* Article originally published in spanish language in El Libertario, Venezuela, # 54, September-October 2008, that analyzes and goes over the problem of criminal violence through its social impact on contemporary Venezuela.

All opinion polls conducted in the country agree on one topic: the insecurity is the main problem for the citizens. The numbers of homicides and personal injuries place us, at present, as one of the most dangerous countries on the continent. This situation is particularly felt in the popular sectors, where there are areas with "curfews" imposed by the antisocial. Against this, the government response has been inefficient in dealing with the situation, prioritizing the repressive policies that has been amply demonstrated, are as inadequate as counterproductive.

Despite the magnitude and importance of citizen insecurity, a review of the available literature, as well as speeches by the various political actors, reveals another reality: the absolute incomprehension of the phenomenon. A strange consensus says that efforts should be emphasized in resizing the police. This orphan of vision and speech is particularly visible in the groups of bolivarianos, who reduced the edges of insecurity to the shirt of strength of the ideology. In contrast, the levels of violence experienced by the country lay bare and show our crisis as a society: the absence of a shared project and the absolute erosion of the economic and cultural model based on the oil revenues. An understanding of the different dimensions of the problem would then pave the different ways to reverse it. At the end of the year 2007, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, an initiative coordinated by the Laboratory of Social Sciences (LACSO) of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), submitted a report which provides the most rigorous effort to understand the genesis of the issue and present figures about its reality. Following is a commented summary on the results found by the team, led by sociologist Roberto Briceño-Leon.

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=== DROP THE CHARGES - DEMOCRACY NOW! ACTION ALERT - FORWARD WIDELY ===

On the web: www.democracynow.org/b..._to_action

*Call to Action on Behalf of DN! Journalists Facing Charges for
Reporting on the Republican National Convention*

Today it is critical that you make your voice heard in the Ramsey
County Attorney and St. Paul City Attorney offices. Demand that they
drop all pending and current charges against journalists arrested while
reporting on protests outside the Republican National Conventions.

The Ramsey County Attorney's office is in the process of deciding
whether or not to press felony P.C. (probable cause) riot charges
against Democracy Now! Producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole
Salazar. Please contact Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner by all
means possible to demand that her office not press charges against
Kouddous and Salazar.

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
RCA@co.ramsey.mn.us (cc: dropthecharges@democracynow.org)
651-266-3222

Susan Gaertner for Governor
info@susangaertner.com (cc: dropthecharges@democracynow.org)
(612) 978-8625
(612) 804-6156

The St. Paul City Attorney's office has already charged Amy Goodman with
misdemeanor obstruction of a legal process and interference with a peace
officer. Contact St. Paul City Attorney John Choi by all means possible
to demand that the charges against Goodman be dropped immediately.

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi
john.choi@ci.stpaul.mn.us (cc: dropthecharges@democracynow.org)
(651) 266-8710

Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful
detention of Kouddous and Salazar, who were arrested while they carried
out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the
Republican National Convention.

During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested,
law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion
grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several
dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, as was a
photographer for the Associated Press.

*IMPORTANT*
Be sure to cc: dropthecharges@democracynow.org on all emails so that our
team can deliver print outs of your messages to the St. Paul City
Attorney and Ramsey County Attorney offices.

*RELATED*

Amy Goodman Arrest



www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

Nicole Salazar Arrest



www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jreRSEQ_yg

Media coverage of RNC arrests
www.democracynow.org/b.../9/3/media

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From Slashdot:

An anonymous reader writes:

"Wired is reporting that the FBI sought approval to use its custom spyware program, CIPAV, from the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in terrorism or spying investigations. Affidavits prepared for the court are among 3,000 pages of documents gathered, but not yet released, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Wired. The FBI hasn't answered any questions about its use of the CIPAV since the program's existence became widely known in July. The FISC is generally regarded as a rubber stamp; it approved over 4,000 surveillance requests in 2005 and 2006[PDF], rejecting none."

Read more at Wired

Related: FBI Remotely Installs Spyware via MySpace

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* This a follow-up to an earlier story.

On August 11, 2007, members and supporters of the Providence branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), marched and picketed against Jacky's Galaxie in Providence, urging the restaurant chain to sever ties with one of its warehouse suppliers in NYC. The supplier, HWH/Dragonland, is under investigation for violations of many state and federal labor laws due to their repression of the IWW 460 union workers who organized to combat sweatshop conditions.

Unprovoked, North Providence Police attacked the peaceful picket en route to Jacky's, maiming Alexandra Svoboda, while arresting her along with Jason Friedmutter, both IWW union members. Three officers attacked and arrested the 22 year old Svoboda, claiming she had hit them with drum sticks. While the officers had no injuries at all to warrant the arrest, one officer brutally kicked out Alex's left leg while the others tackled her to the ground. Jason was the only other person arrested, but several people sustained chemical burns from police mace and many others were nearly injured. It was a police riot.

Alex underwent emergency surgery that night at Rhode Island Hospital to save her leg by repairing the severed artery in her left knee. The totality of her injuries from the police assault are; a broken tibia, severed artery, nerve damage, severely torn ACL and PCL (ligaments) and torn muscles. Every vital component of her knee is damaged or destroyed.

Alex spent the first two weeks of her recovery in RI Hospital, where she underwent several vascular surgeries. She has been released from the hospital and is currently back home with her caring collective-mates and fellow union members. She is undergoing strenuous physical therapy and is awaiting the next series of operations to repair the tendons and muscles of her knee. Despite the stellar care provided at RI Hospital as well as at the physical therapy clinic, the window of opportunity to fully repair her knee is closing. Alex may never walk or ride a bicycle again.

Alex also faces charges of three counts of misdemeanor assault on an officer, one count of resisting arrest and one count of disorderly conduct. Jason Friedmutter faces one count of obstruction of justice. Alex, Jason and members of the IWW are confident these bogus charges will be defeated.

Fourtunately Alex has excellent healthcare coverage and the union has helped to defer legal costs, however medical co-payments and future legal bills are and will be in the tens of thousands. Furthermore, Alex's healthcare has begun to stop covering some of the costs of vital services of physical therapy.

The Providence IWW has already raised several thousand dollars from compassionate and driven supporters from around the world, but we will certainly need thousands more.

Please help and take a stance against police brutality, against first amendment violations, and for the right to a union and for the right to organize for a better life. The IWW strives help workers everywhere fight for these inherent rights, regardless of sex, race, nationality or legal status.

Thanks Very Much,
Providence, RI Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World

Providence, RI IWW myspace page.

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Operation Garden Plot: Rex 84 and the Night Train

Since the advent of changes which took place during the Reagan regime, America has been a presidential directive away from a civil security state of emergency which, if ever enacted, could create a constitutional crisis equal in severity to the American Civil War.
A national state of emergency can be declared by a concurrent resolution of both houses of Congress or by the President in the case of natural disasters, nuclear war, a massive mobilization in anticipation of an enemy attack on U.S. territory, or domestic civil unrest.

A disturbing shift in policy occurred during the Reagan years which could have profound consequences with respect to civil liberties. Whereas civil defense planning in the past had focused on disaster relief, the national security focus of the Reagan administration meant implementing new ways to expand police powers in times of nuclear war, domestic unrest, or civil disorder.

Bending under pressure brought by the Reagan Administration, Congress gave the president and his executive agencies sweeping emergency powers. This article will examine how those powers came to be, and will explore a possible scenario--the U.S. government's war on drugs--in which these powers might be used...

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An Ohio police officer has been put on paid administrative leave after his own police cruiser's dash camera captured him using a stun gun to subdue a handcuffed woman, an attorney for the city of Warren, Ohio, told CNN on Thursday.
art.taser.wytv.jpg

Warren City, Ohio, police officer Rich Kovach said he used his stun gun seven times on Heidi Gill.

Warren City police are investigating a September 2 incident in which the officer repeatedly used a Taser to control the woman, who police allege was wildly out of control after being forced from a bar.

According to Officer Rich Kovach's own police report, he shocked Heidi Gill, 38, seven times -- twice after she had been handcuffed.

Read more at CNN


The Warren Police Department is under fire for another accusation of abuse of force.

The latest incident happened during a September second arrest in the parking lot of a popular nightclub.

*snip*

We warn you some sequences of this video are graphic and very disturbing.

It's this shocking video that has warren city officials in an uproar.

It shows a woman being tasered numerous times by warren police officer Rich Kovach.

*snip*

As she is walking out of the frame, she is tasered again, the horrified expressions of onlookers can be seen on the tape.

Kovach in his report claims the woman fell after being tasered again.

This time falling to the ground and being knocked unconscious.

Read more at WYTV.com

* Update

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Sources: digg.com, theNewspaper.com

Unofficial website popular with Saint Louis, Missouri police contained a death threat against Brett Darrow three months before his recent encounter.

When stopped by an out-of-control St. George, Missouri police officer last Friday, motorist Brett Darrow feared for his life (view story and video). It turns out, he had legitimate reason for concern. Three months ago, participants in an online forum frequented by Saint Louis law enforcement personnel threatened to harass -- and even physically harm -- Darrow.

The messages appeared on St. Louis CopTalk, a site that describes itself as a site "for the use of law enforcement officers employed by the St. Louis Police Department and their supporters in the St. Louis Metropolitan area." While it has no official ties to the city, it does allow officers to log into official police email accounts from the front page. In June of this year, Darrow had sparked outrage among the forum's members after he videotaped a disputed traffic stop involving what Darrow argued was a perfectly legal turn and what a Saint Louis police officer said was not.

In the course of researching the incident, TheNewspaper learned from an inside source about a CopTalk posting dated June 29, 2007. A user calling himself "STL_FINEST" wrote the following item, presented unedited and in full:

in reply to "Who is this terd?"
I hope this little POS punk bastard tries his little video stunt with me when I pull him over alone- and I WILL pull him over - because I will see "his gun" and place a hunk of hot lead right where it belongs.

*snip*

At least one other message from a self-identified Saint Louis area police officer appears to condone official harassment of the twenty-year-old motorist.

"Take the kid to jail... today... tommorrow... the next day... everytime you see him out and he commits a traffic violation... tow his car and take him to jail... period. No arguing, no yelling.....nothing but the sound of cash leaving his wallet from impound fees and fines."

Read more at theNewspaper.com

Digg Article

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Presumably from the victim:

You can contact me at stgeorgeoutofcontrol@yahoo.com

BTW, the officer's patrol video and audio is no where to be found. His tape is GONE. Anyone surprised?

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/19/1961.asp

This happened just outside of a speed trap town in Missouri called St. George with only a few officers that think they have more power than they really do. This happened outside of their actual town.

The commuter lot is open 24 hours a day and can be confirmed by calling 1-888-Ask-MoDOT.

You can see me pass the officer at :08 seconds as he nearly blocks the road as he sits waiting for the next car without license plate lights to come by.

You'll hear this officer tell me he'll make up "9 different charges" including resisting arrest before he has even tried to arrest me. You'll hear him say how I didn't use my turn signal and I was weaving when the video clearly proves him wrong.

I truly thought if I didn't suck up, I would be beaten and maybe killed.

The officer's name is Sgt. James Kuehnlein.

Please excuse the clicking in the video.

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Sources: Democracy Now!, infoshop.org


[Tomorrow] a 30 year-old African American man on death row in Texas is scheduled to be executed. Kenneth Foster was sentenced to death ten years ago in a San Antonio court for the murder of Michael LaHood, a white man, in 1996. What makes Foster's case unique is that he didn't commit or plan the murder. Even the trial judge, the prosecutor, and the jury that sentenced him to die admit he never killed anyone.
Foster is scheduled to be executed under a controversial Texan law known as the law of parties. The law imposes the death penalty on anybody involved in a crime where a murder occurred. In Foster's case he was driving a car with three passengers, one of whom left the car, got into an altercation and shot a Michael LaHood dead. At the time of the shooting, Kenneth Foster was 80 feet away in his car. Since Foster's original trial, the other passengers have testified that Foster had no idea a shooting was going to take place.

On Tuesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied death row prisoner Kenneth Foster's final appeal. In a six-to-three decision the appeals court denied Foster's final writ of habeas corpus. Foster's last recourse is the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Texas Governor Rick Perry. According to Foster's criminal attorney, Keith Hampton, five of the seven board members must recommend clemency in order for Governor Perry to consider granting it. Kenneth Foster's scheduled execution date is August 30th.

Today, Kenneth Foster's family joins us from Austin, Texas. His wife, Tasha Narez-Foster, his eleven year old daughter Nydesha Foster and his grandfather Lawrence Foster as well as Bryan McCan from the Save Kenneth Foster Coalition. Here in our firehouse studio we are joined by former KPFT News Director Renee Feltz. Over the last five years she has interviewed more than 20 men and women on Texas Death Row, including Kenneth Foster.

Transcripts, video, and audio available at Democracy Now!

Related links at Infoshop.org:

Stop the Execution of Kenneth Foster

An Interview with the Wife of Kenneth Foster

More:

SaveKennethBlogspot.com

FreeKenneth.com

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Sources: infoshop.org, www.wobblycity.org/cur...letter.cgi


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.

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Source: Toronto Star

A video, posted on YouTube, shows three young men, their faces masked by bandannas, mingling Monday with protesters in front of a line of police in riot gear. At least one of the masked men is holding a rock in his hand.

The three are confronted by protest organizer Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. Coles makes it clear the masked men are not welcome among his group of protesters, whom he describes as mainly grandparents. He urges them to leave and find their own protest location.

... snip ...

Late Tuesday, photographs taken by another protester surfaced, showing the trio lying prone on the ground. The photos show the soles of their boots adorned by yellow triangles. A police officer kneeling beside the men has an identical yellow triangle on the sole of his boot.

Kevin Skerrett, a protester with the group Nowar-Paix, said the photos and video together present powerful evidence that the men were actually undercover police officers.




Read more:

YouTube Video

The Toronto Star

Infoshop.org

Democratic Underground thread

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