DPD Lies for $, Politics as Usual

DISCLAIMER: Let’s get one thing straight right away – West Denver Copwatch in NO WAY backs ANY politician EVER, especially Renfroe’s racist, teabagging, fucking bigot – just keep that in mind. Now, on to the article!

Over a month ago, State Senator Scott Renfroe – representing most of Weld County, including Greeley and Evans – introduced Senate Bill 50 to the Colorado legislature. Senate Bill 50 was designed to ban ALL ‘red-light cameras at intersections, as well as the use of photos for issuing tickets’ (Westword). Basically, if you’ve ever seen a bright, distracting flash while driving down the road, then got a ticket with a picture of you flipping off a camera in the mail a month later, it was from one of these red-light cameras/photo ticketing systems.

Renfroe argued that these camera-ticketing systems were “more about generating revenue than enhancing safety”; while on the other hand, doubters (mostly pigs and politicians wanting more money for gear to “beat the crowds” and line their pockets respectively [irrespectively]) argued that these ticket-generating systems were strictly for safety reasons: specifically stating that they brought down the number of accidents at red lights (Westword). Renfroe insisted however that there were other, more efficient ways to prevent red-light accidents, tactics that were actually study-driven; he sited one study from Texas in which “accidents at given intersections were halved simply by keeping the yellow light on for one second longer” (Westword).

Unfortunately, but not shockingly, “numerous law-enforcement representatives testified against Renfroe’s bill”; Renfroe himself stated that he thought “the committee liked what the police officers had to say about the cameras — and they didn’t really listen to the other studies or to the citizens” - which is an everyday reality for persons who are NOT State Senators; in fact pigs usually get the benefit of the doubt in all systems of government, most visibly the courts (Westword). 

Refroe also stated that he had concerns about ‘Big-Brother’, and their eyes in the sky: “Obviously, there are concerns about Big Brother and government. There’s the question of ‘Are we going too far with this and encroaching on people’s privacy and the right to address your accuser?’ It’s kind of crazy when you look at the system and what we have in place: They send you a ticket in the mail and people pay it without questioning it when you don’t really have to pay it. If it doesn’t go on your record and doesn’t go on your insurance — if it doesn’t do any of these things — then why are we collecting money on it?” (Westword) Although you don’t see Renfroe trying to tear down the HALO Cameras, or fighting against any other of the numerous examples of ‘Big-Brother’ invading OUR privacy.

For the last few months, local Colorado media outlets have been hyping this story, particularly the notion that these red-light cameras prevent accidents, and aren’t just designed to make quick money for the state/pork-lice. In fact one video in particular from Fox 31, interviewed Detective Pig John White explicitly repeats that these cameras are ‘for our safety’, while repeatedly replaying horrific accidents from persons running red lights, even though these cameras didn’t prevent these accidents from happening (see 9 News Video HERE). Cameras clearly aren’t preventative, as they only take pictures after someone has run the red light, and do only that – take pictures – not physically preventing an accident. As for the argument that persons will stop when they see the camera, I would say that if someone doesn’t stop when they see the red light that’s right below the camera and 50 times larger, they probably won’t see/care about the camera.

Now, the day after the bill was rejected, after a near, Colorado media-frenzy, arguing the fact that these cameras were not just to generate revenue, they were ‘for your protection’, 9 News is reporting that they were given a false statistic by the DPD, directly related to the amount of revenue the cameras generated (9 News). In fact, in the midst of a political battle over the actual basis for these red-light cameras, with the DPD explicitly claiming that they are NOT to simply generate revenue; they were at the same time, lying to the media about just how much money the red-light camera system was making! This was not a simple accounting error, or a few dollars here-and-there that went unaccounted-for, they mis-led the public and politicians who might have seen this constant media attention, by around $1 million (9 News). In a recent statement given by Pig spokesman Sonny Jackson, he stated that instead of giving the media the full, yearly revenue figure of $1.2 million, the dumb fucking pig gave them about one month’s worth at about $279,000; 9 News is also reporting that according to their research later (which led to them questioning these wrong figures), these red-light cameras generate about $2 million per year in total revenue (9 News).

Jackson: ”Truly, I have no intention to mislead Channel 9 or the public and I think that’s where we really have been concerned, because we want the public to have the clearest picture of what revenue is being generated, how the program is working because the program is going to exist for a while. We need to be as transparent as we can about how it exists.”

BULLSHIT – they fucking gave the wrong numbers to they could back a bullshit argument, or more importantly, deflate the argument against them. Once again they’re just straight lying to the public, and when they get caught they want to turn around and say that they want to be ‘more transparent’, and instill faith and trust in the public. FUCK YOU DPD, YOU PIECE OF SHIT LIARS! A program to ensure  ’our safety’ and not make money, but earns $2 million per year for the fucking police department?! That’s doubly against OUR safety… I call bullshit DPD – FUCK YOU!

 

Westword Article:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/02/red_light_camera_bill_dies_safety_intersections.php

9 News

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/251163/222/DPD-gave-9NEWS-faulty-photo-radar-info

West Denver Pushes Back

Taken From the Denver Post (10/20/12):

“Denver police are looking for a young man who fired a pistol at an officer at close range, missed and ran away tonight.

The incident happened at about 8:30 p.m. near West 17th Avenue and Julian Street.”

Of course the pigs described the person as being a POC, wearing a ‘hoodie with patches’.

“Police have set up a perimeter and were searching the area with a helicopter and dogs late tonight.

Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said an officer approached the young man because he was “acting suspiciously” in the area, which is southeast of Sloans Lake in West Denver.”
Read more:Young man fires shot, misses police officer in West Denver – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20007882#ixzz1n7i1BvWy
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

New H.A.L.O. Spots

Google Map of H.A.L.O. Cameras

This is the newest additions to the Orwellian surveillance network, H.A.L.O.  from one of WDCW’s closest comrades.  Thank you!

Chicago ‘Eavesdropping’ Act Under Scrutiny

Many of you probably already know the story behind the criminalization of Copwatch, but recently one state’s ban on Copwatching is finally being challenged.

The ‘Illinois Eavesdropping Act’ specifically prohibits the “recording of a peace officer who is performing a public duty in a public place and speaking at a volume audible to the unassisted human ear”, basically making it impossible for Copwatchers to do their job in the Chicago area (Huffington Post). The punishment for filming a public official, on duty, in public; is a Class 1 felony charge that can result in a substantial fine and up to 15 years in prison. In one instance, a young woman Tiawanda Moore, after being sexually harassed by Chicago pigs, attempted to video tape these dirt-bag pigs to protect herself, and ensure that if her rights were being violated she would at least have some documentation; was then threatened with felony charges and jail time (Huffington Post). In another instance, Occupy Chicago participants attempting to film a livestream of a local Occupy protest, were again, threatened with arrest (Chicagoist). In yet another case, “Chicago artist Christ Drew recorded his arrest for selling art in the Loop and was also charged with eavesdropping”; Drew filed suit with the ACLU in 2010.

Recently this egregious ban on Copwatching has been under scrutiny, as protests against the G8 and NATO are set to kick off May 19-21 in Chicago, which could result in the arrest of thousands of persons attempting to keep the pigs in line. This week amendments were approved 9-2 by the House committee, “sending it to the House floor for further action” (Chi CBS Local). One public defender speaking out against in defense of clients being prosecuted for allegedly filming the po-lice, stated that, “’It is patently unfair to arrest American citizens for filming their government doing government work in a public place’ and that police would ‘be arresting people for filming the police arresting people’” (Chicagoist).

Even the dumb-fucking pig superintendent Garry McCarthy backs the amendment, albeit for the ridiculously inexplicable reason “that they [footage of pigs] can protect police by providing evidence of officers doing their jobs correctly in the case of police brutality accusations”, according to the Huffington Post. Of course this argument is completely dismantled not only by the constant acts of brutality committed by ALL pigs, and consistent abuse of rights at any major (or minor) protest; let alone the fact that most other Illinois pigs are speaking out against the amendments, realizing that their wet dreams of a May filled with ‘getting up early to beat the crowds’ are going to be crushed by ordinary citizens demanding accountability. When presented with the argument that having the ability to film the police might ‘level the playing field’ between pigs and protesters, Deputy Chief of Narcotics Patrick Coughlin (of course) disagreed, arguing that the amendment would give ‘more rights to private citizens to collect evidence of a crime than officers have’, or how about just not blocking the rights private citizens already have, plus this statement doesn’t even make sense (Huffington Post).

This bill is completely ridiculous, pigs have the right to film persons walking down the street and protesters to build databases of ordinary citizens standing-up for their rights; but ordinary citizens don’t have the ability to film public officers, in a public setting, in a public position?! Pigs just want to get away with beating people down with no repercussions, pretty much what happens now around the country, just with even better odds and less resistance. Now usually we aren’t ones to take political stands (haha), but FUCK HB3944 – keep Copwatchin’

Lots of love to Chicago Copwatch – show some support ya’ll!

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/illinois-eavesdropping-am_n_1266465.html

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/02/09/move-advances-to-lift-ban-on-recording-police-officers/

http://chicagoist.com/2012/02/09/bill_that_makes_changes_to_illinois.php

Drunk Pig Hits Telephone Pole Appeals Suspension

According to reports, almost 2-YEARS ago, off-duty pig Michael Lemmons was riding his motorcycle home at around 1:30 AM, when he inexplicably ran into a pole. “Lemmons suffered a head injury and broke every bone between his shoulder and hip on his right side, said Cpl. Danny Dunn, a member of the DUI unit.”

Dunn alleges that he smelled “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath” and “refused twice to take a blood test”. “Dunn then filled out a criminal summons and complaint against Lemmons… But the Denver district attorney’s office refused to prosecute”

Furthermore, as Lemmons refused to take a blood test (twice) to confirm that he was driving under the influence of alcohol, he should have received an automatic suspension of his drivers license. Although Lemmons did NOT have his driver’s license suspended because the other pig: Dunn, “didn’t receive a subpoena or a notice that it was scheduled and didn’t know about” the DMV hearing.

Now drunk pig Lemmons is appealing his 92-day suspension for “drunk and careless driving”.

There is so much wrong with this situation that I don’t know where to start! First-off, why would the DA not prosecute any person who drove into a pole at 1:30 in the morning, smelling of alcohol (from the testament of a pig, who’s word is obviously holier than thou’s in any courtroom in the US), and refusing to take 2 blood tests?! Clearly, because he’s a pig, he gets this privileged treatment, benefit of the doubt, whatever you want to call this clear preferential treatment.

Secondly, Dunn…. what the fuck – you didn’t know about the hearing?! Sounds a little suspect in my opinion. I’m guessing that either the notice didn’t get to him on purpose, he decided (or was persuaded) not to go because of this bullshit pig brotherhood shit, or because he’s just plain dumb.

Thirdly, how have you not served a suspension already for an incident that happened 2 YEARS ago?! Shouldn’t that have come into effect yet?

Lastly, and most importantly – the Pig Grand Wizard shells out 92-day suspensions for alleged DUI’s but not for MURDER?!

FUCK YOU DPD…

Read more:Denver cop appealing suspension contends he wasn’t drunk – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19958288#ixzz1mNhYLZpX
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Real-Life Thor Hate’s Pigs!

The man accused of allegedly attempting to hit a Denver pig with a hammer back in December, is being charged with felony assault. 

James Bo-Rain Bradley “allegedly approached a police cruiser in a parking lot… in which Officer Sean Cronin was doing paperwork and eating lunch” [or in other words he was just sitting there, doing jack shit], he then smashed through the drivers-side window of Cronin’s cruiser window with a hammer. Cronin opened fire, shooting Bradley 5 times in the chest, reporting later that he was ‘in fear for his life’ [which is of course is every pigs excuse for murdering somebody]; Bradley was seriously injured, but survived this atrocious act of police misconduct.

It’s now being reported that this is not the first instance in which Bradley has had a run-in with the police. In 2009 Bradley was allegedly involved in a high-speed chase with pigs in New Mexico. During this earlier incident Bradley apparently tore through a spike strip and drove several miles before pulling over; at which point he stepped out of his car with a sledgehammer in one hand, and a beer in the other. After refusing to surrender, NM pigs tazed Bradley [although only armed with a sledgehammer] – Bradley, refusing to give-up, pulled the tazer probes out of his own chest and allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket.

First-off, let me just say that Bradley is allegedly a crazy fucking BO$$, I don’t pretend to know his reasoning behind these alleged events, but I believe it’s safe to say that he hated pigs with a passion.

On the opposite end of the heroics allegedly committed by Bradley, are the cowardly reactions committed by Pig Cronin, who shot a man 5 times in the chest, while in a car, and got away with it. Fucking piece-of-shit DA Mitch Morrissey once again has cleared the pig of any wrong-doing.

Now let me get this straight, the guy with the hammer who got shot 5 times in the chest is being charged with felony assault; and the guy who shot him 5 times is driving around Denver with a gun strapped to his belt?! Sounds like some bullshit…
Read more:Charges filed against man accused of hammer attack on Denver cop – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19930407#ixzz1mIWss8eN
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

WE’RE BACK!

Sorry for the technical difficulties! But we’re proud to announce that West Denver Copwatch’s website is back up and better than EVER!

(A)nti-Capitalist Christmas/Holiday Season – Tomorrow! 3PM

Hello all our dear elf friends! Tired of Santa getting all the profit from our handiwork?

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and some of us elves couldn’t help but think that with all this Occupy business happening across the U.S., maybe it was high time we occupy something ourselves! Santa has commodified and profited from our jolly nature and nimble hands long enough. So, we invite all of you to join your elven friends and comrades on December 17th, 2011 at 3PM in Hungarian Freedom Park (Speer & Downing) where will we gather and then proceed to march directly to where Santa resides next to the beating heart of capitalism and consumerism.

We’re elves right? So bring your holiday spirit, magic, and mischievous nature!

Our demands are simple: Elves desire everything for everyone. We desire liberation. We will stop at nothing to gain it.

Occupy Wall Street has captured the imagination of the humans for the last two months. There have been moments of inspiring victory, like the General Strike in Oakland, and then moments of gut wrenching repression, like the lethally armed eviction of the Occupy squat in Chapel Hill. Victories and losses. Steps forwards and steps back. This is the nature of the social war for humans and elves alike. Our collective capacity to dream outside of our own alienation and commodification is awakening from a long slumber!

Capitalism is taking its dying breaths. These are the death rattles our fallen comrades dreamt of years ago.

There are some who refuse to awaken their humanity and instead choose to continue their participation in systems of oppression and state funded violence. Some of those people might be just a moment away from opening their eyes and waking from the nightmare that is the American dream. Others may be all too blinded by their addiction to the crisis and that which they can gain from it.

Elves and humans are not so different from one another, though those who hold us in subjugation would have us believe otherwise. Our differences are our strength! Regardless of whether you’re a self-proclaimed anarchist elf or a human who voted for Obama and is feeling regretful, you are welcome here! Elves from the North Pole refuse to believe that elves from the South Pole are illegal and stand in solidarity with their migrant elven comrades! Those in power wish to divide us and segregate us from one another. They use false divisions like species, race, sexuality, gender, and others to dismantle our collective power. No more! We will break our own chains by dismantling the lies we’ve been fed our whole lives. We will create a liberated world of equality.

Join others in solidarity against capitalism. December 17th, 2011 at 3PM. Hungarian Freedom Park. Downing and Speer.

Bring signs, banners, voices, jingle bells, and big dreams of liberation ready to become a lived experience!

Amen: Denver ABC Statement Concerning Occupy Denver

Our dear friends at Denver Anarchist Black Cross have pulled their support form Occupy Denver.  Word Up.

From Denver abc: Over the past few months, Denver ABC has devoted a tremendous amount of resources and energy into Occupy Denver. Our collective has staffed a 24/7 legal line, coordinated the bailing out of almost one hundred demonstrators arrested over the last two months, and onsite CopWatch and Street Medics. We’ve made an earnest and largely successful effort to get supporters into the courtrooms for nearly every hearing and court appearance featuring our arrested comrades. All this has been juggled with attending the weekly marches and adding our spirit to the marches and General Assemblies as one portion of the 99%.

As of December 4th, our collective has decided to no longer support Occupy Denver. This means we will not be providing our legal line for Occupy actions; fundraising for the movement; encouraging our members, friends and allies to get involved; as well as serve roles such as CopWatch and Medics. This is in solidarity and coordination with other ally formations such as West Denver CopWatch and the Colorado Street Medics.
We want to be clear that our decision is not based on a generalized, absolute rejection of everyone involved in Occupy Denver. We are grateful for many relationships of solidarity that we have made through our work with OD and are confident those relationship will continue to blossom. Our commitments to the OD arrestees that we have been supporting still remain as well.

Our decision is based on festering frustrations with a small sector of OD who continue to marginalize, silence, and threaten our communities and ally communities. Despite the hard work of many involved in OD, its political platform continues to be framed by and for economically privileged, hyper-nationalist white heterosexual males. Experiences of race, gender, class, nationality, immigration status, and a multitude of other identities continue to be buried underneath the dominant “We are the 99%” narrative.

Attempts to dislodge the monopolizing of space in OD have been consistently met with threats, slander, snitch-jacketing, and other tactics of intimidation. From the start, despite our un-flinching support, our collective and other allies have been called everything from agent provocateurs to femi-nazis to pedophiles.  The culminating event for us took place during a recent march. A collective member spoke up during an open mic time to challenge the assumption of a unified “99%” by bringing attention to the marginalization of reproductive rights taking place at the same time open racism was being accepted in the crowd. The response of We Are Change was to instigate a chant that drowned out the only woman to speak at the open mic and insinuate she was a CIA agent. As a collective committed to grassroots organizing in Denver and being reminded daily of the horrors of the FBI’s COINTEL Program through our support of political prisoners, we cannot take such behavior lightly.

On top of the concerns listed above, our work with OD has been a tremendous resource drain. Exacerbating this has been a recent wave of arrestees failing to appear in court, essentially hemorrhaging the tremendous amount of fundraising that has taken place and putting our collective in a precarious financial state. After much difficult reflection we came to the realization that we can and must use our limited resources in more radical, effective ways.

There is a lot about the Occupy movement that we find inspiring. The Oakland General Strike had many of us smiling for days. In New York, people are taking over foreclosed houses, resisting evictions and defending them from police aggression. In DC, a house was built in a park and fought for. Chapel Hill, Seattle and Santa Cruz saw temporary autonomous zones established within long-abandoned structures. We hope that our decision is able to open up more room to support movements we are proud of, such as these.

In revolutionary spirit, the Denver Anarchist Black Cross

Below is breakdown of our legal support fund

Funds received: $16,531
Funds used:
Bonds – $14,210
Jail Phone Fund- $1660
Food/supplies for released arrestees, legal line- $237
Commissary for long term arrestees- $315
Total- $16512
Remainder- +$19
Debt:
Cancelled bonds (Failure to appears, etc)- $8100
Loans- $460
Total- $8560
Total: -$8541

On the Brighter Side…

According to the Denver Post, some brave souls stole two handguns and a tazer from a Pig$ house in Boulder,

“Sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m” last night. This Boulder County Sheriff, who (again according to the Denver Post) lives “in the 2800 block of Rock Creek Circle in Superior” allegedly had “wo personal handguns, two police badges, a Taser, a duty belt, a portable police radio and two personal computers” stolen from his home on Tuesday night.

“This is the second time in less than three months that items — including guns — have been stolen from a Boulder County Sheriff’s Department employee.

On Sept. 22, an unmarked Ford Taurus was stolen from the parking lot of a detective’s Westminster apartment complex in the 3800 block of West 68th Street. Later that day, the car was found abandoned in the 7100 block of Stuart Street.

An AR-15 rifle, ammunition and a bullet-proof vest, which were stolen from the trunk of the car, were found almost a month later.

No one was arrested in the case.”

The end of this article states that if YOU (the reader) has any info on this case, you should immediately snitch; although WE (WEST DENVUR COPWATCH) would like to reiterate: STOP SNITCHING!!!!

Read more:Handguns, Taser and badges stolen from a Boulder County sheriff deputy’s home – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_19489254#ixzz1ftNSEV00
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

 
Read more:Handguns, Taser and badges stolen from a Boulder County sheriff deputy’s home – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_19489254#ixzz1ftNLbjl3
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse