Cecily McMillan: How A Non-Violent Labor Organizer Ended Up In Prison After Being Attacked By Police

[Omaha Steve]

http://nhlabornews.com/2014/05/cecily-mcmillan-how-a-non-violent-labor-organizer-ended-up-in-prison-after-being-attacked-by-police/

By Bill Brickley | May 12, 2014

PLEASE NOTE Some of the descriptions, images, and videos may be graphic at times.

The brutal beating and phony charges that has placed Cecily McMillan in a NY jail could have happened to any one of us. If you dare peacefully protest about income inequality or union busting or Wall Street corruption you could just as easily been locked up in a prison cell as Cecily is. The criminal justice system is not delivering justice in this case and its seems to be viewing this case backwards. When the victim of an assault is instead convicted of a felony it shows to the extreme that the price of speaking truth to power is expensive in our country.

On March 17, 2012 a crowd of hundreds had gathered in Zuccotti Park to celebrate the Six Month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. This was a peaceful crowd which was dancing and singing and enjoying being with each other. Nearing midnight NYPD couldn’t allow this peaceful celebration to continue and suddenly Zuccotti Park had a scheduled “cleaning” that had to be performed that instant.

So NYPD entered the park with riot gear and batons to clear the park of peaceful people. What followed was the typical brutal crackdown of OWS. Over 70 arrests followed including that of 23-year-old grad school student and union organizer Cecily McMillan. Known in OWS circles as the “Queen of non violence” because of her uncompromising opposition to any violent tactics.



NYPD Officer Grantley Bovell accused Cecely of elbowing him as he tried to escort her out of the park. Cecely maintains that Bovell grabbed her right breast from behind and startled she responded by throwing up her elbow striking the undercover officer.Basically her “crime” was reacting to being groped from someone behind her. The photographic evidence of marks on her breast seem to confirm her accusations.

FULL story at link.

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About Bill Brickley

Bill is a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers, serving on the NH Letter Carrier Executive Board as CD1 Legislative Liaison. Also serves on the NH AFL-CIO Executive Board. Former NH Area Coordinator Amnesty International and NH Labor News Blogger Follow him on twitter @BillBrickley

[L0oniX]

1. Off to the greatest.

[mindwalker_i]

2. Remember, women

If you get grabbed, make sure you find out who did it before fighting back. I wonder if women need to be wary of undercover cops - is hitting one after he sexually assaults you still the same a hitting a cop?

The real problem is that she was in Occupy, which makes the rich and powerful nervous, so they were determined to get a conviction of SOMEBODY no matter how fucked up the whole case was. I also have problems with the jury convicting her given the circumstances of her being assaulted. But, I kind of wasn't there in the courtroom so I don't know what evidence was provided or hidden.

[socialist_n_TN]

5. Apparently there was a LOT of evidence hidden from the jury by the judge's rulings.......

However we've all got to recognize that this IS part of the fight against the capitalist power structure and always will be. We ALL will face arrest if we continue to fight.

As to the jury, they could always have nullified. THAT'S where you'll begin getting more effective resistance, when regular people nullify these farces at the start in the courtroom.

[randome]

13. So the police are 'the rich and powerful'? Never would have thought it.

Any comments about the 12 jurors who unanimously agreed she was guilty? Or were they part of the conspiracy, too?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[morningfog]

15. The police are the enforcement arm of the rich and powerful. You know that.

Don't play dumb. The police have a monopoly on the use of force.

The prosecutor who chose to bring the charges that were brought and try the case the way it was tried is a defender and representative of the same system that the police enforce. It isn't a conspiracy, it is just the reality.

[Fumesucker]

20. What makes you think that poster is "playing" dumb?

[bvar22]

28. +1

*

[Ichingcarpenter]

30. Well he does play number 9 sometimes

(9)

Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues with denial they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.

Example: "Nothing you say makes any sense. Your logic is idiotic. Your facts nonexistent. Better go back to the drawing board and try again."

Proper response: You are avoiding the issue with disinformation tactics. Your evade the issues with your own form of nonsense while others, perhaps more intelligent than you pretend to be, have no trouble with the material.

Why do you refuse to address the issues by use of such disinformation tactics (rule 9 - play dumb)?

[rhett o rick]

31. You always have a lot of questions. How do you feel about the decision?

It's a good example of how the justice system is out of balance. Dont you agree? The jury only hears what the judge allows them to hear. From some of them, they are shocked at what they didnt hear.

The police represent the rich and powerful and get special treatment from the system.

[randome]

35. And who do the jurors represent?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[rhett o rick]

39. Ah, yes, more questions. Insinuation via question. You are a hard person to pin down. nm

[Scuba]

3. So how do we help this woman?

[NHLabor]

6. How doe we help Cecily??

WE SHARE HER STORY!

We make sure everyone knows the truth about what happened to her. Make her a household name!

[Scuba]

10. Yes, that will help.

[Ash_F]

8. The people of New York must elect better police chiefs and better District Attorneys

And in the case of the New York Supreme court, elect better Justices.

As for those living outside New York.

http://justiceforcecily.com/

It's a long shot but hey.

ps - I did send a personalized letter rather than the form.

[Scuba]

9. Thank you!

[WillyT]

4. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[The Wizard]

7. It's alwys about the money or sex (NT)

[JJChambers]

11. Why don't you post a link to the video of the actual assault?

The video you posted simply shows a bunch of nothing, narrated by "Fucking A" over and over, along with inane screaming.

[NHLabor]

12. People to rally for Cecily!!!

Bill Brickley the author of this post told me that people will be rallying in support of Cecily.

"Sunday May 18th at 230 in Union Square is only rally planned- that I know about. BUT we also want to pack the courtroom on the 19th"

Those are the only details I have at the moment.

[struggle4progress]

14. As far as I can tell, her case was a loser

1. She said she had been drinking and had gone with a friend to the park to socialize
2. She never denied elbowing the cop in the eye: she said she didn't remember it happening
3. After her arrest, she was interviewed by several doctors, a social worker, and a psychologist, but she apparently did not complain to them of any sexual assault, any injury, or any pain; she never filed any sexual assault charge against the arresting officer; and the photo showing a bruise on her chest was taken some days later
4. The video shown at trial does not appear to support her version of events; the cop testified that she asked someone to film her immediately before elbowing him in the eye; and the video appears to show her running through the crowd, jumping and turning, before being tackled

IMO many Americans fail to grasp what a good thing solidarity can be, but bullshizzing can cost our side needed credibility. If a drunk party girl clocks a cop in the eye, most folk won't give a fugg how much she posted about non-violence online. If the police used excessive force, one can organize around that, but there's no obvious evidence here of a "brutal beating" -- and to claim a "brutal beating" is to lose credibility

[Damansarajaya]

33. I agree. Truth is NOT relative.

If she sucker punched a police officer--and it sure looks like she did--she should be subject to the law.

Just because we like her cause doesn't mean she isn't guilty.

[FairWinds]

16. Hey Struggle . .

how about some sources for what otherwise have to be
regarded as smears.
If you cannot produce them, I'm asking the moderators
to bounce you permanently from DU.

[struggle4progress]

18. Feel free to go ahead and ask them to do that

With as many folk as I've royally pissed off with my views on Assange, Greenwald, Manning, and Snowden, I suspect they might even be inclined to give your request some serious consideration

[Fumesucker]

21. Your views don't piss me off, they amuse me no end

Hell, DU is by far the best entertainment value around.

I nearly ruptured myself reading that recent meta argument thread I laughed so hard, I had to really strain to come up with an addition that hadn't already been done by the time I got there.

[struggle4progress]

22. Then do feel free to argue my comedic value when begging for a stay of execution

[Fumesucker]

23. What did I do this time?

Finding out you amuse someone rather than pissing them off bothers you enough to make a rather ugly personal comment, eh?

That said a lot more about you than it did me.

[struggle4progress]

24. ?

[Fumesucker]

25. Begging for a stay of execution is not a nice thing to wish on someone

And I was wondering what I had done (this time) to deserve a death sentence?

Being amused at the antics of DU hardly seems to warrant capital punishment, jokes about a certain brand of pizza aside.

[struggle4progress]

26. It must be too late at night: I have no idea why you would read my post that way in the context

of the subthread

[Fumesucker]

27. What the hell does a stay of execution have to do with anything on this thread?

Seriously?

[rhett o rick]

32. Once again you seem to side with the authoritarians but I wouldnt recommend you be banned.

I think it's valuable to have discussions with those that side with those in authority.

My feeling is that even if she is guilty, setting her free (she has been punished enough) doesnt even come close to evening the balance of the hundreds of cases of police brutality against the protestors.

[struggle4progress]

19. Some links for any who might actually read them:

It would be nice to have a coherent story

It didn't help her that she never got her story straight

She turned down a deal that would have resulted only in probation

Officer Testifies About Encounter With Occupy Wall Street Protester (NYT)

The jury determined McMillan assaulted Bovell

She wouldn't win that

[randome]

36. Now look, s4p (may I call you that?), facts and interpretations are not what is called for here.

Speaking truth to power means more than just speaking truth. Don't you know that by now?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[Damansarajaya]

34. Yeah, that's fair.

The dude has 80,000 posts here, so clearly he or she is troll.

<sarcasm>

[Overseas]

17. K&R. Outrageous.

She was assaulted and reacted and she was arrested.

Another example of why we need to demilitarize and calm down our police departments.

[bvar22]

29. OMG!! Wwe can't do THAT...

...because then, the Terrorists would WIN,
and we would lose our Freedoms!

[warrprayer]

38. this is very, very bad....

It seems to me very possible Cecily was targeted specifically by the cops. She had been interviewed in Rolling Stone, if I'm not mistaken, which would make her a high priority target for police intelligence.
They wanted to really fuck someone up badly to set an example. They wanted it to be someone with as much national recognition as possible - THEY WANTED A "LEADER" TO GO AFTER, CECILY WAS AS CLOSE AS THEY COULD GET, SOMETHING THAT UP TILL NOW OCCUPY HAD DENIED THEM WITH IT'S NON HIERARCHAL STRUCTURE.

Stating this question with the infiltration and set up of the Cleveland 5, was there an informant working with the police that told them she would be arriving, and vulnerable for a framing? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Overseas]

42. That does seem quite possible. And so very vicious.

Things have gotten so amped up and I wish I saw a way we could reduce the aggression of our police all over the country.

[Overseas]

41. sigh...

[warrprayer]

37. it is things like this....

that make me seriously consider saying "fuck all politics".

Seeing people like Cecily get hurt this badly makes me feel the imbeciles in this country who don't give a fuck about anything other than "Dancing With the Stars", etc. aren't worth the fucking sacrifice.

[rhett o rick]

40. I am disappointed in the number of supposedly "politically liberal" posters taking the side

of the police on this. Violence isnt the way to get our freedoms back, but with the violence so one sided, I think we could overlook a little striking back. It's the conservative mindset that doesnt allow for exceptions.