Stop Cop Intimidation of Antiwar Organizing in SF!

SFPD INTIMIDATION OF BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
(http://WWW.BAUAW.ORG)

Dear Friends in the anti-war movement,

Saturday, April 2, as we entered Centro del Pueblo for the
meeting of Bay Area United Against War (B.A.U.A.W.), two
S.F. police officers were waiting for us. They asked questions
such as: how many people were expected to attend the
meeting and how many people were expected to the
"demonstration" at Washington H.S. They said that their
commanding officer, Lt. Lynch, from the Richmond Police
Station, had sent them to the meeting and when we told
them that they didn't belong there, they claimed to "be
part of the community," and therefore their presence was
appropriate claiming it was a public meeting in a public
building.

Police Officers do not have a right to attend and ask
questions at an antiwar meeting! Their presence is
intimidating. (When this was mentioned to Lt. Lynch in
a conversation on Sunday he said it reflected our negative
attitude toward the police.) In this case they said they were
trying to gather information. But, they could have easily
called us up and asked their questions. We informed them
that whenever we plan an event that needs permits, etc.
we have always followed proper procedure so they had
no cause to even question us.

There is no demonstration planned by B.A.U.A.W. at
Washington H.S. What we are planning is a counter-recruitment
information table at a career fair at the school Tuesday,
April 5, where there will be military recruiters present.
(When we told this to the two officers, they proceeded
to ask what material we were having on the table and if any
material will have our name on it and what other groups will
be listed on the material.)

This activity is part of B.A.U.A.W.'s campaign to implement
Proposition N, the ballot measure in which S.F. voters approved
a resolution to bring all the troops home now from Iraq.
B.A.U.A.W. is campaigning for the school district to cut all
ties with the military including direct military recruitment
on campus as well as the Junior ROTC program. Our purpose
is to urge students not to join the military, not to volunteer
to fight against the Iraqi people as part of this illegal,
immoral war.

Our purpose is to attempt to recruit students to participate
in the antiwar movement. We are perfectly within our
constitutional rights to conduct this work and to demonstrate
if we so choose, even though at this time, we are not calling
for a demonstration. And if we did call for a picket line on
the sidewalk without a sound system, no permit is required
anyway so there would be no reason to notify the police.

The police have no right to show up at our meetings where
we discuss our antiwar work. We have filed a formal complaint
against the police for this intrusion on our rights and are
seeking legal advice to prevent them from doing it again
without good cause.

Citizens have a right to hold meetings without police presence.

Bay Area United Against War
http://www.bauaw.org
415-824-8730