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Showing posts with label Police Brutality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Police Brutality. Show all posts
Monday, August 11, 2014
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Police Department Spying and Retaliation for the Surveillance State
"...there was no division between corporate spying and government
spying." ~Noam Chomsky on Jeremy Hammond's Stratfor revelations
"They're going to nationalize police departments. That's your military coup!" ~John Trudell
The collection of data regarding all citizens of America has been revealed to be egregiously intrusive and totalitarian despite a 2013 promise by Obama that nothing of the sort is occurring.
Obama To Leno: 'There Is No Spying On Americans'
Of course, Obama has made it possible:
Obama White House had NSA limits reversed
(2011) "The Obama administration quietly got a court to undo U.S. surveillance limits on the use of intercepted phone calls and emails, The Washington Post reported."
Of course, anyone who by this time does not fully understand Obama to be a complete and utter traitor to the American people is somehow not paying actual attention. Browse this blog for more if for some reason you still don't get it.
Most recently egregious is Seattle PD's attempt to set up their own mesh net across the city, one which like the later-mentioned "Sting Ray" technology, would allow them to continuously ping the location of any citizen with a cell phone or WiFi device.
Continuous, total spying upon citizen location and movement. Stored for later use against you. Let that sink in. This is Fascism, pure and simple. This is so completely beyond acceptable it is ridiculous. I initially did not forward the stories I saw regarding it, believing it to be conspiracy theory.
Seattle police deactivate surveillance system after public outrage
"Police in Seattle, Washington have responded to a major public outcry by disabling a recently discovered law enforcement tool that critics said could be used to conduct sweeping surveillance across the city.
...The SPD told The Stranger previously that the system was not being used, but anyone with a smart phone who wandered through the jurisdiction covered by the digital nodes could still notice that their devices were being discovered by the internet-broadcasting boxes, just as a person’s iPhone or Android might attempt to connect to any network within reach. In theory, law enforcement could take the personal information transmitted as the two devices talk to each other and use that intelligence to triangulate the location of a person, even within inches.
When the SPD was approached about the system last week, they insisted that it wasn’t even in operation yet. David Ham of Seattle’s KIRO-7 News asked, however, how come 'we could see these network names if it’s not being used?'
'Well, they couldn’t give us an explanation,' Ham said at the time."
More:
Privacy Concerns, Black Bars, and Seattle’s Municipal Mesh Net Project
Much more:
The Stranger: You Are a Rogue Device
Much much more:
Trapwire surveillance system exposed in document leak
"Papers released by WikiLeaks show US department of homeland security paid $832,000 to deploy system in two cities." via @SeattlePrivacy
It could allow investigators in a surveillance vehicle to park in a crowded area and track the movements of anyone nearby with a cellphone and capture the numbers of people’s incoming and outgoing calls and text messages.
...But officials at Indiana’s largest police agency aren’t saying what they do with the technology; they’re mum on whose data they’ve collected so far; and they’re not talking about what steps they take to safeguard the data."
In a joint investigation with Gannett television stations across the country and USA Today, WUSA9 obtained documents that show police in Fairfax County, Montgomery County and the Metropolitan Police in DC have purchased cell phone spy gear capable of tracking your whereabouts - even if you're not the one being investigated."
Cellphone spying technology being used throughout Northern California
"At least seven law enforcement agencies in California are using controversial technology that allows them to secretly collect data from cellphones and track people, News10 has learned."
Secret Military Device ‘Hailstorm’ Used By Michigan Police, FOIA Request By Detroit News Denied
"‘HailStorm’ is a new device obtained by the Oakland County Sheriff with monies from a U.S. Homeland Security Grant and so far, there isn’t much information available on what exactly it can and cannot do. There were no questions asked when Oakland County commissioners unanimously approved the use of this cellphone tracking device previously used by the US military in Iraq."
LICENSE PLATE READERS are becoming standard issue equipment for PDs across the country, but there are severe down-sides in terms of collecting and correlating data on citizens:
License plate data not just for cops: Private companies are tracking your car
“'This sort of constant surveillance makes it very dangerous for us as a society,' said Michael Katz-Lacabe, a network security engineer and member of the San Leandro, Calif., school board.
Katz-Lacabe has first-hand experience with the reach of LPR data – police cameras in San Leandro captured his two vehicles more than 100 times over two years, which he discovered from a public records request in 2010. In one of the images, he and his daughters are stepping out of the family’s Toyota Prius in their driveway."
More:
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS AND 'STING RAY'
Bringing the argument home about domestic spying
By Dan Bluemel, laactivist.com
"Since March 2008, LAPD officers have been reporting on behavior they believe to have a nexus to terrorism. In what are called suspicious activity reports, or SARs, officers report on what the department considers suspicious behavior. Through another police program, called iWatch, civilians too can report on suspicious behavior.
The behavior being reported by police may be as innocuous — and legal — as taking photographs of buildings or inquiring about its hours of operation. The reports garnered from these two programs are sent to fusion centers where they are shared with local, state and national law enforcement agencies across the nation.
...Besides the SARs and iWatch programs, the LAPD also has several cameras positioned around the city that use TrapWire technology, a predictive software that can allegedly detect suspicious behavior in connection with terrorism.
Another technology employed by the LAPD is a suitcase-sized device called StingRay. It mimics a cell phone tower, tricking every cell phone in a neighborhood into connecting to it. Once connected, police can grab information from everyone’s phone in the area, not just the suspects.
StingRay was purchased with Dept. of Homeland Security Funds. It was meant for counterterrorism, but according to documents obtained by LA Weekly, in 2012, the LAPD used StingRay 21 times within four-months in burglary, drug and murder investigations."
"Photographers, both amateur and professional, as well as tourists, artists, college students, contractors, engineers, journalists, activists and others, have been secretly reported to the FBI by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies for nothing more than taking pictures, according to documents obtained from a public records request filed by the ACLU of Southern California."
Complete breaches of the Fourth Amendment
"A Pennsylvania community is asking questions after a government contractor, with help from the local police, pulled drivers off the road and into a parking lot to ask about their driving and – most notably – pressure them into providing a DNA sample."
Now they have our DNA as well. Another list upon which they want all of us to be. Total information awareness against the people of this country.
Note the wording of the Fourth Amendment:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Not any more:
"They're going to nationalize police departments. That's your military coup!" ~John Trudell
The collection of data regarding all citizens of America has been revealed to be egregiously intrusive and totalitarian despite a 2013 promise by Obama that nothing of the sort is occurring.
Obama To Leno: 'There Is No Spying On Americans'
Of course, Obama has made it possible:
Obama White House had NSA limits reversed
(2011) "The Obama administration quietly got a court to undo U.S. surveillance limits on the use of intercepted phone calls and emails, The Washington Post reported."
Of course, anyone who by this time does not fully understand Obama to be a complete and utter traitor to the American people is somehow not paying actual attention. Browse this blog for more if for some reason you still don't get it.
Most recently egregious is Seattle PD's attempt to set up their own mesh net across the city, one which like the later-mentioned "Sting Ray" technology, would allow them to continuously ping the location of any citizen with a cell phone or WiFi device.
Continuous, total spying upon citizen location and movement. Stored for later use against you. Let that sink in. This is Fascism, pure and simple. This is so completely beyond acceptable it is ridiculous. I initially did not forward the stories I saw regarding it, believing it to be conspiracy theory.
Seattle police deactivate surveillance system after public outrage
"Police in Seattle, Washington have responded to a major public outcry by disabling a recently discovered law enforcement tool that critics said could be used to conduct sweeping surveillance across the city.
...The SPD told The Stranger previously that the system was not being used, but anyone with a smart phone who wandered through the jurisdiction covered by the digital nodes could still notice that their devices were being discovered by the internet-broadcasting boxes, just as a person’s iPhone or Android might attempt to connect to any network within reach. In theory, law enforcement could take the personal information transmitted as the two devices talk to each other and use that intelligence to triangulate the location of a person, even within inches.
When the SPD was approached about the system last week, they insisted that it wasn’t even in operation yet. David Ham of Seattle’s KIRO-7 News asked, however, how come 'we could see these network names if it’s not being used?'
'Well, they couldn’t give us an explanation,' Ham said at the time."
More:
Privacy Concerns, Black Bars, and Seattle’s Municipal Mesh Net Project
Much more:
The Stranger: You Are a Rogue Device
Much much more:
Trapwire surveillance system exposed in document leak
"Papers released by WikiLeaks show US department of homeland security paid $832,000 to deploy system in two cities." via @SeattlePrivacy
Indiana State Police tracking cellphones - but won't say how or why
"This year, the Indiana State Police paid $373,995 for a device that law enforcement personnel have described as a powerful tool in the fight against crime and terrorism.It could allow investigators in a surveillance vehicle to park in a crowded area and track the movements of anyone nearby with a cellphone and capture the numbers of people’s incoming and outgoing calls and text messages.
...But officials at Indiana’s largest police agency aren’t saying what they do with the technology; they’re mum on whose data they’ve collected so far; and they’re not talking about what steps they take to safeguard the data."
DC, Maryland and Virginia cops spying on cell phone data
"WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA) -- It's not just the NSA - local cops are mining the cell phone data to reveal the location, identity and call information of hundreds of people at a time -- whether they're suspected of criminal activity or not.In a joint investigation with Gannett television stations across the country and USA Today, WUSA9 obtained documents that show police in Fairfax County, Montgomery County and the Metropolitan Police in DC have purchased cell phone spy gear capable of tracking your whereabouts - even if you're not the one being investigated."
Cellphone spying technology being used throughout Northern California
"At least seven law enforcement agencies in California are using controversial technology that allows them to secretly collect data from cellphones and track people, News10 has learned."
Secret Military Device ‘Hailstorm’ Used By Michigan Police, FOIA Request By Detroit News Denied
"‘HailStorm’ is a new device obtained by the Oakland County Sheriff with monies from a U.S. Homeland Security Grant and so far, there isn’t much information available on what exactly it can and cannot do. There were no questions asked when Oakland County commissioners unanimously approved the use of this cellphone tracking device previously used by the US military in Iraq."
Mysterious Phony Cell Towers Could Be Intercepting Your Calls
"To show what the CryptoPhone can do that less expensive competitors cannot, he points me to a map that he and his customers have created, indicating 17 different phony cell towers known as “interceptors,” detected by the CryptoPhone 500 around the United States during the month of July alone. (The map below is from August.) Interceptors look to a typical phone like an ordinary tower. Once the phone connects with the interceptor, a variety of 'over-the-air' attacks become possible, from eavesdropping on calls and texts to pushing spyware to the device."LICENSE PLATE READERS are becoming standard issue equipment for PDs across the country, but there are severe down-sides in terms of collecting and correlating data on citizens:
License plate data not just for cops: Private companies are tracking your car
“'This sort of constant surveillance makes it very dangerous for us as a society,' said Michael Katz-Lacabe, a network security engineer and member of the San Leandro, Calif., school board.
Katz-Lacabe has first-hand experience with the reach of LPR data – police cameras in San Leandro captured his two vehicles more than 100 times over two years, which he discovered from a public records request in 2010. In one of the images, he and his daughters are stepping out of the family’s Toyota Prius in their driveway."
More:
Privacy’s worst nightmare: company advertises over one billion license plate records
Boston police halt license tracking system as media probe points to privacy violations
Homeland Security is seeking a national license plate tracking system
Los Angeles Cops Argue All Cars in LA Are Under Investigation
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS AND 'STING RAY'
Bringing the argument home about domestic spying
By Dan Bluemel, laactivist.com
"Since March 2008, LAPD officers have been reporting on behavior they believe to have a nexus to terrorism. In what are called suspicious activity reports, or SARs, officers report on what the department considers suspicious behavior. Through another police program, called iWatch, civilians too can report on suspicious behavior.
The behavior being reported by police may be as innocuous — and legal — as taking photographs of buildings or inquiring about its hours of operation. The reports garnered from these two programs are sent to fusion centers where they are shared with local, state and national law enforcement agencies across the nation.
...Besides the SARs and iWatch programs, the LAPD also has several cameras positioned around the city that use TrapWire technology, a predictive software that can allegedly detect suspicious behavior in connection with terrorism.
Another technology employed by the LAPD is a suitcase-sized device called StingRay. It mimics a cell phone tower, tricking every cell phone in a neighborhood into connecting to it. Once connected, police can grab information from everyone’s phone in the area, not just the suspects.
StingRay was purchased with Dept. of Homeland Security Funds. It was meant for counterterrorism, but according to documents obtained by LA Weekly, in 2012, the LAPD used StingRay 21 times within four-months in burglary, drug and murder investigations."
Photographers beware! Big Brother is watching you
"Photographers, both amateur and professional, as well as tourists, artists, college students, contractors, engineers, journalists, activists and others, have been secretly reported to the FBI by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies for nothing more than taking pictures, according to documents obtained from a public records request filed by the ACLU of Southern California."
Complete breaches of the Fourth Amendment
DNA samples taken at police checkpoint ‘gross abuse of power,’ say PA drivers
"A Pennsylvania community is asking questions after a government contractor, with help from the local police, pulled drivers off the road and into a parking lot to ask about their driving and – most notably – pressure them into providing a DNA sample."
Now they have our DNA as well. Another list upon which they want all of us to be. Total information awareness against the people of this country.
Note the wording of the Fourth Amendment:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Not any more:
Texas judge: Search warrants can be obtained based on predictions of future crimes
"Police in Texas may now obtain a search warrant based on 'a prediction of a future crime,' according to a dissenting judge on the state’s criminal appeals court."
Police to Begin Inspecting Homes For “Illegal Tenants”
"The community of Westbury, NY has announced the creation of a new police task force to inspect people’s homes unannounced in search of 'illegal tenants.' The town of 15,000 will hire two new police officers and recently held a town meeting about the new 'zero tolerance policy' against renting rooms illegally. The task force – aptly named the Housing Enforcement Unit – is calling these tenants 'unpermitted guests.' And by 'illegal' they don’t mean immigrants – they mean anyone not on the mortgage or lease agreement."
Boston Transit Police Conducts Warrantless Searches on All Bus, Subway Riders
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
Boston transit police conducts warrantless searches on all bus, subway riders
Supreme Court: Pennsylvania cops no longer need a warrant to search citizens’ vehicles
Boston Transit Police Conducts Warrantless Searches on All Bus, Subway Riders
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
Boston Transit Police Conducts Warrantless Searches on All Bus, Subway Riders
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/boston-transit-police-conducts-warrantless-searches-bus-subway-riders/#RJPByxvlx9GAF4to.99
POLICE INTIMIDATION AND RETALIATION
If police (and through them, the Feds and the corporations and money interests controlling the Feds) do not like you, they may use surveillance data to cause you suffering and harm...especially if you are protesting the trade show promoting the deadly militarization of police:
"Last Friday, the City Corporation of Oakland hosted a four day ‘Urban Shield‘
conference in which SWAT teams and other militarized police troops from
around the globe came together to trade best practices on fighting
terrorism, first response training, and of course protest suppression techniques.
...In an effort to either silence a vocal activist or just plain out fuck
with his life, Oakland police secretly photographed one protester’s
vehicle and sent the photos, along with one of the protester himself, to
his employer. According to @Anon4justice
on Twitter, OPD falsely accused him of being involved in a hit-and-run
accident, which contributed to the dissident losing his job. (Side note; Anon4justice called in sick that day to be able to join his comrades in the streets.)"
¤ProletarianDissent¤
@Anon4justice
They found out the garage I parked in and got pics of my truck. Also got me at the rally. #policestate #ftp
¤ProletarianDissent¤
@Anon4justice
I was served by city of Oakland today demanding $1,138.50 for leaving sign at rally. Check the return address:
They found out the garage I parked in and got pics of my truck. Also got me at the rally. #policestate #ftp
¤ProletarianDissent¤
I was served by city of Oakland today demanding $1,138.50 for leaving sign at rally. Check the return address:
The Ferguson and St. Louis police executions of unarmed people of color have sparked righteous outrage and rebellion...and cops are again attempting to make it personal:
Help @Stackizshort Fight the St. Louis MPD Officer Who Tried to Hurt Her Job!
https://storify.com/seanjjordan/help-stackizshort-fight-the-st-louis-mpd-officer-wDHS have been forced to reveal that they have an internet "kill switch"...and Obama has given them full control of nation-wide communications.
Court rules Dept. of Homeland Security must reveal ‘internet kill switch’ protocol
White House gives Homeland Security control of all communication systems
Connect this with the "Urban Shield" story and the significantly clear militarization of police by DHS, police and the government who are highly interested in supressing public dissent can have full communications while the rest of us have nothing. Nice little plan, there.
Oakland OKs money for surveillance centerChris Knall
David "Debt" Graeber evicted, implicates NYPD intelligence, claims revenge-harassment for OWS participation: http://boingboing.net/2014/04/03/david-debt-graeber-evicted.html …
OUTRIGHT MILITARIZATION OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS
‘Welcome to Police Industrial Complex’ – former Philly commissioner
OUTRIGHT MILITARIZATION OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS
‘Welcome to Police Industrial Complex’ – former Philly commissioner
Millions of dollars’ worth of military gear being distributed to local police forces on an annual basis.
Drones, M-16s and so many other hand-me-downs from over a decade of war making their way from US forces abroad to a local police force near you."
More:
DHS Spy Files on the Occupy Movement Part 2
ACTUAL DOMESTIC TERRORISM
The FBI and the "patriot act" define "domestic terrorism" as:
"A person engages in domestic terrorism if they do an act...if the act appears to be intended to:
(i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population..."
How the USA PATRIOT Act redefines "Domestic Terrorism"
How then are the Federal and local police department actions against Occupy and Anon4justice not domestic terrorism? How is tracking every citizen's every minute location and documenting it photographically not intended to intimidate and coerce, to play upon fear and paranoia? To get us to SHUT UP AND GO HOME AND STAY THERE and allow the powers that be to continue their path without checks or balances?
If there is a price to be paid for voicing your 1st Amendment rights, if there is an obvious risk in so doing, something may be terribly wrong.
Complete breaches of the Fourth Amendment
Toledo, Ohio
Jefferson County, Colorado
AP exclusive finds 165 MRAP vehicles used in Iraq handed to local police departments
"These are not the first armored military vehicles given to U.S. police departments. A little-known 1033 program, originating from the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997, allows the Department of Defense to donate what it considers surplus military equipment to police and sheriff departments, Michael Shank and Elizabeth Beavers wrote in The Guardian. A total of $4.2 billion in such equipment, including tanks and grenade launchers, has been donated so far."
NH legislator introduces bill to stop small-town cops from buying tanks
Iowa town given 49,000 pound MRAP
More:
How the Los Angeles Police Department are made into tentacles of Homeland Security.
ACLU Launches Nationwide Police Militarization Investigation
10 000 cops ordered on to Sofia streets to contain anti-government protests
Stop LAPD Spying!
Forget the NSA, the LAPD Spies on Millions of Innocent Folks
Yes, Virginia, there is a police state
Utah considers law to increase SWAT raid transparency
No Man's Air: Military And Police Drones Proliferate In Latin America
Hedges: Jeremy Hammond Exposed State's Plan to Criminalize Democratic Dissent
"JAY: So, quickly, for people--most of our viewers must know this, but quickly, just what is it that Jeremy exposed?
HEDGES: He broke into the private security firm known as Stratfor, which does work for a variety of intelligence agencies--for the Marine Corps and the Defense Department, the Pentagon, but also for corporations, including Raytheon, Dow Chemical, and others. And he turned over 3 million emails, email exchanges within the company to Rolling Stone, WikiLeaks, and other publications. Now, this was quite a significant dump, because it illustrated two or three very chilling things about the security and surveillance state, first of all that there was no division between corporate spying and government spying. It was seamless, including the same people going back and forth. It was from that dump that we realized the extent to which the Occupy movement was being spied upon and infiltrated and monitored and followed. And we also found from those email exchanges that there was a concerted attempt on the part of security officials, both inside the government and within the private security contracting agency, to link, falsely, nonviolent dissident groups with terrorist groups so that they could apply terrorism laws against these groups.
And when I sued Barack Obama over Section 1021 of the National National Defense Authorization Act, which permits the U.S. military, overturning 150 years of domestic law, to seize U.S. citizens who 'substantially' support--that is not a legal term, it's not material support, it's an amorphous term--'substantially' support al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or something called associated forces--again another nebulous term--hold those citizens in military facilities without due process indefinitely, part of the email exchanges were entered as evidence in my case. And those email exchanges showed that this private security firm, along with government officials, was attempting to link a group called U.S. Day of Rage, founded by a journalist and activist named Alexa O'Brien, who was one of my coplaintiffs, with al-Qaeda. And why were they trying to link that group with al-Qaeda? So that they could employ the draconian terrorism laws against nonviolent democratic dissidents. That all came out from Hammond."
---
"They're going to nationalize police departments. That's your military coup!"
"JAY: So, quickly, for people--most of our viewers must know this, but quickly, just what is it that Jeremy exposed?
HEDGES: He broke into the private security firm known as Stratfor, which does work for a variety of intelligence agencies--for the Marine Corps and the Defense Department, the Pentagon, but also for corporations, including Raytheon, Dow Chemical, and others. And he turned over 3 million emails, email exchanges within the company to Rolling Stone, WikiLeaks, and other publications. Now, this was quite a significant dump, because it illustrated two or three very chilling things about the security and surveillance state, first of all that there was no division between corporate spying and government spying. It was seamless, including the same people going back and forth. It was from that dump that we realized the extent to which the Occupy movement was being spied upon and infiltrated and monitored and followed. And we also found from those email exchanges that there was a concerted attempt on the part of security officials, both inside the government and within the private security contracting agency, to link, falsely, nonviolent dissident groups with terrorist groups so that they could apply terrorism laws against these groups.
And when I sued Barack Obama over Section 1021 of the National National Defense Authorization Act, which permits the U.S. military, overturning 150 years of domestic law, to seize U.S. citizens who 'substantially' support--that is not a legal term, it's not material support, it's an amorphous term--'substantially' support al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or something called associated forces--again another nebulous term--hold those citizens in military facilities without due process indefinitely, part of the email exchanges were entered as evidence in my case. And those email exchanges showed that this private security firm, along with government officials, was attempting to link a group called U.S. Day of Rage, founded by a journalist and activist named Alexa O'Brien, who was one of my coplaintiffs, with al-Qaeda. And why were they trying to link that group with al-Qaeda? So that they could employ the draconian terrorism laws against nonviolent democratic dissidents. That all came out from Hammond."
---
"They're going to nationalize police departments. That's your military coup!"
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Shameful media/police collusion on Anaheim PD's attacks upon citizens!
YourMediaTeam
@OCCUPYCARLISLE
#Anaheim PD phone number: (714) 765-1900 and address: 425 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim,CA 92805 #policestate @OccupyWallSt @TibitXimer
"Officers used non-lethal rounds and pepper balls to control the crowd,
Dunn said. A police dog also got free from an officer's car and charged
at several people before it was pulled back, he added."
This is what KTLA say occurred (FAIR USE ACT NOTICE; precludes all other agreements)
This is a citizen's video:
Police are said to have gone door-to-door asking to purchase all recordings of their attacks. Please note the LA Times article says absolutely nothing about the fact that the citizens shot up and bitten in the above video were at a =weekly= protest against Anaheim PD violence. A regular event. And that they were sitting on the lawn! LA Times goes directly to burning dumpsters without connecting the dots that perhaps citizens were mad not only about the murder of one of their own, but that they had been earlier in the day shot up and bitten for protesting it! People must be wondering why they would bring a K9 unit to what is obviously from the video a weekly, sit-down event (not that I for a minute believe the dog simply got loose on its own)...they brought it there for the same reason they brought, and freely used, "less-lethal" weaponry...upon peaceful citizens.
"If they would use those RBs on the guy they killed for running away none of this be happening right now." -Annie Lindstrom
YourMediaTeam
"Anaheim cops, mainstream media call community with baby strollers and children in their front lawns a 'riot'"
-Michael Prysner
"For those trying to parse the #MSM spin of #Anaheim, 'Officer Involved Shooting' means a cop guns down someone."
-Occupy Wall Street
YourMediaTeam
@OCCUPYCARLISLE
Anaheim PD Officers placed on paid leave after shooting unarmed man in Anaheim. #OWS
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The truth about LAPD's violent attack upon the downtown Artwalk.
There are two things police could have done: Not shown up at all or simply left upon seeing it was CHALK.
[Quote] via Laurel Sylvanus - #OWS #ChalkWalk #DTLA
"You see, NO, the answer is not: "But it was just rubber buillets and beanbags." The answer is "OMG professionals trained in crowd control and crisis management tasked with protecting and serving the PUBLIC made a conscious decision to take aim and FIRE WEAPONS AT THE SAME PUBLIC for peaceful, ARTISTIC PROTEST in the 2nd largest city in the United States of America. I must stand up and be heard on this terrifying, horrible action by SEVERAL MEMBERS of the LAPD!" ~ Occupy Los Angeles
It is entirely about the CCA and their belief that they own and run downtown LA. And that they at least run city hall and the police department, so this is not far from being a complete truth. This is also about Occupy being the cockroach in their tinseltown, and an insane interpretation of the "Broken Windows Theory". And water-soluble childrens' "sidewalk chalk" which is designed to be easily washed off.
LAPD Officer Karen Rayner said it (chalk) is "not vandalism because it's not permanent."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/los-angeles-artwalk-turns-violent-clash-police-occupy-article-1.1114068#ixzz20XxHB6Hr
Why not sign the petition for an investigation into their brutality and over-reaction?
http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-villaraigosa-governor-jerry-brown-attorney-general-eric-holder-investigate-lapd-use-of-force-on-angelenos-at-art-walk-on-7-12-12
There were probably 20 Occupiers at Chalkwalk/Artwalk. The =hundreds= of Artwalkers and locals who stood up to LAPD did so of their own will because LAPD were blatantly WRONG. I was not there; I watched livestream from when tweets went out about the police line. An Occupier who was there is saying there were 10 OccupyLA people present. Here is OLA's press release:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/occupy-los-angeles/lapd-push-shoot-kick-man-in-face-arrest-him-at-artwalk-lapd-arrested-and-harm-mo/467166763296113
Artwalk/Chalkwalk early in the evening, sans police:
Photo by Dan Bluemel of LA Activist; see his story linked right after the videos.
Cops arrive including area supervisor Captain Frank, and begin confiscating chalk. Notice the cop in the first video takes out his baton at about 31 seconds. With this attitude and disproportion, it is no wonder they took things so far out of hand.
Arrests for water-soluble chalk drawings, including one saying "(Heart) the police"; people in disbelief, children crying:
Video by PeteyK
Shot in the chest ("foam baton"), arrested...said to have been kicked in the head by cops, see below:
Young woman violently arrested to the crowd's disbelief and upset:
Video by pouyan1 on youtube
Man violently arrested for no reason, with no warning:
Video by Marco Siguenza
Three arrests, woman shoved by cops:
Video by dramakidps2 on youtube
Above view, start at 4:45. Taser can be heard at 4:57; not very audible here but I've heard it clearly on other video near the street. I've been reading that they kicked the man in the face and this confirms it repeatedly:
Taser sound is clearly audible at 7:38. Occupy did not tag the truck. Locals were out by then due to police over-presence and police violence....against chalk.
LAPD aggressively block people into the Alexandria Hotel:
This young man was shot four times; displays his wounds:
Video by Sam Slovick
Video of police firing three times; This man was shot once:
Video by Sam Slovick
Occupiers speak truth to LAPD panel, OUTSTANDING:
Video by PeteyK
Police arrests over chalking leads to uprising | l.a. activist
http://www.laactivist.com/2012/07/14/police-arrests-over-chalking-leads-to-uprising/
Art Walk Vendor Slams the LAPD's Tactics Against Occupy L.A.
http://laist.com/2012/07/13/art_walk_vendor_speaks_out_against.php
LATimes article. Note they are spray-painting over water-soluble chalk.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0714-artwalk-20120714,0,7994058.story
Also note the space given to CCA head Carol Shatz, attempting to create a "We good, they bad" dynamic.
Image by Todd Blose:
Photo by Damon:
Ch7 have on Facebook offered an apology and links to other videos. Occupy the media!
From an above video; I believe this occurred at Main and 4th:
Damon's photoset:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/sets/72157630560888092/with/7563452964/
Amber Stephens @amberjamie99pct
Eyewitness: "Many non-occupiers began using chalk and creating their own art, which is when riot police attacked." @Occupyla #ows #ola
Retweeted by Jeff K. (#OYSlive)
"Due to unusual occurance in central division. The city of Los Angeles is on tactical alert status."
Severity:
Minor - Minimal to no known threat to life or property
https://local.nixle.com/alert/4855473/
RyanRiceLA
[ChalkWalk] #OWS
http://t.co/Gm6i95aG
has compiled several good report-backs on the ArtWalk Uprising in #DTLA
http://t.co/FhiIS0f2
CHALK WALK ACCUSES MAYOR OF ‘CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR’
Participants of Chalk Walk Respond to Mayor’s Statement & Selective Enforcement
http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=node%2F10110
Just a day or so before this attack, Michelle Shocked made a quick video on the subject. Note her being confronted by a CCA korporate kop:
Just a day after their attack upon Artwalk, LAPD are driving motorcycles into crowds of Occupiers:
Do not forget what LAPD did to citizens when the Kings won Lord Stanley's Cup:
ENORMOUS SURPRISE: LAPD SAY
Is there enough facepalm? I think not!
Live report thread of the incident as it happened; thank you to all who contributed!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002939669
[Quote] via Laurel Sylvanus - #OWS #ChalkWalk #DTLA
"You see, NO, the answer is not: "But it was just rubber buillets and beanbags." The answer is "OMG professionals trained in crowd control and crisis management tasked with protecting and serving the PUBLIC made a conscious decision to take aim and FIRE WEAPONS AT THE SAME PUBLIC for peaceful, ARTISTIC PROTEST in the 2nd largest city in the United States of America. I must stand up and be heard on this terrifying, horrible action by SEVERAL MEMBERS of the LAPD!" ~ Occupy Los Angeles
It is entirely about the CCA and their belief that they own and run downtown LA. And that they at least run city hall and the police department, so this is not far from being a complete truth. This is also about Occupy being the cockroach in their tinseltown, and an insane interpretation of the "Broken Windows Theory". And water-soluble childrens' "sidewalk chalk" which is designed to be easily washed off.
LAPD Officer Karen Rayner said it (chalk) is "not vandalism because it's not permanent."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/los-angeles-artwalk-turns-violent-clash-police-occupy-article-1.1114068#ixzz20XxHB6Hr
Why not sign the petition for an investigation into their brutality and over-reaction?
http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-villaraigosa-governor-jerry-brown-attorney-general-eric-holder-investigate-lapd-use-of-force-on-angelenos-at-art-walk-on-7-12-12
There were probably 20 Occupiers at Chalkwalk/Artwalk. The =hundreds= of Artwalkers and locals who stood up to LAPD did so of their own will because LAPD were blatantly WRONG. I was not there; I watched livestream from when tweets went out about the police line. An Occupier who was there is saying there were 10 OccupyLA people present. Here is OLA's press release:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/occupy-los-angeles/lapd-push-shoot-kick-man-in-face-arrest-him-at-artwalk-lapd-arrested-and-harm-mo/467166763296113
Artwalk/Chalkwalk early in the evening, sans police:
Photo by Dan Bluemel of LA Activist; see his story linked right after the videos.
Cops arrive including area supervisor Captain Frank, and begin confiscating chalk. Notice the cop in the first video takes out his baton at about 31 seconds. With this attitude and disproportion, it is no wonder they took things so far out of hand.
Arrests for water-soluble chalk drawings, including one saying "(Heart) the police"; people in disbelief, children crying:
Video by PeteyK
Shot in the chest ("foam baton"), arrested...said to have been kicked in the head by cops, see below:
Young woman violently arrested to the crowd's disbelief and upset:
Video by pouyan1 on youtube
Man violently arrested for no reason, with no warning:
Video by Marco Siguenza
Three arrests, woman shoved by cops:
Video by dramakidps2 on youtube
Above view, start at 4:45. Taser can be heard at 4:57; not very audible here but I've heard it clearly on other video near the street. I've been reading that they kicked the man in the face and this confirms it repeatedly:
Taser sound is clearly audible at 7:38. Occupy did not tag the truck. Locals were out by then due to police over-presence and police violence....against chalk.
LAPD aggressively block people into the Alexandria Hotel:
This young man was shot four times; displays his wounds:
Video by Sam Slovick
Video of police firing three times; This man was shot once:
Video by Sam Slovick
Occupiers speak truth to LAPD panel, OUTSTANDING:
Video by PeteyK
Police arrests over chalking leads to uprising | l.a. activist
http://www.laactivist.com/2012/07/14/police-arrests-over-chalking-leads-to-uprising/
Art Walk Vendor Slams the LAPD's Tactics Against Occupy L.A.
http://laist.com/2012/07/13/art_walk_vendor_speaks_out_against.php
LATimes article. Note they are spray-painting over water-soluble chalk.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0714-artwalk-20120714,0,7994058.story
Also note the space given to CCA head Carol Shatz, attempting to create a "We good, they bad" dynamic.
Image by Todd Blose:
Photo by Damon:
Ch7 have on Facebook offered an apology and links to other videos. Occupy the media!
From an above video; I believe this occurred at Main and 4th:
Damon's photoset:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/sets/72157630560888092/with/7563452964/
Amber Stephens @amberjamie99pct
Eyewitness: "Many non-occupiers began using chalk and creating their own art, which is when riot police attacked." @Occupyla #ows #ola
Retweeted by Jeff K. (#OYSlive)
"Due to unusual occurance in central division. The city of Los Angeles is on tactical alert status."
Severity:
Minor - Minimal to no known threat to life or property
https://local.nixle.com/alert/4855473/
RyanRiceLA
[ChalkWalk] #OWS
http://t.co/Gm6i95aG
has compiled several good report-backs on the ArtWalk Uprising in #DTLA
http://t.co/FhiIS0f2
CHALK WALK ACCUSES MAYOR OF ‘CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR’
Participants of Chalk Walk Respond to Mayor’s Statement & Selective Enforcement
http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=node%2F10110
Just a day or so before this attack, Michelle Shocked made a quick video on the subject. Note her being confronted by a CCA korporate kop:
Just a day after their attack upon Artwalk, LAPD are driving motorcycles into crowds of Occupiers:
Do not forget what LAPD did to citizens when the Kings won Lord Stanley's Cup:
ENORMOUS SURPRISE: LAPD SAY
the department "overall responded appropriately."
http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2424335&postId=2424335&postUserId=7&sessionToken&catId=6978&curAbsIndex=2&resultsUrl=DID%3D6&DFCL=1000&DSB=rank%23desc&DBFQ=userId%3A7&DL.w&DL.d=10&DQ=sectionId%3A6978&DPS=0&DPL=3Is there enough facepalm? I think not!
Live report thread of the incident as it happened; thank you to all who contributed!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002939669
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Carol Schatz of the CCA and their outright war against the homeless
The best parts of this are from the work of Dan Bluemel of LA Activist; articles are linked at the end.
Why do Carole Schatz and the CCA hate the homeless?
In 2011, LA Downtown News released its list of the 42 most powerful people downtown:
6. Carol Schatz, Central City Association
Mayor Villariagosa is listed as number 5.
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-most-powerful-people-in-downtown/article_8073260a-f08b-5e90-87e6-93dd4ebe7529.html
Carol Schatz said in 2004:
"We have a very specific agenda related to homelessness."
"So, what stands in the way of realizing these aspirations over the next year or two?
Again, we need a supportive policy environment. We need attention paid by the city and county to the issue of homelessness, because we are ground zero here for the United States in terms of the numbers of encampments. Our job is to continue to make the case for why it is extremely important that policymakers focus on these issues, and focus attention on the continued revitalization of downtown. The success of downtown has wide-ranging impacts, spreading wealth and benefits to every part of the city."
http://www.planningreport.com/2004/01/23/la-central-city-associations-carol-schatz-housing-and-need-place-making
When you look at the events truthfully depicted in the film and book "The Soloist", you will note that the homeless were forced out of an area CCA wished to turn into Profit.
Did Carol Schatz write an LA Times opinion piece against the homeless?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-schatz-skid-row-deterioration-20120409,0,6118841.story
Edit: Uh-oh! That story is no longer found! So here is the archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120713220527/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/09/opinion/la-oe-schatz-skid-row-deterioration-20120409
Take screenshots; they're obviously nervous about people seeing them for who they are!
Again:
"We have a very specific agenda related to homelessness."
Did the CCA, who are contracted to sweep the streets of Skid Row, empty their trash cans, and power wash twice-weekly cease these contractual services in mid/early May?
Yes, at minimum at Towne street.
Did the city pass an ordinance against camping/tents in May of this year, seemingly an anti-Occupy bill but is now apparent as an attack upon the homeless city-wide?
Where is money meant for the homeless actually going?
Last year, we saw homeless monies taken by the city and handed over to the developer Gensler:
http://www.laweekly.com/2011-04-21/news/huge-subsidy-for-stadium-architect/
and after a flurry of propaganda articles in the LA Times and LA Downtown News against the homeless[1], and a Health Department report skewed by CCA's own refusal to continue their contracted sweeping, garbage collection, and power-washing of Skid Row, genuine attacks began upon the homeless.
Regarding profitable housing versus homeless housing, their agenda is:
"How much housing is in production, Carol?
As of December 31, 1998, which is when we first began to see the spike in activity, 12,809 units existed. The grand total now, at the end of 2003, is 14,996 units. There are currently 3,200 units under construction, 812 permitted units, 794 units under plan check, and over 3,000 units under consideration."
That would make 2, 187 active units with 7,806 under way, making a total in of
9,993 units.
How about for the homeless?
ACLU/City of Los Angeles Settlement Agreement
"A settlement was reached, requiring the city to build 1,250 new permanent supportive housing units, 50 percent of which must be located in Skid Row, in order to enforce an ordinance that prevents street encampments."
http://ccala.org/3-05-achievements.asp
(Click PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND HOMELESSNESS")
That means 625 units for Skid Row homeless, total, forever, out of a population of many multiple thousands, while in 2004 alone they were working on 9,993 units for profit. In exchange for an ordinance that prevents street encampments. And:
"CCA is monitoring the progress of the new housing units, and will work with the city and community to ensure a balanced approach to any new housing in Downtown."
Yeah, that is shining through.
How about laws involving the homeless?
"Safer Cities Initiative
CCA is a strong supporter of the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI), a crime-reduction program established in Downtown Los Angeles in 2006 under former Chief of Police Bill Bratton. The program has added 50 additional patrol officers to target narcotics-related crime and misdemeanor offenses such as illegal vending, littering, dumping, and vandalism. CCA credits the SCI for dramatically reducing crime and blight in the area."
* $5.7 million dollars are spent a year for homeless services for the entire city, not merely Skid Row.
* $6 million dollars a year are spent on those 50 extra police on Skid Row.
* The SCI allows arrests for anyone sitting or sleeping on the sidewalk between 6AM and 9PM, but that is not mentioned in CCA's description.
* Neither is the fact that the homeless will be arrested for not taking down their tents during this time. [2]
* "Blight" = "The homeless".
* Littering and dumping? Here is where this money is going...into nice new sports cars:
What about corporations and the rich influencing city government policy and decisions?
"Naturally, our membership includes business leaders from across Los Angeles. We give them access to the policies and people that are shaping the future of Los Angeles and in return, they know CCA is the business organization that gets things done."
Advocating for the business community before the Los Angeles
City Council, the County Board of Supervisors and the State Legislature.
http://ccala.org/
http://ccala.org/3-01-mission.asp
What did Benito Mussolini have to say about exactly this?
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power."
Benito Mussolini seen here with a friend:
Corporate police the purple shirts with batons alongside LAPD at an Occupy action. Corporate police! When did corporations get their own thug force and when exactly was the public vote?
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/12/occupy_la_lapd_assisted_private_security.php
Hmm:
"The operation, requested by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa..."
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/20/local/la-me-skid-row-cleanup-20120620
Now the attack upon Skid Row has officially begun:
Does CCA openly brag about their influence at city hall?
Yes, although this once-public post is now only viewable through the archive:
"The results are in! CCA was the resounding winner in yesterday’s election."
Where will the homeless go if they are forced out of Skid Row?
There are no safe directions. There are no "public commons" in which they may rest or sleep, or stop moving for a minute without facing arrest. This has been by design. As well as the recent City Hall ruling against tents in public parks, which worked against Occupy but was now obviously with the homeless in mind as well.
Here are real housing solutions for the homeless:
And the Health Department report recommends long-term housing, with zero word about forcing them out or arresting them!
"Working with people who are homeless and experiencing mental illnesses and other health problems is not easy. Society has at times given up on this vulnerable population and incorrectly concluded nothing can be done to address their issues, or to solve the cycle of despair resulting in long-term homelessness.
We at the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and many other advocates know differently - there are proven solutions that work. Effective, cost-efficient models that move vulnerable people like Ayers off the streets and into affordable, permanent housing where they can receive the support they need to heal and build better lives."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-de-santis/what-emthe-soloistem-tell_b_188776.html
Project 50: Anatomy of a photo essay
http://framework.latimes.com/2010/11/18/project-50-anatomy-of-a-photo-essay/
And at minimum, this falls directly into the Health Department's recommendations:
Portable shower and toilet trailers
http://www.amsglobal.us/
Here is a most brilliant article summing up the entire issue:
What does Occupy and the LA Community Action Network and Catholic Workers have to say about all of this?
Arrests & Terror at #626Wilshire
Occupiers on Skid Row were evicted a few days earlier, and re-Occupied:
[1]
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/opinion/bad-to-worse-in-skid-row/article_798ece2c-b1b3-11e1-b098-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/opinion/trouble-on-skid-row-sidewalks/article_1563c8fa-a13a-11e1-861f-0019bb2963f4.html
The hilarious thing about the great Ted Rall cartoon in the above article is that under the CCA's strongly supported "Safer Cities Initiative", the homeless person depicted would be arrested for sitting on the sidewalk.
[2] Homeless man threatened with arrest for not taking down his tent between 6AM and 9PM:
Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district will include Skid Row thank to redistricting
This is my understanding from what I have read and been told. All errors are errors.
Why do Carole Schatz and the CCA hate the homeless?
In 2011, LA Downtown News released its list of the 42 most powerful people downtown:
6. Carol Schatz, Central City Association
Mayor Villariagosa is listed as number 5.
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/the-most-powerful-people-in-downtown/article_8073260a-f08b-5e90-87e6-93dd4ebe7529.html
Carol Schatz said in 2004:
"We have a very specific agenda related to homelessness."
"So, what stands in the way of realizing these aspirations over the next year or two?
Again, we need a supportive policy environment. We need attention paid by the city and county to the issue of homelessness, because we are ground zero here for the United States in terms of the numbers of encampments. Our job is to continue to make the case for why it is extremely important that policymakers focus on these issues, and focus attention on the continued revitalization of downtown. The success of downtown has wide-ranging impacts, spreading wealth and benefits to every part of the city."
http://www.planningreport.com/2004/01/23/la-central-city-associations-carol-schatz-housing-and-need-place-making
When you look at the events truthfully depicted in the film and book "The Soloist", you will note that the homeless were forced out of an area CCA wished to turn into Profit.
Did Carol Schatz write an LA Times opinion piece against the homeless?
Enabling homelessness on L.A.'s skid row
Allowing the homeless to keep any and all possessions on sidewalks protects unlawful conduct for a few and ignores the ramifications for most of society.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-schatz-skid-row-deterioration-20120409,0,6118841.story
Edit: Uh-oh! That story is no longer found! So here is the archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120713220527/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/09/opinion/la-oe-schatz-skid-row-deterioration-20120409
Take screenshots; they're obviously nervous about people seeing them for who they are!
Again:
"We have a very specific agenda related to homelessness."
Did the CCA, who are contracted to sweep the streets of Skid Row, empty their trash cans, and power wash twice-weekly cease these contractual services in mid/early May?
Yes, at minimum at Towne street.
Did the city pass an ordinance against camping/tents in May of this year, seemingly an anti-Occupy bill but is now apparent as an attack upon the homeless city-wide?
City Hall Moves To Ban Tents, Overnight Camping After Occupy LA Damage
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/05/30/city-hall-moves-to-ban-tents-overnight-camping-after-occupy-la-damage/
Where is money meant for the homeless actually going?
Last year, we saw homeless monies taken by the city and handed over to the developer Gensler:
Huge Subsidy for Stadium Architect
Villaraigosa quietly plans to hand Gensler $1 million meant for the poor
How did Los Angeles city leaders turn $1 million intended to help downtown’s homeless and low-income denizens into a proposed subsidy for the global architecture firm designing downtown’s proposed NFL football stadium?http://www.laweekly.com/2011-04-21/news/huge-subsidy-for-stadium-architect/
and after a flurry of propaganda articles in the LA Times and LA Downtown News against the homeless[1], and a Health Department report skewed by CCA's own refusal to continue their contracted sweeping, garbage collection, and power-washing of Skid Row, genuine attacks began upon the homeless.
Regarding profitable housing versus homeless housing, their agenda is:
"How much housing is in production, Carol?
As of December 31, 1998, which is when we first began to see the spike in activity, 12,809 units existed. The grand total now, at the end of 2003, is 14,996 units. There are currently 3,200 units under construction, 812 permitted units, 794 units under plan check, and over 3,000 units under consideration."
That would make 2, 187 active units with 7,806 under way, making a total in of
9,993 units.
How about for the homeless?
ACLU/City of Los Angeles Settlement Agreement
"A settlement was reached, requiring the city to build 1,250 new permanent supportive housing units, 50 percent of which must be located in Skid Row, in order to enforce an ordinance that prevents street encampments."
http://ccala.org/3-05-achievements.asp
(Click PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND HOMELESSNESS")
That means 625 units for Skid Row homeless, total, forever, out of a population of many multiple thousands, while in 2004 alone they were working on 9,993 units for profit. In exchange for an ordinance that prevents street encampments. And:
"CCA is monitoring the progress of the new housing units, and will work with the city and community to ensure a balanced approach to any new housing in Downtown."
Yeah, that is shining through.
How about laws involving the homeless?
"Safer Cities Initiative
CCA is a strong supporter of the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI), a crime-reduction program established in Downtown Los Angeles in 2006 under former Chief of Police Bill Bratton. The program has added 50 additional patrol officers to target narcotics-related crime and misdemeanor offenses such as illegal vending, littering, dumping, and vandalism. CCA credits the SCI for dramatically reducing crime and blight in the area."
* $5.7 million dollars are spent a year for homeless services for the entire city, not merely Skid Row.
* $6 million dollars a year are spent on those 50 extra police on Skid Row.
* The SCI allows arrests for anyone sitting or sleeping on the sidewalk between 6AM and 9PM, but that is not mentioned in CCA's description.
* Neither is the fact that the homeless will be arrested for not taking down their tents during this time. [2]
* "Blight" = "The homeless".
* Littering and dumping? Here is where this money is going...into nice new sports cars:
What about corporations and the rich influencing city government policy and decisions?
"Naturally, our membership includes business leaders from across Los Angeles. We give them access to the policies and people that are shaping the future of Los Angeles and in return, they know CCA is the business organization that gets things done."
Advocating for the business community before the Los Angeles
City Council, the County Board of Supervisors and the State Legislature.
http://ccala.org/
http://ccala.org/3-01-mission.asp
What did Benito Mussolini have to say about exactly this?
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power."
Benito Mussolini seen here with a friend:
Corporate police the purple shirts with batons alongside LAPD at an Occupy action. Corporate police! When did corporations get their own thug force and when exactly was the public vote?
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/12/occupy_la_lapd_assisted_private_security.php
The DCBID's Safe & Clean team, our "Purple Patrol", is
committed to assisting those who work, live, and play in the Downtown
Center and Historic Downtown. This highly visible team of purple-shirted
safety officers and maintenance staff provide daily, 24-hour
supplemental services to maintain safety and cleanliness within the
district. The Purple Patrol is highly trained to ensure that your visit
to the Downtown area is memorable and safe.
Hmm:
"The operation, requested by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa..."
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/20/local/la-me-skid-row-cleanup-20120620
Now the attack upon Skid Row has officially begun:
Does CCA openly brag about their influence at city hall?
Yes, although this once-public post is now only viewable through the archive:
CCA PAC Scores Successes at City Hall
"The results are in! CCA was the resounding winner in yesterday’s election."
Where will the homeless go if they are forced out of Skid Row?
There are no safe directions. There are no "public commons" in which they may rest or sleep, or stop moving for a minute without facing arrest. This has been by design. As well as the recent City Hall ruling against tents in public parks, which worked against Occupy but was now obviously with the homeless in mind as well.
Here are real housing solutions for the homeless:
And the Health Department report recommends long-term housing, with zero word about forcing them out or arresting them!
"Working with people who are homeless and experiencing mental illnesses and other health problems is not easy. Society has at times given up on this vulnerable population and incorrectly concluded nothing can be done to address their issues, or to solve the cycle of despair resulting in long-term homelessness.
We at the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and many other advocates know differently - there are proven solutions that work. Effective, cost-efficient models that move vulnerable people like Ayers off the streets and into affordable, permanent housing where they can receive the support they need to heal and build better lives."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-de-santis/what-emthe-soloistem-tell_b_188776.html
Housing project for hard-core homeless pays off
A study of homeless adults housed by L.A. County's Project 50 suggests providing permanent housing to vulnerable populations saves local governments money.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0608-homeless-savings-20120608,0,5536032.storyProject 50: Anatomy of a photo essay
http://framework.latimes.com/2010/11/18/project-50-anatomy-of-a-photo-essay/
And at minimum, this falls directly into the Health Department's recommendations:
Portable shower and toilet trailers
http://www.amsglobal.us/
Here is a most brilliant article summing up the entire issue:
Harsh Skid Row policies driven by business lobby, say advocates
http://www.laactivist.com/2012/06/24/harsh-skid-row-policies-driven-by-business-lobby-say-advocates/What does Occupy and the LA Community Action Network and Catholic Workers have to say about all of this?
Arrests & Terror at #626Wilshire
State Violence Increases as Occupiers Lay Siege to Perfect Villain
http://ryanricela.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/arrests-and-terror-at-626wilshire/
Occupiers on Skid Row were evicted a few days earlier, and re-Occupied:
Occupy Skid Row, Evicted and Re-Occupied!
http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/06/occupy-skid-row-evicted-and-re-occupied.html[1]
Major cleanup of L.A. skid row, prompted by health report, begins
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/20/local/la-me-skid-row-cleanup-20120620
LA County finds health-code violations in Skid Row
http://news.yahoo.com/la-county-finds-health-code-violations-skid-row-234033525.htmlEditorials: Bad to Worse in Skid Row
(Guess what? There no name attached to this article!)http://www.ladowntownnews.com/opinion/bad-to-worse-in-skid-row/article_798ece2c-b1b3-11e1-b098-0019bb2963f4.html
Editorials: Trouble on Skid Row Sidewalks
(Nope, no name on this one either.)http://www.ladowntownnews.com/opinion/trouble-on-skid-row-sidewalks/article_1563c8fa-a13a-11e1-861f-0019bb2963f4.html
A plan to make L.A.'s homeless problem worse?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ol-homeless-problem-worse-20120613,0,4335768.storyThe hilarious thing about the great Ted Rall cartoon in the above article is that under the CCA's strongly supported "Safer Cities Initiative", the homeless person depicted would be arrested for sitting on the sidewalk.
[2] Homeless man threatened with arrest for not taking down his tent between 6AM and 9PM:
Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district will include Skid Row thank to redistricting
This is my understanding from what I have read and been told. All errors are errors.
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