Police State

791 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2011-12-04 20:48

Khalsa

Police State

I realize I have come late to this, but after the forced shut-down of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, I was somewhat relieved to see that Norm Stamper - the former head of the Seattle Police Department - has spoken out against the heavy-handed tactics of some police forces in dealing with the Occupy Movement.

Stamper even admitted that during the infamous "Battle of Seattle" in 1999, the use of chemical agents was a mistake, and that his actions had interfered with the legitimate democratic rights of protesters.

Check out his book: Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing.

In a November 17, 2011 Democracy Now interview, the former police chief states: "There are many compassionate, decent, competent police officers who do a terrific job day in and day out. There are other who are "bad apples." What they both have in common is that they "occupy" as it were, a system, a structure that itself is rotten. And I am talking about the paramilitary bureaucracy."

See the whole interview with Amy Goodman and others here.

Issues Pages:

Political Action

Mon, 2011-12-05 16:35

milo204

i don't look at cops as being any worse than those who do any number of jobs that fuck the rest of us. The probem is the system and the people who decide what the "rules" are going to be and who they get enforced against.

At the same time, any job that gives people such violent authority over others is bound to attract people who will abuse it, or who just like the idea of having authority over others. people like us generally don't become police because to me the whole idea of being a police officer under this set of rules seems wrong.

Mon, 2011-12-05 20:41

Fidel

Cops are small taters. I think it's time we proles threw out the long-time corrupt stoogeaucracy in Ottawa. That should be worth a lot more points on the video game than merely cleaning out a few bad cops. Proles gotta think bigger.

Wed, 2011-12-07 00:30

Khalsa

Effecting a consciousness shift in Ottawa is going to require consciousness-raising and education on a grand scale designed to even make the stooges ashamed and embarrassed at their actions. That is why I laud Norm Stamper's book, the Democracy Now interview, and even this site, this discussion, as steps in the right direction. We just need more of them.

Wed, 2011-12-07 07:17

Slumberjack

The biometric data of everyone in Canada travelling outside the country will soon be available to every national security institution of the US. The plan constitutes an exit visa of sorts for the purpose of tracking everyone's movement, using material extracted from our own bodies.

Thu, 2011-12-08 18:43

Khalsa

Under ideal circumstances, this should not bother us in the least, but so long as paranoia and sheer meanness are the operative terms of our continental security apparatus, this can be worrisome indeed.

Thu, 2011-12-08 19:09

quizzical

Slumberjack wrote:
The biometric data of everyone in Canada travelling outside the country will soon be available to every national security institution of the US. The plan constitutes an exit visa of sorts for the purpose of tracking everyone's movement, using material extracted from our own bodies.

Slumberjack, very interesting moniker btw, what do you mean by this? By that I mean, details like how are they going to get our BMD, and where is any info on this?

Thu, 2011-12-08 20:14

epaulo13

Among the highlights of the new "Beyond the Border" plan:

- There will be enhanced tracking of travellers in both countries, and both nations will try to identify threatening people who seek to "enter the perimeter" of both countries so they can be stopped.

- An entry-exit system will be established in which both countries share information on when their citizens have crossed the border.

- Each country will obtain more information, including biometric data, from people in foreign nations seeking to come to the U.S. and Canada.

- Each country will share more information about criminals in their countries who might be seeking to cross the border.

- Police forces and security departments will work more closely to identify "radicalized" people who might become violent.

- Security officials, including armed police officers, will work as teams on either side of the border - with Canadian and American policemen venturing together into the territory of each nation.

- There will be joint screening of cargo coming from foreign countries to Canada and the U.S., so that it is screened just once for both nations.

- Some companies in either Canada or the U.S. that ship goods across the border will be given "trusted" status so that the shipment is pre-screened at the factory instead of the border.

- There will be more opportunities for Canadian travellers to obtain NEXUS cards to get faster clearance at border crossings, and governments will commit more funds to open up more lanes for quick clearance at air and land crossings.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Border+deal+seeks+security+tr...

Fri, 2011-12-09 02:14

Aristotleded24

epaulo13 wrote:

Among the highlights of the new "Beyond the Border" plan:

- Security officials, including armed police officers, will work as teams on either side of the border - with Canadian and American policemen venturing together into the territory of each nation.

No. American security officials will venture into Canadian territory, and Canadian security officials will stay in Canada. On paper our security forces can move across borders, but in practice the US will never accept foreign agents on their own soil.

Fri, 2011-12-09 10:11

#10

Slumberjack

quizzical wrote:
By that I mean, details like how are they going to get our BMD, and where is any info on this?

Travellers will voluntarily provide their biometric data of course, just as they submit to body scans, strip searches, and genital fondling at airports.

Fri, 2011-12-09 13:28

#11

Unionist

Oooooooo... Kinky... I should fly more often...

Fri, 2011-12-09 13:57

#12

Fidel

Aristotleded24 wrote:

epaulo13 wrote:

Among the highlights of the new "Beyond the Border" plan:

- Security officials, including armed police officers, will work as teams on either side of the border - with Canadian and American policemen venturing together into the territory of each nation.

No. American security officials will venture into Canadian territory, and Canadian security officials will stay in Canada. On paper our security forces can move across borders, but in practice the US will never accept foreign agents on their own soil.

And Steve will still be allowed to keep his tn visa for when making his way to Warshington to beg corporate America to rob us blind of raw materials and energy, accept marching orders for our military, and to take dictation personally with regard to Ottawa's colonial administrative tasks and duties in general.

Fri, 2011-12-09 14:02

#13

Boom Boom

Unionist wrote:

Oooooooo... Kinky... I should fly more often...

Fri, 2011-12-09 14:07

#14

Unionist

Meh, it's no big deal. The only reason for individuals to cross the border is to drive to Mexico - cheaper and faster to fly. The only reason for businesses to cross is to buy dear and sell cheap. We should import Israel's apartheid wall, thereby terminating two fowl with one boulder.

Fri, 2011-12-09 17:43

#15

Slumberjack

Unionist wrote:
Oooooooo... Kinky... I should fly more often...

Pay no mind to the motto of the border security services then...'god helps those who help themselves.'

Fri, 2011-12-09 18:17

#16

CDN_FORCES

If you go through US Customs pre-clearance at a Canadian airport remember that you're still in Canada; they can't detain you or search you. They might call the RCMP but you won't end up in a US prison cell. If you pass that point then keep in mind that the security clearance will be done by Canadians, not DHS/TSA goons. The TSA BS won't happen.

The problems will start when you try to return; you'll be completely under DHS/TSA control, and any thoughts you might harbour about "due process" will be quickly erased.

Good luck!

(Remember, staying in Canada is your safest vacation choice.)

Fri, 2011-12-09 20:11

#17

Fidel

And the stoogeaucracy will be tasked with informing Uncle Sam of whenever you leave Canada to visit countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Cuba, etc. The Harpers don't mind dealing away Canadians' right to privacy and sovereignt in general. But, hey, it's not like we had a real country anyway.

Aye-aye, Uncle Sam, whatever you say goes on the double-double! The Yanks must be laughing their heads off. Again!

Fri, 2011-12-23 12:06

#18

Slumberjack

This certainly has to be seen as an unintended consequence of the rise of the surveillance state. It's doubtful this era of heightened watch over the population was ever meant to reveal the everyday brutality of the police and their accompanying lies and cover-ups.

Fri, 2011-12-23 15:00

#19

Maysie

Great article, Slumberjack. Of course not everyone has the advantage of being an endocrinologist and having a video recording of the police assault. I hope he sues their asses off.

And in less cheery news, aka, the "Duh, Of Course" department:

Minorities more likely to be frisked by police: New York City. OMG stop the presses.

UK Terrorism Act: Over 100,000 stops and searches result in no arrests for "terrorism". Lovely. But we knew that already.

The UN's rather useless tome on the topic (pdf). It's good for a laugh. Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF): Working Group on Protecting Human Rights while Countering Terrorism

Quote:
Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person.3 States shall respect and ensure the full enjoyment of this right by all persons within their jurisdiction. Any limitation must be provided by law, be non-discriminatory, necessary and proportional.

Ha ha ha! Those UN task force peeps are hilarious!

Fri, 2011-12-23 15:23

#20

Boom Boom

I didn't keep the link, but this morning I read a post on Facebook that said the Occupy protestors are suing the cities that evicted them (in the USA) claiming their rights to free speech (and other rights) had been violated.

Mon, 2011-12-26 17:41

#21

Fidel

US Military Dictatorship to Designate Americans as Enemies During Collapse Ron Paul

Sun, 2012-01-01 17:18

#22

NDPP

Saboteur

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/12/saboteur/#more-40690

"An interview with a domestic insurgent.."

Fri, 2012-01-06 20:42

#23

Aristotleded24

milo204 wrote:
people like us generally don't become police because to me the whole idea of being a police officer under this set of rules seems wrong.

Not necessarily. Many officers honestly believe they are doing us a favour by stopping the "bad guys," and I once watched a police dog demonstration where the officer putting on the demonstration said that using the police dog to find one missing senior citizen feels better for him than finding several bad guys.

Sat, 2012-01-07 02:09

#24

NDPP

but 'Befehl ist Befehl'...

Remember G20 Toronto

Mon, 2012-01-16 07:33

#25

Slumberjack

Remember Mandy Hiscocks, and remember the enemy's [Toronto Sun] write up of her jailing.

Mon, 2012-01-16 11:17

#26

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

From Hiscocks's excellent statement in court:

Quote:

The crown wants this sentence to be a deterrent. It won't be. Please take a second to have a good look around the room. When I get taken out of here do you think you'll have increased anyone's faith in the system?

I am certainly not deterred, I'm just angry.

No matter what my sentence is today, it won't be about justice. Your system is not about justice. If it was, don't you think we would have come to you when the G20 decided to set foot here to pursue their obviously unjust austerity agenda? Don't you think we would have asked for your help when the police started to put up their fences and cages, and randomly arrest whoever they felt like so they could systematically abuse them in the detention centre?

If this system was about righting wrongs, don't you think we would come to you to hold the rich to account for their abuses against the poor, immigration officials to account for their abuses against people without status, and settlers to account for our abuses against Indigenous people?

We didn't and don't come to you. We won't ever come to you.

A court of real justice would defend people against aggressors. In this society, the privileged are the aggressors, but time after time you choose to protect their privilege and their property against people who are struggling to survive. You're doing it wrong. Let's not debate. The obvious answer to the violence and the chaos is the cops brought that. I'm going to try and finish.

This legal system that we have here is not equal, it's not fair and its not just. And a lot of people out there believe that it is. What I would like to impart to you is that I don't buy it and the statistics don't support it.

You speak of dignity, that everyone should be treated with dignity. I agree with you. But you can't treat someone with dignity, or expect to be treated with dignity in return, while one person is up high and the other person is down low, while your boot is on their neck.

This is why we, myself and the people in the other room, don't have decorum in this system.

Throughout this farcical legal process that's coming to an end today the accused have been told that our actions were an attack on the rule of law, which is at the heart of our society. Well, good. Our society is racist and colonial, its rooted in wealth and power, and so is the rule of law that upholds it.

And I'm going to leave this court room today, to quote Chilean anarchist Diego Rios:

"I am carrying all my hatred and contempt for power, its laws, its authority, its society, and I have no room for guilt or fear of punishment."

Wed, 2012-01-18 23:45

#27

NDPP

Andrew Gavin Marshall on the High-Tech Police State (and audio)

http://www.corbettreport.com/interview-451-andrew-gavin-marshall-on-the-...

"Discusses the police state, the technologies that undergird it, and how the police state spreads across borders to become an international phenomenon. We talk about methods and techniques of control, and how they serve the interests of the social engineers.."

Fri, 2012-01-20 08:54

#28

Caissa

Ontario's top police complaints watchdog has concluded five officers involved in the now infamous arrest of G20 protester Adam Nobody should be charged with misconduct for using unnecessary force and for discreditable conduct, CBC News has learned.

CBC News has obtained a report produced by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) on Nobody's violent takedown on the lawn of Queen's Park in Toronto on June 26, 2010.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/01/19/toronto-g20-adam-...

Fri, 2012-01-20 11:13

#29

Tommy_Paine

Came across this, this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME_uUd2I4uo&feature=share

http://charlesotherpersonality.blogspot.com/

http://oldmaison.blogspot.com/

First I've heard of Charles Leblanc. Not sure what the 'defamation' was, but it seems from looking he's just a pain in the butt-- the kind that should be welcomed, and at worst, tollerated in a democracy. Maybe some east coast babblers know more about him.

Anyway, it puts me in mind of something that's been a theme with me for a couple of years. When we talk about the 'police state' we most often focus our ire and attention and our protests against the front line cops. And that's not wrong when they are wrong.

But as long as our focus stops there, nothing will be done. We really need to go after Crown Attourney's who selectively prosecute. We need to tackle "plea bargains" which are nothing more than a device to keep poor people going to jail, and rich people out of jail.

And we need to start focusing on J.P.'s and Judges who rubber stamp police requests for search warrants.

These people are fascilitators, and they are the ones who give the crooked cops the cue on when, and against who, they are allowed to be crooked.

Fri, 2012-01-20 11:34

#30

Slumberjack

It's the whole rotting corpse that we refer to as the state; that people keep trying to resuscitate using a variety of methods including mouth to mouth electioneering, which begs for our indifference and a proper burial.

Fri, 2012-01-20 12:38

#31

Caissa

Charles is well-known in NB as a burr in the side of authority. As you can tell from the comments section on this CBC news story, opinions about him are divided.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/01/20/nb-blogger-...

Fri, 2012-01-20 14:07

#32

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Caissa wrote:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/01/19/toronto-g20-adam-...

Quote:
Adams, an officer accused of using unnecessary force on Nobody, was involved in a police takedown May 5, 2010 – just seven weeks earlier – in which 18-year-old Junior Manon was fleeing police on foot when he was [b]tackled and died from what a pathologist determined was "positional asphyxia."[/b]

[b]The SIU cleared Adams of any wrongdoing in Manon's death[/b], which is currently the subject of a coroners' inquest in Toronto.

Nobody questions why Adams was on the frontlines of the G20 arrest squads when he was still the subject of two mandatory investigations — one by the SIU and a second done internally by Toronto police.

[b]"He shouldn't have been out there if he's still under investigation," Nobody said. "For something as serious as a death? Like, how many cops were in Toronto that day, thousands? You needed one more who's being investigated? I think it's careless of his supervising officers, and all the way up the ladder."[/b]

Fri, 2012-01-20 16:50

#33

Polunatic2

How about these nifty new gadgets? Coming soon to a city near you (although you may never know it).
Full-Body Scan Technology Deployed In Street-Roving Vans

Mon, 2012-04-02 04:00

#34

NDPP

Deep Police State Surveillance and the Death of Democracy - by Tom Burghardt

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=30079

"...When President Obama signed the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) into law on December 31, he did more than simply facilitate on multi-billion dollar boondoggles for the current fiscal year, he set the stage for what journalist Christopher Ketchum called 'The Last Roundup,' and what James Bamford's source described as our approaching 'turnkey totalitarian state'..."

Tue, 2012-04-03 18:31

#35

NDPP

Brits To Pay $3 B To Be Spied Upon: Web, Email, Text

http://rt.com/news/uk-government-spy-law-082/

"UK taypayers will have to pay billions of dollars to have their web-surfing, email exchange, text-messaging and even Skype calls, monitored. In addition to the hefty price-tag, innocent Brits risk being misidentified as terrorists. However, the above figures are based on 2009 estimates, which mean the actual price, if it were estimated now, would be higher still.

British security agencies are pushing for a law, which would allow police to gain access to who you are calling, what sites you surf and how you play video games..."

our fences are moved ever closer

Wed, 2012-04-04 13:32

#36

Ripple

[url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/canada-s-jewish-community-establishe...'s Jewish community establishes citizen security service to thwart anti-Semitic threats[/color][/url]

Quote:
According to Horowitz, the Jewish community is the only group in Canada to establish a security network independent to that of the state. "We understand that we are entering a period in which we don't know what to expect, and understand that there is a potential threat upon us," said Horowitz. "Of course there is also a concern among people that we do not have a culture of security awareness and must educate the community slowly, but we decided to take responsibility for the Jewish community of the state."

This doesn't fit neatly here, but I find it troubling.

Wed, 2012-04-04 13:43

#37

Hoodeet

What? Like hiring JDL thugs? Or tithing synagogue members to hire X-E/Blackwater guards? Or pushing to enact "Stand your ground" laws like in the US?

Wed, 2012-04-04 14:32

#38

NDPP

and the program is run by a serving IDF Border Police officer. I wonder what the reaction would be if Toronto's Muslim community set up their own 'security and counterintelligence service' to 'prevent Islamaphobic attacks' and employed someone from Hizbollah or Hamas to run it? I sure hope people appreciate the implications of this, but like the JDL-EDL international hate alliance, these Zionist networks and initiatives seem to get a free pass here and absolutely everything is permitted because our government loves them, our opposition are "ardent supporters in all situations and circumstances" and they're Indigenous land thieves just like we are.

more info here:

http://rabble.ca/comment/1329707

I have no doubt this operation is also designed to investigate, profile and generate intelligence on the Palestinian solidarity movement here and Anti-Zionist activists, the information to be communicated to the relevent Israeli authorities. Likely you'll find a big fat grant from the Government of Canada to run this too. Like George Galloway said: Canada has become little more than an embassy for Benjamin Netanyahu..

Wed, 2012-04-04 15:32

#39

Slumberjack

NDPP wrote:
I wonder what the reaction would be if Toronto's Muslim community set up their own 'security and counterintelligence service' to 'prevent Islamaphobic attacks' and employed someone from Hizbollah or Hamas to run it?

Someone from CSIS would likely attend the meetings to offer up free designer vests and maps of public landmarks.

People only give these people the power to infiltrate with impunity at the voting booth when they usher in the political lackeys. We have a three headed Cerberus for a political system, chained down and trained to obey a gang of opportunistic parasites.

Sat, 2012-04-07 05:31

#40

NDPP

Sexual Humiliation, A Tool to Control the Masses - by Naomi Wolf

http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/10831-sexual-humiliat...

"Believe me: you don't want the state having the power to strip your clothes off. History shows the use of forced nudity in a state that is descending into fascism is powerfully effective in controlling and subduing populations.."

Thu, 2012-04-12 15:01

#41

NDPP

'US Plan Another 9/11 Style Attack?' (and vid)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/235910.html

"A political analyst says that US government agencies are planning another 9/11 style attack, as the administration continues losing control of most of its citizens, Press TV has conducted an interview with Gordon Duff of Veterans Today to further discuss the issue."

750 million rounds of 40 cal. hollow-point ammo ordered by DHS. Must be planning to do one hell of a lot of shooting..

Thu, 2012-04-12 19:47

#42

Hoodeet

NDPP wrote:

'US Plan Another 9/11 Style Attack?' (and vid)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/235910.html

"A political analyst says that US government agencies are planning another 9/11 style attack, as the administration continues losing control of most of its citizens, Press TV has conducted an interview with Gordon Duff of Veterans Today to further discuss the issue."

750 million rounds of 40 cal. hollow-point ammo ordered by DHS. Must be planning to do one hell of a lot of shooting..

Hoodeet (JW)

Hmm.... that's about 2.5 rounds per U.S. citizen. And what would it be costing said citizens from taxes, I wonder?

Fri, 2012-04-13 03:13

#43

NDPP

'I Was The Fall Guy': Julian Assange In His Own Words'

http://www.zcommunications.org/i-was-the-fall-guy-julian-assange-in-his-...

"..there's no longer a need to select who you intercept - you intercept everyone and you personally record the whole thing, and then if sometime in the future you become interested in someone, you have the whole archive of all their communications and you understand who they are and who their friends are. You don't even need intelligence agents to do this - there are algorithms that fan out and look at the network of people and how they're connected together. It's a kind of coming totalitarian surveillance-state.."

Fri, 2012-04-13 08:44

#44

Slumberjack

It's already here, but it is continuously expanding. The CSEC is moving into modern new digs at some point, to be constructed near the CSIS building, with perhaps a pedestrian tunnel between the two facilities. The Sir Leonard Tilley Building in Ottawa apparently doesn't cut it anymore. We only have to list a few of these unique monitoring institutions to suspect they'll be needing their own province before too long.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC)
Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch (DND)
Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC)
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)
Royal Canadian Mounted Police - National Security Criminal Investigations (RCMP)
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
Chief of Defence Intelligence (Canada) (CDI)
Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG)
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (COMFOSCAN)

Sat, 2012-04-14 21:57

#45

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

[url=http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/04/09-14]Thirteen Ways Government Tracks Us[/url], by Bill Quigley

Sat, 2012-04-14 22:56

#46

Fidel

I think the STASI and KGB were prolly easier to get rid of than NSA and CIA spooks in our cell phones, emails, and social forums.

Sat, 2012-04-14 23:38

#47

epaulo13

..in the late 80's the letter carriers still had there own union and this was their last strike as such. it was also a very dynamic strike.

..heard from union sources that a request was made to a friendly comrade at bc tel/telus to check if the union offices were being bugged. the answer that came back was that yes the lcuc was bugged but that cupw's office check had set off an alarm. this meant that the bug was permanent and had security features. the lcuc bug was temporary, strike duration.

..immediately following the lcuc strike, cupw went out. talking to a national officer they had created a test of planning a demo at a minister's residence. some people showed up only to find the police waiting for them.

..there was an rcmp inquirery where their was testimony by top rcmp brass that this went on a lot.

Sun, 2012-04-22 02:36

#48

NDPP

European Parliament Agrees to Send Airline Passenger Data to US

http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/public-sector/3352378/european-parli...

"EU politicians allege their colleagues 'held to ransom' by the US authorities over controversial PNR deal.."

Canada has also agreed. With little controversy. Most probably don't even know about it.

Thu, 2012-04-26 00:35

#49

NDPP

Weaponized Data: A New Front in Global Capital's Control Grid

http://antifascist-calling.blogspot.ca/2012/04/weaponized-data-new-front...

"From driftnet surveillance to data mining and link analysis, the secret state has weaponized our data, 'criminal evidence, ready for use in a trial,' Commenting, Salon's Glenn Greenwald pointed out that the 'domestic NSA-led surveillance state which Frank Church so stridently warned about has obviously come to fruition.

The way to avoid its grip is simply to acquiesce to the nation's most powerful factions, to obediently remain within the permitted boundaries of political discourse and activism. Accepting that bargain,' Greenwald noted, 'enables one to maintain the delusion of freedom - 'he who does not move does not notice his chains,' observed Rosa Luxemburg..."

and for now anyway, that surely appears to be the Canadian way.

Thu, 2012-04-26 20:19

#50

NDPP

Good stuff Boom Boom. Pretty straight up for a C of E bible-thumper..

Thu, 2012-04-26 20:24

#51

Boom Boom

Also from Quebec: Manifesto for a Maple Spring