JUNE 2007
Doremus Jessup,
editor of the Fort Beulah The Daily
Informer, in Sinclair Lewis' famous
book "It Can't Happen Here", at its conclusion,
"drove out saluted by the meadow larks, and onward
all day, to a hidden cabin in the Northern Woods where
quiet men awaited news of freedom.....still Doremus goes
on, into the sunrise, for a Doremus Jessup can never die.
HOW TO HANDLE THE POLICE
When dealing with the police, keep your hands in view and don't make sudden movements. Avoid passing behind them. Nervous cops are dangerous cops. Also, never touch the police or their equipment (vehicles, flashlights, animals, etc.) - you can get beat up and charged with assault. The police do not decide your charges; they can only make recommendations. The prosecutor is the only person who can actually charge you. Remember this the next time the cops start rattling off all the charges they're supposedly "going to give you."
Interrogation isn't always bright lights and rubber hoses - usually it's just a conversation. Whenever the cops ask you anything besides your name and address, it's legally safest to (respectfully) say these Magic Words: "I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer." This invokes the rights which protect you from interrogation. When you say this, the cops (and all other law enforcement officials) are legally required to stop asking you questions. They probably won't stop, so just repeat the Magic Words or remain silent until they catch on. Remember, anything you say to the authorities can and will be used against you and your friends in court. There's no way to predict what information the police might try to use or how they'd use it. Plus, the police often misquote or lie altogether about what was said. So say only the Magic Words and let all the cops and witnesses know that this is your policy. Make sure that when you're arrested with other people, the rest of the group knows the Magic Words and promises to use them. One of the jobs of cops is to get information out of people, and they usually don't have any scruples about how they do it. Cops are legally allowed to lie when they're investigating, and they are trained to be manipulative. The only thing you should say to cops, other than identifying yourself, is the Magic Words: "I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer." Here are some lies they will tell you:
"You're not a suspect - just help us understand what happened here and then you can go." "If you don't answer my questions, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. Do you want to go to jail?" "If you don't answer my questions, I'm going to charge you with resisting arrest." "All of your friends have cooperated and we let them go home. You're the only one left." Cops are sneaky buggers and there are lots of ways they can trick you into talking. Here are some scams they'll pull: Good Cop/ Bad Cop: Bad cop is aggressive and menacing, while good cop is nice, friendly, and familiar (usually good cop is the same race and gender as you). The idea is bad cop scares you so bad you are desperately looking for a friend. Good cop is that friend. The cops will tell you that your friends ratted on you so that you will snitch on them. Meanwhile, they tell your friends the same thing. If anyone breaks and talks, you all go down. The cops will tell you that they have all the evidence they need to convict you and that if you "take responsibility" and confess the judge will be impressed by your honesty and go easy on you. What they really mean is: "we don't have enough evidence yet, please confess." Jail is a very isolating and intimidating place. It is really easy to believe what the cops tell you. Insist upon speaking with a lawyer before you answer any questions or sign anything. The Golden Rule: Never trust a cop.
The police do not have to read you your rights (also known as the Miranda warnings). Miranda applies when there is (a) an interrogation (b) by a police officer of other agent of law enforcement (c) while the suspect is in police custody (you do not have to be formally arrested to be "in custody"). Even when all these conditions are met, the police intentionally violate Miranda. And though your rights have been violated, what you say can be used against you. For this reason, it is better not to wait for the cops â¤" you know what your rights are, so you can invoke them by saying the Magic Words, "I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer." If you've been arrested and realize that you have started answering questions, don't panic. Just re-invoke your rights by saying the Magic Words again. Don't let them trick you into thinking that because you answered some of their questions, you have to answer all of them.
There are three basic types of encounters with the police: Conversation, Detention, and Arrest. When the cops are trying to get information, but don't have enough evidence to detain or arrest you, they'll try to weasel some information out of you. They may call this a "casual encounter" or a "friendly conversation". If you talk to them, you may give them the information they need to arrest you or your friends. In most situations, it's better and safer not to talk to cops. Police can detain you only if they have reasonable suspicion (see below) that you are involved in a crime. Detention means that, though you aren't arrested, you can't leave. Detention is supposed to last a short time and they aren't supposed to move you. During detention, the police can pat you down and go into your bag to make sure you don't have any weapons. They aren't supposed to go into your pockets unless they feel a weapon. If the police are asking questions, ask if you are being detained. If not, leave and say nothing else to them. If you are being detained, you may want to ask why. Then you should say the Magic Words: "I am going to remain silent. I want a lawyer" and nothing else. A detention can easily turn into arrest. If the police are detaining you and they get information that you are involved in a crime, they will arrest you, even if it has nothing to do with your detention. For example, if someone gets pulled over for speeding (detained) and the cop sees drugs in the car, the cops will arrest her for possession of the drugs even though it has nothing to do with her getting pulled over. Cops have two reasons to detain you: 1) they are writing you a citation (a traffic ticket, for example), or 2) they want to arrest you but they don't have enough information yet to do so.
Police can arrest you only if they have probable cause (see below) that you are involved in a crime. When you are arrested, the cops can search you to the skin and go through you car and any belongings. By law, an officer strip searching you must be the same gender as you. If the police come to your door with an arrest warrant, go outside and lock the door behind you. Cops are allowed to search any room you go into, so don't go back into the house for any reason. If they have an arrest warrant, hiding won't help because they are allowed to force their way in if they know you are there. It's usually better to just go with them without giving them an opportunity to search. Reasonable suspicion must be based on more than a hunch - cops must be able to put their suspicion into words. For example, cops can't just stop someone and say, "She looked like she was up to something." They need to be more specific, like, "She was standing under the overpass staring up at some graffiti that hadn't been there 2 hours ago. She had the same graffiti pattern written on her backpack. I suspected that she had put up the graffiti." Cops need more proof to say they have a probable cause than to say they have a reasonable suspicion. For example, "A store owner called to report someone matching her description tagging a wall across the street. As I drove up to the store, I saw her running away spattered with paint and carrying a spray can in her hand."
Never consent to a search! If the police try to search your house, car, backpack, pockets, etc. say the Magic Words 2: "I do not consent to this search." This may not stop them from forcing their way in and searching anyway, but if they search you illegally, they probably won't be able to use the evidence against you in court. You have nothing to lose from refusing to consent to a search and lots to gain. Do not physically resist cops when they are trying to search because you could get hurt and charged with resisting arrest or assault. Just keep repeating the Magic Words 2 so that the cops and all witnesses know that this is your policy. Be careful about casual consent. That is, if you are stopped by the cops and you get out of the car but don't close the door, they can search the car and claim that they though you were indicating consent by leaving the door ajar. Also, if you say, "I'd rather you didn't search," they can claim that you were reluctantly giving them permission to search. Always just say the Magic Words 2: "I do not consent to this search." If the cops have a search warrant, nothing changes - it's legally safest to just say the Magic Words 2. Again, you have nothing to lose from refusing to consent to a search, and lots to gain if the search warrant is incorrect or invalid in some way. If they do have a search warrant, ask to read it. A valid warrant must have a recent date (usually not more than a couple of weeks), the correct address, and a judge's or magistrate's signature; some warrants indicate the time of day the cops can search. You should say the Magic Words 2 whether or not the search warrant appears correct. The same goes for any government official who tries to search you, your belongings, or your house.
Undercover cops sometimes infiltrate political organizations. They can lie about being cops even if asked directly. Undercover cops can even break the law (narcs get hazard pay for doing drugs as part of their cover) and encourage others to do so as well. This is not legally entrapment. The essence of the Magic Words "I'm keeping my mouth shut until I talk to a lawyer" not only applies to police but also to the FBI, INS, CIA, even IRS. If you want to be nice and polite, tell them that you don't wish to speak with them until you've spoken with your lawyer, or that you won't answer questions without a lawyer present. If you are being investigated as a result of your political activity, you can call the National Lawyers Guild at (415) 582-1055; they will help you find a lawyer you can talk to. Whenever you interact with or observe the police, always write down what is said and who said it. Write down the cops' names and badge numbers and the names and contact information of any witnesses. Record everything that happens.
If you are expecting a lot of police contact, get in the habit of carrying a small tape recorder and a camera with you. Be careful - cops don't like people taking notes, especially if the cops are planning on doing something illegal. Observing them and documenting their actions may have very different results; for example, it may cause them to respond aggressively, or it may prevent them from abusing you or your friends. People deal with police in all kinds of circumstances. You must make an individual decision about how you will interact with law enforcement. It is important to know your legal rights, but it is also important for you to decide when and how to use them in order to best protect yourself.
E-Mail: NORTHSTARZONE@YAHOO.COM
Islamic Society of Boston releases damning evidence against the David Project
Karin Friedemann
World View News Service
May 5, 2007
This week, Jessica Masse, interfaith coordinator of the
Islamic Society of Boston, publicly released recent
discovery materials obtained as part of the ISB's
conspiracy lawsuit, which reveal that an Israel
advocacy organization, which specializes in creating
malicious anti-Arab, anti-African and Islamophobic
propaganda, met with real estate investors, attorneys,
and Republican activists at their office at 210 South
Street in Boston to discuss an action plan "to
present a legal challenge" to the Roxbury Mosque
project. On May 28, 2004, Anna Kolodner, executive
director of the David Project, sent an email
congratulating the group for their successful
meeting."Discussion of issues and individuals
involved in the Mosque led to some preliminary steps as
we continue to gather information and develop an action
plan."Joshua Katzen is a member of the team of
aggressive real estate developers that wanted to unravel
the land deal between the City of Boston and the ISB.
Another anti-ISB activist, Jonathon Leffell, who develops
property in the Boston area, is chairman of the New
England "Friends of the Israel Defense Forces"
while William Sapers, who instigated the anti-Mosque
campaign and who owns an insurance agency in Cambridge,
has invested in real estate under the corporate name
Hemisphere Inc. Sapers is a director of the Combined
Jewish Philanthropies, which is an umbrella organization
for mainstream Jewish communal organizations in Greater
Boston. Steve Cohen, owner of CEA Group, another Boston
area real estate agency, took the operational lead in the
conspiracy against the ISB.
Three days later, Kolodner circulated an idea. "Given that they may not have parking, Josh [Katzen] suggested we might thwart them through the building permit process for the intended parking."Steve Cohen suggested to Anna Kolodner that the group recruit a Jewish law student from Harvard to assist their attorneys, Evan Slavitt, who is also a Massachusetts Republican Party leader, and Jack Fainberg, who is a business litigator.Other participants in this on-going private discussion were Avi Goldwasser, a hi-tech financier and movie producer, who makes malicious anti-Arab propaganda movies like "Columbia Unbecoming," Larry DiCara, who is a Republican politician, and Harvard undergrad Mickey Segal, who is a David Project intern, and Monty Gold, who is Anna Kolodner's husband. Steve Cohen, who is originally from New York, also consulted with Rabbi Melman, a New York-based Israel advocate who opposes ceding an inch of land to the Palestinians."Filing the lawsuit would be the initial lead/newsworthy component of the media angles," Anna Kolodner advised him. This would give the David Project a soapbox. Anna Kolodner put David Project co-founder Charles Jacobs in charge of "enlisting support of the Black Church community in the suit as a possible plaintiff," but commendably, no one in the Black community would participate in their racist plot. The David Project had to make do with an Italian American who lives in Mission Hill, nowhere near the Roxbury Mosque.
Policastro's suit was dismissed in 2007 by a judge as
being "without merit," but the conspirators
were not worried about winning the frivolous lawsuit. It
had been a ploy to create negative publicity. Real estate
investor Steve Cohen gloated over "the fact that a
governmental action was taken in Boston may make this
mosque more vulnerable to legal, political or media
attack." In this same email, entitled
"Conversation with Jon Wells," Cohen mentioned
reporter Jonathon Well's divorce and estrangement from
his children like a weakness to exploit. "After I
come up with something to report, he and I will have
lunch," Cohen bragged. "[T]he ADL is much more
concerned and knowledgeable about this matter than their
public statements would indicate. But, being associated
with various ecumenical [read: interfaith] efforts, they
are reluctant to be the lightning rod on this issue. Jon
speculates that they would welcome the assistance and
initiative of a bunch of independent guys (like us) who
are not afraid of getting some bad press." He
described how he had specifically instructed the Fox TV
news reporter Jonathon Wells to use language associating
the mosque with terrorism. According to his May 20, 2004
email, Cohen wanted to seek out information about the
ISB's source of donations in the Middle East. Depending
on the country of origin, the group would create a
sensational news story saying the mosque was financed
either by "the Wahhabi movement in Saudi Arabia or
by the Moslem Brotherhood," which, they would
fraudulently claim "advocate the violent victory of
Islam over the west [sic]." Cohen went on about his
conversation with Wells. "We both agreed that it
would be very powerful if it could be proven that this is
the source of the funding for the Mosque."
Cohen repeatedly contacted the executive producer of the
Investigative Reporting unit at Fox25 News in Boston to
pressure him and in one conversation, instructed Jonathon
Wells how to use the Freedom of Information act to obtain
records from the Boston Redevelopment Authority about the
City's sale of land to the Muslim community.Cohen further
explained his strategy to Anna Kolodner of the David
Project: "Aside from our 1st Amendment
claims and the various other strategies to attack the
mosque, ultimately our interest is based on the premise
that some of the senior people in the ISB are supporters
of terrorism and sworn enemies of America and Jews, and
that the construction of the mosque may be funded by
Wahhabis? If we are going to convince others to support
our cause, especially in the media, we will need
reasonably well-supported allegations.
The David Project collaborated with Robert Leikind, the
executive director of the ADL; Steve Emerson at the
Investigative Project and Rita Katz, a discredited former
FBI informant at the SITE Institute; Ilana Freedman, a
terrorism "expert," Republican politician and
managing partner of Gerard Group in Tyngsborough,
Massachusetts, to create a "comprehensive document
regarding the individuals/organizations/history etc. of
the Mosque, which will be the backbone of the media
campaign." This fabrication, labeled "Mosque
Characters.doc," lists over twenty Muslim leaders
including Dr. Yusef al-Qaradawi, Abdurahman Alamoudi,
founder of the American Muslim Council, and various ISB
directors with bogus and bizarre links to "the
Moslem Brotherhood,
In 2004, the David Project, a 501c3 charitable organization, appears to have received half a million dollars in tax-payer funded government grants while at the same time planning this amazingly well organized campaign to deny the Boston Muslim community their 1st amendment rights to worship freely, according to ISB interfaith director Jessica Masse.
http://tinyurl.
Karin Friedemann is editor of World View News Service,
focusing on the Islamic World.
Please visit http://groups.
Elaine Brown's Open Statement to the
Green Party May 1, 2007
Vicious Rumormongering Will Not Deter Me
from My Campaign for the Green Party Presidential
Nomination
The vicious rumor being floated among Green Party members
that I am or ever have been a government agent is a lie.
I have never consorted with the U.S. government or any of
its myriad agencies against the interests of black
people, the Black Panther Party‹of which I was a
leading member‹or any other people. I have dedicated
my very life to the freedom of all oppressed people.
Because these rumors are unfounded, unsupported by one
scintilla of evidence or any citation to any specific
act, they are, in the end, indefensible and, therefore,
all the more insidious. I stand on my history of struggle
in the Black Panther Party and since that time as the
strongest refutation of this lie.
On the occasion of my announcing my candidacy for the
Green Party presidential nomination, Mike Feinstein, a
ranking California Green, and Nan Garrett, chair of the
Georgia Green Party, launched this sinister campaign to
discredit me, Feinstein, in a series of telephone calls
to key Greens across the country after meeting me in
March, and Garrett, in a recent, nationally-distributed,
vitriolic email. It is particularly ironic that, while
neither Feinstein nor Garrett has any history of
involvement with the cause of the freedom of black
people, they would challenge the credentials of the
former Chairman of the Black Panther Party. This
dangerous rumormongering is especially egregious as to
Garrett, who, as a lawyer, makes her accusation without
even the appearance of presenting evidence.
Their lie is based on a statement made at a meeting held
by Cynthia McKinney in 2000, when she was a
Congresswoman. Even though this meeting was not a
Congressional hearing, Feinstein and Garrett would
elevate its record to an "official" document.
McKinney, who claimed to be conducting an investigation
into the FBI's COINTELPRO activities against blacks, had
invited only two former members of the Black Panther
Party to her meeting to serve as 'witnesses,' Kathleen
Cleaver and Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt. At the
meeting, Pratt is recorded to have asserted that I was an
"agent." This is a statement he has never
dared make directly to me, and I challenge him now to do
so and to present one iota of evidence to support his J.
Edgar Hoover-like accusation against me. And, I would
assert that, as McKinney has stood by surreptitiously and
allowed her so-called forum to be used to validate
Pratt's lie, she has endorsed that lie.
Cleaver and Pratt were expelled from the Black Panther
Party in early 1971 as conspirators in a plot led by
Eldridge Cleaver to take over the Party, whereby they
denounced Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, David Hilliard,
Fred Hampton and others, called for their deaths and
declared the Weather Underground group the
"vanguard" of revolution. Their attack against
the Party resulted in internecine violence and, even,
death. All of this is documented in the Black
Panther Party newspaper, housed in its entirety in an
archive at Stanford University.[TheBlackList] Elaine Brown responds to
rumors of being an agent ...