Occupy Eureka endures ongoing series of police attacks
Report provided by Jack Nounnan, 24.11.2011 02:22
Press Release Nov. 23, 11'
for immediate release
In Humboldt County, California, behind the redwood curtain, law enforcement continues to ignore civil rights of those demonstrating to expose wealth and corporate controlled government's elimination of basic human needs and services locally as well as worldwide and the ruin of our global environment.
Yesterday in broad daylight the Eureka PD raided, destroyed and dragged away the third and latest 'Occupy Eureka' protest booth stationed outside the courthouse, a structure meant to protect against present raging winds and rains.
Again a protester was arrested, jailed, this time for J walking in the pedestrian crosswalk zone, neither an infraction, nor an arrestable charge, but in Humboldt this no longer applies. The County jail refused to give concerned friends any report of his well being, even as he is in constant need of regularly prescribed medicines for ongoing physical ailments including three broken ribs resulting from police brutality just a week ago. At at this time, it is believed he is not receiving his needed medical attention.
This followed on the heels of last nights long list of police brutalities in shoving a peaceful activist to the ground, his head injured when hitting the cement sidewalk and caught on film.
This time police were totally unconcerned about whether or not any of this applied to sleeping or camping, simply stripping and carting away all material evidence of the 'Occupy Eureka' protest site in ignoring any First Amendment rights as had been confirmed in an earlier exchange of letters with the County that assured all banners and other protest equipment were no problem. These attacks appear to be police aggression toward activists refusing to be subdued by intimidation or violence in carrying out their lawful, Constitutionally protected protests.
This is only the latest in a mounting series of raids. Just days before, another activist was accosted in what should have been national news of a Rodney King like beating, filmed for all to see, at the hands of cops savagely hitting him with batons and witnessed by many. This happened while in the background the second 'Occupy Eureka' encampment was literally torn up and trucked away with 32 people 'kettled', as in (trapped by police), dragged off and jailed, their belongings being held by EPD in limbo for as long as this case goes on (up to 365 days!). This further demonstrates part of local law enforcements bureaucratic defiance of proper processes mounts far greater demands and time to finally free oneself from this systems clutches, more of its 'in house' criminal methods of jailing on false charges, court appearances for ungrounded and dismissed charges and extensive personal time lost.
One night recently police came upon the courthouse to harass peaceful activist, grabbing and arresting one for filming their acts, she held for 8 days, which violates the law guaranteeing citizens not be held for more than 48 hours without charge or arraignment.
Defiance of civil, Constitutional and personal rights of individual citizens by the City of Eureka, their law enforcement agencies, and Humboldt County confirms their further criminality in carrying out their own vendetta against these protests whose purposes are not only to oppose a whole complex of critical issues threatening human life and environment, but this governments actions in undermining our social, economic, and political freedoms. This all helps better define Humboldts criminal injustice system.
occupyeureka@gmail.com
Contact Occupy Eureka at 5th and I, Eureka, California
