Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts

Counter-Protesters or Counter-Demonstrators



Counter-Protesters or Counter-Demonstrators
by Susan Basko, esq.


Counter-Protesters, also called Counter-Demonstrators, are people who show up at a protest or demonstration to voice an opinion contrary to the main protest.  The overall rules are that the counter demonstrations are allowed, if they can be accommodated so they do not interfere with the original protest and so both groups are kept safe and separated.  How this plays out is largely dependent on what local police choose to do.

 (April 21, 2018: Nazis marched in the small town of Newnan, Georgia. Counter-protesters showed up and were peaceful, but strong.  (See the videos  below) Militarized police pointed live guns at the protesters and tackled some of them to the ground, supposedly because the counter-protesters were wearing bandannas.  In this instance, the response to peaceful counter-protesters was to meet them with excessive violence by militarized police. This, of course, violates the international laws and guidelines you can read below.   There would be no reason to point guns at the protesters or to throw any of them onto the ground.)


The spectre of counter-demonstrators showing up has become much more intense in the past couple of years. In states that allow open carrying of guns, there have been demonstrations that are for gun control, at which gun enthusiasts show up openly carry their guns. This can be terrifying for protesters, especially in the wake of mass shootings.

One main point is that no type of violence is ever legal at any protest, on any side.  There really is no good reason for protesters, on any side, to show up with flag poles, sticks, cans of anything ignitable, or any other thing that can be used as a weapon.  States might want to step up their games and outlaw open carry at any street gathering.  A few people carrying guns on the street can chill the right to free speech and freedom of assembly for the mass of people who feel unsafe in that situation. 

Another thing done, often by a lone counter-protester, is to show up with a megaphone and barrage the protesters with the shouted ideas of the counter-protesters.  Most towns and cities have noise ordinances, and in many cases, the use of a megaphone without a permit is illegal.  If this is happening at your protest, speak with local police and ask them to handle it.  At the recent March for Our Lives marches against school shootings, in one city, such a counterprotester shouting into a megaphone was seen surrounded by a circle of armed police.  They let him shout his pro-gun diatribe at the marchers, but made sure he and the marchers were kept separated from one another.  Sometimes people see police "protecting" a counterprotester in this way -- and that is what the international rules say is supposed to happen.  If possible, both sides are allowed to protest, and both sides are to be kept safe and separate from harming one another. 

 Let's look at excepts from international guidelines: https://www.osce.org/odihr/226981 

"Counterdemonstration:
An assembly that is convened to express
disagreement with the views expressed
at another assembly, and takes place at, or
almost at, the same time and place as the
primary assembly  (page 120, Glossary of Terms)

"The role of police in facilitating assemblies is paramount. Being the most visible
manifestation of government authority, the police demonstrate a state’s
commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting fundamental human
rights and freedoms. The police must facilitate all peaceful assemblies,
including spontaneous and simultaneous assemblies and counter-demonstrations,
and protect participants in assemblies, allowing them to express their
views freely within sight and sound of the intended audience. This handbook
promotes a change of police mentality in approaching the policing of assemblies,
from looking at assemblies as potentially dangerous events to recognizing
assemblies as manifestations of an important human right that the police
must respect and protect. The majority of assemblies are, in fact, peaceful
and do not present particular public order challenges. However, it is crucial
for police to be well prepared and trained to prevent any conflicts related to
assemblies, as well as to de-escalate tensions should they arise." (page 7, Forward)

"Counter-Demonstration: This is a particular form of simultaneous assembly
in which participants wish to express their opposition to the views expressed
at another assembly. Emphasis should be placed on the state’s duty to protect
and facilitate each event where a counter-demonstration occurs. The state should
make available adequate policing resources to facilitate such simultaneous
assemblies, to the extent possible, within sight and sound of one another.
However, it should be noted that the right to counter-demonstrate does
not extend to inhibiting the right of others to assemble. There may be
Part I. Chapter 1. The Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly 17
circumstances where the authorities may legitimately restrict the right of
counter-demonstrators to protest within sight and sound of the assembly they
are protesting against in order to protect the other assembly."  (pages 16-17)

"If an assembly is confronted by a counter demonstration that seeks to restrict
the rights of people to peacefully assemble, then the counter demonstration
is no longer protected by international human rights law." (page 21)

"The fact that an assembly is likely to face a violent counter-protest, or even to be directly attacked by dissenting people, should not, as a matter of principle, lead to the prohibition of the peaceful assembly. In that case, it is the responsibility of the police to protect the peaceful assembly against the attacks or the violence of counter-protesters." (page 21)

"The starting point for police should always be the proactive policing of order
rather than the reactive policing of disorder. The relevant police commander
will need to continuously monitor the situation to assess the dynamics of
the assembly, onlookers and, where necessary, counter-demonstrators, so that
they can best manage the situation to ensure that peaceful order is maintained.
This may mean that the police need to be flexible in relation to any
legal restrictions placed on an assembly and to minor infractions of the law.
An approach that is too rigid to both may increase tension and provoke more
hostile or aggressive responses from participants. Even in situations where
some voices promote confrontation or violence the police should be able to
counter such influences if they remain aware of the differentiation among
participants, draw upon their knowledge of the range of groups and individuals
who are present, maintain a positive relationship with people and act with
discretion and tolerance." (page 24)

"In some contexts the police may need to use force to protect those participating
in an assembly if they are faced by hostile or aggressive counter demonstrations.
In such contexts, the police should seek to differentiate between the
aggressors and the targets of the aggression, and remember that they have a
responsibility to protect the rights of those exercising their right to peaceful
assembly." (page 31)

"Commanders should outline the specific risk (e.g., the risks associated with
the presence of a much larger number of participants than anticipated or the
risks associated with the presence of counter-demonstrators) and how they
can be dealt with. Contingencies should be put in place for emergency situations
and worse-case scenarios (e.g., sudden bad weather conditions)." (page 39)

"In assessing potential risks and hazards, the strategic commander should
always be mindful of a variety of possible different scenarios that may
unfold in the run up to and during the assembly. Scenarios may be
impacted by factors such as the number of people who may attend; their
political affiliations; the purpose of the assembly, including whether they
relate to other events taking place at the same time (e.g., visits of heads of
state, summits); the presence of counter demonstrations; the presence of
other activities in the vicinity; the location of the assembly and the route,
if it involves a march; and the time of day, weather conditions and other
potentially relevant factors." (page 55)

"Information must be gathered about the following areas:
• Why is the assembly taking place? Who is the assembly for or against?
Could the presence of police inflame the demonstrators or onlookers? Is
the focus of the assembly likely to trigger a (violent?) response from other
parts of the society?
• Who will be taking part in the assembly? Previous history? Age and gender
profile? Known intelligence on intentions? Who are the local community?
Who are the transient (passer-by) community? Will there be
counterdemonstrators or hostile members of the audience?
• What are the intentions of the participants (note that intentions among
participants and groups within the assembly may differ)? Is there intelligence
about secondary intentions? Some sub-groups attending an
assembly may have the intention of mounting a secondary protest or
demonstration.
• Where is the assembly due to take place? Are there any significant locations
that may be targeted by the event or some of the participants or
counterdemonstrators? What traffic concerns are there? Intended route?
• When will assembly take place? What time of day and year? What are the
weather conditions? Travel implications (availability of public transport at
time of dispersal)?
• How are individuals going to arrive at the assembly? How are they
intending to leave? Are there suitable exit routes and transport from the
assembly point? Is it going to be a static event or a march? Will there be
structures built, such as stages for speakers or loudspeakers?" (page 60)

ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS:  If you want your protest to be legal, it must be non-violent.  You should plan it with that goal in mind, including prohibiting your own participants from bringing items that can be used as weapons -- either by them or against them.  If you are planning a protest that needs a permit, dialogue with the police or city permit officials regarding the potential for counter protesters.  If you are the one planning a counter protest, find out if you need a permit for your gathering.  Tensions between two groups can lead to deadly consequences, as has been seen at recent protests.  If you are planning a protest that does not need a permit, but you expect there might be trouble with counter demonstrators either being violent or disrupting by, for example, showing up with a bullhorn or megaphone and trying to drown our or overcome your protest, talk in advance with the local police.

Below is a video of a demonstration - counter-demonstration that became very violent when the two groups clashed.  This is an example of what is not supposed to happen.

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Punch a Nazi?? 10 Reasons Why Not



Punch a Nazi?? 10 Reasons Why Not
by Susan Basko, esq.


There's a recent fad topic about Punching a Nazi.  This topic started when a man was speaking with a journalist at a protest and another man, wearing a dark hoodie, ran up and punched the man in the face.  The internet gossip line soon identified the man who was punched, labeled him a "Nazi," and said the person who punched him did it as some form of protest against his ideas.  The words "antifa" and "diversity of tactics" got tossed around.  An alleged partial quote from the man, taken out of context and with no sourcing, was offered as validation or justification that he "deserved" to be punched.

I am here to tell you this is all nonsensical and not to be involved with punching anyone, no matter what you think of their ideas.  

Here are 10 Reasons Why You Should Not "Punch a Nazi":

1) A protest or any public event is a delicate balance where it can easily become violent and dangerous.  If you are constructive, you want to keep any public gathering safe for all.  If you are there causing trouble, the vast majority of other participants are wise enough to not want you there.  They see you as a troublemaker and a thug, not as a noble hero or dashing masked man.  

2) We are adults.  We realize that people have viewpoints that differ from ours.  We don't run through the streets punching people for having different viewpoints.  Do you want to be punched for having your viewpoints?

3) The people or groups who are advocating violence against those who hold different opinions call themselves "antifascists."  They are so hyped up in their own nonsense that they don't see the irony of this. The people wearing masks and punching people for holding different views are actually fascists.  When they run through the streets attacking people, they instill fear and silence people.  That sort of violence + fear  + silencing =  what fascism is all about.

4) The argument of the pro-punchers is that if a person holds a view that they find repugnant, that this justifies physically attacking the person.  It is beyond my ken how anyone could have lived such an isolated, parochial life that they do not realize that everyone holds different views, and that a great many people hold views that others find repugnant or even shocking.  In a pluralistic society, people get to hold such views, but are not allowed to physically harm or attack others.  If the person you call a "Nazi" has made a direct threat to harm you immediately and is armed and ready to do so, then you get out of the way and call the police.  If you are running up to people on the street and punching them, then you are the one that is antisocial and a criminal.

5) A big part of growing up is realizing that many others do not agree with us, but that we can live and let live.  We do not need to control everyone's thoughts.  We don't get to hit them because they have ideas with which we disagree.  Even if we think their ideas are appalling or repugnant, we don't get to physically attack them.  They have the right to hold their views and to walk on the streets unassailed.

6) It is a crime to punch someone, whether or not you disagree with their ideas.  It is a crime to advocate violence, such as urging others to attack people on the street.

7) If you punch or attack a person, you are legally responsible for everything that happens to them.  If the person has a heart attack or stroke, you are legally responsible.  If the person gets a blood clot and dies, you are responsible.  In a recent non-protest street incident in Chicago, a man punched another man in the head.  The man who was punched fell into the street and was run over by a taxi and died.  The man who punched the man is possibly being charged with murder.  When you engage in a criminal attack upon another person, you are responsible for the whole chain of events that follows.  You cannot accurately predict what that chain of events might be.  Your motive in harming the person is usually considered enough motive for whatever ensues.

8) Normal civilized adults do not run around the streets punching people.  Do you know who stands on street corners attacking people they think disagree with them? The Taliban.  In the U.S., we respect the right of every person to walk on the street and not be attacked.    

9) If you start justifying or engaging in violence against people because you disagree with their ideas, it is a very short, very slippery slope to where you may allow yourself to become a full-fledged criminal, or in your eyes - a martyr.  Examples of people who have attacked others based on their beliefs include: Dylann Roof, who killed 9 Black people in a Christian Church because he thought it would start a race war; Timothy McVeigh, who exploded a federal building, killing 168 and injuring 600, because he disagreed with the actions of the ATF at an incident at Waco, Texas;  the many acts of murder, arson, kidnappings, and bombings against abortion providers engaged in by people who find abortion immoral or repugnant;  and many other such incidents.  The logic behind these incidents is the same as the logic behind "Punch a Nazi": the untrue notion that you can control the flow of ideas by attacking or terrorizing those who hold those ideas.  

10) Engaging in the "Punch a Nazi" nonsense means you are frittering away your time and energy on this negative, anti-social activity, when you could be engaged in productive, intelligent change.  Worse still, if you get arrested and tossed in jail for punching someone on the street or for advocating such violence, you will have managed to make yourself socially neutralized.  And that is just plain stupid.

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What is Violence?

What is Violence?
by Sue Basko

The United States Penal Code defines violence as:

TITLE 18  PART I  CHAPTER 1  § 16

§ 16. CRIME OF VIOLENCE DEFINED
The term “crime of violence” means—
(a) an offense that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another, or
(b) any other offense that is a felony and that, by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.

Let's look at this closely.  It's all about "physical force."  And it's physical force against the "person or property of another."   This is not just harm to a person, but also to property.  And it is the "use, attempted use or threatened use."

 If you wondered if using physical force against property is considered violence --  under federal law, yes, this is violence.
 
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Hijacking a Protest: How to Prevent It

Hijacking a Protest: How to Prevent it
by Sue Basko


There are three main forms of hijacking in protest.  First, a group may try to hijack your protest to use it for their own purposes, or to discredit you and your group.  Second, an organization or group may try to hijack a person and use them for their purposes.  Third, a website, facebook, or comments section may be hijacked by those trying to subtly undermine the purpose of your group or to stem the flow of useful communication or to discredit those contributing productively. 

All three of these forms of hijacks can be largely prevented with one simple rule: 
Know who you are dealing with.  

This was taught to me many years ago by a man who had decades of experience in activism.  He looked at a flyer for a protest march run by a long list of groups with acronym names.  “Who are they really?” he asked.  Don’t associate until you know who they really are, he warned me.  He was right.  Years later, at one point, I failed to heed his advice, and found myself in a bad experience from which I had to extricate myself.  Do your research.  Know who is whom and what is what before you agree to go to any meeting, event, or protest.   

Let’s go through each of the forms of hijacking:

I) Hijacking your protest.  This happens when other groups come to your protest and take over leadership, or when they show up with inappropriate signs, flags, or banners.   They may show up with a sound amplification system and begin shouting things or lecturing on things that are inappropriate to your message.  They may pass out flyers for their own ideas or events.  They may break your protest march into splinters, leading parts of your group off from the planned route.  They may bring drums and drown out your planned speakers or turn your event into a noisy fracas.

What you can do: 

1) Issue invitations only to individual people or leaders that you actually know.  Tell them your plans.  Tell them what you do and do not want participants to bring  or do.  Tell them specifically what is not acceptable.  This is not so much to instruct them, but to make it clear that you do not welcome hijackers.

2) If people volunteer to help, don’t accept everyone.  Check them out and be sure you actually want their help.  Have them show up at one meeting and decide if you want further contact from them.

3) Train your own group in how to march closely, how not to follow an infiltrator leader, how to maintain order.  That takes a lot of discipline and practice.  It is worth doing.  If someone shows up and tries to lead marchers into the street, or off onto a bridge, or down a different route, make sure in advance that your people are smart enough not to follow.

4)  Police and lead your own group.  Have group officials who have special T-shirts or hats.  Station them at the entrance to your event and make sure they have the power to ask people to leave or to call police to remove people.  That is where it is helpful to have a permit.  Tell them your permit does not include their group or message or activity and that therefore it cannot take place at your event, and that if they do not leave, you will call police.  And then do so.

5) Have your group officials tell people who arrive with inappropriate signs or flags or other such items that those things are not part of your event and that they must stow them.  Plan in advance to have a storage space for such items.  Do not let anyone carry such items saying them will keep them, but not use them.   If they insist, tell them their activities are not included in your event or on your permit and that they must leave or you will call the police.  And then do it.   Your permit is for you and your group and not for anyone that happens to come along.

6) If you are marching, have your special officials with easy-to-see T-shirts or hats stationed along the route.  In advance of the march, tell your participants that these people will have correct information and not to follow others.

7) Publicize your agenda, activities, performers, speakers, route, timetable.  Publicize the tone of the event.  Publicize what is acceptable and what is not. 

8) Bigger is not always better.  It is better to have a smaller activity of people on-message than to have a larger group with mixed messages or with bad behavior.

9) Caution and train your participants in advance that if someone is doing something disruptive or illegal, not to follow.  Step back and get away.  Make it abundantly clear that your group is not associated with those actions. 

Example:  Years ago, it  used to be very common for serious groups to plan anti-war protests and for the whole thing to go quite well till the last few minutes.  At that time, a few people from some fringe revolutionary or anarchist group would sprint in and do something to bring disrepute on the whole group, such as burning a flag.  And mainstream media would always use the dramatic photos of these few fringe people doing their sideshow.   That is one reason it is SO important for your participants to step back from such  actions — because you do not want it to appear in photos and videos as if your people are watching in approval. 

10) Be loud and clear.  Tell certain people and groups they are not welcome.  Make sure everyone knows you do not associate with those groups or people.   

If you are with a group that plans to go "help" another group - ASK Are we welcome?  What do you want us to do?  Should we bring signs?  What should they say?  If you walk in and take over leadership of a protest, you may think you are a helper, but you are probably a hijacker.   It is probably best never to bring your own megaphone, drums, chants, signs, flags, or banners to a different group's protest.  Go as a guest and follow what they do.

II) Hijacking a Person.  Fringe groups will often try to hijack a  person.  How?  They will tell you they are having a press conference and ask you to speak at it.  Often, the only press present is their own internal group.  Or they will do the same with a website or blog – either asking or using without permission. Or they will make sure you get arrested and then use you as their pawn, their poster child.

Keep in mind that if you let yourself be hijacked by a political group or cause, you can end out arrested, in prison, accused of terrorism, etc.   Make sure you are making your decisions.  Do not fall for a group mentality, because that is no excuse. In fact, in the eyes of the law, you can be held accountable for  what others in the group do.

1) Ask questions, lots of detailed questions. 

2) Don’t get hooked into a cult of personality.  Most fringe groups revolve around a leader who is larger than life.  If it sounds like a cult, and acts like a cult – it is a cult. 

3) Sometimes a group will use a person as their pawn, “poster child,” or martyr.   For example, a group may conduct a  protest in such a way that it is sure to result in arrests.  Then they use the arrested people as examples of protest martyrdom.  

I strongly encourage anyone who is being told to engage in “civil disobedience” or trained in such, to seriously question if this is civil disobedience or if it is merely acting in such a way that assures being arrested or brutalized.  Don’t let people guilt trip you into this type of thing.  Don’t let peer pressure or group dynamics be used on you to convince you to do something that you know is not what you want.  

Some people believe that the way to “grow a movement” is by provoking confrontations with police.  Others know that the surest way to discredit a group is by provoking confrontations with police.  In any case, confrontations with police are, I think, almost always ultimately counterproductive in that they marginalize you, your group, and your ideas.  

Think very carefully when persuasive, smooth, group-think people try to lead you into such activities.   It is okay to challenge such people and in fact, the survival of your group probably depends on you doing so.

People trying to convince you to get arrested will tell you that civil disobedience was used in other past movements, such as the Civil Rights movement.  True Civil Disobedience was used, but pointlessly being arrested was avoided.  What's the difference?  Civil Disobedience is when a person intentionally disobeys an unjust law.  This is usually done by a carefully-selected front person, in concert with lawyers and financial backing.  If you are being arrested for walking into traffic, that is not Civil Disobedience, that is just being arrested for walking into traffic.

4) If you have gotten sucked in, get out.  Do not let anything or anyone lure you to stay.

III) Hijacking your website or comments forum.  Right now, group websites, facebooks, and comments are being overrun with posters with an agenda to discredit a group, discredit valuable contributors, or to lead a counter agenda.  This is especially true in the Occupy groups.  MANY of these are paid trolls or are fake profiles.  Please see my blog post about fake profiles – these are being used by individuals, organizations, and even by the government.  Many fake profiles are obviously fake, though some are not.

What to do: 

1) Don’t allow comments on a site if you do not have time to moderate them.  Give an email so people who sincerely want to contact you are able to do that.

2) If you allow comments, moderate them.  If a poster is using a fake name or fake profile, do not allow them to post.   

3) Be wary of people who do not  identify themselves as fully as others do.   Newspaper and magazine Letters to the Editors and guest Op-Ed sections always required a name, address and phone number.  The speed of the internet makes such verification difficult.  You should still attempt to verify and cross-check each and every participant.  If you notice people trying to discredit useful participants or posting things that are likely to scare off useful participants, delete and ban those users. 

4) Check other sites nationwide.  If the same profiles show up all over posting the same negative stuff, you know you are onto a troll.

5) If a facebook profile is obviously fake or obviously a front for a political trolling organization, do not allow it to post.

6) If “likes” come from people not otherwise posting, or from profiles that seem suspect, delete them and block the users. 

7) Do not allow personal attacks. 

8) Read my blog post about Fake Profiles and download and read the linked study from the University of California Santa Barbara.  It will make you more aware of how fake profiles are used.  You will be better able to spot it when it is happening.

9) Less is more.  It is better to have 2 intelligent comments than a flurry of trolls.   

10) Negative commenters often use mean, juvenile tactics.  Personal attacks, racism, and sexism are common. 

11) On Comments sections about Occupy protests, there is a series of trolls/ fake commenters posting Comments that say that Occupy protesters “pee” or “poo” on the ground (yes, often using such juvenile wording), or are “dirty.”  These posters are trolls, probably paid trolls, trying to appeal to readers of limited education and social depth.  OR they may be used to poison a comments section by scaring off intelligent, productive contributors.  Whichever it is – these are the kind of comments that you delete and block the user. 

12) On the chat or social networks Comments that run with live streaming video of protests, I have often seen posters who should be removed off the chat and banned much faster than they are.  These are often people posting lurid, vile comments about sex or about defecation and urination.   Sometimes they post links to unrelated topics, even to sex sites.  Anyone running live streaming should get a friend to volunteer as a moderator and the first such comment, ban the person.  Such Comments poison the flow of intelligent communication exchange. 


ALSO BEWARE: The other night on TimCast's OWS stream, several sincere-sounding trolls kept posting saying to donate to Tim -- and posting a link to an account that used Tim's name but was not his account. In other words, trolls came onto Tim's stream to try to divert donation money away from him.  Have a moderator!  Tim told the viewers that the links were not to his accounts.   They persisted in posting the links.  Finally the moderator stepped in.

13)  Keep in mind that there really are counter-organizations paying people to be troll Commenters on facebook, youtube, livestream, websites, news comments, and other locations.  It’s for real.  

-- 
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Agents Provocateurs:
What and Who They Are

AGENTS PROVOCATEURS: 
What and Who They Are
by Sue Basko  


I write this from my many years of experience in protest involvement, as an organizer, a participant, as one of the first media activists, and as a lawyer.  I have helped a couple people who have been victimized by agents provocateurs – that is, goaded into activity they would not normally do and arrested for it.   

I also know of  a man who spent 6 months in prison awaiting being charged under the Homeland Security Patriot Act.  He is a white guy in his 20s who went to his first protest demonstration to drive a friend there --   and followed along when things got “out of hand.”  What did he actually do?  He wrote with spray paint on a government vehicle, an SUV.  All the protest “leaders” scrambled for safety and he was left alone, being arrested.  When it comes under Homeland Security (which a lot of acts do), the Patriot Act kicks into action and your normal civil rights do not apply.  Normally, a person can only sit in jail for about 2-3 days and then they either have to charge you with a crime or let you go.  Under the Patriot Act, that is not true.  They can hold you for a long time and never charge you.  There’s a lot of the other basic rules that get ignored.  I write this because you should think very carefully before you act.  You may think of your action as very minor, but it may not be viewed that way by others.  

There are going to be people that do not like what I am writing.  I am telling it like it is, really.

“AGENTS PROVOCATEURS” is the French term for people that come into a protest group and try to get you to do illegal or dangerous things, preferably to get you arrested or to set you up over time.

WHO ARE THEY?  WHY DO THEY DO IT?

 I think Agents provocateurs can be broken into 2 CATEGORIES:
1)  Real agents provocateurs, and 
2) undercover police, FBI, NSA, and Homeland Security.

1) Real Agents Provocateurs -  “Revolutionaries  or “Terrorists”  -  Some people actually belong to a supposed revolutionary or terrorist group.   These groups are real.  The FBI and NSA keep lists of them.  The vast majority of these groups are just a bunch of hot air and usually boring as all get-out, self-important, and often, from my observation, with main members who are on SSI for some mental disability that involves paranoia.  So while they have no job, they have plenty of time to be a “revolutionary” and talk big.  Others are professors or part-time professors with secure jobs.  Others work for non-profits.  Others are retired.  What I am saying is that most of them are not risking much by getting you to do something stupid. 

These folks want “action” – and they mostly want YOU to do the action.  They will lie to you and tell you what you are doing is okay, that it is legal, that nothing will happen, that it is good to get arrested, that it is “civil disobedience,” that you dare  not challenge them or argue with it.   (“Civil disobedience” is something else and is covered a little bit in the Note just below this post.)   

These people are manipulative.  They will challenge you and play an “ism” card to make it so you are supposed to be ashamed to stop them – they will say you are racist, sexist, against people with disabilities, against immigrants, ageist, elitist, or whatever. They will claim they have to do illegal acts because of the system, the man, police brutality, poverty, war, the cause, or something – demands it.  None of this is true.  No one gets to use their “status” as a “victim” to victimize you and wreck your life.

GUESS WHAT?  Once you get arrested, your “comrades” will NOT be there with bail money, a lawyer, to support you and your family since you will be out of a job, to get you into school despite a felony, etc.  In fact, they will use you to try to show the system is corrupt, the police are brutal, and on and on.  You will be a  pawn in their game. 

KEEP IN MIND: No responsible person with a job or family or going to school runs around doing violent or goofball things to get arrested.  Just does not happen. 

HOW TO GET RID OF THEM:  Demand that everyone follow the law.  DO NOT let them define “peace” as including “violence.”  Demand peace, non-violence and only legal activity.  End of story -- Only legal behavior as defined in the law, not in their imaginations.   
  
THEY WILL ARGUE:  “Everything Hitler did was legal,” etc – which is not true, but that is besides the point.  They will try to draw analogies to our society.  The U.S. is by no means perfect, but our laws are pretty darn good.  And also, as a society, we are pretty darn good.  We care about each other and help each other.  The U.S. is a good country and we aim to improve it, not destroy it.

They will argue that you are “co-opting the system,” "colluding with the authorities,” and on and on.  SAY:  You’re right.  I am.  I plan to go to college and have a family and I want a nice life with good things in it, not a felony record.  Thank you.  I am trying to improve things to make all that even better.

WHY THEY DO THIS:  Some people think that the way to build up interest in a protest or the way to build a movement is by having arrests, violence, injury, and destruction.   No doubt, this does cause interest and does cause more people to show up.   On the other side of this is that when protests become dangerous, the most productive and logical people are likely to stay away.   You may have a bigger crowd, but they may be more of an irrational mob.   Also, people that condone violence and destruction as a means to their ends are not likely to have equitable ends in mind.  Their style shows their substance.  

2) UNDERCOVER POLICE, FBI, NSA, HOMELAND SECURITY.  Wake up, folks! Almost every big domestic “terror” arrest has been a set-up by an FBI agent or someone working part-time for them.  HOW UNDERCOVER AGENTS WORK:

THEY JOIN YOUR GROUP.  They often take leadership roles.  They might be the friendliest people there.  They might have "good friends" in the group, but if you ask the good friends how long they have actually known the person and in what context, you are likely to find it is not very long and they only know the person from the group.   Undercover agents do not allow anyone to question them - they might toss the question back to you. They control the flow of information and try to block out those that question them.  


In fact, they work almost exactly like the people listed above  -- except instead of being goofs trying to draw you into some violent act and get you arrested so they can feel they are part of exciting action and have something to talk about (for years to come) – these folks will set you up for a huge arrest.  Supposedly, they are hunting out terrorists.  In many cases, it appears as if the agents did most of the talking, most of the planning, and the "stooge" just kind of went along for the ride. 


HOW IT WORKS EXACTLY:  They casually feel out a whole group, to see who are the vulnerable targets.

 HOW? 

1) They act the troll on message boards and facebook, to see who is and who is not open to violent action.  If they propose some stupid action and you do not object outright, you are a target.

2) They organize actions and when you are out, lead you to do stupid things, such as throwing things, going onto bridges or overpasses, blocking cars, shouting.  AND  - If you fall for it, you are their mark for a bigger set-up.

3) They invite you to classes where they draw you in to ideas and plans that involve violence.

4) They contact you privately to tell you of their dissatisfaction, and it builds over time.  They might get you to agree to help them in some act, or get you to start to carry it out.  The whole time, your conversations are recorded, the emails are kept, there might even be video.  These kinds of stings can start and if you seem ripe for it, they will go on for months to years until there is enough evidence to call you a “terrorist” and indict you.    

They may be doing 95% of the talking and planning, but if you say "Okay sure, I guess so," you are agreeing, you are in a "conspiracy," and you are in on whatever plan has been proposed.

5) They will incite you  to chaos, disorder and / or violence and then you will be arrested!  Yes, YOU! Or you can even be arrested on the basis of "the plan," even if it is not really your plan and even if you would never actually follow through and do it.   You need to be very careful of the company that you keep.  You need to be very careful what you agree to.

DO NOT FALL FOR ANY OF THIS.   If you ever encounter any person who is proposing things that you do not agree with, say no clearly and quickly.  Even if a person is persistent, you are best to block off all communication.  In some ethnic or culture groups, there can be a strong tendency to trust others from the same group.  There can also be a strong tendency not to want to be rude.  It is very important to be rude and to say no if someone starts proposing bad plans, even if you think the person might be joking or not serious on following through.

Also, if someone comes to you with a plan or request to harm someone else, you should report this to the police quickly, so that you are not involved in the plan.  This can be someone looking to shoot someone, someone wanting to buy bomb-making materials, someone planning a break-in or kidnapping, someone planning to bring weapons to school or a job.  You should never feel locked into a promise of silence, even if you have promised that.
  
 Note: I wrote this a while back.  Rereading it, I realize that it takes a strong, clear head to be involved in protest activity and not get sucked into the many mind games played by people there.  The main way is to only do things that are legal and safe and that do not possibly harm any other person.  That may seem like an innocuous statement, but I get many people arguing with it.   This blog post is not really meant for them; it is meant for people who want to steer clear of trouble.

Civil Disobedience: Some people talk about “civil disobedience" as if it is something that might happen at an everyday typical protest march.  Civil Disobedience is about refusing to obey an unjust law or rule. Today, many people mistakenly call it "civil disobedience" when they are breaking laws that are just and for the good of all, such as laws that tell us not to stand in traffic or laws that say a park closes at a certain time.  That is a protest technique that involves breaking the law, but it is not civil disobedience. True civil disobedience is where the law is fundamentally unjust and where by breaking it, the person accomplishes a greater good.  For example, if a law says you cannot feed the homeless, and if there are homeless hungry people and you feed them, that may be true civil disobedience.    It also may not be true civil disobedience, because the law may be just; there may be free feeding centers and the city may want the homeless fed only at those locations for reasons of food sanitation.

 Civil disobedience or the need for it is extremely rare.   Any time anyone is trying to get you to act like a hooligan as “civil disobedience,” you can be sure that is not someone you want to follow.  A true act of civil disobedience will usually involve serious advance planning,  consulting with lawyers, and will be a carefully orchestrated plan that involves a normal everyday act that is wrongly against the law.  It won’t involve any act of violence or destruction.

 Examples:  Rosa Parks sitting in the front seat on the bus.  People walking teens into segregated schools.  Black men eating at a segregated lunch counter.

"Civil disobedience" does not involve: bombs, weapons, following a person, stopping a person from going anywhere, destruction of property, breaking and entering, looting, being disorderly at a protest, endangering anyone, harassing or terrorizing anyone on the internet, or other such acts. 


Video of man advocating violence at Occupy St. Louis, complete with a tale of New York.  If he was paid to do this, he's not very good at his job.   





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Kettling: What is it?

Kettling: What is it?
by Sue Basko

See also: Counter-Protesters and Counter-Demonstrators
see also: Masks and Bandannas at Protests

Kettling at a protest is when police form a cordon and squeeze protesters together to "capture" them.  Kettling is also when police form lines to keep protesters from escaping a certain perimeter.

ALSO - BE SURE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE.

Kettling is often illegal and/or dangerous.  If an order to disperse has been called after an unlawful assembly has been declared, the police are supposed let people leave.  Kettling may be considered a human rights violation because while kettled, people are often kept for hours without access to water, food, bathrooms, the ability to communicate with their families, etc.

People kettled in the Occupy protests have then often been kept for many hours without food, water, or toilet use.  Some have been severely beaten by police after being kettled.   Hundreds have had zip-ties placed too tightly on their wrists for many hours.  There are many reports of nerve damage and numbness to hands and fingers.

Police have started to use the term Frozen Zone, probably to try to avoid letting it be known they are engaged in dangerous kettling/ illegal tactics.  Frozen zone is an area into which no one will be let in or out, in other words, this is kettling with a set perimeter.  There can be smaller kettling within a frozen zone.  The idea of the existence of a frozen zone is also used by police as an excuse or reason to keep journalists and reporters out.  (At Chicago NATO 2012, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) used the term "Red Zone" to describe an area with many federal buildings that were being heavily guarded by the FPS, but movement within the zone was not restricted.)

Los Angeles November 2011: At the November 30, 2011 raid on Occupy L.A., an order to disperse was called for the park area.  Those not wishing to be arrested were told to leave.  A few hours later, a second order to disperse was called on a nearby street.  Many people have reported that, as they tried to leave, they were kettled by cordons of police.  Many people were arrested and/or beaten as they tried to leave.  These people left the area they were told to leave, only to meet up with traps laid for them blocks away.  Others were immediately trapped and arrested as they tried to follow the order to leave.  Please note there was no protester violence or property damage.  Scroll down to bottom of this page to watch video of woman describe her experience in the LA raid kettling.

Why?  In the Los Angeles situation, it appears the police were trying to get arrest numbers up to justify the expense of a huge raid involving 1400 officers in riot gear, helicopters,  etc.   The only way to do this was to arrest peaceful people simply trying to leave.   There is no other plausible explanation, since there was no violence or property damage occurring and no logical reason to keep people from freely leaving the area.  In this incident, the LAPD used the term frozen zone to explain their kettling tactics.

Oakland January 30, 2012:  In Oakland on January 30, 2012, police kettled hundreds of protesters on a street outside a YMCA.  A police officer announced over a loudspeaker that the people were under arrest for failure to disperse from an unlawful assembly and that the protesters were given 3 prior warnings and were now under arrest.  Spencer Mills, aka Oakfosho, reported that he heard no such warnings being given, and his  video coverage audio is in agreement that no such warnings were given, or were not given to that particular group in that location.   Out of the approximately 400 arrests that day, only 12 have resulted in charges being filed.  It certainly sounds as if about 380 people were arrested and subjected to hours of torment followed by hours or days in jail -- for no particular or legal reason.

Staying Safe:  You are more likely to stay safe at a protest if you avoid being near provocateur types.  Police will target in on them and you may be caught in the cauldron.  If you are near such people, move far away from them.  Also keep in mind that such provocateurs may be police plants.

If it is a sidewalk protest, stay on the sidewalk; do not walk into the street.  If someone is leading people into the street, it is a provocateur or police plant or just bad leadership.  In any case, there is no logical reason to follow.

Safety from Police.   When the police are creating lines of officers to keep people from leaving a protest, as was done at the Occupy L.A. eviction, it is confusing as to what to do.  Some people have reported that they politely cooperated as they were detained by a line of police,  only to find themselves being arrested and sent to jail for several days on bogus charges.  Their physical safety and human rights were violated while in custody.  Others ran to flee and were beaten.  Others maneuvered cleverly enough to evade capture.   In such a situation, it helps to have quick-thinking ninja skills.  It seems there are no right answers when wrong things are happening, and you need to do what you can to protect your own safety.

It seems a full outside investigation should be done on this L.A. incident. In other kettling incidents worldwide, there have been investigations and lawsuits.  Kettling is often considered illegal and a violation of human rights.  

 Wikipedia has a good article about other kettling incidents.






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