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Finds News Media Silent |
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Compiled By GayToday
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania--Last week during the Republican National
Convention, massive protests took place in Center City, and hundreds were
arrested. Volunteers working in legal centers announced that as the jailed
protesters called in, their reports have been received of serious physical
torture and mental abuse inside the jails, including:
Prisoners being hog-tied and dragged through broken glass Guards attempting to break prisoners' fingers and toes Prisoners being beaten until some have gone unconscious, and then given no medical care A woman seen dragged, naked and bleeding, by guards A man whose genitals were pulled & twisted by a guard A man handcuffed, crucifixion-style to his cell door as guards smashed his hands with metal handcuffs Prisoners being denied essential medication for life-threatening ailments, as well as food, water and use of toilets Although much has been reported in the media about "police restraint and professionalism", non-violent protesters have been brutalized inside the jails and continue to be denied access to lawyers, telephone calls and medical help.
Tuesday, August 1st became "a special day of action" meant to expose problems within the criminal justice system, including the death penalty, police brutality, and the presence of political prisoners. The plan for that day included a permitted rally near City Hall, and several publicly announced, non-violent civil disobedience actions. Protesters aimed to make sure Republican delegates could not travel from Center City to the convention without getting the protesters' message, namely that there are "thousands of people oppose their criminally unjust policies." It was hard, they now admit, for onlookers to understand what last Tuesday's protests were about, since police had arrested 88 people who were making puppets for the protests before the day had begun. They confiscated special signs that had been designed to publicize the protesters' messages. 2. "Whether I agree with their causes or not, how can I support them, after the violence and property destruction?" The media painted a picture of Tuesday's protests as dominated by vandalism, and violence against police officers. However, almost all of the protesters being held were arrested because they participated in acts of non-violent civil disobedience, or because police suspected that they might take part in it and wished to stop them before they got started. Still others were arrested who were not even taking part in demonstrations, including legal observers, peacekeepers, and bystanders. Although only a few of the hundreds of jailed protesters have been accused of violence or vandalism, police and guards have become "judge and jury" within the jails--arbitrarily deciding who they can punish with brutal force. With demonstrators coming to Philadelphia to spotlight the justice system's systematic violence, police administrators jumped at the chance, say the protesters, to paint all of the demonstrators as "terrorists". 3. "These protesters are outsiders – only a bunch of white college kids making trouble in Philadelphia and then whining about it when they have to face consequences." It's easy to read the newspapers and come away with this misconception. But almost 500 people have been jailed--of all different ages, backgrounds, and economic classes, from around the country as well as from Philadelphia itself. These people, say the protesters, did not make their journeys to "make trouble"; they were carrying on, they say, " a historic tradition of nonviolent civil disobedience to get a message across." And, they believe, the treatment they've received is not a reasonable "consequence". They are facing not only exaggerated and false charges, but bails which may be the highest in history for mere misdemeanors. Those who have been identified (often wrongly) as protest organizers have been punished with bails as high as $500,000 and $1 million dollars. Puppeteers who never stepped out onto the street before being arrested are facing conspiracy charges. The grant-making foundation Bread & Roses has reportedly had its funding threatened by the city government for funding progressive groups who organized the demonstrations. The government, say critics, appears to be testing the waters to see if it can forcibly silence those same critics. 4. "If it's so bad in the jails, why can't they just give their names, like normal, and get out?" The John and Jane Does the public has heard about are, in fact, practicing "jail solidarity", a tactic used throughout history, by the imprisoned who insist on sticking together and seeking their own releases until basic human rights demands have been met and all arrestees can be safely released together. Some of the demands sought by those who are currently practicing solidarity include: an end to solitary confinement; access to telephones, toilets and essential medication; equal treatment for all arrestees, including the dropping of bogus felony charges; and access to their lawyers. About 150 of the protesters are now also on hunger strike. Action Alert:
District Attorney Lynn Abraham phone: 215-686-8701 Mayor John Street phone: 215-686-2181 fax: 215-686-2180 City Solicitor Ken Trujillo phone: 215-575-7260 |
