Raise the Fist at melbourne Indymedia.

[Matthew X]

http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=33231&group=webcast
Anarchists,Indymedia under attack.
by Russell Walsh 2:44am Mon Sep 9 '02 article#33231



The Mayday of 2001 led State police violence and repression as detailed in 
Article,an alleged threat to police posted here eight days later has led to 
a court case here in Melb.
Another alleged 'threat' coincided closely with the most violent and 
unprecedented attack on an Indymedia station.People being hospitalized and 
as at S11,2000 having their teeth smashed out.50 police are under 
investigation in Italy and some have admitted planting 'weapons' and faking 
'assaults' on them.
This is from raisethefist.
Long Beach Anarchist Movement Under Heavy Fire
by xxxxx Thu May 23 20:09:02 PDT 2002







May Day 2001, the now infamous riot in the streets of Long Beach, was just 
the beginning of a well organized conspiracy to destroy the growing 
anarchist movement in Southern California.


The City of Long Beach, and it's police department, is now at the forefront 
of a well-organized quasilegal conspiracy, in the cahoots with Los Angeles, 
La Habra, Fullerton, and the orange County and Los Angeles sheriffs 
departments. Rest assured that the Feds are also heavily involved.

Their goal is to jail a few of the most outspoken anarchists in order to 
intimidate the rest of the movement. We have seen this scheme played out 
already in Eugene with devastating results.


Regardless of the harassment by the Long Beach Police Department, the 
activists continued to do work to better the community.

Groups and programs such as 'Food Not Bombs' (an anti-military network that 
serves food as a protest to war and arms), 'COPWATCH' (an organization who 
monitors unlawful police activity), 'POWER' (an anti-authoritarian, 
anti-war/anti-racist group) have been created to empower the local community.

On April 20, 2002, Mathew Gordon Lamont, a Long Beach Activist, who has 
been highly involved with the above mentioned groups and the infoshoppe 
along with Maxwell Lucas, a Food Not Bombs Activist, were pulled over in 
the city of La Habra (Orange County) after being followed by 2 Long Beach 
detectives.

While their car was pulled over for unknown reasons, it was searched by 
LONG BEACH DETECTIVES (Long Beach is Los Angeles County Jurisdiction). The 
detectives found a gas can in the car, arrested the two men and took them 
into custody.

Maxwell Lucas, who is a juvenile, was taken to the Orange County Juvenile 
Detention Center in Orange, CA. He is being charged with but not limited to 
the felony of possession of a destructive device.

Matthew Lamont is being held in the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange, CA. and 
is being charged with 4 felony charges of possession of a destructive 
device, transporting of a destructive device, the use of a destructive 
device, and the possession of materials/instructions to make a destructive 
device.

Matthew was scheduled to have his first arraignment on Tuesday April 23rd 
in Division 7 of the Central Court of Orange County in the city of 
Fullerton. During this arraignment Matthew asked for a 3-week continuance 
in order to obtain an attorney. Matt's bail was placed at 100,000 dollars.

Tuesday May 14th, 2002, Matthew Lamont had a scheduled court date in Santa 
Ana's Central Court for his extended arraignment. A small demonstration had 
previously been called for in front of the courthouse. However, when the 
demonstrators arrived they were greeted by at least 100 cops in full riot 
gear, undercover cops, sheriff's deputies, police horses, etc.

The first group of demonstrators who arrived - unmasked, unarmed, 
unthreatening in every way - decided to go inside to view court 
proceedings. They proceeded to walk up to the court and waited for a few 
others to show up before proceeding inside.

The demonstrators were told that Matthew Lamont's hearing was held first 
thing in the morning before his scheduled appearance. THIS IS NOT A 
COINCIDENCE. It's an obvious attempt to lower his morale by making it 
difficult for supporters to appear in court and show support.

The demonstrators then decided to wait out in front for more people to show 
up. Several sheriff deputies then confronted the demonstrators and said, 
"OK, people! I need to see your I.D's!". Only one person co-operated with 
them and the rest refused to show identification. The sheriffs then backed 
off when they realized they wouldn't be able to get any more information.

Just moments later, the police started forming a line in front of the court 
door and strapped on their riot helmets and gear. They then surrounded the 
demonstrators up against a wall, and one officer read a dispersal order 
saying that if the group didn't disperse immediately they will all be 
arrested. Disappointed, the small group had no choice but to leave.

As the small group proceeded to leave, two demonstrators were searched by 
police as they arrived to their car. When the rest arrived at the parking 
lot, the parking attendant told them that the police ordered him to let 
them into the lot to investigate for bombs.

Just as the small group of demonstrators were forced to leave, another 
group of 8 had arrived. They stood across the street with a banner that 
read, "FIGHT POLITICAL REPRESSION! FREE MATT & MAX!".

Police, and undercover officers proceeded to surveil the peaceful 
demonstrators with video cameras.

Realizing the enormous police presence, 3 demonstrators went to get a video 
camera from their car so they could tape the overwhelming police presence. 
As they tried to do so, they were closely followed by 3 police cars. As the 
3 demonstrators left the car and proceeded back to the demo, the police 
stayed behind and appeared to be analyzing the vehicle.

Another demonstrator went into the court house and was confronted by a LOS 
ANGELES SHERIFFS DEPUTY who told her that Matthew had already had his 
arraignment and left court.

Despite this, the demonstrators still decided to continue on with the 
peaceful demonstration which took place on the side walk across the street 
from the court house. Approximately 15-20 minutes later, the riot police 
began to disperse and leave the area. The riot police on horses left 
shortly afterwards. The sheriffs, and undercover officers remained on the 
scene and continued to video tape the demonstrators. After about an hour 
and a half, Matthew was seen leaving the court in the back of a squad car.

Matthew's arraignment was supposed to be scheduled at the North Court in 
Fullerton, but was then moved to the Central Court in Santa Ana only 2 days 
before the demonstration. This was an obvious attempt to disorganize the 
event in fears of large amounts of people coming to show support.

Matthew is being charged with 4 felony counts, and is facing serious jail 
time.

At Matthews first arraignment, Tuesday April 23rd, one if his supporters, 
Jeff Hendricks, yelled out in support as he was being led back out of the 
courtroom by the bailiff. The Judge pressed the emergency button and the 
bailiff immediately arrested Jeff.

Jeff was arrested for two misdemeanor charges: contempt of court and 
communication with a prisoner. Jeff was held on 15,000 bail until his 
arraignment on Thursday April 25. During his arraignment Jeff had his bail 
lowered to 7,500. On Friday Jeff made bail and was about to be released 
when a Deputy ran into the release room of the jail with a hold: A new 
warrant from the Long Beach police department for remaining at the scene of 
a riot.

Jeff was placed back into custody and transported to an L.A county 
facility. Jeff made a phone call earlier that day from jail and told 
friends that he was put in HIGH SECURITY after being arrested at court (on 
minor misdemeanor charges), and had his picture taken by the FBI, and was 
continuously being questioned by authorities. While in custody, Jeff's car 
was impounded and searched for "explosives". At 4 am Saturday morning Jeff 
was again bailed out.

Jeff is currently out on bail and is facing his two misdemeanor charges as 
well as a probation violation. The probation stems from his plead of no 
contest to failure to disperse after his arrest in the Long Beach May Day 
2001 police riot. Jeff now faces up to 2 years in jail.

Political repression in Long Beach has increased outrageously since May Day 
2001, where approximately 100 demonstrators were brutally attacked and 
arrested as they attempted to peacefully march for workers rights.

It was only two minutes into the demonstration and police began swinging 
their batons. The march didn't last more than 15 minutes before police 
opened fire with riot guns, forcing half of the march to disperse down a 
drive-way where they were beaten to the ground. The other half dispersed up 
against building where they were trapped after police unloaded several 
hundred rounds of rubber bullets on them. With guns still drawn, 
one-by-one, everyone was arrested.

May 1st, 2002 set the worst case of police brutality in Long Beach in 33 
years. Demonstrators suffered fractured arms due to baton swings, and 
penetrating wounds from scatter-shot projectiles fired from 12-Gauge shot 
guns.

Bail was set as high as $25,000 for some arrestees. Many were being charged 
with 6 different misdemeanor charges. Despite the enormous repression, many 
of those arrested still decided to take their cases to trial.

After September 11th occurred, the prosecutor and judge decided to include 
3 years maximum jail time if convicted, along new plea which consisted of 
30 days minimum in jail time if the previous plea bargain (1 year 
probation) wasn't taken immediately. After this, the majority of arrestees 
decided to plea in fear of serving heavy jail time. This was an obvious 
threat which demonstrated a clear act of prejudice directed towards the 
arrestees because of their political beliefs.

On November 15th Robert Middaugn, who was one of those arrested on mayday, 
was scheduled to begin his trial. Robert had been in Jail since May 1st and 
was charged with Felony assault against a peace officer, Felony riot, 
Felony conspiracy, Felony resisting arrest, and misdemeanor failure to 
disperse.

At the time of his arrest on May 1st Ruckus was on formal probation 
stemming from pleading guilty to assault against a police officer at the 
Democratic National Convention. When supporters of Ruckus appeared in court 
the morning of November 15th there were 4 police sitting in the courtroom 
in the jury chairs. Ruckus' supporters soon learned that these police were 
there to testify against him for his parole violation hearing.

Yes, the police court was going to have Robert's probation violation 
hearing before his trial; in reality you're guilty until proven innocent in 
the American injustice system. The prosecution put the 'deal' of offering 
Ruckus 3 years in State Prison and 3 years formal probation upon release.

In order to coerce Ruckus into taking the plea the judge informed Ruckus 
that he would be facing 4 years just for his probation violation not to 
mention a possible 13 more if found guilty of the other charges.

Ruckus was threatened with 17 years in prison. After taking the plea for 3 
years in state prison, Ruckus found himself possibly facing a 3rd strike on 
a new charge that will give him another 20 years to life.

The repression didn't end here. In fact it only got worse.

On Feburary 24th, another mayday arrestee, Sherman Austin, was raided by 25 
heavily armed FBI agents and Secret Service for running a Los Angeles based 
anarchist web site, Raisethefist.com.

Raisethefist.com was an alternative media site conversing a diversity of 
subjects including anarchism, activism, and current events not reported by 
mainstream media or even what passes as alternative media were reported and 
commented on in an open publishing format available to the public.

Heavily armed with shot guns and machine guns, the FBI, Secret Service, 
LAPD and LASD surrounded Sherman in his home before pulling him outside and 
storming his house.

FBI agents confiscated his computer equipment, along with his political 
literature and shut down the site along with the newly opened, 
laanrchists.org (Los Angeles Anarchist Collective) site that he also 
recently created.

Despite the raid, Sherman still decided to protest the World Economic Forum 
in New York that month. After being targeted by authorities, he was then 
arrested by New York police, interrogated by the FBI and Secret Service for 
several hours, released, and then re-arrested minutes later by 6 FBI agents 
on charges from the new "Patriot Act".

Sherman was called a terrorist in the court room and was denied bail as the 
judge rendered him a "threat to the community". After spending nearly 2 
weeks in Maximum Security Federal Prison on 2 bogus felony counts that 
served a maximum 30 years jail sentence, Sherman's charges were 
mysteriously dropped and he was released "pending further investigation". 
The FBI to this day still remains in possession his computer equipment and 
political literature.

The new "Patriot Act" gives law enforcements a new excuse to raid, surveil, 
follow, detain, incarcerate and deport anyone who even remotely sees to 
challenge the oppressive, brutal policies of the U.S injustice system.

Hasan Hasan, a math instructor at Cerritos college and member of the Long 
Beach Peace Network, was illegally detained by the INS. Without being given 
any reason Hasan Hasan was both fired from his job and arrested within a 
matter of minutes. This was an obvious setup to target Hasan for his 
political beliefs. Hasan now faces deportation charges.

A year had gone by since May Day '01, and in the first verdicts to come out 
of the violent police riot which erupted from a would-be peaceful march, 
jurors on Tuesday, May 21st acquitted two people of failure to disperse and 
convicted a third of unlawful assembly and wearing a mask with the "intent 
to commit a crime".

Sarah Roberts, 26, the only one convicted, was handcuffed and taken into 
sheriff's custody after the verdicts were read. Over the strong objection 
of her attorney, Roberts was also ordered held on $100,000 bail until her 
sentencing.

At Roberts sentencing on May 23rd, she was sentenced to 6 months in LA 
County and given $1,000.00 fine.

Excessive surveillance, profiling, arrests and harassment has been 
experience by many local activists, especially those associated with the 
Long Beach Infoshoppe. There isn't one hour that the LBPD doesn't pass the 
Infoshoppe at least once. Their almost subtle monitoring consist of silver 
cars parked in front of the Infoshoppe, following local activists to and 
from events, videotaping, and harassing activists and community supporters.

Political repression continues to intensify in Long Beach around the 
anarchist movement. The Long Beach Police Department are at forefront of a 
well-organized quasilegal conspiracy, in the cahoots with Los Angeles, La 
Habra, Fullerton, and the orange County and Los Angeles sheriffs 
departments and FBI. Their goal is to destroy the growing anarchist 
movement in Southern California. We've seen this happen in Eugene, and in 
the 60's with devastating results. We must not let it happen again! We must 
take immediate action to resist the repression and to free all political 
prisoners. We must take action now, otherwise it will be too late!



For more information please contact the Long Beach Infoshoppe at 
562-434-6934. 684 Redondo Ave Long Beach, CA

Police share high quality and high cost communications,is it simply 
co-incidence that certain events are so tightly linked?
Remember the kidnapping of jaggi Singh?

First they came for the ELF and ALF suspects and I said nothing because I 
eat meat and pull down a great wage at the woodchip factory,then they came 
for the anarchists and IMCista's and I thought,I don't need reminding about 
a lot of depressing BS,then they came for everyone in the union and 
co-op,good riddance,no more dues and friggin' string bags.Then they started 
dissapearing people at random like what happened in Stalins Russia...the 
odds are they wont pick me...I hope.I do love big bother and we have always 
been at war with Oceania bin Laden.Right?
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