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My 47 hours in hell ("Boo-freaking-Hoo!!!" alert)
NY Daily News ^ | September 10, 2004 | WENDY STEFANELLI

Posted on 09/10/2004 10:54:56 AM PDT by presidio9

Mayor Bloomberg says the city "acted appropriately" while arresting and holding thousands of people during the Republican convention. I beg to differ. I wasn't even a demonstrator - I was going for a drink with a friend when I was arrested - and my experience tells a different story. It was Tuesday, Aug. 31, about 8:30 p.m. when my friend and I saw a lot of cops running on 26th St., then up Park Ave. South.

I saw a man being handcuffed who said he had done nothing. The cop was using a lot of force, and I asked him not to hurt the man. As I tried to call a friend to take photos of this injustice, a cop ordered my arrest. I was cuffed and thrown on the sidewalk with several other people. After about 20 minutes, I heard an officer say they needed five women. There were many men next to me, but only four other females. I made five. Quota for that streetcorner, I suppose.

We were loaded onto a bus and driven to Pier 57. There was a long line of buses ahead of us, and as we waited one man became very sick. He had Crohn's disease, and his colostomy bag had burst. He was throwing up all over the back of the bus. We all begged the cops to get him medical attention. They ignored us. We asked that he be let off the bus first. Again, they ignored us.

A group of us were locked in one of the many barbed-wire-enclosed cells. Women had to sit or lie on the filthy black pavement, only to be covered in soot. Some broke out in rashes. There were no mats or blankets, and fans were blowing directly on us. We asked that they to be turned off because we were freezing. The police refused.

Around noon on Wednesday, I was put aboard a bus for the Centre St. jail. A young woman was screaming that her wrists hurt and yelling at an officer to stop touching her. She was trying to loosen her cuffs because of her hypoglycemic condition. Instead, her cuffs were tightened, and she was locked in the bus' solitary confinement section. We all pleaded with the officer to loosen her cuffs because her wrists were turning blue. We were ignored.

The Centre St. holding area was another experience. At one point, we counted to see how many of us were in the 20-by-25-foot cell: 105 of us! We could barely move. Good luck trying to cross the room to use the toilet - which, by the way, had no door so you had to urinate in front of 105 strangers. I asked for some Tylenol for a migraine headache. I was told they did not give meds.

I didn't stay in that cell, though. We were moved constantly and randomly. There was much confusion on the part of the officers, who did not seem to know what was going on themselves. There seemed no rhyme or reason for what was called "being processed."

Early Thursday morning - about my 36th hour - our fingerprints were taken, but only after an officer sprayed our hands with Windex and then scrubbed them to take off the pier dirt.

Back to the cell. Although we told the police that several women, including myself, suffered from asthma, they sprayed the poorly ventilated cell with Lysol. I made yet another plea for painkillers. It fell on deaf ears.

A few hours later, we had mug shots taken. Afterward, an officer asked how I was. I said I had a severe migraine and back pain and needed painkillers. He handed me two Tylenols. Outrageous, after being told there were none in the building.

About 5 p.m., I was put in a cell next to the court. I asked for a lawyer but was advised to take the ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal) that was being offered. I was down for parading without a permit and two counts of disorderly conduct - little 5-feet-3 me, who had just tried to do the right thing and help a guy out.

If I chose to plead not guilty, I was told, there was no knowing when I would get out of jail. The judge clearly wanted everyone out and not clogging the system with "not guilty" pleas.

At 7:30 p.m., 47 hours after my arrest, a judge told me that as long as I am "good" for the next six months my case will be sealed and dismissed. I guess that means don't walk down the streets of New York. And do not try to help strangers.

Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but what happened to me, and what I saw happening to others, was not "appropriate." And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: anarchistsocialists; boofreakinghoo; brownshirts; brownshirtsforkerry; callawaaambulance; cheeseandwhine; colostomybag; dairyproducts; dusruptors; firstamendment; hassledacop; idiotorial; kerryvoter; lyingliar; nyc; prisonabuse; protesters; reddiaperdoperbabies; rncatrocities; rncdisruptors; waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa; wwwwwaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
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To: HostileTerritory
I swear some of the "patriots" on this thread would have cheered on the redcoats when they opened fire on protesters at the Boston Massacre.

I have no doubt most of the posters on this site would have been Tories.

They don't like the Constitution now, I can only imagine what they'd have thought of it when it was first proposed.

61 posted on 09/10/2004 12:32:13 PM PDT by freeeee ("Owning" property in the US just means you have one less landlord.)
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To: presidio9
The timing of this story is very suspicious.
62 posted on 09/10/2004 12:32:54 PM PDT by petercooper (All I wanted to know about Islam, I learned on 9-11-01.)
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To: presidio9
How can someone who equates the treatment received by these protesters for a few hours with torture try to defend a regime like that in Iraq and all the horrible things their prisoners had to endure before being allowed to die.
63 posted on 09/10/2004 12:34:26 PM PDT by jwpjr
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To: freeeee

Interesting article. Means little. I was there. Of course these people are going to all complain that they were wrongfully arrested. It is the easiest defense, and it is not worth the City's time or money to investigate and prosecute each case. Nobody was pounced upon while innocently exiting a subway. The police ordered the demonstrators to disperse. Some onlookers who were not part of the original protest became part of the mob. When the police got tired of telling the mob to disperse, the arrests began. At any point up until the last moment, everyone simply had the option of simply walking away. The point that you are missing is that these people were not arrested for what they were saying, or even for protesting in general, but for causing a disturbance. By joining into that disturbance, they so-called innocents were just as guilty, whether they were holding a sign or not. Maybe you have to live in NYC to understand how easily this can happen.


64 posted on 09/10/2004 12:38:02 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: presidio9
Of course these people are going to all complain that they were wrongfully arrested.

You really don't think it happened at all?

And I have no problem believing police arrested people for photographing them. I've seen them do it with my own eyes. They really don't like to be photographed.

65 posted on 09/10/2004 12:41:54 PM PDT by freeeee ("Owning" property in the US just means you have one less landlord.)
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To: presidio9

And I thought Torquemada was tough. This "humanitarian" was simply wandering about with a camera and just happened to bump into an "innocent" being arrested. The poor soul wasn't "doing anything" and those mean old pleecmun just roughed him up. (I used to teach in a prison and,coincidentally, the school motto there was also "I wasn't doin' nuthin'".) This poor mistreated protestor had fans blowing on her, and the ladies' toilet was not AAA approved. People got dirty! They had to wait for processing! Oh the humanity! This episode is very, very distressing to me. I just thank God that nobody had to wear underwear on their heads...


66 posted on 09/10/2004 12:42:05 PM PDT by CharlesThe Hammer (No! Not the fan again! Mercy...No more cool breezes! I can't take the wafting!)
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To: HostileTerritory
I was born in NYC and lived there for most of my life. I recently moved out. The NYPD is the finest, fairest police force on the planet. They are constantly slandered by the liberal media. That is exactly what is happening here.

There is a difference between police brutality and being housed in less than ideal conditions. Anybody who wanted to avoid such conditions had the opportunity of walking away at any time.

67 posted on 09/10/2004 12:42:05 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: presidio9

Honestly, you can't say you were "there" when "there" included dozens of places all around the city (some far from MSG) over the course of several days.


68 posted on 09/10/2004 12:42:24 PM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: presidio9
My 47 hours in hell

And thanks to Post 47 (by Buckhead), it was all for nothing! Bwahahahahahaha!!!!

69 posted on 09/10/2004 12:44:02 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: freeeee
And I have no problem believing police arrested people for photographing them. I've seen them do it with my own eyes. They really don't like to be photographed.

Again, the arrest was not for "photographing." The arrest was for failing to dispand when ordered to do so by the people we pay to enforce our laws. I don't deny that the woman undoubtedly drew attention to herself by taking the pictures. I call that stupidity.

70 posted on 09/10/2004 12:44:36 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: presidio9
" I was going for a drink with a friend when I was arrested "

Moma always said stay away from alcohol..."de devil libs in dat bot'l".

71 posted on 09/10/2004 12:45:56 PM PDT by intolerancewillNOTbetolerated (Misunderestimated Again Bush/Cheney '04)
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To: HostileTerritory
Honestly, you can't say you were "there" when "there" included dozens of places all around the city (some far from MSG) over the course of several days.

Trust me, this is nothing new in NYC. There were no Sam Adamses in these crowds.

72 posted on 09/10/2004 12:46:07 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: presidio9
I don't deny that the woman undoubtedly drew attention to herself by taking the pictures. I call that stupidity.

I call it accountability.

73 posted on 09/10/2004 12:47:34 PM PDT by freeeee ("Owning" property in the US just means you have one less landlord.)
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To: freeeee
I call it accountability.

So why has this savagely beaten wrongfully arrested prisoner not step forward? Sounds like a pretty good story to me. Answer: She is making the whole thing up.

74 posted on 09/10/2004 12:50:08 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: freeeee
Bill Clinton of all people quoted on FR

I thought it was only appropriate for the leftest loser that was the subject of the article

75 posted on 09/10/2004 12:51:10 PM PDT by paul51
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To: presidio9
There is a difference between police brutality and being housed in less than ideal conditions.

"Less than ideal" doesn't describe them. The NYPD had a year to prepare for this, and signs point to deliberate neglect. The conditions were filthy and unsanitary; people got skin rashes from fuel sludge on the floor. Detainees, many under 18, were kept for illegally long periods up to two days or more. The NYPD ignored their own laws about how long they could hold people without processing them. If the NYPD were trying to do something other than to "teach the punks a lesson", they could have done things much differently. We're talking basic competence and basic respect that form the basis for our civil liberties.

Anybody who wanted to avoid such conditions had the opportunity of walking away at any time.

This has been disputed by multiple accounts of how it happened. You're pretty much accusing every innocent bystander who was arrested of lying. I don't think you have the grounds for doing so. It is obvious to me that the police weren't interested in anything so much as getting as many protesters off the street for as long as possible, and they weren't going to discriminate based on someone's excuses.

Since poor conditions in the facilities became news almost immediately, I can't accept that thousand+ people willingly accepted arrest just to make a point. If they could have walked away and staged a protest five blocks away later in the day, why wouldn't they have?

Again, the conclusion here is that your opinion is at odds with what's been widely reported and discussed.

I think the NYPD had an impossible job that week. They needed to protect the President and the delegates from a large number of protesters who could have gotten out of hand. I disagree with some of the tactics they used and I think their tactics speak of a basic lack of respect for civil liberties. We live in a democracy, we can talk about its abuses.
76 posted on 09/10/2004 12:52:31 PM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: presidio9
How often does the NYPD arrest 1700 protesters in dozens of different sites over a whole week?

I know NY is 10 times the size of Boston, but the 'RATfest was a huge deal here. Completely unlike anything else we'd dealt with for security. I can't imagine what would have matched the RNC in NY.

It was a different event at a whole new level of importance.
77 posted on 09/10/2004 12:54:57 PM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: HostileTerritory

I was also in Boston during your convention. There is no comparison between the two. Hundreds of thousands of nutjobs and gullible followers did their best to shut down the city here. The NYPD did a magnificent job containing them.


78 posted on 09/10/2004 1:00:51 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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To: <1/1,000,000th%

It's the timing, that I question

BUSH/CHENEY IN 2004


79 posted on 09/10/2004 1:03:05 PM PDT by rock58seg (I had a deaf/mute uncle with one glass eye)
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To: HostileTerritory
We live in a democracy, we can talk about its abuses.

Have you ever been arrested? Jails are intentionally unpleasant places. They are designed to act as a deterrent to unlawful behavior. Hopefully these did their job and some of these idiots will think twice next time they are ordered to disperse by a law enforcement official. But somehow I doubt it.

80 posted on 09/10/2004 1:04:17 PM PDT by presidio9 (Homophobic & Proud!!!)
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