Sorry there’s no time to clean this up:
>URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED FOR ACTIVISTS PROTESTING THE FTAA > >The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition calls on all those who have >been involved in the anti-war movement to show their >support for those in Miami protesting at the FTAA >negotiations who are being brutalized and incarcerated in >a coordinated police state action designed to stifle >dissent in the United States. > >Police have attacked protestors with tear gas, pepper >spray, concussion grenades, stun guns and by shooting >activists with rubber bullets. Medics have not been >allowed in through the police lines to treat the injured. >Protestors have been grabbed, seemingly at random, and >taken off the street in snatch operations conducted by >police in unmarked vehicles. The police are also directly >targeting the legal support for the demonstrators, >including National Lawyers Guild Legal Observers. Many who >have been taken away have been beaten. > >Your urgent help is needed now. The National Lawyers Guild >and the Miami Activist Defense are asking that you contact >the Mayors, the City Attorney, Police Chief Timoney and >the media. Below is contact information -- please call or >email now and let them know their actions will not be >tolerated. The attack on the protestors gives lie to the >claim that the U.S. is fighting for democracy abroad -- >when people who participate in political dissent at home >are subject to brutal systematic police abuse and >government repression. > >The U.S. government in pursuit of corporate globalization >uses all methods in its arsenal - from invasion and >bombing to economic sanctions and IMF imposed austerity >plans. The FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) is >merely another mechanism to extend the exploitative reach >of corporate domination over the people of the Americas. > >Show your solidarity with the people in the streets of >Miami. Miami >Activist Defense asks that the following be contacted: > >ALEX PENELAS >Mayor, Miami-Dade County >305-829-9336 home >305-375-5071 office > >MANUEL A. DIAZ >Mayor, City of Miami >305-250-5300 >305-375-5071 >mannydiaz@ci.miami.fl.us > >JOHN TIMONY >Chief of police >305-673-7925 >305-579-6565 > >ALEJANDRO VILARELLO >City Attorney >305-416-1800 >law@ci.miami.fl.us > >JOE ARRIOLA >City Manager >jarriola@ci.miami.fl.us > >JOHNNY WINTON >Miami City Commissioner >305-858-7344 home >305-250-5333 office > >KATY SORENSON >Miami Dade County Commissioner >305-375-5218 >305-378-6677 > >Local media has been grossly biased in their coverage. >While this is >somewhat to be expected the following are numbers that >people could call. >CBS4: 305-639-4551, 305-639-4601, 305-639-4426 >WPLG channel 10: 305-576-6397 >WSUN Fox: 954-524-0388 (Rosh Lowe)
And here’s a message from a friend in Arizona:
>http://www.wftv.com/news/2656327/detail.html An article from the >"mainstream" media that covered the police brutality that occurred yesterday >during the FTAA protests in Miami. If you want to more about the FTAA go >here http://www.stopftaa.org/. The article above is from a local news >channel in Miami. If you want to have real fun, take the little survey about >who's to blame for the violence that broke out during the protests. > >Here's the article in the Wash Post >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64905-2003Nov20.html The New >York Times did cover it as well. You can't link to it unless you register >for an account. Both of these papers did not cover this on the front page. >This was "in other national news." > >If you go to each of the major news network's websites (ABC, NBC, CBS) not >ONE of them is even covering this story in ANY capacity. There is NOTHING >about it on the CNN website, nor are they covering it on TV. I'm not even >going to mention Fox News, what's the point? > >They talk about how "not as many protestors showed up as were expected." >What they don't talk about is how the police presence (over 2,500 cops were >on the street) stopped incoming buses to the area. An estimated 6,000 didn't >even make it there because they were stopped. > >Rubber bullets were used liberally. Many people were severely injured. They >used tear gas grenades, pepper spray bullets, pepper spray, and clubs. Over >70 people were listed as arrested but many more are "missing." The >protestors, BTW, were completely non-violent. All this occurred because the >cops were trying to stop smaller groups of protestors from linking up with >each other to march together in one large group. There was no violence on >the part of the protestors - even after they started in with the beatings.