Looks exactly the same as the San Francisco demonstration arrest last year. They did the same thing; took us by city bus to Piers, all handcuffed tightly. They are very cold inside, (what do you mean by "look at the heat"?)
Is there some kind of handbook that the cities are using to make mass arrests nowadays?
In Solidarity,
Deanne

It looks horrible. No seating at all, I wonder how long those kids have been standing.

Yo bridger, protesters know that jails aren't pleasant. But there are standards--and those standards often aren't met, both for political protesters and other detainees. If they aren't in Pier 57, if there's oil on the floor and asbestos exposure, that's not okay.

That's not to say that it compares the the treatment of many prisoners in the system. Remember that one of hte main ringleaders at Abu Ghraib (Charles Grainer) was a prison guard stateside, and that many prison watchdogs and former prisoners pointed out how similar some of the abuse there was to treatment in some US prisons. For background on prison abuse in the US, there are lots of good websites--one is at the Southern Center for Human Rights,  http://www.schr.org/prisonsjails/index.html.

Compared to that, detainees at Pier 57 don't have it too bad. But so what? You wouldn't tell someone who was assaulted to stop whining because they weren't murdered. Any injustice is not acceptable.

hey bridger,
I've been arrested for less and believe me this is much worse than central booking, or normal incarceration. Toxic Oil on the floor, Suspected incomplete asbestos removal, and remaining fall out from the fire about a decade ago make this cruel and unusual for sure. especially when you factor in that the MAJORITY of these folks were just practicing their consitutional rights, and some were literally netted in and had no involvement with the protest at all. Don't forget the shoddy paper work on the NYPD's part, and "disapeared" detainees. Guantanamo on the Hudson is a great analogy.
OPEN YOUR MIND, stop name calling.

I'm on the West Coast and could not be there in NYC. God bless every one of you for what you are doing.

Please note as well that reports indicate that a significant percentage of the folks detained were not actually protesters, but were bystanders caught in sweeps. This was particularly true for folks arrested in midtown around Herald Square.

These people are heroes.

I'm heading down to Centre St right now to show some support and thanks. Thought others might want to consider doing the same.

It's a god damn police state.

This is fucking bullshit when the city simply rounds up any "trouble makers" and holds them in defiance of even the states own court!

This is despotism! The cops just do whatever they want and even the bourgeois courts can't stop them!

What happen to the ability to rate comments and articles?

I saw some right-wing doodoo on the newswire but I was unable to mod it down.

After the RNC is over you guys should do a major code audit of Dada, it seems a little creaky under the heavy load.

WELCOME TO THE REIGN OF GEORGE W. BUSH

You should put these images on the front page of nyc.indymedia.org, they really open your eyes.

Remember Sherman Austin? Raise The Fist against Fascism! Read more about Sherman Austin, the first Victim of the Patriot Act http://la.indymedia.org/

The only confused person I see here is YOU, McCain. Enjoy your fascism while it lasts, jackboot.

 http://www.belluckfox.com/ny_jobsites.html

New York Area Jobsites with Asbestos Exposure
---------------------
Pier 57, 14th Street, NY


** brought to you by NYPD **

I was here visiting family and intended to join in the protests but was weary of being arrested and detained for 24 hours because of a medical condition that needs medicine at regular intervals and can be life threatening if not treated. I saw a guy who was released and they took his asthma meds from him for twenty-four hours, which can kill some asthmatics. This is totally unacceptable and I'm ashamed to say I let them scare me off, the bastards. I envy and appriciate everyone who put their freedom on the line to show these nuts in the white house how much we despise them.

oh god, the high school i went to is on that asbestos list! agh!!!!!

My mother's comment:
"Welcome to 1969."

I was held at pier 57 for about 18 hours.
It's even worse than the pictures show. They don't clearly show how filthy we were or how dirty the place is.
Support at central booking was great to see after being released. I'm heading there tomorrow after I sleep off the 34 hours of detainment I had.

can you see the blood all over the guy(?) on the left?

we feel for you and send love accross th sea..

besta luck and wishes. solidarity and conscious actuation...

one time one earth one future

I was also held at the pier...let no one think that these kind of repressive tactics will stop us from storming the streets again and again. Wherever everyone goes after the convention, people will keep on struggling locally and make sure this resident is not elected on nov 2nd.

Michelle Goldberg from salon.com
posted a letter (on riseup.net) to all the protesters who have been arrested, asking any and all of you, if you want to tell her about your experience..... she wants to hear from you.
Respond to me and I'll pass it on... IN solidarity JDBD

protesters against the oil-hungry economy are forced to physically roll around in diesel fuel for hours.
gotta love it.

i went straight to 'the tombs' on centre street, but our bus drove through there, past the 'holding pens'. it's disgusting.

The funny thing is that this is setup by morons who are as wrong-headed here as the morons we've got trying to stop the insurgency in Iraq.

All this does is make us stronger.

Most likely, the protestors who came to NY will go home more radical and more committed than when they game.

The people who were arrested just because they were in the street and got caught in one of those nets will now be very critical of the police and much more receptive to what the protestors are saying.

The media people who got rounded up in those nets and who ended up here will also be more critical of the police and more receptive to the protestors. Plus they'll take that message back to work with them.

Everyone in that pen has families and friends, most of whom will be appalled at what they hear.

All it takes is something to puncture the lie. When you realize your society has been lying to you, suddenly your eyes open up and you start seeing all sorts of things. The protestors who got arrested probably already had their eyes open. But this will open a lot more eyes. The friends, the families, the coworkers, the neighbors of the people who were in this pen, there's gonna be a lot more open eyes now.

Yeah, jail sucks. But long term, this did nothing to weaken us and it did a lot to strengthen us. Its amazing how your enemies end up taking the steps that make you stronger when you have the will to stand up and call them on their lies and their corruption and their killing.

By such steps does justice slowly prevail.

Spent 14 hours at the pier. These pictures don't show how horrible the conditions were. They added a thin layer of what looked to be carpet to the smaller pins as the last of the 1400 of us were leaving wednesday afternoon. They know there is going to be a lawsuit and are trying to make the pier appear better. Some of the signs on the walls named a variety of chemicals, although antifreeze is the only one I can remember with my sleep deprivation.

how did these pics get taken? i wanted to take the pics so bad, but my stuff was confiscated. and no, they don't show how horrible it is. spent 10 hours there on the dirty floor and the cops had no idea what paperwork they were supposed to fill out. arrested w/ critical mass as their test subjects. the bathroom of the cell are port-o-let type things but they're outside the cages, so you had to ask for permission to go to the bathroom. we were refused most of the time.

I hope nobodyminds if I use these pics in
a video!!

 http://www.BushOutTheDoorIn2004.org
(download the video!)

Is it Fascism yet?

What bothers me is that so called "conspiaracy theories" keep proving themselves to be true. Now all those kids will become even more determined activists after figuring out what really goes on in the prison system.

I'm on my way to a press conference being held
on Oahu at the Hawaii Republican conference. Community people are denouncing treatement of protesters in NYC. Several Hawai'i people were
just released one hour ago. Bush, the NY Mayor &
all those who made the decision to handle people
peacefully protesting in such a deplorable way will definetly feel the backlash. We say in Hawai'i...Ku'e, Resist !! Congratulations to all those in the picture above who have protested for us all.

Besides asbestos being a problem, diesel contains dioxin which is an extremely potent and dangerous chemical-- skin rashes and respiratory problems are a symptom of dioxin exposure--

Please seek support from environmental/public health activists

AND sue the shit out of them.

i'm seeing blood and i'm hearing babies crying and i'm smelling smoke and death and hubris. i want out.

These pics don't show the true emotional and physical distress caused by being in jail. Unfortunately, I spent over 80 hours total in prison rather than on the streets in the last week. 3 arrests are not easy on you! But freedom is not free, as they say... I have some fines to pay now as well, any help would be appreciated. Get off your knees!!

Steel Yourselves.

I'm sad to say that you who are willing to stand up and say what so many of are thinking (THANK YOU, btw) had better get used to such conditions, had better get used to prolonged detentions without charges filed, had better get used to mass arrests without warning. This is the way of the future. This is part of how the power you fight will be fighting you.

Don't stop objecting to such treatment, and don't stop reporting on it. PREPARE yourselves for it, tho'. From now on, you can it expect it to be part and parcel of the entire protesting experience.

I am so sorry that you all are being mistreated, but I am so happy that you have ventured to NYC to say what so many of us want to have heard. God Bless You and Protect You All!

I spent 45 hours in this system, with 18 of them in NYC GITMO. The camera got in because the cops didn't check pockets. I have a list of the chemicals that had been stored there before that i got off the signs at the Pier. Many that were there were charged with disorderly conduct and protesting w/o a permit. Many just got swept up in the police orgy of arrests on tuesday evening especially, over 1100 people were arrested. I'm still a mess from the crud all over the floors, and have had black boogers for days, that's not normal. The particular group i was with when we got arrested were following all laws and rules. we were arrested illegally, and never told to disperse. we were peaceful people practicing peaceful protest. A NYC newspaper mentioned they were handing out soy sandwiches in NYC GITMO, but i didn't get my first fake meat sandwich until i was in the holding facility on Centre ave. six hours before i was released. Numerous complaints have been made about skin rash, breathing problems, headaches,and the like. The whole experience was taxing both mentally and phisically. peace and to all my brothers and sisters who were in there with me.

Apparently we live in the most hypocritical nation in the world. The only Freedom we have is to continue Buying and Consuming.

"Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirlwind" Grendolyn Brooks

You of the other convention which in sincere respect I call yours, 'The Dissent of the Disinherited'--I can only bless and wish you hope in your march for justice. Thank you for one who couldn't be there.

welcome to bush's gulag (he's making history-in reverse,

My thoughts are with the people who were arrested, but I hope that they continue with the peaceful struggle, because that is the only way it will ever work (assuming that peace and justice will ever be achieved). www.wordsareimportant.com/coderedwhiteandblue.htm peace, AG in California

For those of you who think all the protestors are from somewhere other than NYC -- WRONG. We're all around you and we will never give up. We are fighting for the rights of all people here and around the world and that includes you. May peace be with you and may you lose the hatred in you hearts.

Please do something such that one can search via Google for images under the obvious "Republican convention 2004, protests, demonstrations" etc. Right now, nothing comes up ...talk about press blackout ...has Google been purchased as well???

come on, they're just authenticating the experience... if they don't incarcerate you what would be the fun? Where would the excitement be? Which isn't to say that the you shouldn't protest, but this is not what a system does when if feels threatened, this is a system that knows it's little bit of the dance just as you are familliar with yours. Will there be instances of police brutality? Of course, any individual which has thousands of people deflaming him while he is trying to do a job that brings home money to himself and his fam might, and they should be dealt with, however, your tendancies to be Polyannas is also striking. they aren't going to line you up and shoot you, in some short time all will be in their cozy homes. Oil on the floor, weak. INcomplete aesbestos removal, super weak (need long term exposure to fibers), someone even said "no places to sit down," really, it's incredible how little we suffer in this country EVEN with bush as president, and how far we will go to authenticate ourselves by wearing a mass identity....

I hope you all get together and create a collective receiving "location" so those of us who weren't able to make it to the protests can support you financially. Even a little bit. You know?

Repukes couldn't handle the protesters - afraid the truth would come out about what crooks they really are!

Help get out the vote for Kerry/Edwards 2004!
Don't allow another GRAND THEFT AMERICA!

 http://www.ericblumrich.com/gta.html

I am sad at the way protested are being treated by the very people who are to protect them as american citizens. Bless you all. Thank you

from

Middle America

To say that one thousand eight hundred protesters deserved what they got at pier 57 because one cop was knocked out after ramming his scooter into a crowd and running over people (see video if you think this exaggeration) is flawed, ignorant mathematics. Some delegates have been spit on, this is true - but does that justify inhumane collective punishment? Jupiter75's argument is a fuedal one: if anyone spits on the king, the peasants deserve what's coming to them.

As for "break the law, pay the consequences," that gets a bit tricky when you think a given law is illegitimate; the "no stopping or standing" laws posted on streetpoles for the duration of the RNC are not only an invitation to target both youth and people of color, but also to expose innocent bystanders to police repression. Anyone that was in midtown tuesday can speak to the chaos caused when police decided no one who looked remotely liberal should be allowed within five blocks of the "free speech zone." Boy, it's hard to excercize our 1st Amendment rights when we aren't even allowed to approach the space where they're sanctioned by the State. Yo Mama's arguent refuses to acknowledge the power dynamic between kids in the streets and elites in political power - sure they have a right to "freedom of political expression," but do they have the right to dominate all public political discouse and sick their police on whomever disagrees?

And for the public record, I run a Food Not Bombs in Yonkers and have never been to a Phish concert. Assholes.

-Kilroy

Live with compassion
Work with compassion
Die with compassion
Meditate with compassion
Enjoy with compassion
When problems come,
Experience them with compassion.
~Lama Zopa Rinpoche

This is the way that the ruling class makes sure that dissent is squashed. The working class will rise; this is only the beginning of the struggle!

Workers of the world - Unite! We have nothing to lose but our chains!

www.plp.org

Im so happy to see young people standing up for what they believe in. In these times where complacency and conformity has become the norm, its encouraging to know that some people are still willing to commit to, and act upon their beliefs. These kids in my mind show more integrity than the last four presidents.

AND BUSH and the rest of the GOP just go trotting merrily along...tra la la...ignoring it all!!!! Facism is here in all its NEO CON glory!!! These jerks just CANT get re-elected!!!!

Sort of looks like a concentration camp

To those who make comments such as "don't do the crime if you can't do the time," I would just point out that many, if not most of us, locked up on Pier 57 did not actually commit any crimes.

Here were the circumstances of my arrest:

I was participating in the War Resisters League's march from Ground Zero to Madison Square Garden. The police told us that we would be permitted to march as long as we stayed on the sidewalk in rows of 2X2. We crossed the street from Ground Zero, in rows of 2X2, and as soon as we made it to the other side, the police blocked our procession, cut 200 of us off from the rest of the march, and sealed us off on the side.

They never gave us any order to disperse, nor even an opportunity. They never even told us we were under arrest or what our offense was. They never read us our rights. They simply surrounded us with orange netting and started handcuffing us one by one and loading us onto a bus. Then they took us to Pier 57.

We didn't break any laws. It is perfectly legal to march on the sidewalk, as long as you are not blocking traffic, which we were not, as we were obeying the police, staying in rows of 2X2. None of us wanted to go to jail. There were elderly people in the crowd, along with journalists and bystanders. They just rounded us all up and sent us to a virtual concentration camp. When I asked my arresting officer what I was being arrested for, he said, "Illegal conduct," which of course is not an actual offense. I found out later my charge was "Disorderly conduct," even though I wasn't doing anything even remotely disorderly.

While I was on Pier 57, watching them bring in busload after busload of protesters, some of us started to call out to the police things like, "So all these people broke the law?! I think YOU broke the law!" That's the reality. The police were breaking the law, not us.

Wake up and smell the fascism.

I was almost arrested juct for trying to cross the street near Madison Square Garden, I know several people who were arrested and were not involved in the protests.
Why is the media not reporting this?

The reason the court held the police in contempt of court is because they held hundreds of people WITHOUT CHARGES past the 24 hour legal limit. Last time I checked we lived in America where people have fought and died for the right to due process. This is not Baghdad. Cops do not have the right to throw those who legally and peacefully protest in jail. I am sure that some people were arrested for acts of civil disobediance, i.e. they sought to be arrested. But the police have totally discredited the entire system of "law and order" by conducting mass arrests on those who were not breaking any laws.

Is this the future we have to look forward to? Is Bush so unpopular that the only way he can hold a convention is to apply marshall law?

Thank you everyone for your patriotism and for standing up for what you believe in. You are part of the america I know and believe in.

George Bush's america is a facist, totalitarian, war mongering, illegal occupation of our white house.

Lets take it back.

You mean they weren't penned in, but were just grabbed off the street ???

Those pictures look awful. I know one of the people that was arrested, and it's just ridiculous what the police did to them.

"Is this the future we have to look forward to?"

I'm afraid we haven't seen anything yet, MO. They're just getting warmed up.

TexasCop wrote:
“If you idiots would abide by the laws, you wouldn't be there, now would you? Try taking responsibility for YOUR actions, then you can worry about the actions of others. Retards.â€

If you are truly a law enforcement officer then you understand the importance of abiding to all state & local laws. This obedience to law, however, is a two-way street. The protesters must obey the laws, but the law enforcement personal must obey them also. In any protest (be it left wing or right wing) you are going to get some people who disregard the law. But to execute mass arrests without probable cause & to detain arrestees without legal counsel or basic facilities is a violation of state & federal law. It is not just poor policy but it is shoddy police work.

Law enforcement officers have a hard time. The are (for the most part) very overworked & underpaid, regularly placed in situations where their lives are endangered, held to a high public standards for behavior, & most people are never glad to see them. It is a thankless job, one that brings with it greatly increased levels of stress related illness, suicide, divorce, alcoholism & drug dependency. So why would any law enforcement officer support actions that would make their job any harder? To support poor behavior on the part of the NYC Police is to encourage descent against all law enforcement personal.

Right now, the NYC Police & the City of New York are in violation of three federal court orders. They are violating the laws that they are sworn to uphold. This reflects badly on all law enforcement personal. To support their actions is to support breaking the law. to quote what you said, “Try taking responsibility for YOUR actions, then you can worry about the actions of others.†Perhaps you should be taking responsibility for the actions of your fellow officers in NYC & doing what you can to get them to obey the law before you start criticizing those who were arrested.

-bill

"Sort of looks like a concentration camp"

That's exactly what it is. Temporary, perhaps, but a concentration camp nonetheless.

Not too long ago it was said that a country that exports fascism will become, itself, fascist. That time is here and now. Actually its been here for quite awhile but now it's boldly and brazenly shoved in our faces. Bloomberg should be immediately recalled (though the gesture would be seen as meaningless by some, it would send a powerful message); subscriptions to major papers that didn't or won't report on this should be cancelled (including cable and dish networks); sites like these should be visited regularly and promoted. Zinn and Nader are right: it will take more than mere voting to get America back. We have to get involved before we become the next 'South Africa'. How long before we get our own 'democracy square' as the only place to express ourselves and then how long before it becomes a 'Tienneman Square' and we are silenced forever?

This doesn't "make us stronger". So, the pictures will spread -- and outrage will grow. So what? There were *a lot* of people involved here - numbers don't matter against *state-backed, state-authorized force*, unless you think this action is going to provoke some sort of revolution (unlikely).

What this does is "make us weaker" by unjustly imprisoning us... and making sure there's no legal recourse.

Do you think casually-interested/"swing"/moderate people - will be more or less inclined to attend a protest after this event? Will pictures of the scary cage you'll get thrown in if you go encourage, or discourage people from attending?

It's a nice idea that most people would be willing to stand by their convictions and undergo hardship to defend them, but a simple look at how America has been overtaken by the new aristocracy should be enough to tell you that most people aren't willing, are ignorant, or are apathetic.

This wasn't a victory. Let's not be smug. This was rape, a rape of our civil -- human -- rights. And trust me, rape doesn't make you stronger. It just makes you bitter, and disillusioned.

Dear Worried:

You sound like an upstanding citizen in your neck of the woods. I'm sure George Bush would be happy to be your neighbor.

What's your problem?

The Democratic Party is no better than the GOP on the issue of overarching police power. Both parties, and both candidates are 100% for militarizing police and expanding police powers.

The Democrats won't even leverage protesters for political gain. They don't want to touch us, not even with a 10-foot pole. I hope nobody considered protesting the RNC a partisan activity, because the Democrats do not support it. At all.

If you think electing Kerry will change this, think again. Kerry and Bush are cut from the exact same cloth: Yalies, Bonesmen, inherited social status, inherited wealth. Kerry doesn't want you empowered any more than W. does.

we look amazing, lads.

bad ass, thats ME!! el blond in the red

yhaaarrrr!

PS that was bs i wanted a green apple

I can't imagine what the prisioners at Guantamo Bay, Cuba are going through. Not to mention political prisioners in Saudi or Pakistan. The struggle will go on even if Kerry wins.

In solidarity.