[Grovenet] Sad and disgraceful episode

[Walt Wentz]

I think you've got it, Katie. Also, the country is scared now, and 
even good people who are scared can do irrational or cruel things. 
The police of  Nassau County may be no more brutal, cynical, 
politicized or corrupt than, say, the LAPD, It may also be that the 
writer has overstated the circumstances of the arrest. Military 
people tend to have more discipline than others, and no doubt the 
veterans followed the nonviolent plan they set out with. Whether the 
mounted police actually "charged" the sidewalk crowded with people, 
or if the people walked into a line of horses, might possibly make a 
little difference. (Not to hurt the feelings of any horse-lovers 
here, but horses are hardly the brightest or bravest of animals. I'd 
put them on a par with a fairly smart guinea pig.) Police horses 
would hopefully be well trained, but might also begin spinning and 
lashing out when frightened by crowding. Which would mean that the 
protestors might be partly responsible, but that the police are also 
responsible for bringing dangerously untrained animals into a crowd 
of people.
None of this, however, even partly excuses the callousness, insults 
or threats directed at nonviolent police prisoners, some of them 
injured, nor the secrecy about the names of the officers responsible. 
And none of this excuses the echoing silence of the mainstream media 
about this shabby incident, or the failure of either campaign to 
address the issue.
Walt

>I think that the real driving force behind this is the fact that 
>there is lots of money to be made in wars and the penal system. 
>Especially if they are privatized.
>Those who make gobs of money from war do not want people to hear from 
>too many vets against the war. It might make people less likely to 
>fund it and wave flags supporting dropping bombs on 'the others'.
>And recently a friend of mine was falsely accused of a crime and her 
>treatment by the jail officers was abysmal too. You do still have 
>rights when you are arrested but the actions of some officers makes 
>one wonder if they are aware of that fact.
>
>My heart goes out to all IVAWs. They have a tough job convincing 
>their fellow soldiers (and many civilians) that war is not always 
>noble just because the US starts it.
>
>Katie
>
>
>
>On Oct 21, 2008, at 9:06 PM, Walt Wentz wrote:
>
>>  As a veteran, I was infuriated to read this. Haven't we learned
>>  anything since the 1960s?
>>  Walt
>>
>>>
>>>  From Matthis Chiroux, IVAW
>>>   Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 2008, members of Iraq Veterans Against the 
>>>  War and
>>>   supporters gathered near the Hempstead, N.Y., train station to 
>>>  march on the
>>>   final presidential debate at Hofstra University.
>>>
>>>   Our intent was made clear in a letter to Bob Schieffer, the debate
>>>   moderator, one week prior. We wanted two members of our 
>>>  organization inside
>>>   the debate where they would ask one question of Obama and one of 
>>>  McCain. If
>>>   CBS and the candidates failed to meet our demands, we would march on
>>>   Hofstra at 7 p.m. in a peaceful attempt to enter the debate to 
>>>  have our
>>>   voices heard.
>>>
>>>   I planned on asking Barack Obama if he would back up his 
>>>  assessment of the
>>>   occupation of Iraq as illegal by supporting servicemembers who 
>>>  would thus
>>>   be required to refuse service there. Kris Goldsmith planned on 
>>>  asking
>>>   McCain about his history of failing to vote in favor of V.A. 
>>>  funding,
>>>   especially since the beginning of the occupation of Iraq.
>>>
>>>   Non-violence was stressed in every stage leading up to this 
>>>  action. It was
>>>   stressed by me and Kris to Det. Thomas J. Calvert and Det. Robert 
>>>  Annese of
>>>   the Nassau County Police Department the day before the action. 
>>>  Calvert and
>>>   Annese were in charge of security for the debate, and they 
>>>  assured us they
>>>   would instruct their officers to respect the non-violent spirit 
>>>  of the
>>>   action by using restraint towards peaceful veterans and 
>>>  demonstrators.
>  >>
>>>   In every stage of planning, IVAW made every effort to keep all 
>>>  planned
>>>   tactics and actions above the table so that the candidates, the 
>>>  media,
>>>   the police and the country would know exactly what would happen 
>>>  if our
>>>   demands were not met.
>>>
>>>   We were at Hofstra to force the issue that veterans and 
>>>  servicemembers are
>>>   not being cared for or heard from by our government, and the 
>>>  candidates,
>>>   CBS and the Nassau County Police Department couldnt have proved 
>>>  us more
>>>   correct.
>>>
>>>   We, the veterans and our supporters, stood together in 
>>>  solidarity, knowing
>>>   the stakes were high. But a resolve echoed deep from with us to 
>>>  stand our
>>>   ground and be heard. Twice these candidates had brushed us off, 
>>>  and thrice
>>>   just wasnt going to happen.
>>>
>>>   So at seven p.m. when wed heard nothing from the moderators, IVAW 
>>>  made
>>>   good on its promise to the candidates and Det. Calvert. We 
>>>  marched to the
>>>   front gate of Hofstra, read our questions and peacefully 
>>>  proceeded into
>>>   police lines.
>>>
>>>   Because these candidates cared more to hear from Joe the Plumber 
>>>  than
>>>   veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, ten veterans went to jail and five
>>>   civilian supporters joined us.
>>>
>>>   This upsets me, but I knew the risk, and if I must fall in 
>>>  defense of
>>>   democracy, peace and justice, I offer my sacrifice willingly.
>>>
>>>   What infuriates me is the GROSS MISCONDUCT of the police in the 
>>>  process,
>>>   much of which I believe to be illegal.
>>>
>>>   After my arrest, the police charged their horses onto a sidewalk and
>>>   unprovokedly knocked my friend Nick Morgan, a veteran of Iraq, to 
>>>  the
>>>   ground and trampled his face. They then arrested him, put a piece 
>>>  of gauze
>>>   on his facewound and loaded him onto a bus headed for jail with 
>>>  the rest of
>>>   the Hempstead 15.
>>>
>>>   After they brought Nick onto the bus and we the veterans 
>>>  identified him as
>>>   exhibiting signs of a concussion and as needing immediate medical
>>>   attention, our arresting officers laughed at us and told us Nick 
>>>  would
>>>   receive no help unless he himself asked to go to the hospital, 
>>>  though Nick
>>>   was barely conscious and completely disoriented at the time AND 
>>>  THE COPS
>>>   KNEW IT!
>>>
>>>   We pointed out that as a result of a serious head injury, Nick 
>>>  wasnt aware
>>>   enough to speak for himself. The police responded with, too bad.
>>>
>>>   After Nick stirred enough for us to instruct him to ask for medical
>>>   attention, he was taken to a hospital, diagnosed with a fractured
>>>   cheekbone, given nothing more than Motrin for the pain and 
>>>  brought to the
>>>   Police Station where he sat chained to a bench for 5 hours with 
>>>  no further
>>>   medical attention at all.
>>>
>>>   Additionally, police pulled other members and supporters of ours 
>>>  from the
>>>   sidewalk and arrested them while horses spun in circles causing 
>>>  injury to
>>>   most who couldnt escape their paths.
>>>
>>>   All of this, I observed after arrest through the large windows of 
>>>  a bus we
>>>   were detained in which was parked parallel to the demonstration and
>>>   subsequent atrocities.
>>>
>>>   While on the bus, the officers mocked us, calling us idiots and 
>>>  whiners.
>>>   When we arrived at the Nassau County Detention Center, the hazing 
>>>  did not
>>>   cease.
>>>
>>>   One officer, when I brought up the prospect of speaking to a lawyer,
>>>   threatened to, put me in the back (jail), where, the big boys 
>>>  will pop
>>>   your cherry! When I asked this officer if he had just threatened an
>>>   honorably discharged veteran of Afghanistan with prison rape and 
>>>  told him I
>>>   wanted his name and rank, he refused and told me to look it up on 
>>>  the
>>>   police report which the Nassau County Police Department has 
>>>  refused to
>>>   provide us a copy of.
>>>
>>>   While detained, the three females who were arrested with us, 
>>>  including
>>>   Marine Reserve Capt. Marlisa Grogan, were sexually harassed by 
>>>  the police
>>>   who went so far as to hold Ids next to the chained womens faces
>  >> and make
>>>   comments like, you look like you came out of a Barbie magazine.
>  >>
>>>   All night, they didnt stop. Youre cowards, youre idiots, they said.
>>>   The hostility was thick and unwarranted.
>>>
>>>   This non-violent protest stuff is retarded, they said (as if theyd
>>>   prefer the alternative). See how it got your friends face f---ed up?
>>>
>>>   Literally, they said this when they brought Nick in and chained 
>>>  him to the
>>>   bench. The harassment only increased from there.
>>>
>>>   Look at you friends face, said one officer. Youre responsible for
>>>   that. As if I gave to order to charge horses onto a crowded 
>>>  sidewalk.
>>>
>>>   I saw this same officer in the Colony diner where we went to eat 
>>>  after we
>>>   were charged with disorderly conduct and released. He was with 
>>>  the one who
>>>   threatened me with prison rape, and when I approached them 
>>>  respectfully and
>>>   again asked for their names, he leapt to his feet, threw his 
>>>  finger in my
>>>   face and began threatening to beat my a-- if I didnt drop it.
>>>
>>>   Afterward, one of his friends, also a police officer, approached me,
>>>   accused me of being drunk and said I was about to get arrested 
>>>  again. I
>>>   retorted that his accusations were false (considering Id only 
>>>  gotten out
>>>   of jail 30 minutes prior) and that I was only interested in 
>>>  learning the
>>>   names of the officers who arrested and harassed us as I have the 
>>>  legal
>>>   right to do. He responded with only his name, which he said was 
>>>  Peter
>>>   Sikinger, but refused to reveal the names of his partners, though 
>>>  to his
>>>   credit, he did back down from threatening me with arrest.
>>>
>>>   I am outraged at the egregious conduct of the Nassau Country Police
>>>   Department and the failure of Det. Calvert to make good on his 
>>>  promise to
>>>   make things go as smoothly as possible.
>>>
>>>   But mostly, I must put this on the candidates.
>>>
>>>   Barack Obama and John McCain, you have failed to properly address 
>>>  the
>>>   occupation of Iraq and veteran and servicemember issues in this 
>>>  campaign.
>>>   You failed to hear from us, the veterans and servicemembers, at the
>>>   conventions. Your overwhelming concern for Joe the Plumber at the 
>>>  final
>>>   debate while veterans are killing themselves at a rate of 18 per 
>>>  month is
>>>   inhumane to say the least.
>>>
>>>   The fact that you allowed your veterans to be arrested, 
>>>  brutalized and
>>>   harassed for simply trying to be heard by you is inexcusable. 
>>>  Forever
>>>   should your consciences be scarred for what you allowed to take 
>>>  place to
>>>   veterans on American soil.
>>>
>>>   But our questions still stand, and we still demand answers.
>>>
>>>   Obama, are you ready to support members of the military refusing to
>>>   participate in the occupation of Iraq which you have termed illegal?
>>>
>>>   McCain, as a veteran, how can you account for your abysmal 
>>>  failure to vote
>>>   in favor of post-2003 legislation to fund the V.A. which provides 
>>>  life
>>>   saving services to men and women who gave all to serve this nation?
>>>
>>>   Besides which, you both owe the Hempstead 15 an apology. You owe 
>>>  Nick
>>>   Morgan an apology for the reconstructive surgery hell be 
>>>  receiving and the
>>>   permanent, violent altering of his face that is a result of your 
>>>  failure to
>>>   hear from us.
>>>
>>>   You owe every veteran in history a public statement condemning 
>>>  the sidewalk
>>>   trampling of Nick and Carlos Harris, an Iraq veteran, who also 
>>>  had his foot
>>>   broken by a horse. As well Geoff Millard, a disabled veteran of 
>>>  Iraq with
>>>   degenerative spine disease who was knocked to the ground, dragged 
>>>  from the
>>>   sidewalk and arrested, and Nadine Lubka, one of our supporters, 
>>>  who was
>>>   kicked in the face by a horse.
>>>
>>>   And we the people are not done forcing this issue.
>>>
>>>   I encourage every person who reads this to contact both the Obama 
>>>  and
>>>   McCain campaigns and demand they answer our questions and condemn 
>>>  the
>>>   actions of the police Wednesday night.
>>>
>>>   They dont own this election, the media doesnt own this election,
>  >> we the
>>>   people own this election, and we deserve to have our voices 
>  >> heard. Any
>>>   candidate who disagrees with that statement is unworthy the 
>>>  Presidency of
>>>   the United States of America.
>>>
>>>   Peace and Solidarity,
>>>
>>>   Matthis Chiroux
>>>
>>>
>>>   The Hempstead 15:
>>>   Matthis Chiroux (Army Sergeant)
>>>   Kristofer Goldsmith (Army Sergeant)
>>>   Adam Kokesh (Marine Sergeant)
>>>   Mike Spinato (Marine Corporal)
>>>   Geoff Millard (Army Sergeant)
>>>   Marlisa Grogan (Marine Captain)
>>>   Nathan Peld (Navy, 1998-2004)
>>>   Nick Morgan (Army Sergeant)
>>>   James Gilligan (Marine Corps, 6 years)
>>>   Jose Vasquez (Army & Army Reserves, 1992-2007)
>>>   Ryan Olander
>>>   Paul Blasenheim
>>>   David M. Disimino
>>>   Lianne Gillouly
>>>   Megan Day
>>>   Contact Info
>>>   Website:<http://ivaw.org/>http://ivaw.org
>>>   Location:99 Main Street
>>>   Hempstead, NY
>>>
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