which will be paid by the people of Iceland monthly during the next 15 years, with a 5.5% interest. 2010. The people go out in the streets and demand a referendum. In January 2010 the president denies the approval and announces a popular meeting. In March the referendum and the denial of payment is voted in by 93%. Meanwhile the government has initiated an investigation to bring to justice those responsible for the crisis, and many high level executives and bankers are arrested. The Interpol dictates an order that make all the implicated parties leave the country. In this crisis an assembly is elected to rewrite a new Constitution which can include the lessons learned from this, and which will substitute the current one (a copy of the Danish Constitution). 25 citizens are chosen, with no political affiliation, out of the 522 candidates. For candidacy all that was needed was to be an adult and have the support of 30 people. The constitutional assembly starts in February of 2011 to present the ‘carta magna’ from the recommendations given by the different assemblies happening throughout the country. It must be approved by the current Parliament and by the one constituted through the next legislative elections. So in summary of the Icelandic revolution: -resignation of the whole government -nationalization of the bank. -referendum so that the people can decide over the economic decisions. -incarcerating the responsible parties -rewriting of the constitution by its people. — with Matha Fackn Baes and Mirian B Silva.

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=825348&l=dbdd398de8&id=205204719564332

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CFIR Monthly Skill Share CO Criminal Justice Reform Coalition joins CFIR to TALK FOR PROFIT PRISONS and IMMIGRANT DETENTION… Christie Donner joins CFIR to discuss what the immigrant rights movement and the movement to end immigrant detention can learn from the successes and challenges CCJRC has had in the fight to defeat private prisons. Christie Donner is CCJRC’s Executive Director and founder. She has over fifteen years of experience working in criminal justice reform advocacy, community organizing, policy research, and lobbying. Christie co-authored Parenting from Prison: A Resource Guide for Incarcerated Parents in Colorado . She is also the co-author of CCJRC’s publication Getting On After Getting Out: A Re-Entry Guide for Colorado. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder. The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) is a non-profit organization that was formed to halt the exponential growth in the state prison population. CCJRC believes that we are currently overusing incarceration and that a comprehensive reevaluation of current criminal justice policy is necessary. We advocate for the expansion of funding for treatment, alternatives to incarceration, and reintegration services to people leaving prison. We also unconditionally oppose the use of for-profit prisons in Colorado. FB event:https://www.facebook.com/events/151123395032429/?fref=ts

 

 

This mailing is from AFSC’s Colorado Office

901 West 14th Avenue, Suite #7
Denver, CO 80204
United States

Contact Information
Email: coloradoinfo@afsc.org | Web: http://afsc.org/office/denver-co
Facebook: AFSC & Coloradans For Immigrant Rights
Blog: coloradansforimmigrantrights.blogspot.com

http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/3-young-people-now-in-jail-for-refusing-to-talk-about-other-anarchists/6467/

 

Leah Plante appeared before a federal grand jury for the third timeyesterday, and for the third time she refused to talk about her politics and other anarchists. She was taken into custody on civil contempt, and is now imprisoned at SEA-TAC in Seattle, Washington.

Plante joins two other anarchists, Matt Duran and Katherine “KteeO” Olejnik, who have chosen to make the same principled stand.

The three were subpoenaed to this grand jury following FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force raids in multiple cities in the Northwest. The search warrants identified “anti-government or anarchist literature.” At the time, because of statements from police and because the warrants listed that the items were connected to “conspiracy to destroy government property” and “interstate travel with intent to riot,” it appeared that the raids and grand jury were connected to broken windows and other vandalism at a Seattle May Day protest.

Grand jury proceedings are secret, but Lauren Regan, an attorney with the Civil Liberties Defense Center, learned that the grand jury was empaneled March 2, 2012 — before the May Day protests even took place. It’s possible that prosecutors spent months anticipating and investigating May Day protests, but a more likely explanation is that this grand jury is not about broken windows.

It’s a fishing expedition targeting those who identify as anarchists or associate with anarchists. Grand juries have historically been used against radical social movements as a tool to intimidate and to gather information. When activists enter a grand jury proceeding, they check their rights at the door. They are asked about what they believe, what their friends believe, who they associate with, what kinds of activism they support. If they choose to assert their First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights by refusing to speak about their political beliefs and political associations, they can be imprisoned.

Jordan Halliday, an animal rights activist, was charged with both civil and criminal contempt for his non-cooperartion. Not long ago, Carrie Feldman was imprisoned for her refusal as well. The same tactics were recently used against antiwar and international solidarity activists in the midwest.

Here are 3 reasons you should support these grand jury resisters:

This is from a FBI training guide about anarchist “terrorists.” “Non-cooperative” is one of the only things they got right.

1) They have not committed any crime. Plante, Duran, and Olejnik were not subpoenaed to the grand jury because they are being tied to a crime, they were subpoenaed with the hopes that they could be intimidated into providing information on others. I’ve seen some people say things like, ”if they didn’t have information about a crime, they wouldn’t have been subpoenaed.” That’s simply untrue. In the past, activists have been subpoenaed to grand juries simply because they are friends with a “target,” or have dated someone under investigation, or simply had their name appear in an address book or email list.

2) This is part of the on-going demonization of anarchists, and dissent. From the FBIentrapment plot targeting Occupy Cleveland to FBI training materials describing anarchists as “criminal seeking an ideology,” this is a crackdown not on specific criminal activity but on an entire belief system.

3) Today’s response will shape what happens tomorrow. I mean this in two ways. First, the resistance of these grand jurors, and the support of their communities, may affect how long they are imprisoned and whether others are subpoenaed. Grand jury resisters are technically only allowed to be imprisoned if the jail time will be an incentive for them to cooperate. If it’s clear that they will not cooperate, under any circumstances, it puts their attorneys in a much better position to fight for their release. And it also sends a clear message to prosecutors that further attempts to intimidate activists will also fail.

Second, and more importantly,  our response to what is happening today will have a direct impact on how these tactics are used tomorrow, against other social movements. For years I have been reporting about the backlash against animal rights and environmental activistsas “terrorists.” We are seeing the exact same rhetoric, and same tactics, being used against anarchists. They won’t be the last. Whether it is animal rights activists, environmentalists, anarchists, Occupy Wall Street, or whatever new movement is rising in the distance,  if these grand jury witch hunts are not resisted they will be used against others.

What can you do?

Donate to their legal defense.

Write them a letter. Here are their addresses:

Matthew Kyle Duran #42565-086
FDC SeaTac,
P.O. Box 13900
Seattle, WA 98198

Katherine Olejnik #42592-086
FDC SeaTac,
P.O. Box 13900
Seattle, WA 98198

Leah-Lynne Plante
#42611-086
FDC SeaTac
PO Box 13900
Seattle, WA 98198

Talk to each other. The fact that yesterday’s article was shared more than 12,000 times on Facebook alone, and has received more than 100,000 views in less than 24 hours, indicates to me that a wide range of people had no idea this was going on. And when they learned about it, they were shocked and outraged and shared it with other like-minded people. I see inspiration in that, and I see huge opportunities for outreach and community building.

Leah Plante said in her statement yesterday, “They want us to feel isolated, alone and scared.” Confronting those feelings openly, honestly, and with one another is the best way to strip the power away from tactics based on fear.

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http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/10/05/10-shocking-incidents-of-police-brutality-caught-on-tape/

 

by CLINT HENDERSON

The internet is full of videos exposing police officers’ use of excessive physical force when trying to apprehend or detain “potential criminals”. Every year in fact there seems to be an increase in YouTube video uploads, video views, and news stories depicting this type of injustice.

Much of this increase is due to the rising number of security cameras, which allow us to witness events that otherwise may have never been publicized at all, and to the widespread use of cellphones, which almost all have video capability.

All these videocams mean police now face added transparency and accountability (where before we only had “internal” accountability… which typically has meant a slap on the wrist).

As it so happens, I work with a security camera company called 2MCCTV, so I thought it fitting to increase awareness of police brutality by showcasing videos that happened to be captured from security cameras (not from our own cameras from around the country). There would be too many to choose from if we included other countries –especially were I to include China, South Africa, Brazil, etc., as they house some of the most brutal police forces on the planet. The secondary reason for limiting this to American footage is because I think many people mistakenly still believe that the US is the one place where police brutality is not an issue, or at least not prevalent.

This top 10 list is controversial, and not for the faint of heart. These unnerving videos include police officers and their unwarranted BEAT-DOWNS of the following: a special-ed kid, a grandmother trying to pay her bills at a Hooters, a homeless man with schizophrenia, and a woman already handcuffed and at the police station who had just gotten in a car wreck (no alcohol involved)… to name a few. Do these cops truly believe they are above the law? You decide:

10) Greenville County Police taser and punch 18-year-old in the face 13 times (Sep 26, 2009)

Greenville, SC – An 18-year old beaten over and over by an undercover police officer. As you watch and count the punches, you feel like “Wow, is he ever going to stop…?” Yes, the kid was at a known drug house and was possibly buying drugs or maybe had some sort of connection with drugs, but damn! As a user he’s actually more a victim than a perp.

9) LAPD Officers Slam Defenseless Cuffed Woman to Ground (August 29, 2012)

A security camera from Del Taco captured this footage of a nurse, Michelle Jordan, being pulled over on a routine traffic stop (she was texting on her cell-phone while driving) and handled quite excessively by two officers. Fast-forward to view the bruises on her face and body brought on by the police officers use of excessive force. Note the officers, who included a 20-veteran with the rank of commander, fist-bumping after each man had tackled her.

8) Police Officer Attacks Grandmother at Hooters (Nov 18, 2010)

Fast forward to about 1:00 in the clip to see where the off-duty police officer starts getting rough with this grandmother and Hooters patron in Oak Lawn, Illinois. It all started over an issue with the bill, which got completely out of hand.

7) Denver Police Brutality Caught on Tape, Camera Pans Away… (August 17, 2010)

The video surveillance you see here was actually recorded by the police officer’s own equipment. Knowing that, it’s very interesting how the camera pans away, just as the officer begins pummeling the innocent bystander talking on his cell phone.

6) Officer Beats Special Ed Student Over an Un-tucked Shirt (Oct 27, 2010)

A special needs kid, 15-year old Marshawn Pitts, was at the wrong place at the wrong time in Dolton, Illinois. What began as verbal abuse over something as silly as his shirt not being tucked in, led to strong physical abuse and a broken nose at the hands of an “unidentified police officer”.

5) Houston Police Beat Handcuffed 15-Year-Old Boy (Feb 7, 2011)

The end of a pursuit is caught on a security camera, where 15-year old Chad Holley falls on the ground and surrenders. I don’t think the cops want it to be that easy on him… Watch while he lays there with his hands on top of his head only to get kicked about a hundred times and have his head stomped in.

4) Rhode Island Police Officer Kicks Woman in Handcuffs (Sep 2, 2012)

Here we have a 2009 case where a Rhode Island police officer (Edward Krawetz) kicked a woman in the face, while she sat handcuffed on the ground. The video surveillance only recently went public. Officer Krawetz was convicted of “felony battery with a dangerous weapon” and sentenced to a 10-year suspension — an unusually stiff response to police brutality, which is probably only because the incident was recorded. Significantly, this was actually not his first assault charge (the other’s weren’t recorded).

3) Police Turn Off Security Camera and Beat Woman to Bloody Pulp (Sep 23, 2009)

This woman was taken into the police station under “suspicion of DWI.” She had just gotten in a wreck and the police assumed that alcohol was involved. Fast forward and you’ll see the Shreveport, Louisiana officer turn off the surveillance camera and when it comes back on, you’ll notice the woman lying in a pool of her own blood.

2) Kelly Thomas – Fatal Police Brutality of Homeless Man with Schizophrenia (May 8, 2012)

Kelly Thomas is a schizophrenic drifter who was tased and brutally beaten to death by officers Manuel Ramos and Corporal Jay Cicinelli. It was recorded using surveillance video taken from the Fullerton, California, Transportation Center.

1) Eugene Gruber – Police Brutality and Killing: Jail Security Footage – Chicago (Apr 18, 2012)

Talk about scary. This Chicago Tribune article says it best: “Eugene Gruber was drunk, hostile and uncooperative when he walked into the Lake County Jail, but a day later, he was paralyzed, had a broken neck and barely registered a pulse after an encounter with guards, records show”

Clint Henderson is a freelance writer and project manager for 2M CCTVsecurity solutions. He contributed this article to ThisCantBeHappening!

 

“Our dreams don’t fit in their ballot boxes”

http://www.portlandoccupier.org/2012/10/05/occupy-portland-and-portland-action-lab-issue-call-to-action-against-austerity-on-november-3rd/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PortlandOccupier+%28Portland+Occupier%29

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http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11956-noam-chomsky-issues-that-obama-and-romney-avoid

 

It’s only natural that when enlisted to run elections, the industry would adopt the same procedures in the interests of the paymasters, who certainly don’t want to see informed citizens making rational choices.

The victims, however, do not have to obey, in either case. Passivity may be the easy course, but it is hardly the honorable one.

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http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/10/03/feminist-vigilante-gangs-march-oakland-friday

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http://www.alternet.org/guide-resisting-debt-students-and-rest-us

 

A new manual from the Strike Debt campaign offers comprehensive advice for those struggling with student loan, medical and other kinds of debt.

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Below is our media advisory on puppets and butterflies in support of immigrant rights at the presidential debate tonight. We’d love to have you join us!

MEET UP SPOT:
***3:45pm AFSC 901 W. 14th Ave. Courthouse Square Apartments. Bring money($2.25 each way) for the light rail and bus.*** OR meet at Mountain View Friends Meeting at 5:00pm (on street parking only)

 

Community and Faith Groups to Demand an End to Detention and Deportation
Declare Migration is a Human Right, Profiting from Pain is Inhumane
Contact: Judith Marquez, 720-690-5172
Jordan Garcia, 303-919-8798, jgarcia@afsc.org

October 2, 2012 Denver, CO – Tomorrow dozens of faith leaders, immigrants and community leaders will gather outside the first 2012 presidential debates to demand an end to the separation of families through detention and deportation. Through creative, engaged and spirited action the group will demonstrate the monetary and human costs of deportation and unscrupulous for-profit detention centers like GEO, Inc. Community members will call on both candidates and the public to oppose inhumane and unwarranted detention and deportation and to recognize the human rights of migrants.

Faith communities from Aurora, Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins and Parker will participate in solidarity with immigrant rights groups from the Denver Metro area.

Rev. Nancy Rosas explains the moral imperative for change this way “This separation of families, not only detention but also deportation, is morally reprehensible. Families experience unnecessary pain and suffering, we want that to end.”

“Migration is a human right, people have migrated for centuries. The militarization and policing of borders is out of step with not only our history, but with our familial and economic realities. These policies result in death, as we saw in Chula Vista this week with the shooting death of US citizen mother, wife, sister and daughter Valerie Munique Tachiquin. We hope you’ll join us tomorrow to envision communities without this type of violence,” stated Jordan Garcia, Organizing Director at the American Friends Service Committee.

Judith Marquez explains her motivation for participating as “It has become more and more obvious that the main reason people are detained is because corporations stand to make money based on tearing apart families. This profiting from pain is inhumane and suspect.”
WHAT:                 Demonstration to end for-profit detention and deportation. Intergenerational Silent Prayer, Testimony, Street Theater, Giant Puppets, Butterfly Wings, Songs and chants.

WHERE:               University of Denver, Corner of Iliff and University

WHEN:                 Wednesday, October 3 2012, 5:30pm

WHO:                   American Friends Service Committee, Clergy and members from the Unitarian Universalist Association, the United Church of Christ, and the Mountain View Friends Meeting, plus  Coloradans for Immigrant Rights, and Padres y Jovenes Unidos.

This mailing is from AFSC’s Colorado Office

901 West 14th Avenue, Suite #7
Denver, CO 80204
United States

Contact Information
Email: coloradoinfo@afsc.org | Web: http://afsc.org/office/denver-co
Facebook: AFSC & Coloradans For Immigrant Rights
Blog: coloradansforimmigrantrights.blogspot.com

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Dear friends and family,

I am reassured to know that you have my back, and that you have done everything to prevent the US Government fromthreatening to detain me indefinitely without charge for my work as a journalist and citizen.

I am not one for cultivating an exaggerated sense of self-importance. I think it takes more character and courage to live in reality. Anybody who knows me personally, knows that if this can happen to me, it can and will happen to you or someone you know.

Since January 2011, I have covered the WikiLeaks release of US State Department Cables, JTF memoranda known as the ‘GTMO files’, and revolutions across Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, and Yemen, as well as the legal proceedings against Bradley Manning and the US investigation into WikiLeaks. I have interviewed a preeminent US foreign policy expert on the Cambodia cables, and published hours of interviews with former GTMO guards, detainees, defense lawyers, and human rights activists, as well as WikiLeaks media partners: Andy Worthington, a GTMO historian and author, and Atanas Tchobanov, the Balkanleaks’ spokesman and co-editor of Bivol.bg.

Why do I do this work? Because it moves me deeply. Because I am compelled to learn and to understand. The positive results of some of my work also grants me a sense of common purpose in service to my fellow man/woman.

When the US Government said in Federal Court that they would not guarantee that I would not be indefinitely detained without charge under Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act FY2011 for articles I had written on the ‘War on Terror’, you set aside partisanship. You realized that what is as stake is more than an election. What was at stake is the safety of your friend, your daughter, a fellow citizen or journalist, as well as this nation and people across the globe. The NDAA, after all, was passed with bi-partisan support, and signed into law by President Obama.

Section 1021 of the NDAA FY2011 allows for the indefinite detention without charges or trial of anyone, including American citizens, who are deemed by the US Government to be terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. The institutions of civil society – the press and civic square – are now what our military terms an information environment in a global theater of war. The ‘War on Terror’, our military says, is fought with intelligence and information. And, the US Government has already detained journalists at Guantanamo Bay under the AUMF seeking to gain intelligence on media organizations. The President has already played a personal role in the imprisonment of a journalistcovering the US ‘War on Terror’ in Yemen.

When Government contractors falsely linked a group, which I helped found – whose only purpose is to support campaign finance reform in the United States - to Al Qaeda, you were outraged.

When I was sent messages by a Government contractor saying that I was now associated with Al Qaeda and so called ‘cyber-terrorists’, you spoke out.

When emails revealed that other private security contractors with ties to the US Government were “specifically asked to connect” the group that I helped found “to any Saudi or other fundamentalist Islamic movements,” you took action.

When US Department of Homeland Security bulletins declared in error that a group that I helped found was linked to so called ‘cyber-terrorists’, you contacted your representative and presidential candidate and expressed that their support of Section 1021 of the NDAA FY2011 had the consequence of your lack of support for their candidacy.

I am especially grateful to those individuals, including a fellow journalist, who warned me privately that there were other unpublished US Government documents and that US Government agents were focusing their sights on me. They cautioned me to take special care. They understood the consequences for me.

Citizenship is a public office, but who among us can risk engaging in the body politic authentically, when we have families to provide for? Who can risk publishing about the workings of Government, our alliances, and wars when you might end up in my position?

No matter what your party affiliation, Section 1021 of the NDAA FY 2011 violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US constitution, the principles that safeguard the independence of our republic and any real freedom or lasting security for our citizens and all peoples.

If this could happen to someone like me, it can and will happen to someone like you or someone you know. None of us can afford that risk. Do something now.

Best regards,

Alexa O’Brien

 

http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/

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http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/how-to-file-a-foia-request/

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http://www.rferl.org/content/the-lawyer-who-defends-anonymous/24727598.html

 

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http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-be-outraged-about-the-ruling-to-keep-the-national-defense-authorization-in-effect-2012-10?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=defense

 

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https://torrentfreak.com/unblocking-the-pirate-bay-the-hard-way-is-fun-for-geeks-120506/ … | You can’t stop us…

@YourAnonNews

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http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/10/01/police-confiscate-cameras-of-observers-at-tar-sands-blockade-action/

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http://boingboing.net/2012/10/01/swedish-police-raid-isp-for-pi.html

Andy Greenberg at Forbes has more:

While a number of bittorrent-based filesharing sites including PRQ’s most notorious client, the Pirate Bay, have been down for most of Monday as well as PRQ’s own website, Viborg told the Swedish news site that the site outages were the result of a technical issue, rather than the police’s seizure of servers. And it’s not yet clear exactly whose servers the police seized: PRQ’s two thousand or so customers have at times included WikiLeaks, the North America Man-Boy Love Association, Pedophile.se, the Chechen rebel site Kavkaz Central, and the defamation-accused Italian blog known as Perugia Shock, among others.

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The Pirate Bay went down for quite some time today. Whenever the site goes down for more than five minutes, people begin to fear the worst. There was also the small coincidence of The Pirate Bay’s former host being raided by the police today that added to the concern.

Well, the folks from The Pirate Bay are here to set the record straight. They were not raided by the police, nor were they shut down.

The Pirate Bay46 minutes ago

Dear internet. We have not been raided. We are not shutting down. We like turtles, waffles and you. Sorry for not fulfilling your pirate needs tonight. It’s ok if you cheat on us with another site, just once. We know that you still love us, deep down in your cursed pirate heart. <3Powered by socialditto  1,000+ likes ·  252 comments

http://www.webpronews.com/the-pirate-bay-did-not-get-shut-down-2012-10

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/10/01/wikileaks-and-pirate-bay-web-host-prq-raided-by-swedish-police/

The Stockholm-based web host PeRiQuito AB, or PRQ, has long attracted some of the most controversial sites on the Internet. Now it’s attracted a less friendly guest: Sweden’s police force.

Stockholm police raided the free-speech focused firm Monday and took four of its servers, the company’s owner Mikael Viborgtold the Swedish news outlet Nyheter24.

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Swedish police will not say what sites or services are being targeted in the PRQ raid. https://torrentfreak.com/prq-police-raid-takes-down-dozens-of-file-sharing-sites-121001/ …

Police have raided the Swedish hosting company PRQ today, possibly looking for servers connected to copyright infringement. PRQ was founded by Pirate Bay co-founders Gottfrid Svartholm and Fredrik Neij and is known to host or route many file-sharing sites. The target of the raid has not been confirmed by the authorities, but The Pirate Bay team informs TorrentFreak that they are no longer using PRQ’s services.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/01/wikileaks-sweden-pirate-bay?newsfeed=true

The case underscores the prime fear long expressed by Assange supporters about the Swedish justice system

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/bibi-and-the-bomb-memes-4xvn

The original:

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran’s nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention.

Image by Lucas Jackson / Reuters

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Via: quickmeme.com

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Via: 972mag.com

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Via: frompalestinewithlove.tumblr.com

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Via: 972mag.com

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Via: forbes.com

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Via: 972mag.com

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Via: 972mag.com

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Via: 972mag.com

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Our new report on solitary confinement shows how the United States has shamefully become a world leader in the practice of holding people in isolation for prolonged periods — as much as 20 years or more.  More than 3,000 prisoners in California are held in high security isolation units known as “Security Housing Units.” Help us stop this practice by taking action.

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/the-facts-about-solitary-confinement-in-california-prisons-infographic/