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Free All Political Prisoners
by John-RPGH
Tuesday July 01, 2003 at 05:31 PM
jail_israel@hotmail.com (email address validated) 412 429 3384
for Pittsburgh Indymedia The arrest and sentencing of Sherman Austin reminds us of a long history of political repression in the AmeriKKKan police state
For the full story: http://www.raisethefist.com/news.cgi?artical=wire/-----756863t4a.article
Sherman Austin is the webmaster of RaiseTheFist.com. Ever since he created his website on Presidents Day, 2000 he has been monitored and harrassed by the federal governement and by the Long Beach Police. He was one of the first victims of the Patriot Act when his house was invaded by 25 heavily armed FBI and Secret Service who arrested him and shut down Raise The Fist. Ever since, him and his website have been the victims of constant harrassment and monitoring by federal agents.
On July 28th Sherman is expected to be sentenced to almost a year in jail, with the possibility of a "Terrorist Enhancement" charge which would add 20 YEARS to his sentencing! We're asking you to join us at the Federal Building downtown to raise awareness of Sherman and other political prisoners, and to let those in power know we will not stand by and let our comrades be held captive.
WHEN: August 2nd, 2pm
WHERE: Federal Building at the corner of Liberty and Grant
We will rally there and show our support for Sherman Austin and other politcal prisoners such as the Move 9, Leonard Peltier, and Mumia Abu-Jamal. A donations can will be passed around to help pay for Sherman's $2,000 dollar fine imposed by the court.
For information call John at 412-429-3384
The Pittsburgh action is organize by Radicalize Pittsburgh.
STOP
by Mulch
Wednesday July 02, 2003 at 03:33 PM
I'm not happy with alot of what goes on in the US today, but the fact you can make posts like this makes you sound silly for calling the US a police state. GEt out into the world a bit and see a real police state up close.
Again, I know I'll probably get flamed anyway, but I am not defending the actions of our gov't or police but enough with the police state crap.
no police state?
by Ras Brian
Wednesday July 02, 2003 at 04:23 PM
artriotmedia@aol.com (email address NOT validated)
Not defending the actions of our police and government but denying police state? huh? explain please? Oh yea, Radicalize PGH people get in touch with me, I live in Brookline.
On the Way There
by Sam
Wednesday July 02, 2003 at 09:40 PM
It is probably wrong to call the United States a police state right now. However, it's not wrong to point out that a lot of the repression that's been happening since 9/11 bears an eerie resemblance to that which would occur in a police state. We can sit back and watch our freedoms being stripped away one by one, or we can call a spade a spade and do something about it now, before it's too late.
Police states don't (yet) exist in the imperialist countries mostly because they don't need to exist. Instead, dissent is marginalized. IndyMedia is not a household name. Worse, IndyMedia doesn't reach the people it should -- the wealthier people are, the more likely they are to have Internet access.
But when dissent in the imperialist countries actually come close to threatening the status quo, police state tactics are employed. In the '60s and '70s, you had COINTELPRO. Decades before that, you had the persecution of labor organizers.
So, while the U.S. is not a police state per se, it's not a stretch to say that it's employing police state tactics, and will not hesitate to use such tactics when its most vital interests are seriously threatened.
More information, including what got him in trouble...
by Dan P.
Thursday July 03, 2003 at 01:28 AM
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/raisethefist/
Dr. Touretzky is a great guy. I admire him greatly!
Re: Stop
by Saleh
Thursday July 03, 2003 at 11:06 AM
salehw@yahoo.com (email address NOT validated)
Hey man, I've lived in Saudi Arabia where there were cops at check points to check your papers at random, and in Pakistan at the time when soldiers set up impromptu sand-bag machine-gun barracks on major intersections for weeks. If you're priveliged and isolated you don't notice it, but the deeper you get into one of the exploited and oppressed groups (workers, national minorites, sexual minorities, women, anyone who acts "out of line" - i.e. potential resisters), the more your community's public world is like the ones I described above.
One of the documentaries my primary group (Zi) is pre-screening to show as part of a civil liberties film festival is called "Conscience and the Constitution", about successful Japanese-American resistance in the WWII concentration camps in the US. One of the Japanese-Americans who was picked up by the FBI at gunpoint at dawn in his shack in the concentration camp (because he was resisting the draft, even tho he's in a camp) recalls his attitude before WWII made him a 'threat': "I was white. I used to be apolitical..." (general point).
Get more empathy for those who make your obliviousness possible, and you'll see that for many people the US is a police state every day. Or if you're not one of the privileged, then tell me you don't start looking around for a place to turn into every time you see a police car. If neither of those match, send me an e-mail and I'll introduce you to some people who could possibly make a better argument through what's happening in their 'part' of the US.
this IS what a police state looks like!
by me
Thursday July 03, 2003 at 02:09 PM
Anyone who was there on March 20 would agree that our freedoms have gone down the toilet.
Even with those who disagree with march 20, I'd like to point out how nervous everyone gets when cops are around, whether they are behind you in traffic or patrolling school districts or slaping their billy hand against their hand at peace rallies to remind everyone who is really in charge.
hope to see everyone on august 2!
M20
by Ras Brian
Thursday July 03, 2003 at 02:21 PM
artriotmedia@aol.com (email address NOT validated)
Yeah, thats why I was asking how this could possibly not be a police state, it might not be the most severe incarnation of totalitarianism but it's still pretty bad. When I was arrested at M20 I felt like I had bad mouthed Stalin or something.
brookline
by me
Sunday July 06, 2003 at 09:30 PM
toney7799@cs.com (email address NOT validated)
I live in Brookline too!
More on Police state
by Mulch
Monday July 07, 2003 at 06:35 PM
Like I said I'm not defending the actions of the poloce or our government. I am worried at the state of affairs in our country and I have had to run away from a few cops during various marches.
I think most of this is caused by people who want to be part of something, want to feel oppressed, want to fight the man.
I look at it this way. The March 20th march broke the law. THe police cracked down. Yes they were violent and stupid and unfair and so on, but this is to be expected. The march had no permit. I support the march and most of the things it stood for. Same thing with the recent Critical mass ride. I'm not saying the police are doing what is right or a good job, but they are there to attemt to uphold the law and in both these instances the law was being broken.
As for all the scary data mining projects, phone tapping, info gathering going on since 9-11 that is some scary stuff. That is more of a police state to me than a few people arrested at a march.
ACLU LEGAL OBSEVERS
by Peppy-RPGH
Wednesday July 16, 2003 at 12:05 AM
The ACLU has agreed to over see the rally with legal observers. So if anybody was worried about getting arrested, don't be. We have the ACLU on our side and they rarely ever loose a case. The police and federal agents will be more cautious on what they do to us. Please spred the word and look in to this case. I fight for peace, I fight for love, I fight for unity, I fight for respect. AND MOST OF ALL THE TRUTH. This is one case where i cannot let the truth be swet under the rug. There were over 250 flyers posted around town and bloomfield today.
If you cannot make it to the rally on Aug 2 please write to the court house where shermans trial will be:
United States Federal Courthouse
312 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California
90012
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