Iraq Veterans Against the War activist Emily Yates is arrested and manhandled for playing a banjo under a tree in a park. You figure it out, I can't.
Yes we live in a police state. Yes we are losing our basic freedoms. Yes the American people have become the enemy. Yes the cops are out of control.
Those who arrested this apparent veteran are following orders. The police state is driven by command and control. There are mind control techniques used upon the cops and others with arrest authority. They are "briefed" by their superiors who fill their heads with all manner of fears, or just simply enforcing the law. Refusal is not an option for them, as it would equal unemployment. She was singled out because she took a leadership role. They are arresting her in order to find out who she is - then she will be marked by the state as a trouble-maker. Note the many macho comments from the unseen crowd in the video. I heard one particular statement from a man - something to the effect of
ReplyDelete"Why don't you try that on me?" And yet what did Mr. Macho do to help her or prevent her arrest? Nothing. He's full of shit and the cops and/or forest service officers (or whoever they were) know it. The corporate controlled state can play all kinds of legal angles in situations like this. Private property is a tried and true favourite. Activists need to learn state/police tactics and how to counter them. You have to be creative, non-violent, and dignified. You also have to have solidarity. "This is going up on YouTube" may help, but it can also act as propaganda for the state - i.e. - look how easily we eliminate your resistance. Anyone else interested in getting arrested? What if all the people watching this clip were in the streets instead of sitting safely behind a computer screen?
Great comments and right on the mark. This is one reason why I am so impressed with the folks on Jeju Island. They would have reacted to this situation in a very different way. They know and have lived under police state fascism for a long time and take a much more direct approach to the cops in these moments. They'd not be standing in the background offering cheap shots but would be trying to defend the woman directly but nonviolently.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a lot to learn in this country.