heresy2007

Yesterday the racist radio talk show host Hal Turner organized a "rally for peace" in Kingston NY that was in response to a white boy who got beaten up by two black boys at the Kingston High School. He showed up with about 50 supporters...

We responded, but, we didn't at the same time.

Here is my report:

At about 8:00 am I sat reading all the local papers I could get my hands on in order to asses what we were getting ourselves into. The Aryan Nation had been sending threatening emails to organizers of the counter dem for the last few weeks, and it seemed like another Toledo was possibly in the making. I wanted to be prepared. I found out prior to going to the event the the Kingston Police Chief had asked for the help of over twenty different state police agencies, as well as the FBI. It was reported that there would be a safe zone in between protesters, and the Nazi's and that there would be a military style check point to get in. No weapons of any kind would be allowed within the "free speech zone". The papers made it clear that NY wouldn't let this turn into a riot...

We arrived in Kingston at about 11:30 a half an hour prior to the event. We automatically saw the police presence the second we arrived in town. My partner and I like to park atleast a mile away from events so that we can walk in. We pulled off onto a side street and parked the car, we got out and started to walk. Made it about twenty feet and a state sherrif's vehicle raced up to us at about forty miles an hour, slammed it's breaks on, and the two officers jumped out. They harrassed us for about five minutes, searched us, and took all of our ID's. They did their best to try and keep us from going to the event, and told us that our video camera, my partners food, and our water would not be allowed into the event. They told us to save the trip, and leave it behind. After them giving us some shit about having Oregon DL's and asking us who we were affiliated with, we walked back to the car and put our stuff back. We then walked about another half a block only to have a Kingston police sergeant stop us again. He told us to move our car to a better location, because it would get fucked witih. Didn't really want to loose my camera, so we jumped back in the car only to have a third officer in an SUV pull up to our vehicle and "escort" us to a parking lot. At this time I'm like FUCK, what the fuck is this...

Finally we rally up with the local ARA from New Paltz and march the two blocks to the event. We're forced on the sidewalk by about fifteen cop cars. Once we arrive the police have the area blocked off for a three block radius in every direction. At every block there is a checkpoint with riot cops that we have to walk past. Once at the final check point there is a line to get into the event. The entire city block that the nazi's are on is fenced off with barriers, and there are squads of riot cops every ten feet, the right hand road is blocked off by cops on horses, and the left by two police cars. Their letting people in two at a time, no cameras are allowed in, no pencils, not paper, no water, no food, the only thing you are allowed to bring in is a sign without a stick. It is taking the cops about five minutes to check each person, they pat them down, wand them, check their ID then send them into the cage. In between the Nazi's and the counter demonstrators is a large swat vehicle that blocks line of site from one group to the other.

So we decide to go left. Then right up the back of the high school to try and circumvent the baricades. It was more symbolic then anything, and not confrontational at all. It only lasted about fifteen minutes anyway since after about two of those minutes the entire ARA block was surrounded on all sides by riot cops. Each one of us had about three cops a head there ready to take us to jail. The sergeant then comes up to us and tells us that if we do not remove our masks (I didn't have one cause I don't give a fuck about if a Nazii sees my face), then we will go to jail. It had been deemed illegal for the course of the day to cover one's face on a public street. So we turn around, go back to the checkpoint and play drums while people file one by one into the cage. Once the Nazi rally was over there was still a line of about fifty people waiting to get into the event.

We stuck around for a while just kind of hanging out and playing drums. The cops eventually pushed us to the sidewalk like they always do and that was that. None of us even say the Nazi's, all we saw was two hundred riot cops from all over the state, and FBI agents that came up and questioned us from time to time in that "let's insight something" kind of way. Basically my interpretation of the day is that Bush's model for crowd control has been perfected to the point of complete supression of a crowds rights not only to free speech, but also freedom of the press. No press was allowed into the event unless they went without their camera's, note books, or whatever. A Times reporter, and a New York Times reporter were both turned away.

To add insult to injury we were followed back to our vehicle by a another State Sheriff. After we hoped in our car to leave the city we thought we were in the clear. Drove about five blocks though and we had one final escort that drove us to the city limits and then proceeded to go about their business.

It was an odd day, I haven't quite figured out how I feel about the whole thing. The only event that I have seen the police more organized as a whole force was at the DC innaugaration protest this last January.

Here is a link to a local paper if you want to read their interpretation of the events:

link YOu have to register for it, but it's free.