Source:
The Narcoshpere, Reporters Notebook: Brenda NorrellThe Portland Street Medics, arrested and jailed during the Republican National Convention, describe the police violence and their unjust arrest in a statement. The medics were among hundreds arrested at the convention, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, AP photographer Matt Rourke and numerous other journalists and medics.
"Four members of the Portland Street Medic Collective who had travelled to the RNC to provide medical care to the radical community were arrested on 9-1-2008. All are now released pending court dates in October," R. Westlund said in the Portland Street Medic statement.
"Before the arrest, the medics were following an unpermitted march around the outskirts of the boundaries of the Excel Center. The march stayed mostly to sidewalks and utilized several pedestrian trails.
"After heading nearly a mile down a bike trail with a river on one side and an unpassable bank on the other side of the road, protesters found themselves under fire from police chemical weapons, having never received an order to disperse. The protestors and the medics fled back up the bike path while the onslaught of chemical weapons and differently-lethal weapons continued behind and next to the fleeing crowd. Police in riot gear ran past the tail end of the running group, continuing to launch weapons into the crowd, forcing those at the back to run through the already dispensed weapons.
Read more:
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2008/09/portland-street-medics-describe-police-brutality-and-arrests-rnc
Reporters have been arrested, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, and now EMT Workers. This should upset anyone who thinks that America should be a land of Freedom and Justice for all. I completely agree that there were people who broke the law. My major concern are the innocents. This is what outrages me especially.
And to my Fellow DU'ers that slammed me about being questionable about the police. Once again, I am sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Please F'n Forgive me. I reckon you all are cops. Just so you all know. I do my best to not break the law. I do not use illicit drugs, I admit I speed sometimes. But other than that, I try my best.
Anyway, we cannot allow the innocents to be treated like this, nor should the police be allowed to beat those in custody either. Police Brutality, and excesses are wrong. There is no such thing as Acceptable Evil, and Necessary Losses. Once one goes down that road, all sorts of injustices will be allowed to be perpetrated.