Occupy Miami Houses Raided by SWAT, looking for guns

[ellipsis]

from huffington post, some scary occupy news coming out of miami, my emphasis added. it seems these folks are the most radical element of occupy miami. also looks like a lot of people of color too.

uzVtYHHpmbI


Occupy Miami Apartment Building Raided By Police; Members Reportedly Questioned About Weapons


Police officers in SWAT-style gear descended Tuesday on an Overtown apartment building where dozens of Occupy Miami members moved after the group's Downtown encampment "Peace City" was evicted (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/occupy-miami-evicted-arrests_n_1246436.html).


Occupiers say police arrived suddenly before a protest march, pouring from vans to order residents of 540 NW Seventh Street into the building's courtyard before searching both people and apartments. Three Occupy members were reportedly handcuffed before being released; three others were taken to police headquarters for questioning. No one was arrested.

"They said that they had gotten a tip that we had 'long guns' and were going to use them at our protest," Occupy member Thomas Parisi told Miami New Times (http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/03/occupy_miamis_overtown_safehou.php). "But we are a peaceful movement and told them that we had no intention of doing anything like that."

A photo taken by one member who was detained (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=316626155066548&set=a.217824944946670.57554.216848385044326&type=1&theater) suggested he was taken to MPD's Special Investigations Unit, which houses the Narcotics Unit, the Intelligence and Terrorism Unit, and the Joint Interdiction Unit. Miami Police have not yet responded to requests for comment, and the FBI would not confirm one eyewitness report that FBI agents were also present.


"It is not uncommon for the FBI to assist local law enforcement," FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock told HuffPost. "In this case, we are not going to discuss if this is one of those instances."


"They had military assault rifles and tactical shotguns. Fully lethal," reported Occupy on their Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/OccupyMiami), before posting video showing residents of the "Fort Peace" building sitting or kneeling in the property's courtyard while officers with assault rifles kept order.


"This is some of the scarier footage I have ever seen," wrote author Naomi Wolf on her Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/naomi.wolf.author/posts/391386887558120). "What were they doing telling you to KNEEL and put your hands on your heads?"


Dozens of Occupy members moved into the building after its owner, an Occupier who changed his name to Sr. Paz (Mr. Peace), donated some of the vacant apartments to Occupiers rent-free (http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/02/occupy_tha_hood_occupy_miami_t.php). But recent postings suggest a rift between those living at the apartment building and other Occupy Miami members, and the last Twitter update from a main Occupy Miami account says it has been "hijacked by a small, non-consensus group of radical members. (https://twitter.com/#%21/OccupyMIA/status/179726486931128322)"

Another member posted on Twitter that the Facebook page, too, was "unilaterally taken over by a rogue element in the group (https://twitter.com/#%21/DonnieDanger86/status/179745408967380992) following an attack by police in riot gear."


For the group at "Fort Peace," the trouble is not only internal.


"They were asking me questions like, 'Are you a Muslim?' and 'Do you love this country?'" protestor Ramy Mahmoud told New Times (http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/03/occupy_miamis_overtown_safehou.php). "I said hell no I don't love this country and it's because of shit like this...They are calling us terrorists but what I saw today was demons pointing guns at us. They terrified us."

[Revolutionair]

They are calling us terrorists but what I saw today was demons pointing guns at us. They terrified us.Terrorism, the number one servant of the capitalist machine.

It's actually pretty ridiculous to call people in 3rd world countries terrorists, since they are in no position to strike fear into our hearts, the capitalist elite at home on the otherhand forces us in situations we don't like (by means of fear) every single day.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Always amazing to see how scared the pigs get when their little fiefdom is threatened by minor change.

[Prometeo liberado]

I didn't think that this was important at the time, but in Los Angeles a member of the FRSO got arrested a little while back for stockpiling guns. I know that this person was active in Occupy. As for a pattern, I'd rather not make any assumptions.

[marl]

I didn't think that this was important at the time, but in Los Angeles a member of the FRSO got arrested a little while back for stockpiling guns. I know that this person was active in Occupy. As for a pattern, I'd rather not make any assumptions.
LA and Miami are on separate ends of the country.

[Ostrinski]

LA and Miami are on separate ends of the country.word?

[marl]

Uh, I didn't see the last bit of the post. Whoops.

[Prometeo liberado]

LA and Miami are on separate ends of the country.

Realy? So what youre saying is......

Look wise ass I was trying to make the point that the cops have done this before.

Word indeed!

[marl]

Realy? So what youre saying is......

Look wise ass I was trying to make the point that the cops have done this before.

Word indeed!

I didn't read the last bit of your post and misinterpeted what you were saying.

[Prometeo liberado]

I didn't read the last bit of your post and misinterpeted what you were saying.

I didn't see the "whoops" post so that makes us both wise asses.
Amazing.

[Ostrinski]

You guys are silly

Also fuck cops etc etc. The Miami police are generally pretty rough I think.

[ellipsis]

LA and Miami are on separate ends of the country.

And the federal government, FBI etc. have jurisidiction in both places so Im not sure your point.

add to the list of elements in a non-pattern of the state going after people who threaten their monopoly on violence:

the wingnut anarchist collective recently got called armed terrorists on the Virginia statehouse floor, and blamed, together with occupy richmond for the presence of riot cops at a repo-rights rally. the cops claimed that they had reason to think the wingnuts were bringing guns to the rally.

clearly there is no pattern. all isolated incidents.

[ellipsis]

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/columnists-blogs/2012/mar/09/tdmet01-michael-paul-williams-lawmakers-terrorist--ar-1751932/


Norment, a Republican from James City County, made the terror allegation Wednesday while defending the appearance of police in riot gear at a rally for women's rights at the state Capitol. He said several of the Saturday rally's participants were members of the Occupy Richmond movement and The Wingnut, an anarchist collective whose members live in a home in Southern Barton Heights.
"That is what raised the level of concern," Norment said, calling The Wingnut "an identified anarchist, armed terrorist group."


The collective's responce: http://wingnutrva.org/2012/03/08/norment-tries-to-blame-anarchists-for-government-bad-behavior/


We’re not going to let this stuff get to us because getting all outraged about Senator Tommy’s (ignorant, irresponsible) name calling is giving him what he wants, which is to distract from the bad behavior of his side. It isn’t the Wingnut that wants to legislate away women’s rights in order to score cheap political points. It wasn’t the Wingnut that sent armed, masked men to face down peaceful protestors. It wasn’t the Wingnut that forced these same protestors onto a bus and held them for hours on end with a bucket for a toilet and no water. It wasn’t the Wingnut that tried to defend thuggish behavior by its own side by making wild, ignorant allegations about a barely involved 3rd party. That’s on him, and the focus right now should remain on his bad behavior, and the bad behavior of the folks on his side.

[marl]

I was thinking that perhaps they received false information from someone wanting them gone (e.g. Cuban reactionaries in Miami).

[ellipsis]

that is certainly a feasible possiblity. i can also see accusing occupy of being armed radical and trying to promote that idea in the media/popular consciousness as a counter-insurgency psy-op.

[Decolonize The Left]

It is quite clear what is happening:
Occupy is being perceived by the powers-at-be as a potentially radically active phenomenon which could mobilize both widespread popular opinion and, perhaps more importantly, increased militant activity.

The powers-at-be then engage in a 3-fold process:
1) Destroy the local, physical, base of support: raiding occupy sites, arresting/detaining members, etc... on the grounds of the following...
2) Widespread propaganda campaign: portraying the occupy movement as the cause of the state reaction and hence as a 'problem'. This is classic capitalist definition of cause and effect.
3) Steady isolation as a result. Less people are inclined to participate, those active are worn down, those thinking of being active are dissuaded by others, etc...

It's unfortunate but to be expected at this point. The solution seems to be even more transparent occupy activity; think the BPP and their food programs for impoverished neighborhoods and youth organizations.

- August

[marl]

http://occupywallstreetstories.com/wp-content/woo_custom/142-426781_316626155066548_216848385044326_935128_9761 4996_n.jpg



MIAMI, FL – A call out had been made by Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Glen Iris, and Take Back The Block to Occupy Chase Bank and, more specifically, shut them down. Occupy Miami had been at a dormant, yet turbulent, state for a period of time. Not many serious actions been done as of late. So a mutual feeling among many current occupiers was to turn things around. This was to be one of many serious actions we’d participate in from now on, but turns out there were other forces at work here.
We had finished getting everybody in the building together and were then leaving to the rally which would take place at our old encampment spot in Government Center. We had not even passed the parking spaces in front of the building when we were suddenly stormed by a contingent of law enforcement, which ranged from militant SWAT looking officers in dark camouflage and heavy body armor with military assault rifles and tactical shotguns to standard City of Miami police officers with pistols to what looked more like agents of some kind.
Vans, trucks, cars, and even an armored Hummer were surrounding us and we all had this variety of guns aimed at us, being ordered to get on the ground. It was a very disorienting and frightening situation as I, nor most of Occupiers and other locals present, had ever had any firearm drawn on them, nevertheless firearms of military grade.
Now, the criticism could and has been made that we should not have been compliant, that we should have resisted and refused to get down; literally “stand” for our rights. Comparisons were even made to those in Bahrain and Egypt and Syria, which I felt were a bit unfair. Normally, I’d agree and suggest non-compliance and resistance of some kind. I feel like I am ready to face danger for my beliefs, but consider this; we were in front of a residential apartment building with children inside and a couple of them were actually sitting outside in the lot watching this happen. We were all very overwhelmed and did not want to test these brutes with such big weapons at the moment.
They were very aggressive and vulgar. A couple of Occupiers were practically trampled as these heavily armed officers and agents charged into the building. Requests not to be stepped on were met with “Shut the f*** up!” Our questions regarding their reasons for all this were met with “Shut the f*** up!” Guess what our requests for a warrant for the searches they began were met with… All their yells of “Shut the f*** up!” were supplemented with a rifle to the back of our heads. As enraging as it was, we all decided not to press those issues.
Everybody in front of the building who was heading to the rally was lying flat on the floor with our faces to the ground and were being searched by MPD while the agents and heavily armed officers dispersed around the building and rounded up everyone inside and searched all unlocked rooms. I tried to grab my phone to record but as I reached down I was yelled at and had guns pointed at me so I withdrew my hands. These automatic weapons were aimed at all occupiers and tenants in the building as they were rounded up against the gates. The two children outside also had these guns pointed at them as they commanded their mother to take them inside.
Our media room was locked since we were about to mobilize so the key was requested with a drawn M16. Our guy with the key knew we had nothing to hide so he gave them a tour of the whole media office.
All the Occupiers lying on the ground in front, including me, were sent to sit with the others by the gates as they aggressively rounded up and searched everyone else in the building. I managed to grab my phone and began recording under my leg to avoid any negative reactions. I took a few pictures as well. Another Occupier and I were becoming increasingly vocal and less worried. We chanted and were told nothing.
After all that, I said to hell with it and I began to record again, but this time it was done openly and I even narrated. Others had been recording as well. As I was recording, three Occupiers were being brought down one by one in zip tie handcuffs. I was allowed to continue recording until I began asking why they were in cuffs. They then came and made me put the phone away. I did not resist as I did not want to lose what I had.
Strangely enough, these three were soon let go without any charges. They finished searching everything and began leaving. The crowd erupted in applause and there were even chants of “Cops go home! Cops go home!” As we began getting up to go on with our day, the agent in charge came and told us not to go into our apartments, that he felt they owed us an explanation.
We agreed and gathered to hear him out. He began to explain this had nothing to do with the MPD and that they supported our protests as it is our First Amendment right but they had been gathering information and suspected that a small splinter group with our movement was planning to incite violence with weapons. One Occupier asked him what kind of weapons they were talking about. The agent then said, “Long guns. We’re not talking sticks or rocks or anything like that.”
We were all shocked and confused and questioned this reasoning. After this, they left but mysteriously detained 3 other Occupiers for questioning at the station though they did not cuff them.
We all decided that this should not stop anything and we commenced with our rally and march. We marched over to Government Center and began to rally right where our camp once stood. Security and county officials tried to make us get off the grass and even claimed that they had spent $14,000 on that grass, but we did not comply as they could make no real case against us here. They even went and asked a few nearby bike-mounted police officers to help remove us; the officers did nothing.
Once we felt good and ready, we began to march to a Chase Bank in the Downtown Miami area. As we arrived, we received the usual warm welcome of doors being locked. We caused a ruckus and blocked up a few doors. Police made it difficult but we were persistent and stayed for over an hour.
In this time, I received a phone call from one of our Occupiers who had been detained and was told that they had been let out. They then met us in front of Chase and began telling me everything; It was disturbing to say the least. The Occupier who called my phone is an Egyptian. He was asked if he was Muslim, which is obviously racial profiling. They also discovered that what we thought were detectives back at our safe-house were actually FBI and the storm-troopers with military weapons were an “Intelligence and Terrorism Unit.” There was other info disclosed which we cannot release for safety reasons.
So now a lot has been left unclear. Who were these people really? What were their true reasons for raiding us with such force? Why did they refuse to show us a warrant? Is this the NDAA in action? I guess that remains to be seen. They warned the detained Occupiers that they’d be back. Our Egyptian brother then warned them that the whole world would find out about this and that this would be viral through the internet.
The agent-in-charge responded, “Please don’t…”
We feel that they wish for us to be afraid and stop. We will not comply with that. Tomorrow (M15) is Bank of America Move-In Day and we will attend, once again, beginning with a rally at our old home in Gov Center. We will also be celebrating 6 months of the Occupy Movement on Saturday (M17), which will begin with a rally at Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. Law enforcement knows where to find us, but we are not worried. Every time they make one of these over-the-top moves, it counts against them; they should have learned by now.
We are the 99 percent and we shall overcome.

[Ele'ill]

Ayup, what's needed is an immediate mass participatory bounce-back into actions and marches. We're not doing this cause it's hip, folks, we're doing it like a gasp of air.

[Raúl Duke]

Miami cops are bastards

[ellipsis]

It is quite clear what is happening:
Occupy is being perceived by the powers-at-be as a potentially radically active phenomenon which could mobilize both widespread popular opinion and, perhaps more importantly, increased militant activity.

The powers-at-be then engage in a 3-fold process:
1) Destroy the local, physical, base of support: raiding occupy sites, arresting/detaining members, etc... on the grounds of the following...
2) Widespread propaganda campaign: portraying the occupy movement as the cause of the state reaction and hence as a 'problem'. This is classic capitalist definition of cause and effect.
3) Steady isolation as a result. Less people are inclined to participate, those active are worn down, those thinking of being active are dissuaded by others, etc...

It's unfortunate but to be expected at this point. The solution seems to be even more transparent occupy activity; think the BPP and their food programs for impoverished neighborhoods and youth organizations.

- August

This. Occupy needs a lesson on counter-states and the value of ground-level agit prop inherent in mutual aid direct action. Instead they are fighting in the court of public opinion and seem to think this is the mechanism for change.

[ellipsis]

The only way to fight counter-insurgency is with insurgency.