(article reprinted from numerous sources online)
On Thursday, January 22nd, the hamilton police stormed a peaceful folk show taking place at the Mex-I-Can restaurant on James street. The show had started around 8:30, with a crowd of around thirty people come to see the traveling musicians who’d stopped here for the night. Around 11:00, halfway though the show’s lineup, word rushed through the room that there were cops outside. The show stopped, the crowd went to the street, and three people were arrested. Here’s the story:
Just outside of Mex-I-Can’s doors, three women were talking together, one of whom had an open beer. An unmarked car pulled up in front of them, and two men leapt out. Without identifying themselves in any way, they lunged to grab the woman with the drink, who panicked and ran inside; the two men followed her and seized her in the doorway. They now identified themselves as police and were joined by two other cops. A group of about ten people from inside followed the cops back out, yelling at the pigs and trying to take their friend back. The police became aggressive, striking people with their hands, and the woman was taken around the back of the police car by one cop, three of her friends close by. A scuffle broke out near the front of the car and when the arresting officer went to join in, the woman managed to escape and remained safe for the rest of the events.
The police were now arresting another woman near the front of the car, and the crowd pressed strongly against them, not letting their friend be stolen. A man in military dress came from across the street and jumped in on the side of the cops, falsely claiming to be a cop himself. Several people were captured by police but broke free with the help of the group.
During this time...police vehicle[s] arrived about every thirty seconds to a total of nineteen, including two paddy wagons.
The captive escaped, and the crowd fought a retreat back through the doors of the restaurant – all the cops were outside and most of the folk were inside. Some people stood outside between the cops and the doors trying to dialogue. The police regrouped, and Sergeant John Harris arrived and took charge. The people attempting to dialogue were now roughly struck aside and the cops stormed the restaurant. James Street was a sea of police lights for a full block in either direction.
Before long, the police emerged with the woman they were holding before, and the crowd poured back out too. One man who’d been involved in the scuffle earlier was carried out by four cops, one on each limb, while two others performed pain holds on his neck and ears. His pants were pulled down and he was not allowed to pull them back up. One person attempted to provide him with the contact information of someone who could find him a lawyer, but was prevented from doing so. A third person was arrested seemingly at random, snatched from where he stood off to one side, and his clothing was torn as he was dragged off by police.
Someone dialoguing with several officers at this point reports that the cops believed someone became violent when presented with a drinking ticket – this would become the official story. Other cops thought they were reacting to a protest, and shouted ‘Go protest somewhere else’ to the crowd, and at least one cop thought he was responding to a robbery or street fight. Many cops refused to identify themselves when asked, responding instead with insults.
The police reentered the restaurant lead by Harris and his lackey wielding a pepper spray canister. The musicians were packing up their gear, and the police turned their attention to the two merchandise tables where zines and music were being distributed. Some of the zines were anarchist in nature, and the cops asked many questions about them and tried to steal some, but this was resisted. Harris and his lackey now became extremely rude and abusive, mocking those packing up the tables and insulting people loudly. The concert was not political in nature, the money being raised going entirely to the musicians, but many people, including the owner of the restaurant, were questioned about their political beliefs and about political organizations that might be involved with the show.
Some folk talked to the cops and found out where the arrested were being held, what their charges were, and when they might be released or appear in court. The crowd got their things together, collected the belongings of those arrested, and left. Two people were charged with obstruction of justice (everything a cop does is justice, getting in their way is obstruction) and resisting arrest, and one with disturbing the peace, a nothing charge usually used to break up large groups in protest situations.
Apart from this being a ridiculously disproportionate response, there are several facts that lead me to believe that there is more to the cops’ actions than there seemed. Just before the initial police action, a friend had gone for a walk around the block and saw that directly around the corner on York Street, there were seventeen cop cars parked and waiting. As well, someone eavesdropping on cops after the crowd left reported that some cops were excited about the way this raid ‘played into their hands’ as part of an ongoing investigation.
These two facts, combined with the aggressive way they approached the woman with the open drink, makes me think that this raid was a planned act of disruption and provocation on the part of the police, not a response followed by escalation as they claimed. That Thursday, the police used bare-faced violence as part of an ongoing campaign against some part of the progressive community in this city. Likely, they desired to spread fear and confusion, and to force us to turn our energy inwards rather than outwards towards social change.
What else can we learn from this? I believe the most important lesson is to be prepared. The group there on Thursday had no reason to think they would encounter police that night, but because most folk had planned and practiced how to deal with police, they were able to act decisively and cohesively to defend themselves. Even in the heat of action, communication was maintained, and people who had never met found themselves working together effectively. There could easily have been many more arrests that night – more than ten people were snatched by cops only to be unarrested. And while some people fought back against the police, others dialogued and learned the ‘official’ stories, as well as information that allowed us to support our friends while they were held and to meet them upon their release.
Even if you and your group aren’t doing anything illegal, it does not mean you will not become the target of state violence. Looking at the actions of COINTELPRO and CSIS, we can see that state forces are usually not trying to make arrests in groups they consider politically motivated – they are trying to ruin people’s lives and make it impossible for activists to continue their work. Since that night, people who were present there have been followed by police and approached by undercovers in their workplaces. Be prepared. The cops' job is to protect state and corporate interests, and laws are only some of the tools they use to do that. Intimidation, disruption, surveillance, and harassment can be as effective as incarceration in silencing dissent.
There is no one in Hamilton unaffected by this issue, and those working for change need to be especially vigilant. Regardless of how you and your community intend to deal with police, have a plan and practice it. And it’s important that we support each other. We on the left should set aside our ideological differences in face of police repression – although we may have differences about what we want, we need to remember which side of the barricade we’re on.
