For Immediate Release: November 17th, 2003
|
 |
Anti-FTAA Activists and Support Groups Condemn Police Harassment and Refuse to Tolerate Further Preemptive Action
Miami, FL - At a press conference in front of City Hall today, activist
organizations and their support system angrily denounced and condemned
the police harassment that has occurred over the past couple of weeks
leading up to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) protests. With
the controversial Trade talks only days away, activist groups including United
For Peace and Justice (UFPJ), Citizen Trade Campaign, Miami Activist
Defense (MAD) threatened collective legal action if the police
misconduct continued.
"Profiling activists through tactics of harassment and intimidation must
stop," said Andrea Costello, an attorney with the National Lawyers
Guild and MAD, a legal support group for anti-FTAA activists. "We are
documenting and gathering evidence of misconduct in order to hold the
police, the city, and specifically Mayor Diaz accountable and to take
any necessary legal action."
Over the past two weeks, activists and others have been subjected to
various forms of harassment including: numerous unlawful stops and
searches; unwarranted arrests of 8 people in the Miami area, including
medics and a legal observer; surveillance of known protest organizers;
and constant police presence at the activist "Welcome Center."
"Police Chief Timoney is well known for his preemptive tactics in
Philadelphia at the Republican Convention," said Lisa Fithian from
United For Peace and Justice. "The unlawful closure of the puppet warehouse
and the illegal arrests of dozens of protestors in Philadelphia is the
type of activity we expect in Miami," continued Fithian. "We are hearing
that further preemptive arrests are being planned and that the message
from police is 'you may beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride.' This
type of threat is unacceptable and we do not take it lightly"
"The events of the last few days beginning with the passage of an
unconstitutional and punitive ordinance and continuing with spurious
arrests of activists are part of a clear pattern to harass protestors
and deny people their right to dissent," said Lida Rodriguez-Taseff,
attorney and president of the American Civil Liberties Union of greater
Miami. "This activity by the city must stop or they will be seeing us in
court."
Despite an agreement made by Miami police during a Community Relations
Board (CRB) meeting over a week ago that activists, as well as people in
the support role of "medic" and "legal observer," would not be profiled
and harassed, the police have consistently broken that promise.
Attendees at the November 7 CRB meeting included police, city officials,
media, and activists as well as medical and legal support groups for
the anti-FTAA protests.
"As an impartial 'legal observer,' identified by a bright green hat, and
whose role it is to record police conduct and arrests as they occur, I
was told by high ranking police officers at the CRB meeting that that
role would be respected," said Henry Harris of MAD. "Yet, it appears
that the police did not intend on keeping their word," continued Harris.
"While witnessing the unlawful arrest of four activists this past
Tuesday, I was then arrested on false charges." The four activists whose
arrests were being witnessed by Harris were charged with the rare
offense of "blocking a sidewalk."
Earlier last week, three activists, whose role is to provide medical
support to protestors in need, were stopped and searched without
sufficient probable cause and arrested on such tenuous charges as
loitering and resisting arrest. Miami Police Chief Timoney has a history
of such tactics at mass demonstrations. As Philadelphia's Police Chief
during the Republican Convention protests in 2000, eight medics,
successfully sued Timoney and the city for harassment.
Even such well-known advocacy groups like Public Citizen are being
profiled and placed under surveillance by police. On two separate
occasions last week, a known Public Citizen organizer was photographed
by police while conducting media interviews and while attending a
volunteer event.
At the same CRB meeting of November 7, police were clear that they held
the right to use all weapons up to and including the use of lethal
force.
--030-- |
|
