Police Violence at the Funk the War Demonstration Wednesday has continued to make headlines and spark debate throughout the week.

On Friday, Rochester SDS gave a press conference in front of the public safety building (audio report, text of the statement) in order to correct police and media misinformation about the events. At the conference, they discussed the connections between the police violence on Wednesday, the police brutality experienced daily by people of color and poor people in the city, and the military and economic violence inflicted around the globe.

Another topic discussed at the SDS Press conference is the ongoing police surveillance and harassment of Rochester SDS and others associated with the demonstration. While SDS prepared for their press conference, around a dozen police officers parked next to the building they were at. The officers questioned the activists, videotaped their activities, and collected license plate numbers. The police presence lasted for nearly two hours.

Over the week the police have given many different justifications for their actions, including the following: protesters attacked the cops with drums, protesters blocked a fire truck, protesters pushed officers. Some of these justifications are contradicted by video evidence taped by Rochester IMC (video).

Finally, we have released interviews with quite a few activists present at the protests:

• Brian Lenzo Fired Up
• Jake Allen of SDS Talks to the Press
• John Kiss Describes the Melee