So you may have heard there were some “protests” over “free trade negotiations” in Miami this week. Thursday and Friday, to be specific. Feedback from around the country seems to suggest little to no news coverage of what happened.
What happened in Miami involved the worst display of police violence unleashed on a demonstration in recent U.S. history. In fact, there really wasn’t much “demonstrating” taking place: those who were able to get into fortified downtown Miami were simply maneuvered around by phalanxes of riot police until their gatherings were broken up – usually with the use of excessive force, which included various plastic/rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray (both in spray and capsule form, shot from shotguns), taser guns, and the always-useful wooden club.
Snatch squads were in full effect – activists were abducted off the street by police dressed as protesters, whose only sign of true identity were the tasers they pulled out on alarmed bystanders.
In the midst of all this, some still managed to feed Miami’s homeless, and school kids made field trips to the Indymedia Center.
Final totals: 250+ arrested, several hundred injured (at least one in critical condition after a police beating), reports of torture in jail – and near-silence from the mainstream media, with the exception of pats on the back from the journalists who embedded themselves in the police lines.
If you prefer the extra raw feed, I highly recommend this categorized archive of hundreds of photos taken by IMCstas on the ground there, or the archives of the IMC web radio stream. Personally, 
this clip (1:10, 556K) from a Blast Furnace Radio correspondent pretty much summarizes the balance of force – a cop drunk on power to the point of absurdity.
Mind you, this was action at a trade meeting. Meanwhile, president Bush was in London. And while the risk of terrorism was undoubtedly higher because of his presence, 200,000+ marched past Parliament and Downing Street, dragged down statues of Bush and lit bonfires in Trafalgar Square – and there was no amazing display of anti-crowd weaponry. What is wrong with this picture?
Once again, Indymedia comes through on stories like no other outlet, with a level of depth and detail far beyond what passes for “real” journalism. Max props go out to IMC-FTAA and IMC-UK on their collective coverage.
Skip to content