I was there on my bicycle. I could have been beaten. This was a totally non-provoked attack on peaceful people walking down Main Street Rochester. Mayor Duffy, you should be ashamed of the way your city acted! Darryl Porter, Special Assistant to Mayor Duffy, I just had dinner with you 2 nights ago. You were in the 1964 riot on Clarissa Street in Rochester. Why are you letting your boss do this???

Reading about this makes me feel sick. I respect the young people organizing funk the war, and I honor their dedication to fighting injustice. I hope that the events of today are examined in great detail and the police are reprimanded and reminded that their supposed duty is to protect people, not hurt them!

I like your name. It's exactly what they did..they caused a RIOT

I participated in this peaceful march today. I sit here hours later still in shock. The police started attacking us for no reason at all. It was terrifying to see the police throwing people to ground, kneeling on their heads and punching them. We pleaded for them to stop but more and more people were taken down. I am disgusted with the police and ashamed of this city.

It's important for everyone to keep in mind that this kind of brutality happens every day here in the city of Rochester--it just doesn't usually happen to white people, and it's not usually caught on tape (this one was; watch for the video of the attack, coming very soon). If this was an eye-opening experience for some, and people are truly moved to take steps toward preventing it from happening again, then great! Let's organize around this issue FOR REAL.

Someone must have footage of the event that clears the participants. Get it online!

i wish i was there.was at mar19th f.t.w.. had to be at my crappy job instead. in my opinion RPD IS USELESS! all they do is protect suburbinites that are downtown for sporting events. and herass black people. it took them 4 hours to show up to my place when one of my neighbors stopped by for help after her husband choked and beat her senseless. and when i lived in the 19th ward, THEY WOULDNT EVEN SHOW UP FOR REPORTS OF GUNSHOTS. fucking useless!

Right on Tim A. You are absolutely right.

Disgusting abuse of power. Police: This is part of why people don't like you.

The news reports so far have unsurprisingly taken the side of the powerful. None of the "professionals" bother to question how a group of 60 unarmed protesters somehow were to blame for a clash with at least 20 heavily armed cops who supposedly have years of training in "crowd control." Even under their stated reason, failing to observe a fire truck siren is grounds for beating, tackling and arrest? So the cops ARE allowed to decide who is guilty and innocent.

And by the way, I watched the "fire truck" incident. With all the honking and noise it was hard to hear the fire truck. As soon as everyone saw and heard the truck, everyone backed up, but the cops were already shoving and swearing, displaying the contempt they ALREADY had for the protestors.

These cops just wanted to beat on some "anti-americans" and they found their pretext. If anyone wasn't sure what the cops job is, i hope you do now. "To Serve and Protect the smooth operation of the rich and their system"

Viewing the video provided simply shows peaceful protest cutting quickly to footage of police swarming and protesters on the ground. Please show the ENTIRE video, so then we can all see and know what the truth of the matter is.

It shows that because that's what happened. I'm not sure what else you want. If you are thinking about the assertions from the police and corporate media that the protesters threw drums at the cops, I believe this video shows pretty conclusively that that's not the case.

Of course, it's impossible to completely prove that something *didn't* happen. However, have the cops provided any shred of evidence at all to support their claims? If not why should we give them any credence?

we should give them the credence because that's what we pay them to do and its easy to prove that something didn't happen....by showing that it didn't happen. That's why people were video taping the protest -- to prove what did and did not happen...the sloppy camera work does not prove any of the accounts of police brutality and only shows them doing what we ask of them.

I have seen video of the police clash with protestors...sorry guys but i think your in the wrong.

First off you were protesting without a permit and walking down the street obstructing traffic and then the firetruck tries to get through and it has to compete with 100 protesters to get by. Once the firetruck made the call that there was an unlawful assembly (meaning you guys didn't secure the proper permits and were blocking traffic) the cops can come in and arrest you. If you resist the arrest they can use force in order to arrest you. The police are there to protect the public good. And it is in the publics best interests to have the streets clear for traffic and emergency vehicles.

The group that put this rally on should have secured the proper permits for an assembly/parade so they could march in the street or gotten guidelines from the city as to where they could hold their protest while remaining within the law (like the side walk or a neighboring park). You have only yourself to blame for getting arrested someone could have died because of your foolishness!!!

It seems to me that someone could have died because of the police's foolishness, or better stated, fascistic action. I find it difficult to believe your supporting this claim if for instance a fire truck was blocked behind a traffic jam and the police responded by driving forklifts into the traffic to violently clear it away. Which side are you on?

totally

RPD talking points... you a police officer?

You say that as though being a police officer is a bad thing. They put their lives on the line to protect our freedom...that's more than you've done...your protest put people in harms way! Someone could have been killed by your illegal actions.

from the prospective of a person that was just at the g20 these protests are great to see, we more of them! one thing i would suggest is everyone should get ready for this kind of police action. this is what they are out there to do! they might say they are out there to serve and protect but once you start being a threat(and thats what you are,"information threat") you will be met with this kind of action by the police. i would say next time you have something like this make preparations to fight against this kind of attack because it is going to happen over and over again till you stop it.

This is absolutely disgusting and illegal. Beating innocent protestors without warning. These cops should be prosecuted. They are supposed to serve and protect, no beat and destroy. Ashamed to say that I'm from Rochester.

Infowars.com is also reporting on the attack, they attached the video with a brief description.

Watching this video put me very close to tears. "Ohio" by crosby, stills, & nash pops into my head. It's quite possible that over the years police have found loop-holes to defend themselves legally in almost any situation. The fact of the matter is, police brutality is caused by a change in attitude that comes from simply being a police officer and having power over others. The proof is in the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. Please continue to fight for freedom! We're counting on you!

1. Isn't this exactly what protestors want? If the police did nothing, it wouldn't any get attention.
2. Don't walk in the streets, you are obviously in the way. You obstructed the public and emergency vehicles. The firefighters definitely called this one in.
3. How much police resources were being occupied to disperse the crowd? I hope someone didn't get robbed somewhere else in the mean time. You think they want to be there dealing with your crap?

po trolls

There is no one being attacked in this video. The police take the protestors to the ground and arrest them which is standard procedure when someone breaks the law. One person appears injured because he hit his head on a light post when being arrested by the police and that has much more to do about circumstance than police brutality. Many of the people on this board seem very deluded.

Next time get a permit...you were able to organize 100 people, but you couldn't fill out a form a city hall??? Come on!

po troll

People could have died because they were blocking the road...thats why they were arrested!!!

Your protest did more harm than good!!!

It is more likely that someone would be harmed from police action rather than by nonviolent, unarmed students.

when someone is breaking the law (ie walking into the street and disrupting traffic) there is no guarentee that they are unarmed or nonviolent. The police, that work for us the citizens are charged by those self same citizens to enforce the law and protect the public from danger.

and you guys were a danger to everyone else on that street that day.

It's a shame that only the people on the fringe of society (hippies, punks) care about whats going on in the world these days. I guess everybody else is too busy watching dancing with the stars.

Here's the deal. The protestors have every right to march with proper permits, every group has to get them. I went to a protest at the height of the Iraq war and the student group that organized it had all the necessary paperwork in place. You guys were walking down the streets shouting "who owns the streets? we own the streets?" unfortunately for you all the taxpayers own the streets...and judging from the ages of those on the video, I doubt many of you are property owners in the city who pay the taxes that keep the roads up and provide for the salaries of the public services. You should've got on the sidewalk when the patrol car was blasting it's siren and trying to get you to move. There is a proper way to do these things and you guys didn't do it

"who owns the streets? we own the streets?" unfortunately for you all the taxpayers own the streets...and judging from the ages of those on the video, I doubt many of you are property owners in the city who pay the taxes that keep the roads up and provide for the salaries of the public services.

FYI: Everyone who has a JOB is a taxpayer. Everyone who is a STUDENT pays schools BIG money which in turn pays TAXES. NICE TRY! (i bet it sounded good in your head)

the issue of taxes aside you guys should have got the proper permits....you put the antiwar movement to shame!!!

when we formed our community that is Rochester, NY we wrote the laws and determined how they should be enforced...the community at large placed a law on the books saying that it is illegal to block the streets without a permit..and the protestors violated that law...go to jail...

don't worry your taxes paid for that too.

Unless schools have a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) set up they actually don't have to pay property taxes. They have non profit status.

You don't need a permit, moron. The constitution protects your right to march without a permit.

I am disgusted with the way our city acted! Ridiculous! This was a PEACEFUL PROTEST urged on against the War in Iraq, and these police officers were brutally beating these students and veterans down. I watched the video and saw at least two people I know personally get thrown down and handcuffed. I AM SICKENED by this. My only regret is that I didn't go and protest with my friends.

it was an illegal protest

It was an excessive use of force by the Police.

FUNNIEST. THING. EVER.

Say the demonstrators or the cops were right or wrong (I believe the demonstrators wee right and the cops were wrong--The first amendment does not require a permit and the cops were just plain brutal.) but don't say any of this was funnny. That's just depraved.

Walking in the streets...that's a paddlin'

I don't see anyone complaining about being arrested. When you participate in civil disobedience you realize you can get arrested. It is the unnecessary violence that is being brought up.

You can see from the video that we did NOT block the fire truck. We moved out of the way. The police are claiming that ONE person pushed back at a cop who was attempting to move us out of the way of the truck. The video doesn't show if that's true or not and I was not in the front of the group to see it, but that is their rationale for becoming violent, because of that one alleged push.

And if there is any people who are willing to take to the streets over an issue such as war, then the people driving home can be "inconvenienced" 5 minutes as they walk by.

It's time the SDS and the protesters realized that the freedoms that are our right as citizens of Our Great Country, are balanced by a responsibility to exercise those freedoms in a manner that won't infringe on the rights and freedoms of our fellow citizens.

I watched the news this evening and took note of the commentary of one of the protesters, an older guy who plainly stated that the march by the SDS was a deliberate act of civil disobedience. They pushed an RPD officer into the path of a firetruck, witnessed by RFD Lt. Joseph Luna:

“We came to a complete stop because we noticed that group was pushing a police officer into our path using a large wooden banner,” Luna told police. He said several people moved aside when firefighters repeatedly blew the engine’s horn, “but the majority of the group stayed in the roadway, still blocking the road and struggling with the officer.”

It's appearing that besides marching in the street without a permit, there were other things that happened that the protesters and Indymedia are not forthcoming about, besides the pushing the cop. In the video, when the RPD cruiser stopped in an obvious attempt to stop or route the protestors out of the street and onto the sidewalk, the protesters just kept on going and ignored RPD directives. I even heard an RPD officer asking them to "please" move on and disperse.

In a typical display of victim mentality, Indymedia and the SDS are attempting to portray this as a police brutality incident. In reality, the protesters of this SDS action created a dangerous situation for all who happened to be Downtown yesterday (10/7/2009), rudely and selfishly infringing on the rights of Downtown workers and endangering public safety. The RPD had no choice but to head them off.

The protestors were not heroic, they were reckless and foolish.

All you're doing is pissing off your fellow citizens and making enemies. We've been onto your act since the 60's.

I saw it. The protesters got out of the way when the truck was still a full block away. Rochester police had so many sirens going (boys and their toys) that it was hard to know what was going on until the group saw the truck. Once they did, they moved. The fire truck didn't even need to slow down. Many say that the truck puled off and shut off its lights once it passed Main St. Did the RPD make a fire call to break up the protest? I'd like to see the fire call records for that evening.

In some cities or townships it seems it is legal to march on a sidewalk but not in the street, in others you can march in the street but not in the sidewalk. Why should anyone have to get a permit to express their first amendment rights and why should a car have more right to be on a street than someone walking or marching. Those cops were there for one purpose, to cause trouble. They would have known there were only 50 or 60 people - so why did they show up in 30 cars and attack and arrest first without talking and reasoning with the protesters? I would assume that they would have been trained to do that first. I don't care what the protesters were doing - they were unarmed and the police should be able to handle unarmed people without fists, billy clubs, tear gas,tasers and guns. This was an act of intimidation to keep us in our houses - they know what's coming as more and more people can't afford housing or to feed their children while the insanely rich get more insanely rich. At some point it won't be just a few students or old hippies who want to protest but do you think they will take to the streets after seeing stuff like this. That's why there was the same kind of show of force at the G-20 - notice how they brought out their military toys/weapons to scare the shit out of us. Fascism was brought to us big-time by the Bush Crime Family and NOTHING is changing under Obama. I couldn't imagine being more depressed but after seeing this, I am.

ThatWoman posted

Why should anyone have to get a permit to express their first amendment rights and why should a car have more right to be on a street than someone walking or marching.

The march started at 5:30pm, at the height of rush hour in Rochester. The SDS protesters took two of four lanes of traffic, in an already clogged downtown commute. That's why the City requires permits, so that there's proper assets in place to handle the re-routing of traffic and such.

The Rochester, NY, SDS blatently ignored the rights of their fellow citizens and clogged up the main arteries out of Downtown Rochester during the rush hour commute, chanting "who owns the streets?".

We all own those streets!!!

Who the hell are they to mess with other people, pushing your "trip" on folks who just wanted to go home and be with their families?

Those cops were there for one purpose, to cause trouble.

Those cops are our friends and protectors and did their job in heading a bad situation before it became a tragic situation. The next time you need a cop to come to your rescue, do remember your maligning words!

Have some cheese with your whine.

1) Something is seriously wrong when you compare the right to protest, redress their government and assemble with the "right" to not be inconvenienced while driving.

2) This was the second Funk the War march in Rochester. The first one went off without any sort of "tragic situation" and this one would have too if the police had left the marchers alone.

3) The cops are certain people's friends: people who are white, have significant amounts of money, look fairly straight, etc. If you think they are everyone's friend, then I suggest you talk to some inner-city residents. Many people there have a much different view of cops because they see a much different side of them. Rochester SDS saw that same side on wednesday.

"We've been on to your act since the 60s"? You mean when other peaceful protesters brought attention to and helped put an end to segregated schools? Civil disobedience is designed to bring attention to an issue. There were an awful lot of people inconvenienced by civil rights marchers in this country. Maybe they should have all stayed home.

Some other thoughts: Why, if they were blocking a fire truck by standing in the road, requiring police force, is the bloodied woman in the video being arrested ON THE SIDEWALK several minutes after the fire truck came by? And how in the world, during rush hour, did 30 police cars manage to get there so quickly? Could it possibly be that it was planned? Was there any reason to believe the protesters were going to hurt anyone? Seriously? And isn't it interesting that the police are clearly trained to block the video cameras? At one point, you've got three officers blocking a camera. No wonder they needed so many!

LS posted:

You mean when other peaceful protesters brought attention to and helped put an end to segregated schools?

OMG, you dare to compare the rabble-rousing "who owns the streets" civil disruption of this past
Wednesday to the selfless acts of genuine sacrifice of civil rights protesters in the 60's???

Time for a barf alert…

You're the one who made the comparison, it's even quoted. By the way, it's "Whose Streets? OUR STREETS." Chants need at least a bit of rhythm. Also, that chant is straight out of the 60s, although I believe then it was even a bit more radical

Wow. This is disgusting and shocking. I am appalled when I see where our country is headed. As a 20-something myself, I always wondered if our generation was going to be bold enough to step from behind our computers and vocalize our opinions to the world. I will admit that I have thought about this but have felt to cowardly to act. I am impressed with the protesters and I am ashamed of the brutality of the men who are supposed to be protecting our rights. Thank you for making me think about being stronger in asserting my viewpoints.

I hope all these protesters go to jail and get criminal records!!!

Absolutely disgusting. To see this group of peaceful, anti-war protesters brutally and savagely attacked for no reason by a gauntlet of billy club wielding police in the City of Rochester New York is stunning. What was their crime, parading without a permit? That hardly justifies this EXTREME reaction. This is where leadership comes in. Mayor Duffy, Chief of Police David Moore and DA Mike Green - I STRONGLY suggest that you step up to the plate and get on top of this situation immediately and nip it in the bud by moving to drop all charges against these innocent people in the interest of justice before this story goes viral worldwide over the internet and in the main stream media. This spectacle gives the City of Rochester a black eye and the City is now looking at massive police brutality, false arrest and possible discrimination suits. The demonstrators also deserve a timely and sincere apology from the City for this travesty of justice. Some serious additional training for the police is obviously needed.

the comment in ALL of the media about us obstructing a firetruck is ludacris!, one, by the time we were able to see it, we entirley backed up, and werenot in that intersection AT ALL! TWO, THE COP THAT WAS PUSHING US BACK HAD PARKED HIS CAR IN THE OTHER LANE OF THE SAME ROAD THAT THE FIRETRUCK WAS COMING DOWN! so, yea, it was us that was blocking it, right. THIRD, the truck shut off it siren as soon as it had passed, dont be fooled, the cops use this technique allll the time, i myself saw it at the g20, they exploit protestors respect of fire and ambulance vehicles to buy themselves time to get into place to abmush us on say, the next bridge? ha, that driver slowed down ever, waved at us smirking with a coffee cup in hand so what ever facist "anon"/"micheal" has been saying someone could have died, thats a logical falisy, produced by someone who wasnt there and is just rooting their arguement in their own self-righteous vindictive ingorance nourished by the misleading statement used by the cops to justify their unvalled for actions and the lies spewed for by for-profit media.

someone could have died because of your illegal protest...whether it was a person in traffic who runs over a protestor, a protestor who fights with the police or an emergency vehicle trying to get to a call...those are all ways that someone could have died. Not to mention your illegal protest brought police officers from all over Rochester to deal with the situation. Which means those cops were now unavailable to handle other emergency calls.

po

Ludacris is a rapper....Ludicrous is the word your looking for...get it right before you try and spew your half-baked opinions!

I am so torn. I have a deep heart for the people who stand up for what they believe in and I believe everyone has a right to but do it correctly, ie. get permission and don't block roadways. This could have been a very effective protest had they stayed on the side walk. Slowing traffic for a cause seems more to the point then stopping it. The cars at the end of the line only knew of a traffic jam, they could not read signs or hear the words!I am not by any means agreeing with the RPDs actions however it could have been avoided.
It also breaks my heart to hear the protest against Recruiters in City schools. I am very proud of my husband as an Army Sgt. I am proud of his soldiers who lived in inner-city turmoil and have changed to fly above and become productive members of society; did you ever think maybe it will help a lost soul to find themselves in the structure of the military?
Please keep showing your colors but remember to Support your fellow kin in the Military fighting the war, and the families that must stand by them for love.

Hi Roch Army Wife, I'm glad to see that you are struggling with the issue despite having mixed feelings.

People take to the streets because they believe what is going on is really horrible. That's what I feel when I think of the huge numbers of people suffering around the globe because of these wars: civilians, soldiers on both sides, people here lacking health care, quality educations, etc. etc. When faced with the enormity of the situation, people rightly decide to use higher profile and more urgent tactics.

I think you really need to think about your statement that inner-city students need to "fly above and become productive members of society." That sounds a lot like the justification for horrible racist acts throughout history -- we need uplift those people from their conditions. The fact is that 1) military recruiters tell multiple lies to convince people to sign up and 2) students in the inner-city do need to "fly above", but what they need fly above is the systemic racism and economic inequality that they face. Saying they should risk their lives to protect the interests of a country that oppresses them is quite unfair.

I don't mean to disrespect the service that your husband performed. I think it takes a lot of courage and strength to do that. On the other hand, I do think that you need to look at the reasons why the US is fighting these wars and question if those reasons are morally justifiable.

justification for horrible racist acts.......What are you talking about the US Army is one of the most diverse communities in the country and racism has NOTHING to do with what I was saying. You obviously do not know anyone in the military or have been around a military community. As for oppression some people do not want to change their inner city lives, You can not steal and sell drugs to move up in society you would have to give that up, sorry to burst your bubble. I do not even know where to begin with the whole Recruiters telling lies?? (NOT A FACT) Fact: In the US an 18 year old can sign a legally binding contract. I do not know about you but I read what I sign!!! You have to show interest in the Army in the first place to go and talk to a recruiter, a recruiter can not MAKE you go into the army. You also only sign up for a few years if you do not want to continue after that you do not have to; Your choice! My husband is stationed at one of the biggest posts in the country and do you know the #1 reason why young kids are getting chaptered out.....DRUGS. Again it is all about the choices YOU make in your life. And as fro the disrespect, you have disrespected my husband and his fellow brothers in the military for mistaking confusing him with the person who picks what war to fight and the people who fight them! Maybe you should read a bit about the Vietnam war and tell me how that exact confusion mentally and physically hurt a lot of home bond soldiers who did not have the choice of joining the Army but were picked!!!
~Very Proud Army Wife

What is the obseesion with paperwork (or lack of). Do all protestors review the approval paserwork from the city before they join the March. Answer, No. A few might assume the organizers have arranged it but most don't care, and really is it important. Do the cops have paperwork? And hat's wiyth all tyhe drpped batons. The cops are going to ghave to get those little ties to keep the batons close to hand (like on a ski poll).

Anf mayor Duffy does opening the Eastman hall really come higher up ypur priority list than ploice overreacting to a bunch of kids. These kids aren't insurgents. Those cro-magnum haircuts sported by some of the cops tell it all. Aggresive meatheads with too much testosterone.

Remember that when you need to call the police.

There will be a day, where you need to either protect yourself or maybe even a family member.. Don't call police, also what happens if someone commits a crime against you? oh thats right, don't call the police.

Be an idiot and judge them by a haircut.

Those "kids"(Sure didn't look like KIDS) need to find something to do with there time. Like maybe pick up all the posters they left on the ground in the city.

How can you really say that this was a peaceful protest? ARE YOU BLIND? OR WAIT MAYBE DEAF? Could you not see that they blocked a fire truck from going to where it needed to be? How about the ambulance? If they wanted to make a point, they should have gotten a permit and received permission to do this. They went ahead and pretty much walked the middle of main street pounding on drums! People had children with them! They should have all been arrested. Makes me wonder ...

Oh, was trash left behind? Maybe we should add littering charges to the people who failed to grasp their posters in their teeth and bring them along to the police car, jail or hospital, as they were being hauled up off the sidewalk in handcuffs?

And please stop talking about them blocking the street. The video shows them being arrested on the sidewalk, idiot, and nowhere close to the intersection, so clearly that didn't have to be arrested to remove them from the path of the fire truck.

yes but the video also shows all of the protesters in the street prior to their arrest...once your in the street your breaking the law...and can be arrested whether you jump back onto the sidewalk or not.

I was on my way home from work when this all went down. My route home crossed paths with this funk the war protest, and I will admit I was one of the many people who rolled down their window to hear what you guys were screaming about. Unfortunetly the person behind me was paying more attention to you guys than paying attention to my brake lights. I don't believe anyone deserved to get "beaten" but I alsodon't think I deserved to get rear ended either. Not only that bit there was no law enforcement to promptly respond to the scene. I ended up having to wait an hour for a single police officer to show when I could see 20 officers a stones throw away.

I am sympathetic to those hurt. But can't help but notice that you all have no sympathy for putting others in danger. And although I will accept an apology my car will not

A car cannot accept or disregard an apology. That statement is illogical, and should not be used to justify your beef with the protestors.

Herbie disagrees with that statement. He demands an apology.

Loosen up buddy it was a joke "haha" I obviously know a car cannot accept an apology. All I'm saying is my bumper was a victim to their actions.

Everytime I get in my car I acknowledge and accept the fact that something can happen. You all should have done the same when you decided to march. In my opionion you got what you deserved you bit off more than you can chew. You tried to stand up to the man and the man beat your ass now you cower in the fetal postion. If you don't like it so much leave go live in some third world country where you have no rights at all. don't pester the rest of us Americans who actually work for a living, pay for our own healthcare and don't have time to rally on the streets for something that other people volunteered to enlist in.

I hope there is another protest soon. I am sorry I missed my chance to peacefully roll over protesters with my gas-sucking SUV.

How do you hateful, thoughtless people even find this site?

Satan's search engine.

The same way that clueless people like you find it!

People are waking up to the multiple levels of veils that currently govern the world. Because things are starting to make less and less sense, we have to change our perspectives in order to stay sane. One curtain that is being lifted is that police are not under the control of powerful and very corrupt men who are very well connected. These men are part of a hierarchical club that currently rule the world through deception and money. Please question everything. Much exists underneath these veils.

I think this protest lost direction. It turned into an anti-war movement protest into "WE OWN THE STREETS."

The video that you posted shows the firetruck coming. It does not show you getting on to the side walk to move out of the way at all. Don't any of you realize that you were definitely blocking traffic, which in turn blocked the firetruck.

Would you be all for marching in the streets if the anti-abortion protesters did the same thing you were?

Just some things to think about...

I agree... post the whole video.

Starting at 6:40 in the video you can clearly see that the traffic jam was actually caused by the police cars that were set up across Main Street as a roadblock. The demonstrators were not the ones that stopped the traffic. The police stopped the traffic. The demonstrators were peacefully walking along in the march until they were stopped by the roadblock. The police created the problem that they arrested the demonstrators for and then started busting heads with their billy clubs. Disgusting, illegal and unconstitutional.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

I'm all of those things and I'm speaking out...get a permit

I hope the protestors sue the mess out of those incompetent, overpaid, lying pigs! Mayor Dan White is sitting up in City Hall watching this video and laughing his ass off; if he's upset, it's only because he don't get to beat those faggot peace protestors himself. You guys DID bring it upon yourselves by carrying that rainbow "beat-me" flag; every gay-bashing bigot that couldn't get a job elsewhere, works for the RPD. This would have never happened during the Johnson adminstration. You may not have realized it then, but you probably realize now that the first step the Duffy administration took to setting up a police thug squad was framing Joy Powell. In Rochester, the Crips aren't the only gang that wears blue.

But really, I want to hire a radical lawyer in Rochester, can anyone give me contact info for Timothy Jennings, Esq.? Much appreciated!

Email to: fhf2004 (at) hotmail.com

This is a very poorly written article.

I saw the protest waiting for the bus. What's the deal with the hoola hoops?

They're fun, they work your body, they're colorful, and they're in! What's not to love about hula hoops?! It got your attention. ;)

You students probably have a spy/agent provocateur planted in your organization who has been reporting on your activities to the police. It has been a common practice since the 60’s for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to infiltrate peace groups with their operatives and try to get the group to do something illegal so that they can be arrested. You also may have been set up with the fire truck incident. It's very suspicious that the fire truck happened to be called just as you arrived at the only intersection that you and the fire truck had to cross? You should request a certified copy of all 911 calls, police and fire dept. radio transmissions in Rochester for one hour before, during and after the demonstration to see if there really was a 911 call to assist an unconscious person at the library. If there was no call - you were set up. It will also give you a better idea what the cops were saying and doing during the demonstration. It’s easy to get the tape and the cost is nominal. You can get the recording by submitting a written request to the Rochester Office of Emergency Communications located at 321 West Main St. Good luck.

From the video it really looks like the protesters should have stayed out of the street if they did not want the cops to create an issue. Although--as in many of these situations--I think the protesters somewhat welcome the police presence, as it helps them justify their beliefs in a "fascist" "police state," if they even know what that really means. At the very least once the cops show up they have someone to yell at. I don't like siding with the police, but you all looked like fools on this one.

This is the problem with you hipster non-violent types. The police see you as the enemy. They do not want to protect you. And you must see them as the same if you are to make any headway. As soon as those police laid hands on these "protesters" their response should have matched the vigor of the police. For every one of you they take, you take two from them. Black Bloc. I do believe that this event has caused more harm than good to the standing of the police in Rochester and the standing of Funk the War.

I've always been kinda borderline, but I want to thank the rochester police department for further radicalizing me. Good job, tough guys..

its funny what the media does to things, and its even funnier how some people believe it.