A military spy infiltrated Olympia and Tacoma activist groups, Port MIlitarization Resistance and Students for a Democratic Society. A public records request recently revealed his identity, and unveiled an intelligence network of police, military, and federal agencies working together to gather information on Washington activists. Read More

Related: Abrahadabra: A Collapsed Building In 4 Parts | Spy for the US Military Exposed

On July 21, 2009, the events of May Day 2008 finally came to a close with the sentencing of four anarchists of the South Sound region. For over a year they have been legally bound to endure an array of court dates, legal costs, extradition waivers, etc. All this has stemmed from some debatable interactions with banks that have since then had a wide impact on the Olympia activist and broader communities.

Spy for the US Military Exposed: Spent Last Two Years Spying on Activists

A crowd of approximately 20 people showed up in city court on July 28, 2009 to watch the proceedings in a case against Jesse Masengale, a member of the Save Haven Tent Community. After a group of homeless men and women had organized a tent city on the property of the Catholic Worker House in Champaign, two police officers arrived on the night of June 8 with a video camera to “investigate.” When Jesse questioned their intentions, he was detained and given two city tickets.

In court, Judge Richard Klaus read a summary of the two charges against Jesse: obstructing and resisting Champaign Police Officer Erik Bloom from “documenting evidence” when he put his hands in front of a video camera after he was told not to; and assault for allegedly throwing a cell phone at Champaign Police Officer Gregory Manzana.

Raj Jayadev, Writes: "What would have happened to Dr. Gates if he were not an acclaimed scholar and author, friend to the President, and someone whose stardom could greatly embarrass a city and county justice system? what would have happened if Dr. Gates, were he not a noted scholar, was arrested in my city, San Jose, California with the same fact pattern, even as described by the police report?"

A protest was held on the steps of Cambridge City Hall to support Harvard professor Henry L. Gates vs. the Cambridge Police. According to the event organizers, the arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. by a Cambridge police officer - after Prof. Gates showed two forms of identification to a police officer who arrived to find Prof. Gates safely in his own home in a predominantly white, upscale neighborhood known as “Harvard Square” - has brought the struggle against racism to the front pages of newspapers throughout the US and around the world. Read More | Watch Video

Common Action Seattle invites you to a screening of "Terrorizing Dissent," a film documenting the criminalization of dissent at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul during September 2008. Following the film, stay for a Q & A session with RNC 8 member Luce Guillen-Givins on anarchist organizing, arrestee and prisoner support work and much more.

Monday, August 3 @ 7:30pm
Cascade People's Center
309 Pontius Ave. North
Seattle, WA 98109

What if you were raped and no one believed you?  Now--what if you were raped by the police?  What if their superiors failed to investigate the crime?  What if instead of punishing the rapists, they charged you with the crime of lying about police "misconduct"?

This is what happened to Camille Williams, a black Twin Cities woman.**  Raped by Minneapolis Police Officers Paul Gillies and Miquel Barnes almost two years ago, Williams was subsequently charged with the crime of falsely reporting police misconduct--a charge levied so that, audio recordings tell, the MPD could avoid a civil lawsuit.  After a two and a half week trial, Williams was found guilty by a 6-person Hennepin County jury on Monday, despite allegations of jury misconduct (including one juror sleeping during the trial).  On Tuesday, when Williams was scheduled to be sentenced, the defense successfully argued for a postponement until August 14 based on several pending motions aimed at overturning the decision.

"I didn't lie about a damn thing and here I am, accused of a crime!" Williams says.  Gillies and Barnes, meanwhile, continue to walk the beat.

**Although the rape survivor's name has been reported by corporate media outlets, we are changing it here, even though the callous disregard for survivors of sexual assault (whether proven in the courts of the perpetrator or not) by uncritical pro-police media has already resulted in harm.  Also: Note that the article below may trigger strong and difficult emotions/memories, especially for survivors and others affected by sexual assault and police brutality.

Related: As Summer Heats Up, Testimony Describes MPD as Brutal, Lawless | Rochester, NY IMC: Fighting Police Brutality with Video | Bay Area IMC: Oakland Police Kill Unarmed Fleeing Black Man

On Tuesday, July 21st, 4 local individuals were sentenced for smashing bank windows, "rioting", and thwarting the arrests of others on May Day '08 in Olympia. The court house in Olympia was packed with supporters. A ring of police stood between us and the judge, smirking and chatting with the prosecutor during recess.

The actual crime of this whole affair is the persistence of the state, its apologizers and witless functionaries, and the daily coercion which becomes concentrated against individuals who show resistance. This was displayed nakedly as the prosecutor and judge showed special enmity for our companero, Bryan, by ordering 120 days in jail because he held his head up during the proceedings intended for humiliation.

After a bit of a hiatus, Indy TV returns for our 27th episode. In this weeks show, Local Filmaker Davy V talks about his work using video to document police brutality in the Rochester Police Department. His award winning "RPD Exposed" came out in 2001 and was followed by "RPD: Badges of Dishonor, Corruption, and Murder" in 2003. The themes he discusses are just as relevant now, in 2009, and point to the need for people effected by Police Brutality to break the silence, come together, and use tools such as video to hold the Police Accountable for abuse.

Members of Housing First! No More Deaths! were able to confirm that two undercover Grand Junction police officers had joined their organization. The two undercover officers participated in meetings, trainings, and had signed the membership list joining the organization. HF! NMD! read more

The central thesis of Resistance Behind Bars is truly profound. In clear, non-academic language, Law argues that recent scholarship documenting and radically criticizing the increased incarceration rates and mistreatment of women prisoners "largely ignores what the women themselves do to change or protest these circumstances, thus reinforcing the belief that incarcerated women do not organize." Alongside academia, Law also harshly criticizes radical prison activists, arguing that "just as the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s downplayed the role of women in favor of highlighting male spokesmen and leaders, the prisoners' rights movement has focused and continues to focus on men to speak for the masses." Read More | Related: In This Culture of Discipline and Punishment - Your Panopticon is Watching You!

Around 70 people marched through downtown Rochester yesterday, July 20th, to call for an end to RICO charges against 24 local residents. Organized by Activists Against Racism Movement (AARM), the march started at the Federal Building, wound through the city and ended with a rally at the city/county jail. Powerful and energetic, the march sent a message that community safety will come when people unite together to fight for justice not by longer prison sentences or harsher policing. Read More & Pics | | | Background: Members of the so-called "Wolf Pack" Gang Proclaiming Innocence | RICO LAWS? PROVE IT!!

Over six months have passed since the murder of Oscar Grant III and BART has yet to tell the truth about what happened on January 1st nor has a single employee has been held accountable by BART for their role in the murder nor for their attempts to cover up the truth. On July 16th, No Justice No BART boarded BART trains to informed thousands of people about what happened on the Fruitvale BART platform moments before Oscar Grant was murdered and the lies told by Police Chief Gary Gee shortly thereafter.

Democracy, in the U.S., is the expansion of the police state, the Panopticon machinery beyond prison walls. In a police state, Foucault writes, “police power must bear ‘over everything,’…actions, behavior, opinions - ‘everything that happens.’” Foucault died before witnessing the proliferation of must-have-gadgets and before September 11, 2001, before we were able to capture police brutality on our cell phones, but the same gadget offers authorities a means of tracking the user’s whereabouts in the free state outside a local, state, or federal prison facility. Now, security is the watchful eye of the camera above the bank, school, hospital, store doors or the camera in the subway car or bus. Protection is the informant or agent provocateur nonchalantly laughing on the corner or kneeing near your at the mosque or church.

Rochester Indymedia has resolved to witness Tyquan Rivera's pretrial hearings and trial, first-hand, after observing an ongoing pattern of sloppy and inaccurate reporting of the case by the local corporate media. With the help of a journalist from Boston Indymedia, who was also present on July 1st in Judge Joseph Valentino's courtroom for his rulings, Rochester Indymedia began to notice other disturbingly oppressive patterns developing in Rivera's case, enacted both in the courtroom and in the ongoing corporate media coverage.

Additional Information: A Child in Chains: A reportback from Tyquan Rivera's pretrial hearing | Media Review of Last Month's Pretrial Hearing | Digging for Truth in the Tyquan Rivera Case | Let’s Not Retreat into Cocoons of Expedient Simplicity and Pretentiousness

Audio: Eye-witness e-mail account of police brutality before Tyquan Rivera allegedly shot into police as read on WDKX on February 4th, 2009

Related: AARM Holds Second Event on the Media and Racism | Racism and the Media Community Discussion a Success | Facts about Juvenile Injustice | Activists Against Racism Movement

Advance the Struggle writes:"The murder of Oscar Grant set Oakland on fire, but who put the fire out? The working class people of Oakland, their consciousness set ablaze, found an inadequate set of organizational tools at their disposal to do the work that deep down we all know has to be done - confront the state (government) and its underlying property relations."

From Death Row at San Quentin, Donald Ray Young writes: "We had strange fruit for breakfast today...a death row prisoner committed suicide at San Quentin, in East Block. But, I can't worry about that guy....Wait; how can I not think of the suicide in this very building - - his family...loved ones? What if he was innocent? Do I know him? How many other people on death row have contemplated killing themselves to escape this madness? I believe that when one dies - - a part of all of us all dies...."

Dave Mahoney — prosecutor Richard Dusterhoft's "poster child of the RNC" — was sentenced to 90 days in jail by Judge Paulette Flynn in Ramsey County Court today.  With four days credit for time served plus good behavior, Mahoney will likely serve 56 days of the sentence, making his last day in jail September 2 — the one year anniversary of the Poor People's March on the RNC in St. Paul and two days before the anniversary of his arrest.

Arriving in court wearing a "Defend the RNC 8" shirt and with 20-30 friends alongside, Mahoney put on a sweater before facing Judge Flynn.  Speaking in support of him, attorney Bob Kolstad said that he was "honored to have been chosen to represent Mr. Mahoney," and referenced his close ties family and friends whom he said "are very dedicated to what I consider a valid cause."