seattle indymedia center

A Series of Fortunate Events (Dead Prez)

author: Rook
Feb 17, 2008 17:26

The following is a statement from a witness, Rook. He/She was there, at the "riot", and it is only meant to put shine some sort of light onto the events that took place.

This is what happened. This is how. This is in what order. This does not try to explain why in great detail, it is meant only to put fact into a topic of riddled with suppositions and rumors. Only the characterizations of inanimate objects are embellished, and Rook assures you that it is purely for reading pleasure.

A- Violence begets violence

Five hundred humans filled half a gymnasium. Someone confronted someone, confrontation turned to altercation. Ten people had a scuffle, and the scuffle ended. The show must go on. Thirty minutes later an Evergreen Cop arrived, and listened to the story of someone involved in the fight. Thirty minutes after that the cop went into the concert and arrested the only black person anywhere near the fight, as picked out by the informant. There is still confusion as to whether or not he was even one of the ten people fighting. He was escorted outside by the police officer, the snitches, the suspect’s friends, and concerned people, and put in the back of the cop car. Dead Prez said something to the tune of ‘the cops are here, they are taking someone. Get the badge number.’
Outside, other witnesses approached the officer and told her the suspect was wrongly accused, and offered their eyewitness accounts. The police officer told them to file reports at the police station the next day. The cop also stated that she had ‘probable cause’ to arrest him. Demands were made to let the captive go, on the grounds of blatant racial profiling. Did I mention that ten people were involved in a fight, and the only black person around was the only person arrested?
The now discontented people outside asked the officer if more arrests were to be made, specifically of the people who were fighting with the ‘suspect’ (the snitch did admit they were involved in the fight), and the officer repeated that people should give forms to the bureaucracy the next day, implying no more arrests were to be made and no more evidence would be heard. The officer told the crowd that more police were on their way, and she was going to take the “prisoner” to the station when they arrived. Five minutes of frustration followed until three more cops arrived.
The Evergreen police officer began to drive away in her car with the captive, while the other cops stood around and got yelled at for allowing racism to not only exist but actually be state-supported. A trash can knocked itself over in front of the car. The policed sighed and cleared it. One person now stood in front of the cop car, the car stopped. He was pushed out of the way. Two people took his place, and the car again stopped. One was pushed and the other dragged from the path. The car then stopped in front of a whole row of people, with rows behind them. The concert was now over, and the crowd had grown to two hundred plus. The squad car was surrounded and chants ensued.
“Let him go.”
“Where’s our friend?”
“Fuck the Police.”
Simple garbage like paper wads and soda bottles bounced off the cop car. The car drew on itself. The first letter of the alphabet with a halo around it.
“FUCK THE POLICE”
Chants found harmony with the sound of fists pounding on the car (who would have thought drum circles would be so inspiring? - I jest…). The police suddenly realized they had no control of the situation. They began to entertain the idea of release. One cop wanted to speak. He was allowed: “We’re going to let him go. We need to ID him first”. A few cheered, many did not believe. More chanting, more drums, more papers and plastic.
One cop looked over the crowd to the east, he held up his hand, he pointed his index finger up and he bent it repeatedly- pepper spray. Within seconds more cops were beating a hole into a crowd with batons, pepper spray, flashlights, and taunting with tasers. Those attacked retreated, covering their faces.

B- Police violently attacked people who had done nothing violent.

therefore
C:

A myriad of objects rained at the attackers. The first bottle broke; glass glittered in the air, then on the car and the ground. The cop car quickly started leaving, still with the suspect. The car and the cops were chased by people, bottles, rocks, and trash cans. A second car was dented. A third car’s windshield was attacked by the trashcan that knocked itself over not long before. The suspect was finally let go just outside of the crowd, not many noticed. The fourth car wouldn’t start? Police shoved things into a container from inside the car and made a hasty retreat.
The crowd was angry at the cops, nothing else. Someone broke the first window. Others broke the rest. Someone else grabbed something from inside and yelled “I GOT THE MIXTAPE!” Twenty or thirty people convinced the car to roll over, after coaxing it three times before. This car, too, drew on itself. The bumper ripped. Someone cut his or her hand on some broken glass. Other than this, nobody was hurt. Government property was damaged. NOBODY WAS HURT.

add a comment on this article