Berkeley Police Brace For Big Anti-war Protest

Mercury News
Facing criticism over their handling of recent demonstrations, Berkeley police are bracing for a flood of protesters Wednesday marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.
Police plan to have 50 or 60 extra officers on duty to keep crowds from getting out of control, Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said.
Officially, three groups are applying for event and amplified sound permits, but it’s anyone’s guess what unofficial protests may take place. Events are planned all over the Bay Area.
CodePink will have its usual protest in front of the U.S. Marine Corps recruiting center on Shattuck Avenue. Word Can’t Wait — Drive Out the Bush Regime plans a protest at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street, just a block and a half from the CodePink protest. And a group called the Answer Coalition plans an event with speakers and a hip hop group in Civic Center Park.
Kusmiss said the department’s crowd control team has been used more in the past 21/2 months keeping anti-war demonstrators in line than it has in the past 17 years. The team was called out the day of the Feb. 12 City Council meeting when up to 2,000 people converged on Civic Center Park while the council debated whether to retract a statement telling the Marines they are unwelcome intruders in the city.
Since then, the team has been used to control crowds at the recruiting center. The last time it has been used this much was in 1991, when there were violent protests at People’s Park over a plan to install volleyball courts, Kusmiss said.

“We’re going to have extra officers working in overtime capacity that day, much like the day of the protests during the big City Council meeting in February,” Kusmiss said. “Not preparing or anticipating crowds would potentially be very problematic. (During recent protests), we have had vandalism and criminal behavior, which has an impact on business and traffic flow.”

During the Feb. 12 City Council meeting, the department spent $93,000 on officer overtime. On Feb. 15 and Feb. 20, the department spent $20,000 each day in overtime controlling anti-war protesters downtown, said city spokeswoman Mary Kay Clunies-Ross.
The police department has taken some criticism for its use of force during those three events.
Berkeley’s Police Review Commission, which takes citizen complaints about police behavior and recommends policy changes, held a hearing last Thursday to hear complaints about the department’s crowd-control team.
The commission voted to form a subcommittee to look into the complaints, and Berkeley Police Chief Douglas Hambleton will meet with the subcommittee, said Lt. Andrew Greenwood.
And two commissioners will meet with Hambleton and City Manager Phil Kamlarz today to make sure the department is well-prepared for Wednesday’s protests.

“Force was used (during those three events); we have been open to saying that,” Kusmiss said. “There has been more guidance given by supervisors about the team’s approach. The size of the team is not large enough to work with crowds we have had. The leadership of the department sees it as an ongoing effort, so we are doing some more training.”

Kusmiss said the team has endured some attrition, and the department has had to transfer some patrol officers to monitor World Can’t Wait and Code Pink.

“The feedback we have received is officers have been professional and shown tremendous restraint under challenging situations,” Kusmiss said.

Clunies-Ross said the city is hoping to achieve a balance Wednesday.

“It’s hard to tell how big the events will be and what will happen,” Clunies-Ross said. “Our goal is to preserve people’s safety, and to allow people to have their voices heard against the war.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
With any luck…the continued protest will bankrupt Berkeley.
Free Speech is used in many manners. But the one manner in which it should never be used in, is in a seditious manner. One can question the Government or support the Government with their Free Speech. There is nothing wrong with that. But when one uses their free speech to break the resolve of the people,and our troops while we are at war, that is sedition and should be treated as such.
The war was debated before we went. They will have plenty of time to debate it when it is over. While we have boots on the ground, now isi the time while we are at war to stand with our Troops and their efforts.
It is my understanding that while we had boots on the ground in Vietnam, Minh was funneling Russian and Chinese money into an organization called the CPUA (Communist Party USA). The CPUSA were the ones who organized most of the anti war protest here in the US during the Vietnam war. You can credit some of these people in this organization for breaking the will of the people to fight the war. We did not lose that war on a battle field. We lost it right here in the United States of America.
If we allow people to irresponsibly use our Free Speech, this same thing could happen again. There has to be a line drawn at some point. We have to hold people responsible for their motives and their actions words and deeds.
You can find most of the Democrats and their organisations are intertwined and all lead back to the International Solidarity Movement — the world-wide communist front.
Socialist International … DSA/USA….VVAW…. IVAW ….Code Pink…..
If you want a good overview of the left, spend some time scanning through DiscoverTheNetworks.org links, and follow the money, manpower, and methods — all communist/socialist, and mostly hiding under the radar.
Map engine takes 2- 5 minutes to load at the site.
And the infiltration is pervasive, endemic, and worming its way into the Republican party as well — see Specter for one example.
18 USC Chapter 115 – Treason, Sedition, and Subversive Activities , referring specifically to Sec 2388.
Crimes and Criminal Procedure – 18 USC Section 2388
Sec. 2388. Activities affecting armed forces during war
(a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully makes or conveys false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies; or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, WILLFULLY OBSTRUCTS THE RECRUITING OR ENLISTMENT SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES, TO THE INJURY OF THE SERVICE OR THE UNITED STATES, OR ATTEMPTS TO DO SO – Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years or both. (b) If two or more persons conspire to violate subsection (a) of this section and one or more such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in said subsection (a). (c) Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has REASONABLE grounds to believe or suspect, has committed, or is about to commit, an offense under this section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. (d) This section shall apply within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, and on the high seas, as well as within the United States.