Land of the 'Free' in Washington DC

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday April 13, 2003 18:22 by some chick in DC

just so you know what's going on on the other side of the lake.

http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=64515&group=webcast

Suddenly a cop was seen chasing 1 young woman. I do not know what she did to provoke that cop. Probably just yelled or thumbed her nose at him. He brought her down to the ground. She lay passively on her back,her arms over her head. A crowd quickly gathered to bear witness to any possible brutality on the cop's part. But noone did anything physically. We just began shouting "Let her go!" and "Shame! shame!" Someone who looked to be a reporter tried to get in to talk to the girl. A cop roughly shoved her away. The crowd contined to chant "Let her go." Suddenly, 3 or 4 cops stepped in with looks of pure fury and rage on their faces, and they began shoving those closest to the girl. Again, noone was doing anything to menace the police; merely yelling,with finger pointed (not the obscene finger), "Shame!" and "Let her go!" No cop in charge yelled out a warning cry of "disperse", or any other sort of warning. It was as if the police were told they could act however they wished or felt like, and so they did. Some people with cameras and video cameras began clicking away. This provoked the cops even more, and they began shoving and pushing people , willy nilly, or else trying to force them (myself included) into some sort of human cordon with their arms and sticks to prevent our escape.

/////////////////

photos

Saturday protests
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=64576

New Cages placed on DC streets
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=64210&group=webcast

http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=64476&group=webcast

DC Police deploy Light Armored Car in Response to Permitted March
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=64527&group=webcast