Articles


 


NT Police attack political activists
by Mick Lambe - 21 April, 2002

Please note -- the images from the NT News used here, were released after this article. Captions used with the images -- are also part of the original article.

NT Police pre-meditated the attack on a peaceful protest (against the drug house and marijuana laws -- 20 April 2002) at Raintree Park in Darwin.

NT Police 'arrested' (or abducted) NAP's - Network Against Prohibition Coordinator, Gary Meyerhoff, shortly before the planned concert and protest.

Four detectives escorted Gary to an empty shop near Raintree Park that police had 'procured' as an on-site unit for strip searches.

Outside the shop -- windows were covered with "butcher paper" for concealment.

Inside -- a 'booth' was set-up for strip searches.

Police released Gary after his ordeal, but told him he was not allowed to enter Raintree Park until 3pm. The police did not cite any laws pertaining to this decree.

 

 

 

 

 

Responsibility

It will be interesting to see who takes responsibility for this pre-conceived plan to disrupt a peaceful rally...

...or were the Police acting as independent agents against people active in publicizing NT Police racism and political persecution?

Raintree Park

Face-painted children were laughing as they batted brightly coloured baloons around the Banyan tree. A viola was being played.

I was sitting cross-legged on the grass, babysitting a four month old infant whose Mother was performing in a band.

Idyllic...

...apart from the heavy Police presence that included a mobile Police Station, parked as closely as possible to Raintree Park.

 

 

 

 

 

NT Police move in

At twelve noon Gary Meyerhoff used the sound system in Raintree Park to describe his treatment by police and the purpose of the rally, to about 100 demonstrators.

"Two plainsclothes detectives approached and grabbed Gary who
fell to the ground rather than submit to blatant political oppression."


Click on image to enlarge

"This is not the first time he has been harassed by NT Police for his non-violent activism."

 

People moved quickly to show solidarity with NAP's spokesperson and surrounded Police and Gary with linked arms.

I was left literally, holding the baby (and other people's property) as more people went to block Police efforts to break the ring.

I managed to find a reliable 'Mother-substitute' and joined the ring myself.
________________________________________________

The Police holding Gary, refused to explain why he was being arrested to protestors. I asked another Police Officer, just what was going on? And he told me to ask the officers involved.

I explained that he wouldn't answer us and that we had a Council permit to be in Raintree Park.

This had already been made clear to the Police involved, by other protestors.

Police eventually grabbed me, refusing to explain why I was being arrested.

Given my past experiences with the NT Police, I too refused to cooperate in the trampling of my human rights.

I managed to 'escape' from the Police van twice as other activists were being bundled in.

The second 'escape' saw me crushed beneath Police with my face pressed against the hot paving, until I had difficulty breathing. The possibility of being killed in Raintree Park occurred to me. Then my arms were wrenched behind my back and handcuffed. My right arm has been injured for over a year, so the pain was excruciating.


"Despite my telling Police this, they lifted me up by my injured arm."

"An operation prolonged and made even more painful,
by the Police Officer standing on my dreadlocks."



 

 

The contrast in the way NT Police tackle the ongoing
problems of alcohol related crime is apparent

 

 

Up to 50 involved in Darwin brawl

Up to 50 people were involved in a brawl along Mitchell Street in Darwin early this morning.(Sun, 21 April, 2002)

Acting Senior Sergeant Foley says all of the city's on duty police were called to the fight outside nightclubs at 4:15am.

She says the fight involved 40 to 50 people and took half an hour to break up.

Two male police officers suffered cuts and bruises and a member of the public was taken to hospital with facial injuries.

No arrests were made.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nt/metnt-21apr2002-3.htm

 

 

 

 

 


NSW Health Professional -- to Clare Martin: "Have Your Police gone mad?"

Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002

From: Rod MacQueen rmacqueen@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

Subject: Re: DRUGTALK

Police attack Drug Law Reform protesters

To: clare.martin@nt.gov.au

Cc: gary.meyerhoff@eudoramail.com

Dear Minister, Re: http://www.country-liberal-party.com/pages/Pot-Protest.htm

I am deeply troubled that, having lead your government to power in what could be a new enlightened era for the Territory, the treatment of peaceful protestors is just like that of the repressive and corrupt Bjelke-Peterson era.

Whether these people were protesting drug law changes or the price of milk ought not to matter. They are exercising a democratic right that we have proudly fought for and that we believe is an integral part of our identity. Or was.

Now Mr Howard has given us the politics of hate, and your government is keen to outdo them, it seems.

Have your police gone mad?

Who is in charge of them?

Is your government so keen to avoid been seen as soft that it will countenance this offensive violence?

And all this whilst closing evidence based methadone facilities and fiddling about with the relatively unproven buprenorphine with scarcely trained clinicians.

Is the NT so immature that it still needs some group to fear, hate and pick on?

Try the peddlars of divisiveness in Canberra then, and look after your citizens - whether they use drugs or not.

And the police gentleness with violent drinkers will perhaps destroy all the gains made through the "Living with Alcohol" project. That would be nothing to crow about.

I sincerely hope that this was a glitch caused by bully-boy police acting without authority which will now cease, surely not the shape of things to come.

A R MacQueen

 

 

 

 

 

Arrests dampen NT smoke-in

Darwin residents opposed to changing the Northern Territory's drug laws have held a protest in a city park lighting what they claim, at just under a metre in length, is Darwin's biggest joint. (Sat, 20 April, 2002)

The group, called the Network Against Prohibition, says today's event is part of an ongoing campaign against what they claim is the Territory Government's zero tolerance approach to drug use.

Five protesters were arrested, one of those for having a toke on the one-metre joint.

However, the joint was not confiscated because police say it may not have contained marijuana.

Another four people were arrested as the smoke-in began.

Police are yet to confirm what they have been charged with.

The group's Scott White says the joint was lit as a solidarity gesture for Darwin's pot smokers.

Marijuana is decriminalised in the Northern Territory but the Network Against Prohibition claims the Labor Government wants to introduce laws to crack down on dealers who sell small $25 bags from their houses.

They say a more progressive approach is needed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nt/metnt-20apr2002-2.htm


 

 

 

 


36-Inch Marijuana Cigarette Is a Joke
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=851693

SYDNEY (Reuters) April 21, 02 - Australian police arrested five people who defiantly puffed away in public on what they claimed was the country's biggest marijuana joint, but it turned out to be nothing more than tobacco and harmless legal herbs.

The 36-inch so-called "community joint" -- rolled using brown paper as wrapping -- was part of a chaotic demonstration in Darwin Saturday by the Network Against Prohibition (NAP) against a planned tightening of drug laws.

"We didn't want to come in with half a kilo of marijuana, it was a symbol," said NAP spokesman Scott White.

Police said some of those involved in the stunt would face charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, while one man could face a charge of actual possession.

The NAP wants the government to accept marijuana as an integral part of Northern Territory lifestyle but the tighter legislation against those suspected of dealing is due to come into force next month.
______________________________________________________________

Obviously Reuters got the story wrong -- but it has
now broken internationally.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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