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PrintStudents allege RCMP brutality at UBC
Students for a Democratic Society issued this news release (see below) in connection with allegations of RCMP brutality on the UBC campus this weekend. Straight.com has been unable to confirm the allegations contained in this news release, but decided to post it on the Web site for the benefit of anyone wondering about the students' point of view on this matter.
PRESS RELEASE: POLICE BRUTALITY AT KNOLL AID
Today a peaceful celebration in defence of public space at UBC was violently quashed by the RCMP. This press release was written on April 5th at 1 a.m. with limited available information. All the events discussed herein have been either captured by camera or can be corroborated by multiple eyewitness accounts.
On Friday, April 4th, UBC students loosely associated with Trek Park and SDS held "Knoll Aid 2.0," a musical celebration of public space on campus.
Knoll Aid 2.0 was part of a larger campaign against the commercialization of campus, the demolition of the grassy knoll, and the development of a $40 underground bus-loop. Knoll Aid 2.0 was an overwhelmingly peaceful event and featured local musicians, free food, and three simultaneous petition drives. It was attended by primarily UBC students.
Though Knoll Aid 2.0 began at noon on Friday, at around 8:00/8:30 RCMP and the Fire department arrived at the area known as "Trek Park" (a liberated space near the grassy knoll) because some students had created a small bonfire. Citing a bylaw violation, the RCMP approached one student, Stefanie Ratjen, in a rather aggressive manner and began speaking with her.
After a dialogue, the contents of which are still unknown, Stefanie was grabbed by an RCMP officer and thrown to the ground, pinned, and handcuffed. Her face was literally shoved in a puddle of mud while an RCMP officer sat on top of her. After this uncalled act of police aggression, fellow students came to her aid. One musician was immediately arrested for questioning the RCMP officer's treatment of Stefanie. For approx. two hours students formed a chain to protest RCMP action and several students attempted to peacefully negotiate the release of Stefanie and the musician (whose name at this point is unknown).
During this time approx. 30 RCMP cars with officers from across Vancouver and the lower mainland including Richmond came to UBC. Campus security was also present and threatened to discipline students if they did not cooperate with the RCMP. Police officers systematically attempted to break the human chain students had formed by pushing, shoving and kicking.
RCMP officers randomly arrested any student present at the scene including Bahram Norouzi who was arrested in the middle of a CTV interview. At around 10:30 p.m. on approx. 25 students were arrested and detained. They were brought to a Main and Hastings detention center where they presently still remain.
This press release would like to draw attention to the conduct of the RCMP.
A university is intended for students, not the police. Upon entering student space, the police should have had the decency, at the very least, to deal with students in a respectful and dignified manner. Instead, RCMP officers were highly aggressive and belligerent. RCMP officers committed gross abuses of power by, for example, threatening to release dogs on students and pointing taser guns at students that were already pinned down to the floor.
The actions of RCMP officers are testament of police misconduct, if not brutality. We demand the release of all students arrested and demand that all charges be dropped. Furthermore, we demand an inquiry of the RCMP's actions in relation to this event and the treatment of students. Lastly, we demand that UBC administration defends student's rights to a peaceful protest.
To repeat, this was a peaceful celebration/concert in defence of public space. The RCMP had no right to violently quash a peaceful student protest.
Signed,
Trek Park for the People
Students for a Democratic Society
Student Environment Center
Social Justice Center
--
Students for a Democratic Society, UBC
See also, UBC students call for public inquiry to investigate RCMP response.
Comments
You can't call that a peaceful protest.
2008-04-05 15:15:02 File #University 2008-981
Volatile situation at UBC results in the arrest of 19 individuals
Vancouver, BC: On April 4, 2008 at approximately 08:00 pm, UBC Campus Security requested the assistance of the University Detachment RCMP and the Vancouver Fire Department in dealing with a group of about 100 individuals and a large bonfire near the Student Union Building.
Upon their arrival, firefighters deemed the fire unsafe and asked for police assistance to move the protesters so they could put it out. Despite several police verbal commands to move, the individuals banded together against police and prevented fire crews from putting out the blazing fire.
Several individuals became combative and resisted arrest. One individual was arrested, handcuffed and placed in police vehicle as a result of his actions at this time.
The group then placed themselves around the police vehicle locking arms and preventing police from transporting the prisoner to cells, despite many warnings they would be arrested for obstructing a police officer.
At that time, the 3 RCMP Members called for back up resources from Richmond RCMP and VPD because protestors continued to refuse commands to disperse.
Nineteen individuals were eventually safely arrested and are currently in custody. They are facing a veriety of charges inlcuding assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, obstruction of police officer. The fire was eventually extinguished by firefighters. This dangerous situation was brought under control through the co-ordinated actions of University RCMP with the mutual aid provided by police officers from Vancouver and Richmond.
This matter remains under investigation. Media inquiries can be directed to Cst Annie Linteau, Strategic Communication Section, (604)264-2929.
It was peaceful because people deliberately avoided touching or assaulting police or police property. Yelling was the worst that it got... no stones, punches, etc.
This did seem like an absurd overreaction to the circumstance. Videos, eyewitnesses, and contradictory statements by officers all call into question the legitimacy of the first arrest that lead to the mobilization and mass arrests.
This video shows students that were watching or backing away being arrested by the police, in addition to one student being thrown to the ground violently around the 1 minute mark. This was not an appropriate or necessary response to the students sitting down behind the car, and these students certainly did not need to be arrested and taken to jail overnight. Police could have done a much better job of diffusing the situation and didn't need to escalate the situation. If you watch the video, the crowd only starts cursing and swearing after the first hits and kicks start to come at the protesters. As far as resisting arrest, there is simply no evidence of it.
1) Protesters impaired firemens' ability to do their job. Fireman, more often than not, are the ones who are willing to risk their own lives to save the lives of others. In my view, they should never be impaired from doing their duties, nor should they be aggressed against.
2) "Save the Knoll, Fuck the Bitch!" Any peaceful protest I've ever been to, does not contain such a misogynist perspective! Presumably, protesters were chanting this slogan as a result of a female RCMP member being present. But again, in the face of such overt aggression, how are the police expected to react in a peaceful manner?
It appears that campus security/campus "police" are involved in the second video and appear to be using force (it's not a very high quality video, so I could be wrong). If so - doesn't that fall outside of their boundaries of enforcement? Beyond the RCMP, what role did the campus security play in all of this?
When is this going to stop? This city seems to be out of control. While I think there's an argument to be made that you have to expect that the fire department and police are going to show up when you have a big bonfire on UBC campus (I mean, come on), it does seem like the police acted in a very aggressive manner. The related articles on this website provide further evidence that the police are behaving in a grossly inappropriate manner in other instances. So what do we do? Where is the BCCLA on this one?
The videos do NOT show any hint of so-called 'police brutality'. There have been enough contradictions in 'eyewitness accounts'
The girl who jumped in front of the hose has one of the highest ranking positions in our Alma Mater Society. I am ashamed to say that a few of the people that night also hold postions on AMS. It is a disgrace to our school and to students everywhere.
The RCMP were doing their job well from what I see in the videos. Those students deserve to spend a night in jail.
Also, it should be brought to your attention that the knoll hasn't been in the plan for 'destruction' for months. It will be incorporated into the design for the new campus centre. They are no longer protesting the Knoll.
It's funny how they are 'Students for a Democratic Society', yet they feel as though they can pick and choose which democratically-designated laws to obey.
Check out Trek Park that these people have installed by the Knoll. It's unsightly and does not prove a point.
It seems that the police, or the authority directing operations, have little knowledge of their purpose, where they are, or who they are serving.
I saw no violence, in the videos, on either side, (except, forceably moving people around, and assualts on people's, 'sense-of-right'), but a major clash of perceptions of where they were.
A University is traditionaly, a protected place, where 'all Knowledge' is studied. Never considered a high-crime area, alternate authorities, entering this domain are both students and teachers, and participate, in the study.
The cheif of the RCMP detachment has stated to me that his primary concern is organized crime at UBC (Organized Crime is his major area of expertise), and that he suspects it must exist, somewhere. He probably does not see himself as the servant of radical students (or frequenters of UBC), who are learning, in order to formulate new ideas, and modles for society.
These people, do expound their conclusions; sometimes very quietly, and sometimes very loudly. (If people were shouting after midnight, this is definately, a crime.)
While students are testing assumptions, and lifestyles; the mission, purpose, and command-direction of the authorities is unknown, and may be non-existant; which would lead to radom acts, taken out of shear boredom, familiarity-with-past-duties, and ignorance of purpose.
It is time that the UBC detachment is integrated into the University creed of a search for knowledge and the required patience of such a search.
There was probably no need for action, but the option of doing-nothing (The first option), and the individual police officer's duty of using his own disgression in each, different situation is usually over-ruled, by the reality of tired feet; resultant from 'standing-around'.
The cause of most crime is boredom.
Brianjc@Rocketmail.com
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