Police fire tear gas, rubber bullet at Colorado Springs war protest

Colorado Springs is Home to the US Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, and NORAD. It is one of the most heavily pro military cities in the Nation. Why would anyone be surprised that the police of that city would use Gestapo-style tactics to mar a peaceful protest?

These Peace Demonstrations are about citizens exercizing their Consititionally protected rights to the Freedoms of Speech and Assembly When representatives of the government seek to impinge upon those rights for some citizens, it is a threat to the liberties of all citizens.

I hope that no one was seriously injured, and I would strongly encourage all people of good conscience to call, write, and/or email Colorado Governor Bill Owens, and the Colorado Springs Mayor , Colorado Springs Police Chief Luis Velez, to strongly censure these officers for their actions.

Colorado Springs Mayor
Address:
P.O. Box 1575
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
Office Phone:
719-385-5986
Office Fax:
719-385-5488
E-mail:
mmakepeace [at] ci.colospgs.co.us

Colorado Springs Chief of Police
Luis Velez
Address:
705 S. Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Office Phone:
719-444-7401
Office Fax:
719-578-6169
E-mail:
ChiefOff [at] ci.colospgs.co.us

Colorado Governor Bill Owens
Phone
303-866-2471
Fax
303-866-2003
Office
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203
Email
governorowens [at] state.co.us

Colorado Springs is Home to the US Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, and NORAD. It is one of the most heavily pro military cities in the Nation. Why would anyone be surprised that the police of that city would use Gestapo-style tactics to mar a peaceful protest?

These Peace Demonstrations are about citizens exercizing their Consititionally protected rights to the Freedoms of Speech and Assembly When representatives of the government seek to impinge upon those rights for some citizens, it is a threat to the liberties of all citizens.

I hope that no one was seriously injured, and I would strongly encourage all people of good conscience to call, write, and/or email Colorado Governor Bill Owens, and the Colorado Springs Mayor , Colorado Springs Police Chief Luis Velez, to strongly censure these officers for their actions.

Colorado Springs Mayor
Address:
P.O. Box 1575
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
Office Phone:
719-385-5986
Office Fax:
719-385-5488
E-mail:
mmakepeace [at] ci.colospgs.co.us

Colorado Springs Chief of Police
Luis Velez
Address:
705 S. Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Office Phone:
719-444-7401
Office Fax:
719-578-6169
E-mail:
ChiefOff [at] ci.colospgs.co.us

Colorado Governor Bill Owens
Phone
303-866-2471
Fax
303-866-2003
Office
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203
Email
governorowens [at] state.co.us

This is what I witnessed as a law-abiding war protester at the Colorado Springs peace rally on February 15, 2003. My commentary follows.

After the rally in Palmer Park, the protesters lined up along the sidewalks of Acadamy Boulevard to demonstrate for passing motorists. When about 1/3 of the crowd had moved from the park to the sidewalks, a group halted in the crosswalk at Academy and Maizeland and stopped traffic. Over the course of about an hour, cars were stopped in the road, then were able to clear out. The number of cars in the road got smaller and smaller, and people said that the police had diverted traffic.

Protesters moved north and south on Academy Blvd, and no one quite knew what to do. Three or four times, police on bicycles rode by telling us to stay out of the street (a very few people started walking in the street since there was no traffic, and several protesters told each other to stay on the sidewalk). After the crosswalk at Academy and Maizeland was cleared, the crowd dwindled and seemed to move south.

I walked back to the intersection and stayed for several minutes, and then lots of protesters (perhaps 300) stared to return from the south. A police car in the intersection announced that we were to disperse the area. The announcement was not very loud, and there was a helicopter flying overhead that made it inaudible for anyone who was more than about 50 yards away. I also saw something that looked like a person lying on the ground, face down, amid all of the police officers near the police car. I could not make it out, but none of the officers were paying any attention to it. Perhaps it was a person who had been stunned, or not a person at all. I saw a police officer on a motorcycle putting on a gas mask a block away, and I asked him if law-abiding protesters could stay in that area. He said, "It's up to you, but I'm putting this on for a reason." A small marching band then came up the street playing loud brass instruments, drumming, and speaking slogans on a bullhorn.

Shortly after that, the riot squad of about 75 officers came up the street with their black attire, clear shields, gas masks and helmets. They produced a bullhorn and made an announcement that we were to disperse the area and they were going to drop gas. They were in the middle of the street, and I was on the sidewalk about 30 feet from them, and I could hardly hear that one announcement made on a weak bullhorn. Even half a block away, noone could have heard the warning. I walked quickly toward my car, which was in the makeshift parking lot right next to where the riot squad was. Perhaps 20% of the protesters did the same as me and moved away. As I left the sidewalk, I heard a middle aged woman say to the officers that they can't do this, and she is on the board of the N...(it escapes me now--the legal council that fights for civil rights).

Before I could get to my car (about 50 yards away), they had dropped gas bombs and people were running away, covering their mouths. It was mania that we were not prepared for since they only left about 20 seconds between their inaudible warning and the release of gas. I could smell the gas, but got in my car quickly enough that it did not affect me. I was one of the first ones out of the parking lot, but the whole area was overrun with gas that would have kept anyone from being able to get to their cars and leave. I drove to the top of the hill on Maizeland Drive, pulled into a small parking lot there, and watched the scene.

Perhaps five minutes after the first gas expolosion, they ignited more gas in the same location. I could see no reason for it, because there was no violence or resistance there. People were just milling around, seemingly confused, and there was a steady stream of people walking and driving away. In a few minutes, small groups of riot squad officers started moving into Palmer Park and up the street on Maizeland, telling people to leave.

I drove away and tried to find information on the radio, but only heard one FM pop music DJ commenting on the protest. She said that one caller claimed to have been gassed, but we could believe what we want. Without stating her stance on the war, she said that it's great to live in a democracy where we can speak our minds no matter what we believe. This pop culture reflection of the events reminded me of a protest sign that someone had at the rally. It read, "Civil Rights? Go ahead, take them. I wasn't using them anyway."

The riot squad used too much force and too little communication. No one at the corner of Academy and Maizeland was being a menace. The police did not give loud and clear warning to the crowd, and I'm sure that there were people gassed who did not know they were supposed to disperse. Why didn't they make several announcements using a speaker system that everyone could hear, and then wait for the law-abiding people to at least get to their cars? Was I supposed to just know that when you see the riot squad, you have to leave the area? I thought they would have more self-control than that. Why did the officer on the motorcyle tell me that I could stay, when I explicitly asked what a peaceful protester was allowed to do? The protesters who had blocked the road an hour before did need to be handled by law enforcement. At the point when they dropped gas on the crowd, though, the Colorado Springs Police came on too fast and too strong, with no provocation. They behaved irresponsibly in a crowd, and did not show the peacekeeping leadership that we should expect from officers.

This is what I witnessed as a law-abiding war protester at the Colorado Springs peace rally on February 15, 2003. My commentary follows.

After the rally in Palmer Park, the protesters lined up along the sidewalks of Acadamy Boulevard to demonstrate for passing motorists. When about 1/3 of the crowd had moved from the park to the sidewalks, a group halted in the crosswalk at Academy and Maizeland and stopped traffic. Over the course of about an hour, cars were stopped in the road, then were able to clear out. The number of cars in the road got smaller and smaller, and people said that the police had diverted traffic.

Protesters moved north and south on Academy Blvd, and no one quite knew what to do. Three or four times, police on bicycles rode by telling us to stay out of the street (a very few people started walking in the street since there was no traffic, and several protesters told each other to stay on the sidewalk). After the crosswalk at Academy and Maizeland was cleared, the crowd dwindled and seemed to move south.

I walked back to the intersection and stayed for several minutes, and then lots of protesters (perhaps 300) stared to return from the south. A police car in the intersection announced that we were to disperse the area. The announcement was not very loud, and there was a helicopter flying overhead that made it inaudible for anyone who was more than about 50 yards away. I also saw something that looked like a person lying on the ground, face down, amid all of the police officers near the police car. I could not make it out, but none of the officers were paying any attention to it. Perhaps it was a person who had been stunned, or not a person at all. I saw a police officer on a motorcycle putting on a gas mask a block away, and I asked him if law-abiding protesters could stay in that area. He said, "It's up to you, but I'm putting this on for a reason." A small marching band then came up the street playing loud brass instruments, drumming, and speaking slogans on a bullhorn.

Shortly after that, the riot squad of about 75 officers came up the street with their black attire, clear shields, gas masks and helmets. They produced a bullhorn and made an announcement that we were to disperse the area and they were going to drop gas. They were in the middle of the street, and I was on the sidewalk about 30 feet from them, and I could hardly hear that one announcement made on a weak bullhorn. Even half a block away, noone could have heard the warning. I walked quickly toward my car, which was in the makeshift parking lot right next to where the riot squad was. Perhaps 20% of the protesters did the same as me and moved away. As I left the sidewalk, I heard a middle aged woman say to the officers that they can't do this, and she is on the board of the N...(it escapes me now--the legal council that fights for civil rights).

Before I could get to my car (about 50 yards away), they had dropped gas bombs and people were running away, covering their mouths. It was mania that we were not prepared for since they only left about 20 seconds between their inaudible warning and the release of gas. I could smell the gas, but got in my car quickly enough that it did not affect me. I was one of the first ones out of the parking lot, but the whole area was overrun with gas that would have kept anyone from being able to get to their cars and leave. I drove to the top of the hill on Maizeland Drive, pulled into a small parking lot there, and watched the scene.

Perhaps five minutes after the first gas expolosion, they ignited more gas in the same location. I could see no reason for it, because there was no violence or resistance there. People were just milling around, seemingly confused, and there was a steady stream of people walking and driving away. In a few minutes, small groups of riot squad officers started moving into Palmer Park and up the street on Maizeland, telling people to leave.

I drove away and tried to find information on the radio, but only heard one FM pop music DJ commenting on the protest. She said that one caller claimed to have been gassed, but we could believe what we want. Without stating her stance on the war, she said that it's great to live in a democracy where we can speak our minds no matter what we believe. This pop culture reflection of the events reminded me of a protest sign that someone had at the rally. It read, "Civil Rights? Go ahead, take them. I wasn't using them anyway."

The riot squad used too much force and too little communication. No one at the corner of Academy and Maizeland was being a menace. The police did not give loud and clear warning to the crowd, and I'm sure that there were people gassed who did not know they were supposed to disperse. Why didn't they make several announcements using a speaker system that everyone could hear, and then wait for the law-abiding people to at least get to their cars? Was I supposed to just know that when you see the riot squad, you have to leave the area? I thought they would have more self-control than that. Why did the officer on the motorcyle tell me that I could stay, when I explicitly asked what a peaceful protester was allowed to do? The protesters who had blocked the road an hour before did need to be handled by law enforcement. At the point when they dropped gas on the crowd, though, the Colorado Springs Police came on too fast and too strong, with no provocation. They behaved irresponsibly in a crowd, and did not show the peacekeeping leadership that we should expect from officers.

The Peace rally of 2000-2500 people was quite peaceful throughout. There was some co0nfusion as to whether we did or did not have permissionto march along Academy Boulevard. The bicycle police were respectful, friendly, and on-task. A few breakout groups of 300 people where merely caught up with and re-directed into the street. After a half hour of sort of wandering marchwithin the same half-mile, we slowly dispersed backto the parking lot. I did notice the Gestapo arrive, but paid little mind at first. There was NO VIOLENCE whatever, and no provocation which I could see or hear. I was maybe 40 yards from the first tear gas grenade, POW ! then the gas. There was no reason for this anti-citizen action. People wereconfused and mostly heading to cars. After perhaps 3 minutes 5 or 6 more tear gas grenades were thrown into the generally already dispersed crown. Then the SWAT cops advanced, about 30 of them at my count, with battle gear, helmits and large shields, like South Korean police. I saw no one struck,but they did push some people with their shields. 4 or 5 persons were overcome bythe gas. A few were rightly shouting at the police.
The police action was TOTALLY uncalled-for,. Furthermore it was plannedinadvance. It was different cops than those who were adequately directing the march. The CREATED all the chaos which the newspapers falsely reported.
About 3 minutes before the assauly I spoke with one of the original police commanders and complimented both sides for a well-run rally.
He sharply, but politely, told me , "It's not over yet, sir !
But, what you say is true. It has been a well-run event for both sides.
So far."
To me this indicates that some higher authority had planned, prior, and off-site, to attack the demonstrators.
Since they did not use major violence, I canonly surmise that the assault was designed PRESICELY to create an "Incident," which the press would report, calling it "chaos," thus to divert public knowledge of the actual, large, & peaceful event.
The subservient press did exactly as they were directed. They reported "Chaos," and ignored the event itself, and, of course, the reason for it. In the military capital of the world, Colorado Springs, we joined with perhaps 10 million to 12 million people across the earth who turned out in the streets in what was clearly the largest political demonstration in the history of Mankind to demand, that the United States' Government stop this massacre they have planned, and allow the human community to build human institutions, not the explicitly fascistic policies which the cabal in charge have consistently pursued for the past 2 years.
Strider

Letter to Colorado Springs Mayor, Chief of Police and Governor.
__________________________________
"WE ARE ALL WOVEN TOGETHER IN A SINGLE GARMENT OF DESTINY." MLK

Re Colorado Springs Peace Rally and the deployment of 'special' personnel
and tear gas

Dear Mayor,
When I read the reports of what transpired at the peace rally in Colorado
Springs this weekend I was saddened not least of all because you have to
estimate that there were dozens if not hundreds of perfectly decent
citizens who were privy to what happened and are keeping silent.

Every pair of eyes from ordinary peace officers to the media witnesses who
make the choice not to tell it as they saw it, silently sign their name to a
travesty. Those who know the extent of what actually took place, from those
who engineered it to those who acquiesced and said nothing, do so seriously
undermine and compromise this democracy and the American dream that we have
reason to grieve and to fear for our future. "The greatest experiment in
democracy in the history of the world." (JL Chestnut, civil right attorney)
is thus mortally threatened from the inside.

I urge every citizen and resident of Colorado Springs to look to their
hearts and be clear what kind of world they want to build. Every single
person and every single choice will shape us and bring us inevitably to the
future of our own making.
Sincerely,
Corrina McFarlane
Bonny Doon, California

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words
and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good
people." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Letter to Colorado Springs Mayor, Chief of Police and Governor.
__________________________________
"WE ARE ALL WOVEN TOGETHER IN A SINGLE GARMENT OF DESTINY." MLK

Re Colorado Springs Peace Rally and the deployment of 'special' personnel
and tear gas

Dear Mayor,
When I read the reports of what transpired at the peace rally in Colorado
Springs this weekend I was saddened not least of all because you have to
estimate that there were dozens if not hundreds of perfectly decent
citizens who were privy to what happened and are keeping silent.

Every pair of eyes from ordinary peace officers to the media witnesses who
make the choice not to tell it as they saw it, silently sign their name to a
travesty. Those who know the extent of what actually took place, from those
who engineered it to those who acquiesced and said nothing, do so seriously
undermine and compromise this democracy and the American dream that we have
reason to grieve and to fear for our future. "The greatest experiment in
democracy in the history of the world." (JL Chestnut, civil right attorney)
is thus mortally threatened from the inside.

I urge every citizen and resident of Colorado Springs to look to their
hearts and be clear what kind of world they want to build. Every single
person and every single choice will shape us and bring us inevitably to the
future of our own making.
Sincerely,
Corrina McFarlane
Bonny Doon, California

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words
and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good
people." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Letter to Ms Corrina McFarlane

__________________________


Dear Ms. McFarlane,

Please stay in Bonny Doon, California. You're not welcome here.

Most Sincerely,

The Mayor, Chief of Police and Governor

I want to thank those who have reported the gross injustice of the Colorado Springs authorities who gassed a peaceful protest of American citizens. Such abuses of power need to be reprimanded and I hope that a civil action against those responsible is pending.

I would also like to thank Ms. Corrina Mc Farlane for her eloquent letter to the Mayor, Chief of Police and Governor of Colorado Springs; taking them to task for allowing the violent disruption of the Peace Rally and exhorting them to uphold the very democratic principles that they are legally bound to uphold. Those responsible for the decision should be punished for the unjust use of police force against the American citizenry that they exist to protect.

As for the reply claiming to be the Mayor, Chief of Police and Governor; your childish response hardly warrants attention. However, it does speak to the ignorance of the law and American civil liberties. Ms. McFarlane is welcome to travel where ever she wishes, although the behavior of the "authorities" certainly won't help tourism in Colorado as it is unlikely to induce her to visit. Still, it seems that Colorado Springs would benefit from hearing the message Ms. McFarlane has to share. Any intimidation towards those who speak truth to power is cowardly ignorant manners at best.

Ken Dickerson
American Citizen who still believes in the Bill of Rights and the inalienable rights that may be self-evident but need constant vigilance in this day and age of the willful dismantling of American democracy and the Constitution.

Shoulda used real bullets on you bin laden supporters