"Why" is simple. State arrest powers are often (and during large protests classicly) used as nothing more than a form of state sanctioned kidnapping--arrest and release with no charges filed or insubstantial/obviously flawed charges filed only to be overturned later. Removal --is the primary object of these arrests.

Removal of elements crucial to continued protest & protest organization and support by mass arrest is simply another strategy used to "gut" protests before they can gather momentum. That these people are being held until AFTER the event they were there for is over, they asure their complete removal from any supportive role in dissenting actions. Very simple and straightforward and no big suprise. The police can hold anyone for anything for 72 hours *without charges being filed* according to a US Supreme court ruling. This is a 72 hour "kidnap window" the police are free to use as they see fit--and they do of course.

Of course the added terrorizing effect upon ALL protestors, those not arrested and those who are even considering protest in the future, is not lost on the elites controlling their police minions. The elites are far from stupid. They have been working to elevate "order" to a value higher than the right to dissent in America for many years now and this has laid the groundwork to justify, in mainstream america's eyes, of mass arrests to protect property and "flow of traffic", etc. All quite tidy actually.

IT is vital that people participate in the welcoming of people released and more importantly make their presence felt. There are apprx 1000 people inside.

The bulk of which have not been photographed or their records checked. While many of us may object to these things per se, and can discourse on this , understand that the incarceration system will not move forward towards a prisoners release without doing these two things. It is another 10 or so hours usually from this point that people get a chance to go before the judge, at which point they are released. Most if not all of the people inside now, will be charged with violations and low-level misdemeanors such as "obstructing traffic". It is an outrage to NYr's that for such petty charges people are being incarcerated for such a time period. The conditions are horrible.

Currently, the system is very slowly releasing people. At its present rate most of the 1000 will not be released till Friday or Saturday or even possibly Monday.

This is an outrage and an absolute threat to all our civil liberties.

Please show support and put public pressure on this situation.

Come to 100 Center St. today and/or tonight!

The people inside CAN hear the people at 100 Center St. and it means a lot to them to know that people are standing vigil and standing strong in solidarity with them. Please come out now!

I'll tell you why it is taking so long. For one thing, the police are incompetent buffoons who can't do anything right. They're all a bunch of rookies and they don't know what they are doing. When I got off the bus from Camp X-Ray, a cop escorted my group up a couple flights of stairs. He turned around and asked me, "What floor are we on?" I said, "How should I know?"

That is just one example of many to illustrate what a bunch of morons these guys are.

But I think the bigger reason it is taking so long is a matter of political repression. They are simply rounding up activists and keeping them locked up simply to punish them. It's punishment and repression.

They have up "Bush/Cheney" signs all over the Center Street Station, and it is clear what the political convictions are of the authorities in charge. They are working on direct behalf of Bush, and the objective is political repression.

Most people in jail did not break any laws. They are guilty of nothing more than speaking out against the criminal Bush administration.

And Pier 57 is a travesty of justice. Shut it down!

National Lawyers Guild eh? I'll bet their solution to this "problem" is... more lawyers! After all, more lawyers will be able to represent more people....

Don't worry so much! These people are probably learning new skills while communing with those they feel so sorry for. They'll eventually come out with a renewed sense of self-righteousness and vigor. Look on the bright side!

The NLG are real American heros, fighting for justice without much compensation or reward.

first hand comments from the arrest situation on tuesday and current jail conditions - (3am Thursday morning) http://www.texasmonkey.com/archive/jail.story.090104.mp4 (12mb)

I just got home from a 32 hour stint in pier 57 and central booking and I can tell you the cops inside are seriosuly trying to mindfuck us. They repeating that the limit is 76 hours to see a judge, and implying that many people there will be there untill monday, since judges don't work on weekends. They are stuffing us 15 to a tiny room, in 5 person chain gang shackles. They are refusing to give us potatble water for hours, they are passing out rotten peaches to eat. We were told "we are not letting you out untill bush is out of town". and this is only in 100 centere street.
Pier 57 is atrocious, most of us are blowing our noses to find black mucous as a result of the dust in the air. Zip tie handcuffs are being abused and I've seen/heard/expeirnced extremely tigh ziplocks causing blistering, swelling and numbness. Multiple officers are asked to change the cuffs but the refuse, and often just yank up and down on them, scraping them aganst already painful skin.
They are also holding 16 year olds as adults, spraying lots of harsh disenfectant chemicals near the holding pens. They left us in an incredibly hot bust van, 10 people in cuffs, doors shut for 2 hours while we were repeatdly begging for air.

some more fun facts, they are charging people with failure to comply with a dispersal order, when no order was ever given, police simply rushed us and pushed at us from both sides yelling "move back" litterally from all sides. at one point my group on e16th st was asking the cops in unison how to disperse peacefully, but we were given no answers, just billy clubs.

There will be 560 less folks being held as of 5pm..

I'm betting they have orange "freedom-fences" waiting for them a block from the courthouse. Gotta make sure Bush doesn't hear dissent.

Andre from outKast showed for his collegue and fellow protester.. News coverage will be on this everone was there.
Except Fox....

Ain't it a hoot how the rightwingers always piss and moan about lawyers, and then when they get tried for their many crimes, they run straight for the best ones they can afford? C'mon, where's your sense of adventure, lawyer-bashers? Be Big Men, represent yourselves in your next lawsuit!

The 'Republicans' are housed at Madison Square Prison. They need to be counterweighted.

Have a peaceful day. har

Confused and lacking purpose?
The message is pretty clear to me.
Maybe they would have jobs if Bush hadn't bankrupted us on Iraq and given kickbacks to his buddies who offshore American jobs.

I second the sentiments that NLG are heroes.
They helped me beat phoney charges from Feb15.

I didn't know Andre3000 was into indymedia. Next time he has an album out I'll buy it instead of downloading it! Just kidding, I own Southernplayalistik, ATliens and Aquemini...

As for the cops, don't complain a lot. That only encourages them. Just grin and bear it. I know when your thumbs are numb from handcuffs and you are freezing your ass off in a cell (or roasting, depends on the time and place I guess) don't complain becuase then they will just try to make it worse. Just sit back, try to get comfortable as you can, meditate or try to nap. Just don't give them the satisfaction.

I've read about people being denied their medications (or rather, simply not having access to them, I guess). If it's true that complaining only makes conditions worse, what can you do in a situation like that?

When the police scoff at the courts, and continue do as their bosses' bosses tell them to do, it should be undeniably clear to everyone that we live in a police state.

Once the rest of us have given a small class of society the weaponary necessary to wage war, and that small class has demonstrated zero intention to respect the triumvirate legal system, how do the rest of us maintain our liberty?

This theme has played out so often throughout history that it makes me want laugh, cry and scream at once. Usually the fools that give away their power have ended up dead or enslaved (as wage-slaves in more recent times).

The realistic goal is a decentralized, consensual, egalitarian social order without any need for policing.

In that case ya theres nothing you can do.

But I mean if you say "damn these cuffs are too tight can't you loosen these a little, I'm not going any where" a cop will come over and say "ok sure let me see" *crank* crushing them even tighter "Is that better for ya?" then walk off with an evil grin. For that kind of stuff it's probably better to just rough it out.

The NLG provided me with a free lawyer when I was arrested on M20 2003. I was up against assault and OGA and resisting because I got hurt by a pig. Without the NLG I wouldn't have been able to get a decent lawyer and eventually an ACD. NLGers are saints!

the first set of ziplock cuffs caused blisters and sweling on my left wrist, i asked that the second pair be put on looser as to not worsen my wrist. the officer said "sure" then proceded to tighten the left loop around my forearm as tight as possible cutting of ciculation and making the position of both arms excruciating. I was only able to relieve this by very painfully pulling the cuff down to my already injured wrist.

The word is spelled 'hypocrisy'.

The US has two million people behind bars. The pot calling the kettle black.

my boyfriend and i were picked up on 16th st on tuesday. he still hasn't been released, although word is all picked up tuesday have to be out by 5pm today. until a few hours ago, he didn't even exist in the system. we were held with our ziplock cuffs for over 5 hours. cops refused to loosen or change cuffs, even when hands were swelling and turning blue. i still have bruising and swelling from mine, as well as shoulder pain from having my shoulder pulled back and twisted tightly for hours.

"They have been working to elevate "order" to a value higher than the right to dissent in America for many years now and this has laid the groundwork to justify, in mainstream america's eyes, of mass arrests to protect property and "flow of traffic", etc."

Mussolini made the trains run on time.

Corporate media article on Pier 57:  http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/topstoriesny_story_245163526.html

You should not overlook the efforts of the PLC (Peoples Law Collective), working with the NLG.
PLC have been working 24/7 in the office, working "street team" legal observers and they are the peeps waiting outside the jails handing out info packs, metro cards, phone cards, and cigarettes as they are released at all hours of the day.
PLC rocks!
The struggle continues, thousands still in jail.
Solidarity!
!*And Free the Dragon-10*!

I heard that numerous prostesters during the RNC convention were arrested and placed in a unsafe/unsanitary/polluted/hazardous chemical building.....under orders of Mayor Bloomberg

i was held without being charged, without seeing my lawyer (who was in the building but not allowed to see me) for 42 hours. its that simple. if no one is held accountable, whats next?

"What a bunch of idiots most of you are. You went there to try to fuck up the RNC convention. You get what you deserve. You are all for free speech as long as it is your free speech. In Berkeley in the 60's, anyone who tried to speak against the "majority" opinion on the steps of Sproul Hall was shouted down by the free speech advocates."

no one went to "fuck up" the RNC as you say...but simply to protest it. BIG difference. and as far as "you are all for free speech as long as its your free speech"..look whos calling the kettle black.
that is all.

I was cursing near a cop, & he told me to stop (or he would arrest me.) When I called him on it -- freedom of speech -- he told me I should read the Constitution because it has some restrictions on that.

Wow. I'm highly impressed with the ignorance of some people in this country.

..or it could all just be that you're all a bunch of buffoons crying about your "rights" while trampling all over everyone else's right to be free from the mindless regurgitation of the Worker Weekly. Half of you nitwits are imported teen age girls who've wet their nappys for their freshman yr. intro to poly sci professor. To be blunt, you're all full ofshit