AFL-CIO sues over suppressed protests

Four years ago, members of the AFL-CIO and other groups joined protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas conference in Miami.

Just before this event - as was reported in The Last Word of 11/18/03 - the city passed a law against water balloons and entrusted Police Chief John Timoney with handling the protests. This is the same John Timoney who as Philadelphia Police Commissioner presided over the illegal crackdowns against peaceful protestors who demonstrated against the 2000 Republican National Convention. When he was Deputy Inspector for New York City's police, Timoney led attacks against the homeless and housing activists in Tompkins Square Park. Timoney's "Miami model" for silencing dissent using police violence and unlawful arrests made him a hero among the Far Right. While conservatives praised Timoney, a judge presiding over the cases of Miami protestors said he saw "no less than 20 felonies committed by police officers'' during the event.

Also, even though Timoney claims to be a big anti-drug guy, his own son has been arrested for attempting to buy 400 pounds of marijuana. Having an offspring caught with illicit substances seems to happen a lot with public figures who boast about how anti-drug they are. (Didn't this also happen with the sons of Randy Cunningham and Rod Grams?)

Now the AFL-CIO is suing over what happened in Miami, saying Timoney's police force conspired to violate their rights and those of other nonviolent dissidents, including groups representing senior citizens. Cops pretty much shut down a union rally and profiled protestors.

Hopefully this suit also challenges Miami's ban of water balloons - which appears to be permanent and citywide, according to press reports. In 2005, a federal judge stopped Fort Lauderdale from enforcing a law that limited what items people could possess at protests against the Organization of American States conference. It was clear that the city was only trying to stifle dissent by effectively banning large banners (by outlawing the posts needed to support them).

I hope the AFL-CIO prevails. The Bush brand of conservatives have been out for dissenters' blood for years and the attacks against activists in Miami prove it. Few things are more satisfying than a successful lawsuit that kerpows the arrogant sneers off the oozing, maggoty faces of the Bushists.

(Source: http://www.nbc6.net/news/14609067/detail.html;
http://onepeoplesproject.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=454&Itemid=27;
Miami Herald 6/3/05)