Wednesday, August 29, 2007 (17:04:57)
Sources: infoshop.org, www.wobblycity.org/cur...letter.cgi
Police brutality at wobbly march - photo by Jonathan McIntosh
Today (8/11/2007) at 12pm EST the Providence wobblies organized a march on Jackie's Galaxy, which is a restaurant chain that is being supplied by HWH in New York City, a supplier who is notorious for its slave labor conditions of up to 110 hours per week without basic labor rights (minimum wage and overtime).
Roughly 30-40 wobblies and supporters (including Providence and Boston SDSers) were marching towards Jackie's Galaxy in North Providence when the police began following them en mass. They told the marches to move to the sidewalk, while this was initially ignored, the marchers listened to the police and began slowly moving to the sidewalk.
The police then surrounded the marchers in their squad cars and began getting out. With the police in full force, they began attacking the marchers, one fellow worker, Alex Svoboda, was pinned down by the police during her arrest and suffered a broken and dislocated leg and ruptured blood vessel in the knee. These injuries will require at least two surgeries and extensive rehab and even then may not completely repair the damage. Jason, another wob, was arrested in during the police' attack. Ashley, a supporter from Boston, was also severely maced during the attack, suffered chemical burns and required medical treatment.
For more, click the Read More link at the bottom of this post. -personman
* Follow-Up
NORTH PROVIDENCE — Clenched fists raised, close to 200 protesters yesterday denounced the North Providence police and demanded "justice" for a protester seriously injured two weeks ago while demonstrating at an Asian restaurant on Mineral Spring Avenue.
"There's no labor picket line that should be attacked," shouted the star speaker, Billy Randel, an Industrial Workers of the World organizer from New York City. To the police officers keeping watch on the protest, Randel yelled: "Maybe you should get a little more training. Maybe you should join the IWW."
Local IWW members organized yesterday's protest to speak out against the police response to the protest two weeks ago, during which 22-year-old Alexandra Svoboda suffered a serious knee injury when arrested by the North Providence police. She had been part of a protest march down Mineral Spring Avenue toward a planned demonstration at Jacky's Galaxie restaurant. The IWW says Jacky's was targeted because the restaurant had done business with a New York vendor that is accused of abusing workers with low wages and long hours.
There's no doubt Svoboda, a Nebraska native and student at the University of Rhode Island who lives in Providence, suffered a serious injury — her parents say she has already undergone four surgeries.
How she was hurt is in dispute.
The protesters claim Svoboda is the victim of police brutality, and was jumped by the police merely because she was in the front of the march. Local IWW organizer Mark Bray, 29, of Providence, said yesterday that Svoboda was hurt when two police officers "grabbed her, one on either side" and one officer performed a "judo-like move" in which he "used his leg, swung it around her leg, and hurled her forward" onto the ground.
"It was a trip move similar to what you see, I imagine, in certain martial-arts training or police training," Bray said, in an interview after the protest. "Her knee had no place to go behind her leg." The officer then "kneeled down to cuff her and even put weight on her leg," Bray said, adding, "we have photos," which have not yet been released publicly.
-----------Full Articles------------
Today (8/11/2007) at 12pm EST the Providence wobblies organized a march on Jackie's Galaxy, which is a restaurant chain that is being supplied by HWH in New York City, a supplier who is notorious for its slave labor conditions of up to 110 hours per week without basic labor rights (minimum wage and overtime).
Vicious Police Attack on IWW Solidarity March in Providence, RI-Support Needed!
Pictures are here: http://jonathanmcintosh.smugmug.com/gallery/3293537
Today (8/11/2007) at 12pm EST the Providence wobblies organized a march on Jackie's Galaxy, which is a restaurant chain that is being supplied by HWH in New York City, a supplier who is notorious for its slave labor conditions of up to 110 hours per week without basic labor rights (minimum wage and overtime).
Roughly 30-40 wobblies and supporters (including Providence and Boston SDSers) were marching towards Jackie's Galaxy in North Providence when the police began following them en mass. They told the marches to move to the sidewalk, while this was initially ignored, the marchers listened to the police and began slowly moving to the sidewalk.
The police then surrounded the marchers in their squad cars and began getting out. With the police in full force, they began attacking the marchers, one fellow worker, Alex Svoboda, was pinned down by the police during her arrest and suffered a broken and dislocated leg and ruptured blood vessel in the knee. These injuries will require at least two surgeries and extensive rehab and even then may not completely repair the damage. Jason, another wob, was arrested in during the police' attack. Ashley, a supporter from Boston, was also severely maced during the attack, suffered chemical burns and required medical treatment.
Despite this, the marchers continued on to Jackie's Galaxy and eventually spoke with the owner who at first promised he had switched suppliers and now denies doing business with HWH although he has no documentation to prove either claim. Business at Jackie's Galaxy ceased completely during the duration of the action and most bystanders were outraged that Jackie's would support the crimes of HWH/Dragonland.
The Providence wobblies and other supporters of workers' rights will continue their pressure on Jackies Galaxy until they stop doing business with the slave labor shop HWH/Dragonland or until basic rights, including the right to organize, are instated at HWH/Dragonland.
In the meantime they need your support! Alex Svoboda is charged with 3 felony counts of assaulting and office as well as two misdemeanors and will be unable to work for a significant period time as a result of her injuries. Money will be needed to provide Alex and Jason with legal support and also to help with the medical bills and lose of income Alex will suffer as a result of the brutality of the North Providence Police. Please send in any donation that you, or your organization can afford to the Providence General Membership Branch (address below) or contact Mark Bray at 201-669-0714 or Billy Randel at 646-645-6284.
You can also do your part at pressuring the Mayor and Police Chief of North Providence (contact info below) to at the very least, formally apologizing to the marchers, dropping all baseless charges and paying for the injuries and lose of income that were unjustly caused.
Photos of the action and the brutal assault can be found here:
http://jonathanmcintosh.smugmug.com/gallery/3293537
Providence GMB:
PO box 5795
Providence R.I.
02903
Email-ProvidenceIWW@riseup.net
North Providence Mayor:
Charles A. Lombardi
North Providence Town Hall
2000 Smith Street
North Providence, RI 02911
Telephone: (401) 232-0900, ext. 226
Fax: (401) 232-3434
Police Chief:
Ernest C. Spaziano
North Providence Police Department
1967 Mineral Spring Ave.
North Providence, R.I. 02904
Business line: 401-233-1433
Fax number: 401-233-1438
August 28, 2007
NORTH PROVIDENCE — Clenched fists raised, close to 200 protesters yesterday denounced the North Providence police and demanded "justice" for a protester seriously injured two weeks ago while demonstrating at an Asian restaurant on Mineral Spring Avenue.
"There's no labor picket line that should be attacked," shouted the star speaker, Billy Randel, an Industrial Workers of the World organizer from New York City. To the police officers keeping watch on the protest, Randel yelled: "Maybe you should get a little more training. Maybe you should join the IWW."
Local IWW members organized yesterday's protest to speak out against the police response to the protest two weeks ago, during which 22-year-old Alexandra Svoboda suffered a serious knee injury when arrested by the North Providence police. She had been part of a protest march down Mineral Spring Avenue toward a planned demonstration at Jacky's Galaxie restaurant. The IWW says Jacky's was targeted because the restaurant had done business with a New York vendor that is accused of abusing workers with low wages and long hours.
There's no doubt Svoboda, a Nebraska native and student at the University of Rhode Island who lives in Providence, suffered a serious injury — her parents say she has already undergone four surgeries.
How she was hurt is in dispute.
The protesters claim Svoboda is the victim of police brutality, and was jumped by the police merely because she was in the front of the march. Local IWW organizer Mark Bray, 29, of Providence, said yesterday that Svoboda was hurt when two police officers "grabbed her, one on either side" and one officer performed a "judo-like move" in which he "used his leg, swung it around her leg, and hurled her forward" onto the ground.
"It was a trip move similar to what you see, I imagine, in certain martial-arts training or police training," Bray said, in an interview after the protest. "Her knee had no place to go behind her leg." The officer then "kneeled down to cuff her and even put weight on her leg," Bray said, adding, "we have photos," which have not yet been released publicly.
The police claim Svoboda pushed an officer, swung a set of drumsticks at other officers when they tried to arrest her, then was hurt when demonstrators tried to pull her away from the police and the officers took her "down to the ground" out of concern for their own safety. Deputy Police Chief Paul Marino and Mayor Charles Lombardi have said they don't believe officers did anything wrong.
The office of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is conducting a review into how Svoboda was hurt.
Yesterday's demonstration, on a humid afternoon under occasional light sprinkles in the parking lot of North Providence High School, was noisy but orderly.
Randel, a 55-year-old truck driver and union representative from Queens, made the trip from New York with several other IWW organizers. He has light eyes and shaggy gray sideburns that nearly touch at the tip of his chin. He wore pressed jeans, work gloves and a blue bandana over his head.
"Raise the fist of the worker in the air and let Alex know that she is going to get justice," Randel shouted. ". . . The IWW will not back down. Justice will be won."
Four North Providence police officers and at least two state troopers watched the protest from the perimeter.
Jason Tompkins, 28, of Providence, who said he was with Svoboda at the time she was injured, read from a statement by Svoboda's parents, whom he said were participating in a similar protest yesterday in their hometown in Nebraska, which drew 150 people to the state capitol building in Lincoln.
The letter states that their daughter had undergone four trips to the operating room in seven days and still has not begun orthopedic reconstruction of her knee ligaments. "We've yet to hear of any athlete whose knee ligaments were torn with such violent force," he said, reading from the statement, "as to sever the main artery to the lower leg and necessitate a bypass operation to save the leg."
Svoboda's parents said that their daughter was protesting "a New York City restaurant supplier that paid workers only $4.95 per hour with no overtime." Her protest was not surprising, her parents wrote, because their daughter "has always had a big heart and followed her convictions with actions."
Svoboda was home from the hospital yesterday, recovering. She did not attend the protest.
The protesters yesterday included representatives from Rhode Island Jobs for Justice, the coalition of which the IWW is a member; DARE; Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Students for a Democratic Society, the Olneyville Neighborhood Association and AS220.
"We're all supporting Alex," said Donna Schmader, 56, of Warwick, who joined the protest with other members of the Westminster Unitarian Universalist Church in East Greenwich. "We don't believe this can happen accidentally."
Among the protesters was Eliezer Maca, an unemployed warehouse worker from New York who said he lost his job after he began organizing coworkers for the IWW. Maca, 29, a native of Mexico, said through an interpreter that he now supports his wife and four children on $400 a week.
One of the speakers, Senia Barragan, likened Svoboda to a martyr, who was targeted because she was "in the front."
- Posted by: personman
- Topic: Police State
