A Press Conference and Court for the East Ave. 18

At 9:00am, July 23, 2012, a press conference was held denouncing the Rochester Police Department's violent assault on a peaceful anti-capitalist march that was progessing through downtown and some east side neighborhoods where 18 people were arrested on Saturday evening, July 21.

The statement, read by Lynn Giglio, said:

Rochester police arrested a group of peaceful protesters at an anti-capitalist march late Saturday afternoon. The protest was organized by an autonomous group of people from all over New York State, and not Occupy Rochester, as many media outlets have reported. Police used chemical weapons and aggressive physical force to assault protesters who were on the sidewalk and attempting to disburse, despite never receiving an actual order of disbursal from the officers. Many of the people arrested were working as journalists filming the protest. A protest medic was also arrested while attempting to provide first-aid medical care to another protester.

 

This continues the RPD's clear pattern of overly aggressive tactics and unnecessary arrests, in general, and particularly in the case of peaceful political protest. Many participants recalled the similarity in repression to previous instances of police violence in Rochester. In 2009 repression of an anti-war protest resulted in 12 arrests and multiple injuries, including two people sent to the hospital due to police brutality. (http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/5318 )

 

This brutal incident has renewed the frequently made call for an independent civilian review board of the Rochester Police Department that has subpoena power in order to hold the RPD accountable to the community.

 

In a time of Wall St bailouts, escalating poverty, and seemingly endless economic crisis, it is clear that the idea of even questioning our economic system and challenging the power of the 1% is too threatening for the RPD and ruling elite to allow. Another world is possible, and the struggle for that world continues.

The video is below:

After the press conference, the East Ave. 18 went to Rochester City Court to be arraigned. City Court Judge Melchor E. Castro's courtroom was packed as the RPD were on a weird assault and arrest kick over the weekend.

On July 21, 18 people were arrested and many brutalized in a peaceful march. On July 22, 16 people were arrested, according to the D&C, at the annual Puerto Rican Festival on the city's northwest side. That night, according to witnesses (future story from Rochester IMC is in the works), police chased a youth into a house where a benefit was happening, caught him, beat him with a flashlight, and then arrested him before 10-15 more squad cars arrived and cleared the house beating and macing everyone. Some 5-10 people were arrested there. And then of course, there was the obligatory, racist, petty crime drug enforcement primarily targeting black people. Because the court is closed on the weekend, many of these folks were held for arraignment until Monday morning. Toward the end of the first session, Judge Castro was looking a little haggard.

The defendants from the anti-capitalist march were arriagned one at a time or in small groups between the hours of 9:30am to 2:00pm. All the defendants plead not guilty and most were charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. One was charged with criminal impersonation.

Judge Castro ordered some of the out of town defendants and defendants who didn't have lawyers but needed to retain them to return to his courtroom on July 31, 2012, at 11:00am. Livestreamer Jake Roszak has his court date on August 1st at 11:00am. The rest of the defendants are scheduled to return on September 19, 2012, at 1:30pm for trial.

Those arrested and released are: Hamza Sinanaj of Utica, NY; Lisa Bozzino of Rochester, NY; Jack Hauck of Utica, NY; Lynn Giglio of Rochester, NY; Jake Roszak; Emily Good of Rochester, NY; Vincente Verduzco of Buffalo, NY; Richard Yaniak of Rochester, NY; Patrick Krebbeks; David-Josiah Krause of Rochester, NY; Ed Lawton of Buffalo, NY; Matt Richardson of Buffalo, NY; Samantha Colon of Buffalo, NY; Rob Krom of Syracuse, NY; Joe Day of Binghamton, NY; Ashley Messer of Rochester, NY; Jason Eldridge of Rochester, NY; and Ben Harrigan of Rochester, NY.

Additional Information: East Ave. 18: Information and Updates | Police Involved in False Arrests of East Avenue 18 | some points that came out of community meeting regarding Rochester 18