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Cops Raid Radicals

Looking for Protest Paraphernalia Associated with Occupy Seattle

Cops Raid Radicals

Just after dawn on July 10, Seattle police officers raided a Central District apartment looking for goggles, bandannas, and other evidence of politically motivated vandalism from this year's May Day protests. Several hundred people had attended the demonstrations, but some activists in black smashed out the windows of businesses and a few cars parked downtown.

Phillip Neel, the local activist whose name was on the warrant, was awakened that morning by a loud bang. "My first instinct," he said, "was that it was Fourth of July and we were hearing fireworks." It was, in fact, police breaking down the door and throwing flash-bang grenades. Officers detained the four occupants of the apartment—two residents, two visitors—at gunpoint, interrogated them, and searched the residence for articles of clothing that the suspects may have been wearing during the May Day smashup, as well as political literature about anarchism.

According to the warrant inventory, signed by Detective Wesley Friesen, the officers seized a pair of goggles, a black bandanna, and paperwork associated with "anarchists in the Occupy movement."

A few hours after the raid, SPD spokesperson Sean Whitcomb responded to some accusations on social media that police were overreacting. "I'd say the May Day violence was the worst I'd seen since WTO," Whitcomb told The Stranger, adding that the ongoing investigation is "a priority" for the department. A police statement said, "There may be more search warrants in the future." recommended

 

Comments (24) RSS

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1
Thanks yet again for the coverage, Brendan.
This is terrible, terrible news for our community. How many feature films about scary Police States does our numbed society need to consume before it realizes we're living in one? V for Vendetta was not an action flick, for fuck's sake!
Posted by d.colonel.eyes on July 11, 2012 at 10:15 AM · Report
2
Good JUSTICE served !!!!! Lets find the rest of these losers and make them pay for their uncivlized, savage behavior. If these *ssholes
think they can cause damage and destroy other peoples property they are sadly mistaken.
Posted by Tom Pacard on July 11, 2012 at 12:42 PM · Report
3
d eyes.

You are a complete uneducated POS moron.
Posted by Tim Packard on July 11, 2012 at 12:47 PM · Report
4
So your crap was broken and sense of security shattered? Doesn't feel very good when it happens to you, huh?

This story made my day.
Posted by Reality1 on July 11, 2012 at 2:43 PM · Report
5
Most of the goggles and bandannas are back at the police academy, where the smartass recruits hid them in the first place after pretending to be "anarchists" in order to give the big-boy cops a justification for the teargas and the head wounds.

Posted by AlaskanbutnotSeanParnell on July 11, 2012 at 4:33 PM · Report
6
As for the stuff at THIS apartment, somebody's dog probably woke up later and wondered who the hell ripped off his bandanna.
Posted by AlaskanbutnotSeanParnell on July 11, 2012 at 4:34 PM · Report
7
This is BULLSHIT. How long are we going to put up with crap like this? Does the Constitution mean nothing?!
Posted by Gibstack on July 11, 2012 at 5:49 PM · Report
8
This is BULLSHIT. How long will we put up with things like this? Does the Constitution mean nothing?!
Posted by Gibstack on July 11, 2012 at 5:52 PM · Report
stoompy 9
They keep showing the suspected anarchists on Washingtons most wanted! They suck and all hurting the Nike store like that but god dammit get to the murderous sadomasochistic rapists loose in washington!
Posted by stoompy http://www.efukt.com/ on July 11, 2012 at 9:41 PM · Report
10
Dear SPD; even with the Feds watching you're still pulling this shit? Wow. Dear Feds; please save my city of Seattle from police breaking the law.
Posted by ooppoddoo on July 12, 2012 at 7:43 AM · Report
11
Yeah, I support civil rights.

But I wouldn't be too upset if the cops knocked a few of these kids heads together.

Seems like the only way they are going to grow up is to get the crap beat out of 'em.

You start a riot? Expect your house to get raided.
Posted by David in Shoreline on July 12, 2012 at 1:57 PM · Report
12
Flashbangs... really? Was that level of violence really warrented aganist people who might have broken some windows?
Posted by K1234567890 on July 12, 2012 at 10:04 PM · Report
heavyhebrew 13
Starts with looking for bandannas and literature.

It ends with looking for YOU.
Posted by heavyhebrew on July 12, 2012 at 10:47 PM · Report
destroythebrain 14
@11, you can't support civil rights conditionally. It doesn't work that way. You don't get to say thumbs up to the rights that effect you directly, but thumbs down to other people's rights that you don't agree with. That's bullshit.
Posted by destroythebrain on July 13, 2012 at 8:54 AM · Report
15
I agree with #11. If you commit civil disobedience, be prepared to pay the price.
Posted by Mister G on July 13, 2012 at 12:19 PM · Report
spfldnet 16
If you see protesters in black check to see if they are wearing Tactical Boots which are steel toed and have a zipper along the inside ankle. They may be hired private security provocateurs. You can get the boots at Galls.com. I used to be a security officer until I decided to look for better paying work.
Posted by spfldnet http://spfld.net on July 13, 2012 at 1:58 PM · Report
17
Hey spfldnet!

Nice tinfoil hat ya got there.
Posted by Anarchists Suck on July 13, 2012 at 8:04 PM · Report
18
SPD BS, yet again, not surprised. That's their job, to be total fucking jack booted moronic thugs! But christ, keep "V For Vendetta" far away from all this. Crap. I'd kick in someone's door and bash their head in for referencing that movie alone!
Posted by wicked lester on July 14, 2012 at 6:32 AM · Report
19
Wow David!?! Forgot we still have uninformed idiots in Seattle... Thanx for the reminder bud;)
Posted by Wheredidtheconstitutiongo!?!?! on July 14, 2012 at 6:52 AM · Report
20
David (#11)God willing you haven't fathered
anything!!
Posted by 54321 on July 14, 2012 at 7:05 AM · Report
Badthing 21
@11 Your making assumptions that are unfounded, and if your actually think those "kids" could use getting their heads knocked together I'm sorry about your own childhood. And lets not forget the most american thing of all, "innocent until proven guilty" and if you can't prove it your just being an asshole. How very un-patriotic of ya!
Posted by Badthing on July 15, 2012 at 1:02 PM · Report
22
@14 You (they) most decidedly do not have a right to go breaking other people's shit without consequence to yourself (themselves). Full-stop. It's not objecting to rights they have conditionally... it's objecting to behavior they've got no right to. Learn the difference... it's not even very nuanced: If you don't want the cops after you, don't go shattering people's car windows, storefronts, and splashing paint all over everywhere.
Posted by pheeeew!crack!boom! on July 16, 2012 at 1:08 PM · Report
23
I'm sorry... bandannas and goggles? Doesn't everyone have those? And doesn't everyone interested in political theory have books on anarchism (and communism, and libertarianism, and monarchy, ...)?
Posted by treeowl on July 18, 2012 at 5:50 AM · Report
24
#11

Anytime somebody says "Yeah, I support civil rights/ BUT..."

That's the same thing as saying "I don't give a damn about civil rights".

If we only have rights when it's convenient for our rulers that we have them, we don't have rights at all.
Posted by AlaskanbutnotSeanParnell on July 25, 2012 at 6:17 PM · Report

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