City overkill at march

How can they keep people afraid if they don't keep acting like there's something to be afraid of?

But I'm curious about all the cameras; given the successful lawsuits against the city based on police footage you think they'd be stepping down the number of cameras. Let's see, cops have been busted by their footage for abusing people so let's add more cameras. So the taxpayers pay more for the gear, and then again in the lawsuits. Well it wouldn't be government if it actually spent money wisely in ways that improved the lives of citizens (like, say, police training).

a perversion of justice and kroker type tactics
to scare the masses into submission and obedience

There were at least three seperate camera teams recording the march.

While I believe that those who are truely breaking the law (none of this failure to obey or jaywalking crap) should be arrested, having a massive show of police force- in the form of a group of 30 or so officers dedicated to following around the black bloc, for example- is simply a provocation. The officers should wait out of sight around the corner for someone to break the law, not enticing and provoking people into crime. The worst violent outbreaks come from escalation- one protestor jaywalks, more protestors get involved, trying to free them, the police panic and use force, more protestors (including those previous committed to non-violence and cooperation) become angry, and voila, a bad situation. We need a better approach to policing protests. What would be best of all is for the police, city, state, and country to respect the constitution and let us assemble freely- no permits, no police escorts, and no more violence.

Police use of acquired photos is a public concern.

I would say a freedom of information request is needed to deterimine the fate of this data so it is not abused and used for political purposes. Will these data be sold or stored.


If you have freedom to assymble why document the participants.

One rational for the quantity of police deployed is that they form lines and use their bodies, bicycles, horse as baracades to direct protests in the direction they want them to move. For example, they may tactically decide that they can control things better if people are not near the bridges, or if they are moved out south of the core business area and to a park. They surround and leave only one route open -- the route they want you to proceed.

Its a clever tactic. But Oregon courts have ruled this illegal when it prohibits a person or a group who is/are not engaged in criminal conduct from proceeding on a sidewalk in the direction he or she wishes.

To get the police to stop, they need to be taken to court and loose a cases until their bosses clamp down on them because it is costing too much.

Mayor & council obviously care nothing at all about reforming police behavior. It's been YEARS of dysbehavior, & Tom & the boys distract themselves with trams, tax abatements, & so on. Constitution? What's THAT!

The number of police was shocking. How much money was wasted today making sure the march followed the route it would have followed even if there were no police.

And I find the police offensive in the way they line the street with big mean looking cops wearing long sticks and military type uniforms while all these people are singing and chanting and exercising their rights in a fine way.

The militarism and unfriendliness of the police is very scary.

I was at todays' rally as well & it was redicules the number of cops, bummble bee/bicycle cops, horse-back cops (even the goddamn horses had sheilds on! I didn't even see that on M18), paramilitary(green uniform) cops, SWAT, etc. Jeez, you'd think the whole city were under Marshal Law! And they were just iching for a(nother) brawl too. What a shameful, silly waste of time, money, & resources...what IS IT with this damn city?!

Yeah, the level of police presence was mindboggling. Seemed like hundreds of officers were there. Bike cops, motorbike cops, horse cops, lots of the black-clad cops who all look like they want to shoot you or beat your head in. I never feel scared being out in Portland, even late at night. The only time I feel afraid is around swarms of police. Sometimes they seem more like an occupying force rather than members of my community, always wanting to dominate and intimidate. More like an army than members of a community working with members of the community.

It is the picture of a police state where there is a constant military presence (the police) decked out in loads of weaponry with the purpose to intimidate the people into obedience.

Actually, the police cause far more disruption to traffic than the protesters do. And people, including protesters and motorists all deal with things fine for the most part. Motorists mostly just drive down another street, same way they do if there is an accident. The police do not help the situation.

"To get the police to stop, they need to be taken to court and loose a cases until their bosses clamp down on them because it is costing too much."

Making it costly for the powerful is what it's all about. The more we force them to mass, the more we win. Shut it down.

Every time there's a march the cops show up looking and acting like they expect a riot. Not only is an unnecessary expense for taxpayers, it's a blatant, intentional provocation.

Every single time.

Maybe for the next "permitted" march, the protesters should just line up behind the masses of police, and follow them on the route. There are almost as many of them as there are of us at these permitted herdings anyway, and they must know the "permitted" route...

I'm sick and tired of being "permitted" to exercize my rights, as long as I conform and obey.

So much for "civil disobedience"

Sheeple-herding ain't working for me, guys.

Escorted protests takes the passion out of it, like a mafioso with a stuffed bunny-rabbit.

How can I take Vito's death threat seriously, when he's waving that damned bunny at me?

Anybody else feeling like Rodney Dangerfield yet?