Last month a protester was assaulted in Keene's Central Square. Another one was assaulted in Spokane, Wa.
Maybe we should keep count. See:
"From: "tayacan2004"
Date: Wed May 5, 2004 12:00 am
Subject: Assault on Spokane War Protester
Tonight, May 4, at about 6 PM, I was assaulted at Hamilton and Mission while human billboarding with 82 year old Korea and WWII veteran Al Mangan and a Vietnam War veteran whose name I do not recall.
I noticed a blue convertible jeep southbound on Hamilton preparing to turn left onto east bound Mission. Both the driver and the passenger, white males, were staring persistently at Al and me, who were standing next to each other. The passenger would raise himself up so he could see over the head of the driver and make eye contact when I would look their way. The two cars ahead of them made the left turn on the next light but they did not so they were there for a second cycle and continued to stare persistently at us, with the passenger turning very intentionally to be able to continue to stare at Al and me.
I watched them as they turned the corner and when they turned at the next right I told Al to be ready because either these guys were going to go around the block and come back north on Hamilton or they were going to do a U-turn and come back on Mission. When I saw that they had done the latter, I also told the other fellow with us (standing about 15 feet further forward right at the corner) to be aware. The jeep crossed Mission and entered the Safeway parking lot going north in front of the store entrance. It then turned west up the second row of parking. They crossed back to the south and parked about in the middle of the southmost row of parking against Mission.
The driver remained in the vehicle. I did my best to not look in their direction but told Al and the other fellow to get ready. When it was clear the passenger, of military bearing with a military cut, about 5'9" and perhaps 210 pounds, did not intend to stop and that he was about 6 feet from me I began to turn realizing he was coming quickly and that with a shove of me both Al and I could have ended up in the busy 6 PM traffic of Hamilton. In turning I thought he had tried to take a swing at Al who was on the other side of me. (Al told me later he did not take a swing at him).
The man tried to grabbed my signs. I was carrying my usual "Iraq equals Quagmire and 751 U.S. Dead" sign plus two other signs behind it in case I wanted to change signs. I held onto the signs which in a flurry he then ripped into many parts as I held them. Still concerned about ending up in the street, I somehow ended up with a hand on his shirt which tore as I fell to the ground.
Fearing he would kick me, I scrambled up and began calling out to cars, some with open windows, on Mission that I needed a witness and for someone to call 911. As I turned back, the jeep was now coming west towards where we were. The man who assaulted me attempted to run in front of the jeep to get in the passenger's side and was hit by the jeep where the driver side headlight is. He ended up with his chest across the hood. He sort of bounced back and jumped in the passenger's side. The driver then put the jeep in reverse and--at what I described as 30 to 40 miles an hour (but which Al told me was slower so I'll say 20-25 miles an hour)--sped in reverse some 100 feet backwards to the east towards the Safeway building.
I managed to get the license plate number. Getting towards the parking lot exit onto Mission, he very professionally made the jeep spin 180 degrees and continued out of the lot. As I ran to the Safeway to call 911 a woman said "What's wrong with them, they almost ran me over". I also got her license number as she got into her vehicle. When I called 911, the operator told me they were getting other calls about the situation. Two officers arrived. They said a STA bus driver had called it in. Al told me that a worker at David' pizza who had been at the car wash across the street at Mission and Hamilton had seen it all and had also called in.
This was an unprovoked, except by standing with signs, attack. I believe these were U.S. military members. We exchanged no gestures or words with these individuals before or during the event.
The officers were very attentive and took photos of me, the abrasions to my left elbow, and the torn up signs. At the end, one of the officers told Al and me that we should not be surprised by this sort of event. He then told me if I had any information that these guys were military or any other information to contact him.
George Bush gave these shock troops their orders when he said that "Either you are with us or you are against us". I am against us. So I am fair game.
Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming.
David Brookbank
http://www.kxly.com/common/getStory.asp?id=36261
I failed to mention that there was a police report taken and that I will be filing charges. May the same be done with every human rights abuse, murder, and war crime commited in Iraq and in the prison at Guantanamo, Cuba. U.S. Imperialists and Human Rights Abusers out of Cuba. Now."
As posted in Seattlesucks.com