A MAN IN A SUIT WITH A MOBILE PHONE WHO CALLED THE
SHOTS IN THE (London) CITY RIOT
IN A SMART dark suit, with a brief case and a copy of the Financial
Times under his arm, he looked like your typical City gent. Only after he
dropped his props and began helping to unload a truck full of concrete
blocks and wooden stakes did his allegiance become clear.
The man in the suit and the hire truck were part of what police believe
to be a sophisticated and well-planned attack that brought some of the worst
violence and public disorder to the streets of Britain since the poll-tax
riots of 1990.
In five hours on the afternoon of 18 June, groups of demonstrators
on an anti-capitalism protest in the financial sector of London ran amok,
attacking police and causing pounds 1.2m of damage as they vandalised
buildings and blocked off roads.
Since the rioting in the financial heart of Britain, a team of 60
detectives from the City of London and Metropolitan forces has been
compiling evidence against the violent demonstrators. A key part of
Operation Enterprise is being run from a video suite in the Bishopsgate
police station, where five officers are painstakingly sifting through
5, (XX) hours of film from hidden police cameras, a helicopter and fixed
CCTV monitors installed throughout the City.
The walls of the suite are plastered with photographs of police
"targets" - alleged rioters caught on camera. They are brandishing
scaffold poles, bricks, staves, a spade, or helping to unload a lorry full
concrete blocks. Each suspect is given a number written next to the face,
and cross-referenced to video sequences.
One section shows a police woman on a grey horse being dragged
to the ground by protesters. The crowd tears off her helmet and repeatedly
punches her in the head and body. One rioter is filmed reaching up to her
saddle and stealing a side-handled baton.
In another episode, a camera captures a man with a shovel hidden
by his side slowly approaching a line of police officers who were being
confronted by demonstrators. The man quickly raises the weapon above his
head and strikes an officer on the helmet, sending him tumbling.
In a third sequence, a camera on a police helicopter films protesters
throwing bricks and rocks at officers, then using two huge rectangular
dustbins on wheels as battering rams.
So far, the police have photographs of 147 different "targets" said to be
committing serious criminal offenses. The police have names for 20 of them
and have sent out folders of photographs to all Britain's police forces
and Special Branches, asking them whether they can identify any of the
suspects.
Detective Chief Inspector Kieron Sharp, of the City of London police,
who is heading Operation Enterprise, believes evidence from the film and
information from police intelligence shows the protest and violence were
carefully planned.
Demonstrators were filmed arriving for the Carnival Against Global
Capitalism protest at Liverpool Street railway station, where they were
given four different coloured masks with legal advice written inside and
information telling the protesters to follow organisers with matching
coloured flags.
Two cars bought by organisers were used to block a road by letting
down the tyres and throwing the keys away. A ring-leader dressed in a suit is
filmed standing in front of the vehicles, signaling protesters to join
him. In another video, a lorry loaded with ladders, staves and concrete
blocks is brought into the crowd and unloaded near the London
International Financial Futures Exchange (Liffe) building, site of some of
the worst fighting.
Throughout the disorder, several activists are seen in suits as an
apparent disguise. In one of the most blatant cases, a man puts down his
briefcase and Financial Times to help demonstrators to unload a lorry. A
man wearing a pale jacket is also filmed, apparently orchestrating the
pelting of police officers with missiles. Several groups organised the
protests, including the high-profile Reclaim the Streets.
Det Ch Insp Sharp said: "It's unbelievable how some police were not
killed. There was very severe and savage violence. We knew there was going
to be trouble, but we had no idea where it was going to be and we had no
idea that it would be so well organised and so violent."
An independent report into the police handling of the riots criticised the
City of London force for indecisive action, poor judgment and inadequate
communication.
Det Ch Insp Sharp said there had been claims and rumours about further
anti-capitalist mass demonstrations on 30 November and 4 January, the
first working day of the next century. But intelligence suggested the
demonstrators were unlikely to be able to organise another large event so
soon.
| Since this news item is un-attributed, I can't find out whose
intelligence is being mentioned. Unless the reporter is using his own
head, this last sentence suggests an oxymoron — "police intelligence ?"
(MichaelP) ]
"Blessed Are the Cracked, For They Shall Let in the Light"
(author unknown)
By S h a r o n P ea rso n
(this is a partial excerpt from "A Forever Home")
"It’s more important what we do to people," he said, " than what we do for them " I looked
at him. He was a homeless middle-aged gay Alaskan Indian with one glass eye whose family
was in the publishing business. It was 1985 and I was a middle-aged sociology/journalism
student struggling to keep up my studies as I prowled the streets of Anchorage talking with
homeless people, trying to figure out what had become of the American Dream and why so
many people were homeless. "And what you have to remember," John said, "is that there are
more layers of illusion and deception wrapped around welfare than wrapped around life and
death itself. I was trying to jot down what he was saying in my journal, but I was a little
drunk. We had just split a bottle of wine, sitting at a kitchen table, stemo candles in a cast iron
Irying pan burning low, while we watched a frozen turkey thaw. "This," he said pointing to the
dripping turkey, a pumpkin pie, and waving a ten-dollar bill in the air, "is real charity and
this, he picked up a few food stamps, "isn’t." "Food stamps aren’t charity?" I asked as I
glanced at the turkey, pie, and money a neighbor had brought. "Nope," he answered, "they’re
welfare." "So," I prodded, "What’s the difference?" "The difference," he said, "is simple." He
had tilted his head so that his one good eye could see the Top tobacco he was rolling into a
cigarette. Charity and welfare," he said looking up at me for a moment and then down at his
tobacco, are not the same. Charity is love of humanity nothing less and nothing more. And
welfare is only the illusion of charity. Welfare is a cold impersonal industry disguised as non­
profit, but designed to maximize profits which are then absorbed by the salaries of non-
homeless people and the overhead they create; so that a love of profit replaces love of
people."
1 hat little scene took place a long time ago in a former massage parlor converted by me into
a homeless shelter. 1 he spiral journal I wrote in that night is now frayed and missing its
cover. But when I read John Mark s words, I realize the journal and all the other journals that
followed, are in fact talismans: representing my initiation into what John called layers of
illusion and deception. Now 14 years later I am no longer deceived. Life and death are
dependent upon charitable acts which demand personal sacrifice and are driven by love of
humanity. Welfare is tough love steeped in psycho-babble: "If 1 become my brother’s and
my sister s keeper and don t insist upon their helping themselves I create unhealthy
dependencies. 1 he basic philosophy of welfare today is steeped in Calvinism, AA and New
Age metaphysics. Calvinism says that says that people are poor and suffering because they
are sinners. I herefore, they re to blame for their own tragedy. AA says that people are poor
and suffering because they came from dysfunctional backgrounds. Therefore, they had little
or no parenting and expect others to take care of them. New Age metaphysics says we create
our own reality. I herefore it s up to us to change it. But all three of these philosophies
ignore our inter-dependent reality which demonstrates over and over again that when one part
is harmed, the whole part is harmed. 1 he poverty service industry in the US is no longer as
profitable as it once was because over time it became too difficult to convince taxpayers that
welfare worked. So, to solve the problem, departments of welfare have kicked people off and
are now criminalizing homelessness, keeping the poor alive in jails and prisons, rather than
have them die in the streets for all to see. And this one-criminal-size-fits-all shift is denying
poor Americans the ability to even have limited control over what happens to them; thus
rendering their share of the American Dream null and void. And in the meantime, suffering
is spreading into every neighborhood and every home in the nation as more and more
homeless people become alienated, are forced into a life of crime to survive, and turn to drugs
and alcohol for comfort. Landlords deny them housing because of past evictions.
Employers won t hire them because they have no phones, regular addresses, or have been
arrested for illegally sleeping on public property. Family members, unable or unwilling to
share, have abandoned them. 1 hey go without sleep because shelters are noisy and
dangerous and police move them from place to place. The numbers of homeless people
afflicted with Tuberculosis, HIV, and recently, Whooping Cough, are growing. And not one
city can build jails and prisons fast enough to hold them. The message is: "You are homeless
and poor because you did things wrong. I, however, have done things right. I have a home, a
job and money. Therefore, if you want to stay alive, you must let me fix you. I will hold
food, clothing and shelter in front of your face like a carrot in order to lead you into a better
life. You will, if you want to survive, enter into tax payer supported life-management skills
training programs, self-esteem classes, job readiness programs and by god, get clean and
sober. And if you cannot, or will not do this, I will let you die." There are, however, growing
numbers of people who hate this message. They have seen through welfare’s false charity
illusions and deception. They place their trust despite vast opinion to the contrary in basic
human decency. They believe that if food, clothing, housing and medical care were a
birthright and if notions of sin, blame and character were given less importance then life on
this planet could be good. Much like the new adage: "Christianity hasn’t failed, we just
haven’t yet tried it," true charity givers believe in what hasn’t yet happened, hoping life has a
purpose. These are the people and groups who have found through their charity illuminating
light coming from the world’s most unlikely source the cracked and the broken. They are
voluntary risk-takers, willing to sacrifice what they must to dispense true charity, not only for
poor and homeless people, but for themselves and for you. We believe it’s more important
what we do to each other, than what we do for each other. In other words we believe in real
charity.
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This FREE event will be at the Gales Creek Campground
Fun for the whole family!
W orkshops:
W i l d W a t e r s '. The Tualatin River W atershed Council will share the latest in watershed projects from
the forest to the valley floor The Tualatin River keeps many communties west of Portland hydrated.
W i l d i n t h e W o o d s : Discover this complex and wondrous state forest with D ave Perry, his vision
for biological recovery will bring the forest alive for you!
W i l d i n Y o u r O w n B a c k y a r d : Learn about making your own backyard a wildlife refuge with
NW F's, Beth Stout and landscape architect Gretchen Vadnais.
W i n g e d W i l d l i f e : W alk through the woods and discover native birds, their songs, and their habitats
with our local bird expert, Rick Brown.
bWA» t CfWItailMTS
S t r e a m s i d e E c o l o g y : Our native fish biologist will illuminate your riverside stroll with the latest in
bVM Unni
habitat projects, aquatic resources, and the issues facing the future of fish recovery.
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Sour t S ahouichu
M ist WH CU hmh H mm
W i l d O n e s F o r e s t E c o l o g y f o r K i d s a g e s 6 - 1 2 : gam es and hands-on activities will inspire
the naturalist in every child. Small groups will explore nature into the woods, crafts and stories tool
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A shullle hue service wH ba provided from local perk end ride lota A f 9 per person charge end prereglsteratlon wNt
guarantee a seat on the b u t Call ua at 239-9227 for park and ride local Iona and for scheduled times Parking at the
cam pground Is lim ited, so please carpool or use the bus. Oates C re ek C am pground Is located a t m itepoet 98 on H w y 8,
about 1 hour from Portland.
Nakonat W»dWe Federation wN provide snacks and drink s (kirtng WWJ in ike TMemoofc Reese bring kmrh, water, and appropriate gear
National WHdNte Federation la not responsible lor any injury or loss resulling from twee events
He preaches well who lives well. Cervantes
M ikes Bike Shop
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24 years downtown, on Spruce Street
436-1266
(Out o f state inquiries, 8OO-49Ü-1266)
6
UrríK LtFT EB6E. SCPTEMbtR W ?
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A R T IS T !
fiv Northwest
Sunday, September 12th / 9:00 AM -3:00 PM
Gallery
M E D IU M :
P R IC E :
2 3 9 N o r t h H e m lo c k
P .O . B o x 1 0 2 1
C an n o n Beach
5 O 3 /4 3 6 - O 7 4 1
O re g o n 9 7 1 1 0
J O Y C E L IN C O L N . D ir e c t o r
Pacific Northwest Contemporary Art & Craft
Celebrating 10th Year in Cannon Beach
A SHOE & ACCESSORY BOUTIQUE
503-436 0577
239 N HEMLOCK
CANNON BEACH, OREGON