This
meeting will likely be packed, but this is what I am hoping to say to
the Council:
First
of all, I would like to remind everyone that it is public tax money
that pays for every one of your salaries. Taxes pay for the police,
and their guns and their jails. Public money paid for Darren Wilson
to shoot Michael Brown, Jr., and we continue to pay Wilson while he
awaits the Grand Jury verdict. All of you are paid public servants,
and you answer to us- whether we vote or not, and even if we
individually do not pay property or income taxes, or do not pay them
all the time. You are not legally allowed to pick and choose who you
listen to or serve. You serve all of us.
We
The People, are your true employers. We are who you answer to. We
have not been exercising our authority enough, but that has changed.
And it is the First Amendment that guarantees that we have the right
to assert that authority. There is no higher authority in the U.S.
The
police, and those that give them their orders, have been in violation
of Constitutional Law in regards to the protests. Almost all of the
arrests made were done while the police were acting illegally, and
most of the arrests are illegal.
Constitutional
Law is the highest law in the land, and the police and government
officials should understand it or be held accountable. If a Police
chief ordered one of his officers to steal cigarillos and the officer
complied, he would still be guilty of theft. The police are not above
the law. They do not make the law. And they are not authorized to
change it to make their own jobs easier.
First
Amendment:
Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
There
is no such thing as "Unlawful Assembly". The entire USA is
a Free Speech Zone at all times. There is no curfew on the First
Amendment. There is no law that protesters keep moving. And just
because there might be some "un-peaceable" protesters, does
not mean that ALL the protesters can be arrested. The First Amendment
does not allow for suspension to make it easier for the police.
The
police are representatives of the Government, and we are petitioning
the Government for a redress of grievances against the police and the
judicial system. The police have essentially been doing nothing more
than counter-protesting, using their authority and weapons against
us. No one has done more "rioting" or caused more violence
than the police. Tear gas, military vehicles, filled with men armed
with assault rifles. And every one of them acting as illegally as
the few looters during the first few nights.
The
justification for setting up illegal roadblocks, assigning people to
"Approved Assembly" areas, quarantining the press in a
similar manner, and arresting people for "failure to disperse"
has been justified because of the POSSIBILITY that SOME people MIGHT
break the law and loot, etc.
But
even these justifications are illegal. I was arrested on my way to
the I-70 and Hanley demonstration. The police had illegally blocked
off Hanley because they asserted that everyone that was attending
might "illegally" walk out into the highway.
They
also sited "safety issues". For instance, one officer said
"what if someone ran out in the highway and got hit by a car?"
Well, first of all, and I will be looking into this, the First
Amendment rights of We The People probably require that if we wish to
assemble on a public highway, that the police shut it down for 4
minutes for our protest. Moreover, since they DID shut down Hanley,
there was no reason that we could not have assembled on the overpass,
in the street. And since the First Amendment does NOT require a
permit to assemble and petition the Government for a redress of
grievances, we have even more right to protest than the St. Patrick's
Day parade has the authority to shut down Market street.
I had come to be part of the protest, but had no plans to block the highway. I had come to hand out leaflets encouraging St. Louis County voters to write-in and vote for Michael Brown, Jr. as Prosecutor, to send a message of discontent to Robert McCulloch, who is running unopposed.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/09/november-4th-2014-vote-for-michael.html
I came because I knew the First Amendment would be violated by the police, and that there would be illegal arrests. And I wanted to be there to remind people that those arrests were illegal.
I had come to be part of the protest, but had no plans to block the highway. I had come to hand out leaflets encouraging St. Louis County voters to write-in and vote for Michael Brown, Jr. as Prosecutor, to send a message of discontent to Robert McCulloch, who is running unopposed.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/09/november-4th-2014-vote-for-michael.html
I came because I knew the First Amendment would be violated by the police, and that there would be illegal arrests. And I wanted to be there to remind people that those arrests were illegal.
I was
charged with "trespassing" because I crossed the police
line. In the same way that any concealed carry permit held by
someone looting became invalid the moment he entered a store and
stole juice, every officer's badge became invalid the moment he or
she broke Constitutional law. Since they had no legal authority to
shut down the street, my arrest is invalid, and was nothing more than
kidnapping and being held hostage. Moreover, every officer there
should be charged with blocking traffic and violating First Amendment
rights.
Changing
the complexion of the police force is not the only answer. Policing
must change. In the black communities more female officers need to
be recruited. The conditions that create crime need to be changed.
A lot has been said about traffic warrants, and as far as Berkeley
goes, where I was held, jail and jail conditions are used to punish
people and force them to pay their bond, without any due process to
determine guilt. I am certain Berkeley is not an exception, and that
the rest are as bad.
If
the Berkeley jail was in a Muslim the country U.N. observers would be
dispatched. No bond hearing, no right to see an attorney. Inmates
are held until they pay bond, and inmate's are allotted only $3.71 a
day to cover the cost of their incarceration. That's three 3 bread
and meat sandwiches three times a day, at less than 1000 calories.
Water only to drink, and only when you are eating. No toothbrush.
Women are charged for sanitary napkins they need, and good luck
getting one at night, when there is no one at the desk and you have
to wave at the cameras and hope that someone in dispatch sees you and
will send someone up to respond.
The lights are left on all the time. You get only one thin blanket and it is freezing. The bunks are metal. There is no hot water or soap to wash your hands. There is no clock. No outside light. You are only allowed free phone calls during meal times or must call people collect at a rate of $20 for a ten minute call. And even if you cannot pay bond and will be there for 30 or more days, you are not provided with a toothbrush and the opportunity to brush your teeth. In fact, no toiletries all all, even the once daily shower is only soap and the showers are unhygienic.
The lights are left on all the time. You get only one thin blanket and it is freezing. The bunks are metal. There is no hot water or soap to wash your hands. There is no clock. No outside light. You are only allowed free phone calls during meal times or must call people collect at a rate of $20 for a ten minute call. And even if you cannot pay bond and will be there for 30 or more days, you are not provided with a toothbrush and the opportunity to brush your teeth. In fact, no toiletries all all, even the once daily shower is only soap and the showers are unhygienic.
There
were people in there with traffic violations-- not violent
criminals-- that could not pay their bond. I understand now why
people kill themselves in jail, even knowing that they might get out.
Being suicidal is a natural state of mind in those conditions.
And
for traffic violations? The police have become a for-profit
business, preying on the poor. Plenty of lawyers and judges and
police drive through red lights, fail to stop at stops signs, and
speed, and they get their tickets fixed by their buddies. I hope the
Department of Justice audits ALL of the tickets that are written, and
looks very carefully at those that are dismissed.
I
hear a lot of people say “why don't THOSE PEOPLE just get jobs”?
Well try living in North county and riding the bus for two hours to
an area that actually HAS jobs. That's a ten hour day and if you are
making minimum wage the probability that you will be able to buy a
car is nil. The North side is living in a state of “incarceration
due to lack of economic opportunity and decent public transit.”
While Metro has been able to come up with $10 million to build the
Cortex Metrolink stop, a half a mile between the CWE and Grand
stations, there is still no work being done on the Metrolink from
Clayton to Florissant, which is the area of the city that rides and
relies on public transit the most.
BallPark
Village was given what? a 17 million dollar sales tax break, and what
did it do? It took business and jobs away from the local bars in the
area. Using public money for private business development does NOT
create prosperity. An equitable distribution of public money and a
commitment to economic growth in the poorest regions is the ONLY
thing that is going to make St. Louis solvent and viable for
everyone.
Thank
you, for giving us until January 7th to work on all of
these issues while we await the Grand Jury verdict. This gives us
more time to petition the Department of Justice to conduct further
investigations, to audit the books of the County, the City, and all
of the municipalities to learn why St. Louis is so insolvent and
bankrupt, and to find real leaders that will actually serve the
public.
The police and the prosecutor have broken laws in this course of this incident and investigation, and we will be looking to take legal action. We will be learning a lot more about all of you, our employees, and unless you start addressing the real problems and obeying the laws yourself, I think you can all look forward to termination of your employment without further benefits, and for some of you, jail time.
The police and the prosecutor have broken laws in this course of this incident and investigation, and we will be looking to take legal action. We will be learning a lot more about all of you, our employees, and unless you start addressing the real problems and obeying the laws yourself, I think you can all look forward to termination of your employment without further benefits, and for some of you, jail time.
