Changing The APD Narrative: Ferguson Protestor Arrests

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: APD, ARRESTED PROTESTORS & THE RIGHT TO DISSENT

By Jim Chambers

January 12, 2015, Atlanta, GA- In the wake of the now notorious decision of a Grand Jury in Ferguson, MO, not to indict Ofc. Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, the nation-at-large has seen a torrent of protests, marches, rallies, and actions of civil disobedience.

In Atlanta, arguably the most significant, and unquestionably most heavily attended such action (estimates in the low thousands) was a 4-hour rally at Underground Atlanta, a shopping area in the heart of downtown, on November 25^th, 2014, the day after the non-indictment. The rally was organized by a coalition of civil rights activist groups known as the “Shut It Down ATL Coalition.” In the wake of this rally, a series of spontaneous marches developed, dominantly propelled by young people of color. The marches largely coalesced on Atlanta’s main thoroughfare, Peachtree St., and in the surrounding areas, commencing early that evening and continuing into the next morning. A number of protestors were arrested by the Atlanta Police Dept., all but one of whom were represented in a group of 23 that appeared Wednesday, January 7^th, for arraignment at Atlanta Municipal Court. The vast majority of these arrestees were charged with “pedestrian in roadway,” or “impeding traffic.”  Arrests began after dispersal orders had been given, with APD citing instances of property damage as cause to label the marches “illegal.” The genesis of the decision to disperse, and the nature of the arrests/police response are key points, which have heretofore been largely overlooked.

Quite laudably, a coalition of over 20 volunteer attorneys, spearheaded by the Davis-Bozeman Law Firm of Atlanta, appeared on behalf of the protestors; most of these attorneys were not dedicated activist/civil rights attorneys, but rather, had stepped aside from their customary work to assist in representing, pro bono, a group which they felt had been wrongly arrested, and wrongly charged whilst exercising their constitutional rights.  In a statement issued by Davis-Bozeman, it was affirmed that “none of the protestors represented were charged with any acts of vandalism…{and they} maintain their innocence and 1^st Amendment right to protest and assemble.” The attorney group was also given furtherance and aid from a collection of local law students and professors.

In order to thoroughly address these cases, a chronology of events that preceded the arrests, accompanied the arrests, and occurred thereafter must be properly examined.

To begin with, law enforcement communities nationwide predictably took measures to prepare for what would inevitably be a significant reaction to the Ferguson decision; protests in Missouri had been ongoing since early August, when Michael Brown’s killing occurred, and it was largely anticipated that regardless of the decision, some kind of national response would be heard. Preparation and response was visibly multifarious amongst law enforcement agencies in different cities, but in Atlanta, given the historical backdrop of civil rights action, measures were taken to foster pre-emptive dialogue between the rally’s organizers and APD. At APD’s behest, members of the Shut It Down Coalition agreed to a sit-down with APD officials, including Chief George Turner, the week before the event. In that meeting, assurances were given by the organizers that the rally, and any associated actions, would remain non-violent. In turn, Law Enforcement officials assured that excessive use of force in response to the rally would not occur, including, but not limited to, pepper spray, teargas, and riot gear; in essence, there was to be no militarized response.

This is the point at which the narrative sharply turns; by Mayor Reed’s account, which was buttressed by that of Chief Turner, a “splinter group of 150 or so” protestors led the post-rally march, and it was this “group’s” alleged complicity in a blockage of the I-75/85 Downtown connector, and property damage (a broken window at Meehan’s Pub, a broken Taxi window, and a handful of toppled objects), which spurned the arrests. In effect, the litany of events provided by Reed/Turner, the latter of whom at one point in the night announced that “We {Atlanta} are better than this,” was that APD was honoring its pledge to stand back, and this only changed once the protestors, rhetorically monolithic, reneged on their pledge of non-violence.

There are a number of major issues with this account. First, had one been in the vicinity of the rally & the marches, as was this author and myriad eyewitnesses, it was clear that there was no such “splinter group.” As stated earlier, the postliminary marches were almost entirely organic, and consisted of the bulk of those who remained at Underground at the original rally’s conclusion. The numbers were well over 150; groups were scattered around downtown, including a handful on the connector, but it’s worth noting that not one of those arraigned Wednesday were amongst that group. The largest culmination of the spontaneous marches was at Peachtree St and Ivan Allen Blvd. There, protestors were met by police clad in full riot gear, and this is where the bulk of the arrests took place.

If one observes the timeline, something does not add up: I myself “splintered off” from the initial rally, gathering a handful of students in need of rides to MARTA, and when I learned that marches were ongoing, I parked, and began to walk back towards downtown from the GSU area, in order to cover further ongoings. En route, at least 10 witnesses, including my fiancée and I, observed and photographed a staging area of dozens of APD already clad in full riot gear. The officers performed a series of what appeared to be drills, and proceeded to load into at least 3 full sized buses, including a MARTA commuter bus and a GSU student shuttle, headed towards the marches downtown. A small group of us followed the buses, and were actually led towards the bulk of the remaining crowd by them. When we arrived to Peachtree St., we observed a handful of protestors actually replacing those few toppled objects, including a display of Christmas trees and a magazine dispenser. Simultaneously, the first round of reports of property damage began to circulate, and clearly, the two windows broken, which represent the extent of any meaningful damage, had been broken within minutes of our arrival on to Peachtree.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that this author’s photographically documentable timeline is somehow errant by, say, 15 minutes. Let’s give authorities the benefit of the doubt, and say that all militarized response and arrests occurred only upon notification of property damage. If it takes at least 5-10 minutes for an officer to don full riot gear, another 15 minutes of preparation, and another 10 to load a few buses, that’s at least 30 minutes required, notwithstanding orders/organization from above, if not far longer, to mobilize such units to a scene. Other eyewitnesses claimed to have seen such stirring as early as 4pm that day in pockets of the city. Clearly, comprehensive preparation had been in place for hours, if not days, to send riot squad response teams. If APD’s promise had been in earnest, and they had no intent of escalating interactions with protestors, why would this have been the case? The reality is that these units were mobilized and ready well before any alleged breach of commitment had occurred on the parts of protestors, and basic human behavior dictates that if one shows up dressed for hostility, one being whoever was commanding APD’s actions, one is obliquely inciting hostility.

There’s another substantial problem with the APD’s decision to declare the Peachtree march “unlawful,” and to accuse the protestors and organizers en masse of breaking a vow of non-violence; in the midst of a crowd of thousands of mostly young black people, already justifiably agitated by the slayings of other innocent young black people, at the hands of police, and already aware of a looming, ominous police force descending upon them, we’re looking at two broken windows, and a handful of items which were knocked over, and subsequently replaced by protestors, 2 of whom, Sarah Garrett and Corina Cruz, were later arrested. It is this author’s opinion, alluding to Chief Turner, that “we” would be hard-pressed to be much “better than this.” In point of fact, in a metro area that roughly 2 million black people call home, seated in the heart of the South, where race has always been an issue of greater tension, an astonishing level of restraint was shown. What was shown was collective punishment, something that should be quite alien to law enforcement in an advanced democracy.

APD staging riot squads on DeKalb Ave.

As the march progressed up Peachtree, towards Ivan Allen Blvd., the visible presence of riot squads steadily grew, and a hefty perimeter was formed around protestors, the weightiest contingency grouped across Ivan Allen, thereby stopping the march in its tracks. At this point, dispersal orders were given from various officers, most notably a diminutive, well-groomed ranking officer with a megaphone. The mantra, “you have destroyed property, this assembly is unlawful, you will be arrested if you do not disperse,” was repeated. At the SW corner of that intersection, a group of 4-5 officers took it upon themselves to forcibly seize what had been a wide banner, supported by wooden posts, which read, “Black Lives Matter” from a group of protestors. The banner was torn, and in a particularly heightened moment, the posts were pointed back at protestors, conjuring an image eerily reminiscent of the famous photo of an American flag being jousted at a young man of color during Boston’s busing riots in the 1960’s. It was immediately after this that arrests began, seemingly randomly; if one happened to be in the front line of marchers, or in the wrong spot along the sidewalk, one was at risk of being apprehended. Indeed, to a man, not one of those arrested had been complicit in any way, shape, or form in the earlier destruction of property, and most were detained arbitrarily, as marchers attempted to re-route away from the blockades.

Aside from being effectively innocent bystanders, as were all of those arraigned Wednesday, a number of arrestees were detained amidst uniquely shabby circumstances, and a few sustained injuries at the hands of police:

Nile Bean was working at the downtown Hyatt hotel, adjacent to the dispersing march. He stepped outside, curious as to what was transpiring, and began to film the scene. As one of his feet flirted with the curb, he was grabbed, slammed to the ground, and arrested. Local photographer Steve Eberhardt was able to document much of this.

A young, interracial couple, Renzo Marches and Natasha Stewart, became alarmed when they saw the presence of militarized police units. They turned away from the main group, and pulled scarves across their faces, anticipating a possible pepper spray/teargas deployment. As soon as they had done so, they were accused of “inciting” and “wearing masks.” Ms. Stewart was pulled, by the scarf, incurring bruising to her neck, and Mr. Marches was thrown to the street; injuries to his leg and face were displayed in photographs at a press conference which followed Wednesday’s arraignment.

Corey Toole, a young black student, was also apprehended at random, and managed to gain access to his phone from the back of a prisoner van; he posted a troubling image of a bloodied, beaten face to Twitter, while the march was still ongoing, and his injuries remain visible to this day.

Corey Toole's photo, tweeted from APD Prisoner Transport Vehicle

Samuel Albanez, a Hispanic male who has worked for some time with local NAACP chapters, sustained injuries excessive enough to keep him at Grady Hospital overnight, resulting in a booking the following day.

The rest of the arrests occurred over the next two hours. Arrestees were released between 3am-8am the following day, and appeared in court that afternoon, November 26^th, where arraignment was postponed until January. Two members of the press had also been detained, but per the Mayor’s orders, charges against them were dropped in the morning.

Following Wednesday’s court proceedings, 14 of those initially charged pled not guilty, and await a hearing on January 21^st to determine a trial date, presumably to be set for mid-February. Six of the remaining defendants were granted dismissals, due to “ticket discrepancies,” on the part of arresting officers, while one man, a member of CopWatch, had charges dismissed due to video evidence provided to the prosecution amidst court proceedings by Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, 11Alive News. The footage clearly demonstrated that he had been filming the events on the street, and had violated no appreciable laws. Regrettably, another member of CopWatch also appeared in the video in the same capacity, but had already pled not guilty when the video appeared; as such, he will have to re-appear when a trial date is set. One remaining arrestee sought private counsel, and chose to plead no contest for personal reasons, receiving a commuted 2-day sentence and a small fine.

The assemblage of volunteer attorneys have indicated that their aim in this case is to achieve general dismissals, and have expressed vigorous confidence to that end, and no less. Without reserve, it is this author’s unwavering opinion that anything but dismissal would be an odious moment for the City and its administration; this is an opportunity for city officials to concede their own error, unfortunately disproportionate response, or perhaps even more germane to the issue at-large, to retract the narrative of irresponsibility and criminality previously ascribed to a group of well-intentioned, non-violent protestors. It would behoove the mayor, and the courts, to provide a show of magnanimousness, and embrace Atlanta’s Civil Rights legacy in a meaningful way, rather than persisting on a path of punitive chicanery, and politics of fear.

Gen Y Projects Launches #CamsOnCops campaign

Yesterday the Gen Y Project organized a rally before the Atlanta City Council public safety meeting. Originally the council had decided to put off having the body camera discussion till January but after getting word that youth organizers planned on being at the meeting members of the council made sure that the chief of police was there to present findings on body camera field research and public comment was opened up on the issue immediately following discussion.  Around 15  people addressed city council about the importance of police accountability.

Gen Y Projects' Oscar Cain presented city council with the following letter and talking points:

To the Atlanta City Council,

Kathryn Johnston, Ariston Waiters, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, sadly the list of black and brown bodies brutalized and killed by law enforcement goes on and on. We believe that the mandate requiring law enforcement to wear body cameras is one small step toward keeping police accountable to the people in Atlanta.

As young people who have watched our brothers and sisters brutalized and killed all over the country by those that are supposed to protect us we no longer feel safe in the community, we no longer feel like our lives matter.

We know that body cameras themselves are of little use unless they have clear protocols that ensure police are accountable to the communities they serve. The following are protocols that we believe need to be in place in order to ensure our safety:

·         Violators whose video stops recording for any reason will be suspended without pay/fired during an investigation

·         Independent Citizen Review Board will have access to recordings for investigative and complaint purposes

·         Make disciplinary action publically available

·         GBI/Independent Citizen Review Board/IA/GBI will have access to review the video

·         Cameras are to be on at all times, unless stipulated in the policy as agreed

·         Raw video must be stored at a neutral location, where police can’t tamper with evidence

·         Civilians have a right to sign a waiver declining their right to be recorded

TALKING POINTS:

1.            With reports of police misconduct and brutality increasing across the nation, body-worn cameras for officers is a way to regain the public’s trust and restore order to our failing justice system.

2.            Officers who are policing ethically can appreciate body cams as a resource to support their actions and responses.

3.            As one example the police department in Rialto, Calif., put cameras on a group of officers and saw the number of citizen complaints filed drop by 88 percent — and more importantly, use of force declined by 59 percent.

4.            Mike Brown, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Jonathan Ferrell and John Crawford are not alive to tell their accounts of the incidents that claimed their lives. Protecting black and brown lives should matter and this is why we support body cams.

5.            Body cams eliminate he say/ she say by capturing both the officer and respondent's behavior in real time.

6.            In 2015, we will not be silenced and intimidated, nor will we continue to allow the burden of proof to be rely solely on an officer’s testimony.

7.            Body cams are a proven approach that promotes transparency and accountability among police officers and the communities they serve.

While a vote wasn't taken Gen Y Project did succeed in forcing a conversation that wasn't scheduled until next year. It's clear that details still need to be worked out but Gen Y's voice and talking points seemed to have a clear impact on the process.

After leaving the city council meeting the group chanted, "Black lives matter" and "I can't breathe". As they came to a giant Christmas tree in the lobby of city hall they held a four minute die in.

Some Press links from yesterday:

Creative Loafing

11Alive

MO Grand Jury Shows Impact of Systemic Racism

Below is AFSC's position on the grand jury decision. For those that are near Atlanta we want to encourage you to join the local effort and gather at 5pm tomorrow(11/25) at Underground near 5 points station. Through this tragedy we hope the local effort to challenge systemic racism continue to build momentum. 

Now that the grand jury has decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, people across the country are justifiably seeking answers. The American Friends Service Committee also is seeking clarity in this case. We remain committed to addressing the issues of militarization of police, police accountability and systemic racism revealed by the killing and its aftermath. If we are to prevent future tragedies, people everywhere should join us in these efforts.

Those who pay the cost of these policies are disproportionally young people of color – and with alarming frequency that cost is death at the hands of police. Ominously, local police increasingly rely on militarized tactics and weapons not only to arrest but to contain people exercising their right to assemble and peacefully protest such tragedies as the Mike Brown killing.

Weeks before today’s announcement, Missouri police and elected officials began stockpiling riot gear and “less lethal” weapons to respond to public protest. We urge protesters to resist provocations such as armored trucks, dogs, and blockades staffed by officers in military garb. We   urge police officials to seek dialogue with those they swore to protect and serve, to find common ground and peaceful paths forward. Throughout our decades of work on social justice and human rights in the U.S. and around the world, we have witnessed the effectiveness of such dialogue and exchange programs.

We are proud of the young people with whom we work in Missouri, who are using peaceful means to work for fundamental change in systems that perpetuate racism and inequality. They deserve both applause and help for their leadership in healing and organizing their communities. We urge all people of good will to join us in supporting peace-building programs for these young people.

Starting just days after the shooting, AFSC has been helping youth process the killing of one of their peers through our two-year-old Peace Education Program working in Ferguson and St. Louis. We are standing with teachers and families, with the community organizations protesting, and with the family of Mike Brown.

Most of all we heed and support their vision of what democracy looks like: It looks like police accountability. It looks like equal access. It looks like an end to mass incarceration. It looks like the dismantling of the school-to-prison pipeline. It looks like the demilitarization of police.

As a Quaker organization that believes in the worth of every person, we call on people everywhere to join us in addressing the systemic and structural racism at the roots of Mike Brown’s death – and that of so many others nationwide.

We need to challenge policies – at every level, from the school house to the State House, from Missouri to Washington DC – that disproportionately incarcerate people of color  and boost profits for corporations running jails, prisons and immigration detention centers. We also must challenge media when they stigmatize youth of color instead of acknowledging their humanity.

Our nation will only prosper when we invest in all our children. Join us as we work to end militarized policing and the systemic racism that endangers youth of color and thus threatens our common future. 

Trick or Vote!!

Trick or Vote is the nation’s largest get out the vote effort in costume and the GenY Project decided to join the cause. Last night the Gen Y Project got hyped up, filled a bus, and went to the West End to spread the word. Armed with voter pledge cards and candy the group set out to remind the neighborhood why it's important to utilize their right to vote. Together we hit the West End Mall and neighboring shops sparking lots of conversation, giving out information, and of course people welcomed the free candy. Some had already voted and others were geared up and ready to vote on November 4^th.

With all the efforts to block young people and black/brown bodies fro the polls in Georgia, getting out and voting is more important than ever. Voting isn't the only thing our communities need to do to change a political landscape that isn't working for a lot of us, but it's an important piece of the puzzle that we only lose when we don't participate.

Gen Y Draws a Crowd in the West End

 

AFSC's new youth led Gen Y Project planned and coordinated a movie screening and listening session in the West End area featuring the movie: BlackPower Mixtape. Black Power Mixtape was produced by Goran Olssan. This movie examines the evolution in the Black Power Movement and the black community from 1967-1975

 

 

Gen Y Project chose Black Power Mixtape because we felt like this film would open peoples mind and allow folks to understand how the black community has been oppressed by the system since the birth of this country. It also points out how The Black Panther Party was governing their own communities and empowering the black community to become activist and conscience about the racist world that surrounded them back then. It was sad and heartbreaking to see how drugs destroyed our people and took their minds away from the revolution, democracy, and future of the black community.

 

 After the movie, everyone had a chance to turn in Q/A cards to discuss key events (all events was key) that touched them the most about the movie; that allowed us to have conversations around issues in our communities today, and how we can get our black communities to become more conscience about the issues that affects and oppresses our youth and young adults.

 

 

 

 

 

Oscar Cain

Gen Y Project

Youth Building Power From Atlanta to Ferguson

Last night a van load of Atlanta youth, organized by the newly launched Gen Y Project,  began the long drive toward Ferguson, MO to participate in what organizers are calling a weekend of resistance.

Can you pitch in a few dollars to support Atlanta Youth?

The call was put out by Hands Up United, Organization For Black Struggle, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment and other partners in Ferguson.

There will be a series of public events-marches, convenings, panels, concerts- to build momentum for a nationwide movement against police violence.

 The weekend culminates with the launch of St Louis' own Moral Monday actions, as they put it, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. On Monday, we’re taking our cue from the fearless activists in North Carolina who were inspired to fight back against right-wing attacks there and across the South. They kicked off the Moral Monday’s movement for progressive change by engaging in civil disobedience every week, reminding all of us that these actions have been a part of every major movement for change. We’ll be hosting a series of actions throughout the Ferguson and St. Louis area."

 

Can we count on you for support to make this work possible?

We are really excited to be able to support the Gen Y Project and even more excited to see the surge in young young people all over the country rising up in their communities against police violence. In Atlanta and beyond we are beginning to see young people transform a political moment into a youth led political movement.

Organizing takes resources, and sometimes those resources can be harder to come by in youth led projects.  From the van rental, gas, and lodging the costs add up. This weekend we are asking folks to show their support by investing a few dollars into this effort. Should we raise more then is needed to cover the trip we'll be excited to put it to use with other local Gen Y Projects.

For those that want to follow our Atlanta groups trip we will be posting updates here: Gen Y Project and here: South Star News.

To find out more about the Weekend of Resistance click here.

Know Your Rights

Last weekend, the Gen Y Projected invited Cop Watch of East Atlanta to provide a “Know Your Rights Training” to teach young Metro Atlantans what to and what not to do when stopped by a police officer. The presentation was both informative and entertaining with the training consisting of 4 parts and a Q&A session at the end. The four sections included what rights average citizens had in situations of being stopped walking down the street, being stopped while driving, when police knock at your door, and when being interrogated.

Each section included skits of the wrong way to conduct oneself when interacting with a cop and the right way to conduct oneself complete with information to accompany suggested methods. The audience was taught what rights they have as well as what rights police have depending on the situation. The atmosphere was both light hearted with many funny moments as well as very direct and specific as to why it is important for young people to know these rights.

The audience was delighted to be able to engage in the training and there were members of the group   #istbiggerthanyou in the audience. The training served as both a good bonding experience among Atlanta youth as well as an opportunity to develop practical skills that will be useful in organizing and everyday life.

The Gen Y Project meets every Thursday at 7pm at the AFSC Building, 60 Walton St

Atlanta, GA 30303

 Chiji Ebbis

Gen Y Project Organizer