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If
you think an independent FTAA Security Review Commission
should be established -- Call and tell this to both Mayors today:
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz 305.250.5300
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas 305.375.5071
FTAA Security Review
Shouldn't Be Done By Cops
by Jim Defede, December 2, 2003
As
the number of ''isolated incidents'' of alleged police misconduct
grows, [ see: http://Police-State.net/FTAAmiami2003.htm
] it becomes increasingly clear that an independent commission
should be appointed to review what occurred during last month's
protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Miami Police Chief John Timoney has said his department ``is undertaking
a comprehensive review of the entire FTAA security operation and
will produce a public report of our findings.''
Timoney's pledge is inadequate for numerous reasons.
First, there were 40 different police agencies involved in providing
security for the FTAA meetings in Miami, including Hialeah, Miami
Beach, Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, the Broward Sheriff's
Office and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Will Timoney's report discuss the conduct of Miami-Dade officers
near the jail on Nov. 21 when more than 60 protesters were arrested?
Of course not.
Second, according to Miami Police Lt. Bill Schwartz, the person
responsible for overseeing the department's review will be Deputy
Chief Frank Fernandez -- the same official responsible for overseeing
Miami's preparations for the FTAA.
How
can the public possibly have confidence that Chief Fernandez would
bring a critical lens to the operation he was instrumental in
planning?
Third, if you read Timoney's statement carefully, he states his
department ''will produce a public report of our findings.'' He
is not promising to release all of the information his review
uncovers.
Finally, any legitimate review must also have a mechanism for
collecting and hearing testimony from the public in an open forum.
It should also include a detailed review of the hours and hours
of television footage. Timoney's notion of a ''comprehensive review''
does not include gathering these elements. Rather, it envisions
members of the department talking among themselves and with other
police agencies and reviewing internal ``after-action reports.''
That's not good enough. That's a recipe for a whitewash.
Some people have suggested the review could be conducted by Miami's
Civilian Investigative Panel, which is empowered to review complaints
against the department. There is merit to such a suggestion, and
the CIP's findings would certainly have more credibility than
anything probed by Miami police.
But
again, I believe last month's events are historic for South Florida
and go directly to how we want to live as a people. Do we allow
the police to suspend the Constitution and then pretend it didn't
occur? Or do we confront these issues now and avoid their being
repeated in the future?
In their zeal to do their job, many officers and commanders lost
sight of the First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly,
the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and
seizure, and the Fifth Amendment guarantees against depriving
a person of their property without due process of law.
These were not small or petty transgressions. These were not constitutional
niceties overlooked for the greater good but serious violations
that should scare us all.
The commission should include constitutional experts, outside
members of law enforcement, downtown business owners, residents
of Overtown and others.
The commission should review the conduct of everyone involved,
including the protesters and the media.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of such a commission being established
seems remote since politicians -- particularly Miami Mayor Manny
Diaz and Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas -- are hoping that if they
ignore this issue it will just go away.
Perhaps they need a wake-up call.
If
you think an independent FTAA Security Review Commission
should be established -- Call and tell this to both Mayors today:
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz 305.250.5300
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas 305.375.5071
Source: http://www.miami.com
/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/jim_defede/7390910.htm
Related
Articles and Photographs:
Photographs
And Articles Of Police Brutality At FTTA In Miami
(November 18-20, 2003)
Organizations
Against Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
Fragments
Of The Future: The FTAA In Miami
The
War on Dissent - Heavy-handed Police and
Propaganda Tactics Brought Baghdad to Miami
by Naomi Klein
Police
Broke Protest Promise
Miami Police Did Not Abide by an Agreement to Allow
25 Busloads of Seniors Access to The Anti-free-trade Rally
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