from work and turning on the TV reveals a frightening difference between what is outside my door and what is reported.

For those of you that don't know, I currently live in Times Square which is blocks away from the RNC and where many of the delegates are staying. Our skies have gunships, our waters have gunboats, our streets have machine gun, shotgun, and tear gas wielding uniformed officers lining the street. Plain-clothes officers make arrests without showing ID or announcing who they are. Blimps with military photography equipment monitor from above and trucks with cameras line the streets. Police cars, motorcycles, trucks, and tinted window escorts drive up and down the streets with their sirens on all day for no apparent reason. FBI agents are questioning people on the streets and making arrestees fill out personal questionnaires in jail which include questions such as your opinion on interracial marriage. Searches of everyday Americans are being conducted on the streets without probable cause.

Currently between 1,000 and 2,000 people arrested the past few days are being held in an abandoned pier (Pier 57) which has razor wire covered fenced out cells and no seating. Detainees are forced to stand or lie on the oil covered cement floor while they await processing. These people are merely awaiting Desk Appearance Tickets which are literally a ticket which give you a court date and don't require lengthy incarceration. Some reports indicate there are detainees who haven't even been officially arrested or read rights. It's hard to tell though because currently people are being held for up to 36 hours without access to lawyers, who are turned away at the detention camp. This is odd because the usual court business shut down this week to accommodate RNC arrests. In addition, the National Lawyers Guild which is trying to represent arrestees is reportedly having their phone conversations monitored by both the Police and FBI.

Beyond this, the containment camp which has been set up for our fellow AMERICANS is dangerous. In addition to detainees emerging with rashes brought about from the toxic oil on the floor of the pier.

The dock is listed as an asbestos site (follow link and search Pier 57): _http://www.ny-links.com/ny_asbestos.htm_ (http://www.ny-links.com/ny_asbestos.htm) The pier is a smoke and fire hazard in addition: _http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=3D1840&dept_id=3D505431&newsid=3D6= 8_ (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=3D1840&dept_id=3D505431&newsid=3D6=8 63884&PAG=3D461&rfi=3D9=20

Peace &Justice, David Jacobus

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------