Social networking media such as Twitter are being used for all kinds of things. The recent phenomenon of flash mobs is now being utilized to organize protests, robbing and looting in neighborhoods and to foment chaos. Activists in the San Francisco Bay Area spent much of the summer organizing flash mob protests at BART Tunnels.
The activists claim that these are First Amendment activities designed to protest an officer involved shooting but the strategy seemed to be to disrupt BART operations during rush hours. The next phase in the leftist strategy to spread chaos in America is to “occupy Wall Street”, an ongoing operation to protest against bankers and other symbols of America’s corporate financial power.
The Days of Rage, planned for September 17, seemed to fizzle with very little of the publicity that the protestors sought in the national media. There is no visible leadership because the events are directed in social cyberspace. Seattle was targeted by a small group of protestors that marched through the city streets.
The flash mobs in Seattle took place at the same time as protests planned for Wall Street, Los Angeles and San Francisco! BART transit authorities have been dealing with flash mob protesters in the Bay Area all summer long. Every time the police arrive at one BART station, the flash mobs are already on their way to a new location to disrupt rush hour commuters at another station. The protestors’ stated objective- protesting an officer involved shooting by BART transit police- is identical to the events that sparked riots in London.
The Leaderless Resistance Model
The protestors are consciously trying to emulate what has occurred in Egypt and the process of looking for inspiration to revolutions in other parts of the world is not a coincidence. September 17th was planned by the “leaderless” resistance as a worldwide protest against banks, corporations and capitalism.
The protestors in New York City are now being arrested and in some cases law enforcement is deploying use of force. Despite their claims to be nonviolent followers of Martin Luther and Gandhi, police “violence” is exactly what the activists have been eagerly anticipating.
Mainstream Media Spin or Police Misconduct?
After weeks of a virtual media blackout on nationwide efforts by the Days of Rage activists to obtain coverage, Occupy Wall Street is finally getting traction with the Mainstream Media. The New York Times featured an article on September 27, 2011 that raises issues as to whether the police overreacted by using pepper spray to restrain and arrest some of the demonstrators. According to the Times article, the NYPD and federal government have been anticipating that the protests in New York City might lead to the kind of violence, arsons and looting that broke out in England.
The fact that social media can be used to foment anarchy raises the issue of whether it can also be used by law enforcement and communities to prevent the violence and looting that recently occurred in London and other cities in England.
The pattern by which such protests become opportunities for violence and looting- remember London and the WTO riots in Seattle- has law enforcement trying to understand how to utilize social media to prevent violence. Back in the good old days of the Sixties, when radical protests were planned and executed from bars and college dormitories- and not in cyberspace- the police would speak to the activists or use informants to understand what was happening. The transit authorities turned off cell service in Bay Area BART tunnels but drew the wrath of the ACLU and other civil libertarians. Listening to the activists via social media is probably a better alternative than simply turning off the technology that enables social networking.
An online hacking group called Anonymous is promoting the attacks against the BART system and also promotes Days of Rage-Occupy Wall Street protests. Another group behind the protests, called Adbusters, allegedlly receives funding from Soros-backed organizations.
Along with Constitutional issues, turning off cell service hampers the rest of us from dealing with emergencies that may potentially occur in the midst of a chaotic situation. One way to prevent flash mob political protests is to use social media as a means for law enforcement and the public to communicate before, during and after a crisis- but our cell phones need to work during the crises!
Stephen Lerner, one of the organizers of the Days of Rage “leaderless resistance” allegedly started his career as a leftist organizer with SDS back in the days when the City of Chicago experienced pitched battles between Chicago cops and supposedly peaceful SDS Weathermen in the streets. That was 1969. Now we see SEIU and the offspring of groups like ACORN, along with Michael Moore, Code Pink people and the usual gaggle of entertainment personalities.
They are all calling for a real Tahrir Square revolution in the streets of America. It seems relevant to note that 24 Coptic Christians were killed in October when they protested against fundamentalists burning thier churches with impunity in Egypt.
Another group active in organizing and guiding Occupy Wall Street, along with the Tides Foundation also Soros-funded, is the Working Family Party.
There is now reason to believe that these new darlings of the mainstream media plan to “occupy” the homes of greedy capitalists. But apparently they will only protest in front of the homes of certain bankers that are associated with the Republican side of things. The Occupiers claim to be opposed to the right-left paradigm, so we will see whether they ever say anything about George Soros!
He got his start in offshore banking, hedge funds, etc. Now he allegedly makes billions by selling currency short after he manipulates national governments into degarding their national currencies. Hmmmm….
In Oakland, the “peaceful protesters” have vandalized businesses, invaded banks and held up traffic at the Port of Oakland, bringing the nation’s fifth largest port to a standstill!
Meanwhile, right here in Washington State, we saw Longshoremen claiming police brutality at the Port of Longview despite Union members who violated court orders, destroyed property and allegedly imprisoned security guards at the Port.
Almost the next week, the Tacoma Teachers Association called an illegal strike, violated court orders and got most of what they asked for, including an agreement that both Tacoma schools and the teachers’ union talk nicely about each other:
“All sides “will refrain from publicly criticizing the leadership of the other party with respect to the parties, the negotiation of the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) or any event materially related to the negotiation of the CBA.”
The Nation is now suggesting that one way for unemployed, desperate young adults to rid society of unjust student loan debt (as well as other forms of “predatory” government sponsored lending) is to get engaged by manning the barricades in New York City and occupying Wall Street!
In Seattle and other areas they are occupying foreclosed homes that sit empty and during the evening of November 29th over 500 LAPD officers swept through the Occupy encampment outside the LA City Hall.
The same day in Olympia, Washington, protestors shouted down legislators in the Capitol Building, attacking and injuring several officers that tried to manage the situation.
Police Used Social Media During London’s Days of Rage
During the London riots that spread to other English towns and cities, the police utilized Twitter and other social media to follow up on rumors and prevent the rampant speculation that occurs when whole neighborhoods are being burned to the ground and homes and shops are invaded by gangs of thugs.
Those that followed certain LEOs received accurate assessments of what was occurring. Social media reassured people and dispelled rumors, according to Mark Payne, a Superintendent with the West Midlands Police. National TV channels were publishing banner headlines right from his tweets. The Superintendant states that he gained 5000 extra followers within 24 hours after the riots started. Payne provided the following advice that might be helpful to FWPD:
1) Use Social Media – Adopt much wider use of social media in police work and become adept at using it. Thinking about social media the day before an event doesn’t work. You need to understand what you are doing and develop a follower base so people start to trust your voice on a daily basis and turn to you for information in a crisis.
2) Be brave – you will make mistakes when you use social media, and once they are out there you can’t retract them easily. Nevertheless, the benefits of using social media outweigh the potential pitfalls.
3) Reach out to current users – one of the benefits of social media is that there are already lots of networks in Federal Way just waiting to talk to law enforcement.
4) Be an individual –monitor twitter feeds and answer questions in order to interact with the public in a manner that is consistent with established principles of community policing. Encourage individual officers to engage through social media. This allows local folks to follow a local cop, asking questions and talking to him or her about neighborhood issues. Twitter and other social media can add a personal dimension to a local officer that used to be more common when officers always walked their daily beats in the same part of town.
See Social Media, Police & Riots.
One Federal Way officer that patrols my neighborhood also lives nearby. He has not yet engaged me on Twitter but he stops and chats with me while I am getting my mail and I stop and converse with him when I see him. That kind of interaction is not always possible but knowing each other and being known in your community could become a critical factor in maintaining order when natural- or social forces- interrupt our normal world.
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Reprinted from King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin (September, 2011).
I read KCBA President Joe Bringman’s message in the Bar Bulletin (August, 2011 President’s Page). Many lawyers have the impression that the KCBA is taking political positions that conflict with the conservative principles which animate more than a few lawyers. The President’s comments related to state preemption of local gun control efforts might be commendable as an opinion piece or an expression of his personal opinion. Nevertheless, the fact that he was writing as President to KCBA members raises the issue of whether the President’s Page is an appropriate venue from which to advocate taking a questionable position regarding RCW 9.41.290.
Consider how many lawyers and even judges have CPLs and ask how those of us that “bear arms” as a normal part of our daily routine would be able to navigate our way down the freeway if we have to research the laws of every municipality into which we enter. If it is a challenge for lawyers that are experts when it comes to legal research then what about the non-lawyer that chooses to carry? If judges and lawyers adopt the approach that each man or woman that bears arms also bears the risks of running afoul of a patchwork of confusing laws, the chilling effect will hobble any meaningful exercise of our rights under the U.S. Constitution and SECTION 24 of the Washington State Constitution:
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.
If I go to a park in Seattle using public transportation would I check my gun in with the driver before I get on the bus? If I am walking around Seattle, will the City provide a lock box outside each entrance to a city park the way the courts are required to do by statute? And what about when I park in a municipally owner parking while stopping in a city that has decided to enact legislation prohibiting firearms in vehicles parked in municipal parking lots? The unpredictability and chaos will lead to utter disrespect for the law.
The impact of any potential modification concerning RCW 9.41.290 collides with common sense Local governments are not best situated to determine how to ensure the safety of their citizens. Local lawmakers react to local political pressures often without considering ramifications that involve travelers, visitors and business people that may be carrying large amounts of money with no place to safely store a weapon when they enter an area that restricts firearms. Many states have similar preemption laws and are safer than cities like Chicago where most residents have been prohibited from keeping guns- even in their homes- and the murder rate is out of control. Enacting the President’s proposals for Washington State would create legal chaos and make us less safe!
RCW 9.41.290 states:
The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state, including the registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, acquisition, transfer, discharge, and transportation of firearms, or any other element relating to firearms or parts thereof, including ammunition and reloader components. Cities, towns, and counties or other municipalities may enact only those laws and ordinances relating to firearms that are specifically authorized by state law, as in RCW 9.41.300, and are consistent with this chapter. Such local ordinances shall have the same penalty as provided for by state law. Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with, more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not be enacted and are preempted and repealed, regardless of the nature of the code, charter, or home rule status of such city, town, county, or municipality.
Given the harm all too frequently associated with statist theoreticians, it’s time that we ask whether the benefits provided by our state’s firearms preemption law outweigh any short term political advantages to be gained by modifying state law.
A few years back, the Bar Bulletin published a great article entitled PRYING THE SECOND AMENDMENT’S MEANING FROM THE FOUNDERS’ COLD DEAD HANDS. The well written legal analysis of the Second Amendment was written by a young attorney that started out with negative assumptions about the Second Amendment but she discovered that its provisions are actually very meaningful.
There are presently lawsuits pending in Illinois that will almost certainly establish a right to carry a firearm in many public places. The Washington State Constitution is unequivocal in its legal protection for gun owners and those of us that bear arms. Proposals to modify firearms preemption are actually a giant step back to the patch work laws that have worked to completely deprive many people in Illinois from enjoying a right that residents of most states take for granted; i.e., the right to simply possess a firearm within their own homes!
Things have changed a lot since most of us were in law school. One reason to think soberly and clearly about such proposals is because, as lawyers, we are more likely to be threatened with violence than most people. The threats to judges and prosecutors in particular have been escalating according to a study by the Washington State Board for Judicial Administration (BJA).
See article.
There is no evidence that armed citizens are creating a threat by wearing pistols in public places and a concurring opinion in the NORDYKE V KING case (Ninth Circuit, 2009) contained a strong comment as to how effectively the Second Amendment protects Americans from the promiscuous carnage that occurred during the attacks in Mumbai by terrorists armed with automatic rifles. A few guns at the youth camp in Norway could also have saved many lives. An unarmed officer in uniform was one of the victims in the early stages of that attack.
More lawyers should get involved in the full debate about guns. The issues are serious and the public needs the rigorous analysis lawyers can provide on the subject of gun law, not the kind of superficial analyses that politicians and news media often produce.
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Al Qaeda has successfully recruited Americans and American born Al Qaeda members are calling on recruits who were also born in the U.S. to attack their fellow Americans with automatic weapons. The successful attacks that killed 164 residents of Mumbai and wounded 300 with AK-47s and hand grenades have become a model for future jihad. One terrorist, Adam Gadahn, released an Al Qaeda video in which he stated that automatic weapons can be easily obtained at gun shows.
This misconception- the widespread belief that gun shows offer highly restricted full auto firearms for sale (illegal for most people to even possess)- has been repeated many times in the news media. I am a member of the Washington Arms Collectors and will attest that there are no machine guns for sale at WAC gun shows. WAC regulates its gun shows much more strictly than the BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS & EXPLOSIVES regulates its operations.
The BATFE recently pressured private gun dealers to participate in illegal sales of thousands of pistols and other weapons to “straw purchasers”, actually FBI informants using U.S. taxpayers’ money to purchase the weapons which included semi-automatic rifles mistakenly labeled by the media as assault rifles. The justification for the FAST & FURIOUS program was that the illegal guns could be tracked in order to identify illegal arms dealers. The informants were selling the guns to the cartels in Mexico and the BATFE lost track of the guns.
The weapons were used to kill at least one U.S. border agent and an unknown number of Mexican citizens. The U.S. government admits that mistakes were made but there has been very little explanation as to how the federal government expected to track the guns in the first place. The Mexican government is outraged and so are the American people. Now the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, is being subpoenaed to testify before Congress as to what he knew and when.
Even as two Congressional committees were trying to get straight answers from the BATFE (and Eric Holder’s Department of Justice), a group of American converts to Islam were busy buying guns that had been rendered inoperable from a government informant in SeaTac, Washington- just North of Federal Way. The guns were to be used in launching an attack on the Military Entrance Processing Station in Seattle.
On June 1, 2009, another jihad attack by an American convert killed one soldier and seriously wounded another at a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas. Carlos aka “Muhammad” Bledsoe was never charged with any federal crimes and the case was handled in the Arkansas courts as a simple case of murder. The soldier’s death was classified as non-combat related and the fact that this attack even occurred is virtually unknown to most of us.
The Fort Hood shooter killed 13 people (12 soldiers) and wounded 29 in 2009. Recently the authorities have stopped another member of our armed forces from carrying out another such attack at Fort Hood.
Al Qaeda’s efforts to radicalize individuals right here in the U.S. without any direct communication or contact between Al Qaeda and its American disciples has now been very well documented.
Every time there is an attack, the authorities launch new probes into how someone failed to connect the dots. Such a probe is now being commenced in Norway to answer questions about what took the police so long to arrive at a youth camp where a rightwing ideologue hunted and killed school children because their parents were members of Norway’s ruling political party.
The terrorist commenced his attack on the youth camp by killing an unarmed, uniformed police officer. Anders Breivik claimed to be connected with networks of cell groups around Europe and expected to someday be elevated to heroic status in Europe.
All these misguided individuals, including possibly the United States Attorney General, share a certain stance when it comes to personal morality. Once the discussion shifts to a new order of morality based on abstract considerations- like defending a religion or an ideology- the time has come to sound a strong alarm!
Apparently quite a few agents at the BATFE were objecting vehemently to the federal government’s OPERATION FAST & FURIOUS (which spanned several agencies) but higher-ups in the federal government surrendered their sense of right and wrong to a cause that transcended personal moral considerations- a cause that very well may have involved creating statistics in order to justify banning so-called assault rifles.
Stop and think about all the unexpected places that threats can materialize. Government agencies are prone to blind spots that prevent them from identifying actual threats and responding on time. There are not enough resources in the world to identify every group that might pose a potential threat. People that maintain a true moral compass are the first and last line of defense against violence and political agendas based on expediency and misguided value systems.
