Scott Lively and Brian Camenker, two of the most unhinged and deranged anti-gay bigots you will ever see, spoke this past weekend at a tax day event hosted by the Massachusetts Tea Party Coalition and the Tea Party Patriots. A lot of protesters were there and the police got pretty rough with some of them. Here’s a picture of one of the cops choking a protester.
Photo by Paul Weiskel on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31167233@N08/">Flickr</a>
The protester in the picture explains what happened:
We had plans to “Mic Check” the event, with some language about how their supposed “family values” actually destroy families that have LGBT members in them etc. Some of us were dressed up, others were attempting to go “stealth”. I was one of the “dressed up” people — wearing a wig, glitter, some make up, and a black bandana over my face. We were in the crowd ready to mic check when the Antifa group came marching in carrying a banner, chanting about women’s rights. I think they were more protesting the Tea Party in general as being a neo-fascist group rather than specifically protesting the anti-LGBT hate groups being represented.
Anyway, a Tea Partier grabbed their banner, an altercation developed, and the Occupy Boston groups started chanting “FASCISTS OUT”, as the Tea Partiers chanted “USA! USA!” (oh the irony…)
Two of our protesters were arrested, and I moved away from the crowd to show solidarity with them and follow as they were arrested. After that, I moved back into the crowd, and a Tea Partier knocked the wig off my head. I picked it up said to him “Why do you think it’s okay to knock my wig off my head?”. He replied “Oh, my hand slipped”.
I was going to continue talking to him but then the officer in the picture approached me and said “okay, take your shit and get out of here”, shoving me back. I said to him “Don’t shove me.” He then said “Don’t shove you!?” and then choked me, for a short period of time. My comrades reacted pretty quick, taking those pictures, getting his badge number, etc. He was rough with several other people, grabbing one of my comrades’ phone out of his hand when he tried to take a picture etc.
Those in attendance report that one of the speakers at the event said into the microphone, “we will not be silenced by faggots.” I’m not sure whether that should be considered ripping off the mask to reveal one’s bigotry, or putting on the hood to reveal it. The Boston police department say it’s reviewing the incident after seeing the picture. But how sad that it’s a black police officer doing it. Does he know nothing of history? He is replaying the civil rights struggles, with himself as the thug cop choking protesters rather than the victim.
And by the way, MassResistance, Camenker’s group, is lying about it, claiming that the police did nothing.
From the MassResistance website
13 comments
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tubi
April 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I guess I won’t be writing in Gary Johnson for any in November now.
Balstrome
April 18, 2012 at 1:43 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“But how sad that it’s a black police officer doing it. Does he know nothing of history? He is replaying the civil rights struggles, with himself as the thug cop choking protesters rather than the victim.”
Actually one can say that is the success of the civil rights movement, when a black officer can do that, and not even recognise that he is replaying civil rights issues.
bachalon
April 18, 2012 at 1:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Funny. If there were enough counter-protesters to “overrun” your Tea Party thingie, doesn’t that mean that you’re the minority and not representative of America as a whole?
kirk
April 18, 2012 at 2:07 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The Boston police have been “militarized” since the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
I was covering that convention as a member of the media, and the police talked often about their plans to enforce security. Sept. 11 was very fresh in everyone’s minds, and the thought was that something like the DNC would be an attractive target for terrorists. There was also concern about radicals, anarchists, etc.
That all led to a security effort unlike anything that had been seen. All traffic was prevented from entering something like a three-block radius of the convention. I barely got any less of a security check as a member of the media. And all protesters were forced into a cage not really within shouting distance of the convention.
Because no terrorists attacked, that security plan was deemed a success. So successful, in fact, that when the Red Sox were making a postseason run later that year, the police said they would use that plan to deal with crowds. I told MANY people at the time that someone would get killed because they were planning to apply a plan to deal with anarchists and terrorists to a bunch of drunk college kids.
In the celebration of the Sox’ improbable win over the Yankees in the ALCS, a poorly trained Boston police officer shot and killed college junior Victoria Snelgrove with one of the “less-lethal” weapons purchased for DNC security. Never have I regretted more being right.
The investigation later found all fault with the police, though no one, of course, was prosecuted. There was some internal discipline and a few settled lawsuits, but not a lot has changed with the Boston police. For example, despite court ruling after court ruling, they will STILL try to take people’s camera phones. I’ve told everyone I know to use the UStream app instead of their phone’s video app to record police, since that can broadcast live and archive it online.
There MUST be a thorough housecleaning done in Boston and elsewhere and leadership and officers brought in who are educated on the U.S. and state constitutions FIRST, before bothering with piddly crap like department policy and protecting your blue brothers.
brucecoppola
April 18, 2012 at 2:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Along those lines but OT: Driving home from work yesterday (I live in metro Detroit), I passed a desultory Tea Party tax day protest of about a dozen, tops. My route later took me toward a banquet hall where Wisc. Tea Party Gov. Walker was appearing at a GOP fundraiser with our allegedly-moderate Repub Gov. Snyder. Traffic was backed up a mile in spite of it being the tail end of rush hour. Reason? a couple hundred or more union, Occupy and other 99% protesters outside the hall! Warmed my heart, it did.
corkscrew
April 18, 2012 at 2:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Tubi: What’s the Johnson angle? Seems like he did the right thing here:
michael kellymiecielica
April 18, 2012 at 3:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hi again,
there’s actually some debate about whether the line was “will not be silenced by fa/ggots” or “will not be silenced by fascists.” I hear “fa/ggots” but others hear “fascists.” Box turtle Bulletin ran something about this the other day, here:
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2012/04/17/43649#comments
I don’t think “fascists” is any better, but FYI.
Infophile
April 18, 2012 at 8:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@7:
“Faggot” is a slur used to dehumanize a group of people for an aspect of themselves they can’t change.
“Fascist” is a reference to a political ideology that’s become so overused as to become synonymous with “bad.”
Are you sure neither of these is any better or worse than the other?
Modusoperandi
April 18, 2012 at 11:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s a good thing the Teabaggers are an economic movement, and not just the Social Conservatives in economic drag.
democommie
April 19, 2012 at 8:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“It’s a good thing the Teabaggers are an economic movement, and not just the Social Conservatives in economic drag.”
Does that have anything to do with a “respectacle Republican cloth coat.”?
Marcus Ranum
April 19, 2012 at 11:08 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Boston cops creep me out. I was in Logan Airport on Sept 11 last year and there was a state trooper walking around in a drill sgt hat with a ballistic vest carrying a suppressed H&K MP5 with a clip locked in it. I stopped and flat-out gawked and he gave me a cop-glare and told me “move along.” So I asked him loudly how much training he had with submachine guns and how good his fire control was, because I didn’t like the idea of a cop with an automatic weapon in a crowded airport… While I kept “moving along…”
Seriously, though – I’d sooner see an infant with a weapon like that, than a cop. I used to shoot at a range next to a state police barracks and to say that I am underwhelmed with the average cop’s firearm skills is an understatement.
Marcus Ranum
April 19, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Fascist” is a reference to a political ideology that’s become so overused as to become synonymous with “bad.”
Except that “fascism” is a political ideology that promotes a police state, authoritarianism, and nationalism. What about calling the Tea Party “fascist” is inaccurate? They’re just not as successful as some of the big-time fascists you may be thinking of.
Modusoperandi
April 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
democommie “Does that have anything to do with a ‘respectacle Republican cloth coat.’?”
No. Nixon was mad about his own being accused of dressing too well. The Teabaggers are mad that the State might tax them to help others dress at all.