First, you should read this story in the Miami Herald: THE FTAA TAPES
Basically, way back during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit, Broward Deputies open fire on unarmed protesters and reporters. There are videotapes (linked above) that show beyond any doubt that the deputies had no cause at all to fire their weapons. The only defense they can offer is that they used rubber bullets.
The footage shows an attorney walking along the street carrying a sign, followed by a massive wall of deputies in riot gear. Suddenly, one of them shoots her in the back. When she turns to complain to them, pointing out that they have been following her for half an hour, and that they have observered that she has been peaceful, they open fire on her, forcing her to hide behind her sign. Other protestors - and a news camera crew - are also fired upon. At no time do any of the protestors threaten the phalanx of shock troop deputies.
Another tape, shot the next day, shows the deputies being addressed by Captiain John Brooks, who congratulates them on the shooting, and laughs about the attorney specifically when Sgt. Michael Kallman asks about "the woman hiding behind that sign."
`The good news about being able to watch you guys live on TV is that the lady with the red dress, I don't know who got her, but it went right through the sign and hit her smack dab in the middle of the head!''
Yes, the commanding officer watched his deputies shoot an unarmed and harmless woman on LIVE TV and COMMENDED HIS MEN for doing it.
''How about yesterday, huh? I would go to war with everyone here.''
Not only should this officer be fired - along with every single deputy on that detail that day - they should be prosecuted for assault with a weapon.
Think about it - if you or I shot rubber bullets into a crowd of people, we'd be arrested, tried, and thrown in jail. THESE guys were commended and promoted!
As these tapes clearly show, there was absolutely no threat of any kind to the armed and armored troops. The protestors - completely unarmed - were in fact walking AWAY from the officers.
This is the kind of behavior we expect in third world country; CASTRO does this kind of thing. It is completely unacceptable here. These actions were clearly criminal, and we are a nation of laws. And our laws dictate how criminals are handled. Promoting them, giving them raises, and heaping praise on them isn't. These men are criminals, period. They give good cops a bad name. They denigrate every law enforcement officer who risks their lives to maintain law and order.
So email your elected officials and demand that Major John Brooks, Sgt. Michael Kallman, and every officer on the FTAA detail on Nov. 20, 2003 be brought up on charges in court. If this is America, they are criminals, and if they are NOT criminals, then this isn't the United States of America anymore.
