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Students Arrested at Powell Speech Protest Accuse Police of Racial Profiling
Police arrested eight people Friday night at the San Francisco Bay Area's De Anza College while protesting against a visit by Colin Powell. Six of the eight arrested were Muslims. Students are accusing police of using racial profiling and excessive force while arresting activists during the demonstrations.
Last week, former Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. Anti-war protestors came out in force disrupting Powell's speech at the Flint Center auditorium and protesting outside the building as well. Confrontations occurred with the police and arrests were made. While the majority of those who engaged in confrontation were white, most of the people arrested were people of color.
* Aman Mehrzai, student at De Anza College.
LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/14/1447240
TRANSCRIPT:
AMY GOODMAN: Joining us on the telephone today, Aman Mehrzai. He is a student at De Anza, a journalism student, and he was at the protest. We welcome to you Democracy Now!, Aman.
AMAN MEHRZAI: Thank you very much.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us exactly what happened? When did the former Secretary of State come to speak at your school?
AMAN MEHRZAI: He started speaking last Wednesday. And the protests started with Cindy Sheehan’s appearance, and it started in the daytime, but he didn't appear until 8:00 p.m. that night. And the protests started right outside the Flint Center, where he was speaking, carried on to Thursday and Friday.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe what took place? Can you describe the level of protest outside and inside?
AMAN MEHRZAI: The first two days of protests were relatively quiet until Friday. On Thursday, I actually got to go inside and see Colin Powell speak. And inside on Wednesday and Thursday, there were disruptions of protesters who were carried out, and I believe some were arrested. Friday, things got out of control. Friday, there were other groups from different parts of San Francisco who came, including anarchist groups and other ones who joined the protest, and things got violent. Property was destroyed. From my understanding, the college campus couldn't take the security, so they called in the Santa Clara Sheriff's Department, and they at one point lost control, as well, and they called in the San Jose City Police, from what I'm being told by the Chief of Police.
AMY GOODMAN: And then what happened?
AMAN MEHRZAI: When they came in, there was a heavy show of troops in riot gear. And these guys apparently were armed. We definitely saw people with guns. However, most of them, from what I’m being told by the police, were carrying tear gas launchers, and they were starting to make formations around the crowd. And the barriers that were put up in front of the Flint Center were taken down by protesters, and direct conflict with the police occurred, in which many times the protesters tried to actually go inside and disrupt by going inside the Flint Center.
Eventually, the police were trying to surround the area and protect many of the people who were going to see the event. In the inside, many times the protesters breached the line of the police and banged on the doors and, from what I understand, it did cause a disruption inside. They held many of the people inside for their safety and wouldn't let them out. Towards the end of the night, right when things were starting to die down, the police closed in a formation and just swept across and pretty much pushed everybody out, out of the way. And this is where most of the arrests occurred, at the end of the night when things were actually dying down.
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about the differential treatment that you saw, Aman?
AMAN MEHRZAI: Well, most of the -- in front of plain view, most of the people who were causing the disruptions, as far as physical violence, were -- amongst many groups, it was pretty much apparent to everyone that they were Caucasians, Caucasians and whites, and many of them even admit to it that this included throwing stuff at the police and causing a lot of the destruction, including breaking police car windows.
But there were many Middle Eastern people amongst the protesters, and they were dressed in Middle Eastern garb, and a lot of observers noticed that the confrontation between the Middle Easterners and the police were mainly verbal, and apparently what they are claiming – the police are claiming – that there were spotters who saw the Middle Easterners throwing things. But most of what everybody that I know saw, the actual confrontation was verbal, and out of all of the people who were apparently spotted, seven out of the -- six out of the seven who were arrested on the outside were Muslim. And many of them were part of the MSA, and many of them were dressed in their Middle Eastern garb.
So, one protester inside -- there was only one Caucasian protester who was arrested, and he was on the inside of the Flint Center. He was held -- he was arrested but only held in handcuffs for a few hours, and then he was released without being taken in to facilities. And the rest of them were treated very harshly. Many of them were beaten and abused. Many of them were hospitalized after they were released. Some refused to see the doctors from within the prison, and there were others who were refused actually by the prison. There was one gentleman, by Adonis Grabes [sic?], who asked to receive medical treatment, and he was refused.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Aman Mehrzai, as you reflect on this weekend’s protests through, from last week, what lessons have you learned as a journalism student, as a person who was outside at the protests?
AMAN MEHRZAI: The biggest thing that I did learn is that profiling does happen. Before, I did hear about it many times, but this time I was an eyewitness to it myself. There was a point where towards the end, as I said, where things got violent. The police just pushed everyone out of the way, and apparently they were supposed to give a warning, but many reporters who were there didn't hear a warning at all. I, myself, was hit by an officer with his baton in my ribs, and I was pushed through the bushes, and they pushed us across the street on the other side of the street, and I met up with my wife over there, and we thought that everything was over, but they crossed the street and they were -- it looked like storm troopers crossing the street. They actually chased us down the block, and we felt like we were just running for protection at that point. At one point I did encounter the police in the end, and they asked me if we were all right, and I told them, yeah, I needed an escort, and they said they will get me a police escort. But I told them, “No, the police is what I need the escort from.”
AMY GOODMAN: Aman Mehrzai, I want to thank you very much for being with us, journalism student at De Anza College, where major protests broke out after the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, spoke.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/14/1447240
* Aman Mehrzai, student at De Anza College.
LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/14/1447240
TRANSCRIPT:
AMY GOODMAN: Joining us on the telephone today, Aman Mehrzai. He is a student at De Anza, a journalism student, and he was at the protest. We welcome to you Democracy Now!, Aman.
AMAN MEHRZAI: Thank you very much.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us exactly what happened? When did the former Secretary of State come to speak at your school?
AMAN MEHRZAI: He started speaking last Wednesday. And the protests started with Cindy Sheehan’s appearance, and it started in the daytime, but he didn't appear until 8:00 p.m. that night. And the protests started right outside the Flint Center, where he was speaking, carried on to Thursday and Friday.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe what took place? Can you describe the level of protest outside and inside?
AMAN MEHRZAI: The first two days of protests were relatively quiet until Friday. On Thursday, I actually got to go inside and see Colin Powell speak. And inside on Wednesday and Thursday, there were disruptions of protesters who were carried out, and I believe some were arrested. Friday, things got out of control. Friday, there were other groups from different parts of San Francisco who came, including anarchist groups and other ones who joined the protest, and things got violent. Property was destroyed. From my understanding, the college campus couldn't take the security, so they called in the Santa Clara Sheriff's Department, and they at one point lost control, as well, and they called in the San Jose City Police, from what I'm being told by the Chief of Police.
AMY GOODMAN: And then what happened?
AMAN MEHRZAI: When they came in, there was a heavy show of troops in riot gear. And these guys apparently were armed. We definitely saw people with guns. However, most of them, from what I’m being told by the police, were carrying tear gas launchers, and they were starting to make formations around the crowd. And the barriers that were put up in front of the Flint Center were taken down by protesters, and direct conflict with the police occurred, in which many times the protesters tried to actually go inside and disrupt by going inside the Flint Center.
Eventually, the police were trying to surround the area and protect many of the people who were going to see the event. In the inside, many times the protesters breached the line of the police and banged on the doors and, from what I understand, it did cause a disruption inside. They held many of the people inside for their safety and wouldn't let them out. Towards the end of the night, right when things were starting to die down, the police closed in a formation and just swept across and pretty much pushed everybody out, out of the way. And this is where most of the arrests occurred, at the end of the night when things were actually dying down.
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about the differential treatment that you saw, Aman?
AMAN MEHRZAI: Well, most of the -- in front of plain view, most of the people who were causing the disruptions, as far as physical violence, were -- amongst many groups, it was pretty much apparent to everyone that they were Caucasians, Caucasians and whites, and many of them even admit to it that this included throwing stuff at the police and causing a lot of the destruction, including breaking police car windows.
But there were many Middle Eastern people amongst the protesters, and they were dressed in Middle Eastern garb, and a lot of observers noticed that the confrontation between the Middle Easterners and the police were mainly verbal, and apparently what they are claiming – the police are claiming – that there were spotters who saw the Middle Easterners throwing things. But most of what everybody that I know saw, the actual confrontation was verbal, and out of all of the people who were apparently spotted, seven out of the -- six out of the seven who were arrested on the outside were Muslim. And many of them were part of the MSA, and many of them were dressed in their Middle Eastern garb.
So, one protester inside -- there was only one Caucasian protester who was arrested, and he was on the inside of the Flint Center. He was held -- he was arrested but only held in handcuffs for a few hours, and then he was released without being taken in to facilities. And the rest of them were treated very harshly. Many of them were beaten and abused. Many of them were hospitalized after they were released. Some refused to see the doctors from within the prison, and there were others who were refused actually by the prison. There was one gentleman, by Adonis Grabes [sic?], who asked to receive medical treatment, and he was refused.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Aman Mehrzai, as you reflect on this weekend’s protests through, from last week, what lessons have you learned as a journalism student, as a person who was outside at the protests?
AMAN MEHRZAI: The biggest thing that I did learn is that profiling does happen. Before, I did hear about it many times, but this time I was an eyewitness to it myself. There was a point where towards the end, as I said, where things got violent. The police just pushed everyone out of the way, and apparently they were supposed to give a warning, but many reporters who were there didn't hear a warning at all. I, myself, was hit by an officer with his baton in my ribs, and I was pushed through the bushes, and they pushed us across the street on the other side of the street, and I met up with my wife over there, and we thought that everything was over, but they crossed the street and they were -- it looked like storm troopers crossing the street. They actually chased us down the block, and we felt like we were just running for protection at that point. At one point I did encounter the police in the end, and they asked me if we were all right, and I told them, yeah, I needed an escort, and they said they will get me a police escort. But I told them, “No, the police is what I need the escort from.”
AMY GOODMAN: Aman Mehrzai, I want to thank you very much for being with us, journalism student at De Anza College, where major protests broke out after the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, spoke.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/14/1447240
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Did anyone bring video cameras for protection? If not, why not? There are 150,000 video cameras in our Bay Area. Can progressives be that obtuse?
yes pictures and video where taken in mass. police where armed with cannasters of pepper spray including undercovers who w alked around with it out of thier holsters mountan bike cops sprayed pepper spay type liquid very freely to a crowd oberving an arest not to mention the several times police tackled (people wearing traditional middle eastern clothes) maced beat strangled sat on kneeled on and sent away in ambulances almost choking to death....
This is blatent prropaganda. Anyone that believes rational people believe that the policeman acted in this fashion are
lacking in common sense and are totaly controlled by their own unbelievable agenda.
lacking in common sense and are totaly controlled by their own unbelievable agenda.
that cops don't act like that.... is on their side.
the cops purposefully arrested people (muslim men) who were standing by themselves, doing nothing wrong... when the crowd and the cameras were focused somewhere else.
If Muslims came without cameras they shouldn't be suprised that they were targeted. Time to wise up to the American Way of Life.... The Bay Area is the EPICENTER of the entire worlds war making machine, and if you don't know that you need to fall in love with your Google. You're in Friscopolis now, baby. Welcome, but get smarter.
The 'wedgers' are always with us. Don't bother with the Sams. Every indymedia site is a target for them. There is always government money for wedging the resistance to militarism here in Friscopolis.
I ask again. WHERE ARE THE VIDEOS. I'm beginning to think there is a hoax afoot. If there are videos they would be shown by now. Why not? Just curious.
People who have digital video cameras have an infinitely easier time getting a computer file assembled than people with tape based cameras such as myself.
By the way, you're totally right about the SF Bay area, plus I believe the S. of Los Angeles area where Orange county is - as being the centers of the military industrial complex. In high school in another state where there was domination by the 4x4 truck/country/suburban white male into gangster rap clique, if someone said San Francisco - they would all giggle and say it is a city filled with 'fags' and liberal hippies.
But Sunnyvale and the south bay have more military development jobs pretty much than computer firms like Apple and google, with Lockheed and dozens of others. It's pretty clear if you think about it. During the past four years of Bush II, the national debt went from 5.5 to $8trillion. Where is that money going? We all know that military families often need to get food stamps because the wife can't find a job in the far-flung rural towns where they put bases like Fort Bragg,NC, and soldiers often get along the lines of $17,000. The bloated military budget is largely going to weapons development and contractors like Bechtel who pay workers much much higher than military.
The housing market has greatly inflated in the same areas as these companies where the $2.5 trillion debt flowed into - Orange county and the south bay. There should be a lot more protests in this area, rather than downtown San Francisco.
By the way, you're totally right about the SF Bay area, plus I believe the S. of Los Angeles area where Orange county is - as being the centers of the military industrial complex. In high school in another state where there was domination by the 4x4 truck/country/suburban white male into gangster rap clique, if someone said San Francisco - they would all giggle and say it is a city filled with 'fags' and liberal hippies.
But Sunnyvale and the south bay have more military development jobs pretty much than computer firms like Apple and google, with Lockheed and dozens of others. It's pretty clear if you think about it. During the past four years of Bush II, the national debt went from 5.5 to $8trillion. Where is that money going? We all know that military families often need to get food stamps because the wife can't find a job in the far-flung rural towns where they put bases like Fort Bragg,NC, and soldiers often get along the lines of $17,000. The bloated military budget is largely going to weapons development and contractors like Bechtel who pay workers much much higher than military.
The housing market has greatly inflated in the same areas as these companies where the $2.5 trillion debt flowed into - Orange county and the south bay. There should be a lot more protests in this area, rather than downtown San Francisco.
i was at that protest...i was most likely the youngest person there.
my boyfriend and i went to what we thought was a peacful protest..which it turned out not to be.things went bad pretty bad quick after the protest begain...i had people tring to tear my poster and yelling things i never wanna hear old people yell again
my boyfriend and i went to what we thought was a peacful protest..which it turned out not to be.things went bad pretty bad quick after the protest begain...i had people tring to tear my poster and yelling things i never wanna hear old people yell again
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