HLS home demo assaulted by neighbor, detained by cops

At about 8:30 PM on October 30, animal rights activists showed up in the alley outside the home of Goldman-Sachs executive Michael Paese, 1632-B 19th st NW-and promptly ran into violence.

Audio-a phone call for an update interrupted by the violent assault on one of the protesters

A neighbor drove a car into the alley honking his horn and assaulted one protester while cops looked on-and then the cops proceeded to detain the protesters instead of the neigbbor who was guilty of assault.

Hventually, a Sgt Tolliver told protesters they were not detained-but could only protest until 9PM, about five minutes later. At that point, protesters simply started talking to passers-by and other neighbors drawn by the commotion about how Goldman-Sachs owns stock in Fortress, the Investment firm that is the reason puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences is still in business.

About two hours later, another activist dropped by Michael Paese’s place for a quick “hit-and-run” noisy wake-up call, then disappearing into heavy Halloween weekend traffic before anyone could respond.

Of course, this is just a warm-up for the Halloween actions against DC area HLS customers-the ones Mary Cheh and the Washington Examiner are already calling animal rights activists “terrorists” for…

EXTRA-This may be Michael Paese himself, responding to the appearance of protesters…

“Sanity” rally breeds Metro insanity

Jon Stewart’s “Rally to restore Sanity” bore a message of insult for both the teabaggers AND for progressive activists. Code Pink was furious and their march was effectively to be a counterdemonstration based on their alert. Many liberal and progressive activists glommed onto the event anyway-so many that traffic on DC roads south of about Newtwon st was impassable-and the Metro was so severely overcrowded as to lead to pushing, shoving, and several near fights-according to a report from occupants of just ONE train car! Even those who did not have to deal with threats and nastiness had to deal with sardine-can conditions-no matter where in DC they were trying to go.

Video interview with Metro riders

Pre-Halloween HLS protests storm Nomera, Bayer/Astra-Zenica

Halloween is always a bad time to be a customer or finanacial enabler of puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences. Nomera, Astra-Zenica, and Bayer found that out with lobby invasions on Oct 29 in DC, and Sanofi-Aventis got protesters in front as well.

Nomera owns 30% of Fortress, which bailed out puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences(HLS) with $100 M in loans. Without these loans, HLS would have gone bankrupt due to the fact that nearly 300 corporations now refuse to do business with them due to the protests-banks, stockbrokers, insurance companies, you name it! Either Fortress dumps HLS, or Fortress goes bankrupt too.

This also applies to the remaining customers of HLS like Bayer, Astra-Zenica, and Sanofi-Aventis, each of which also received pre-halloween protests on October 29.

HLS customers and financiers remember-we love Halloween, we love Earth Night, and we love the First Amendment!

Police attack HLS/Shac Solidarity protesters after Georgetown home demo

On the 23ed of October, protesters leaving a SHAC-UK(sentencing) solidarity protest at the Georgetown home of Abbot Fund Vice President John Richardson were threatened by police with arrest for tinted windows in a car, for “incommoding” and for refusing to provide ID. All the threats were shown to be bluffs by the fact that if cops can arrest you, they DO arrest you, they do not bluster and threaten. In particular, there is now law in DC against not carrying ID!

Same Video on Liveleak, less censorship, more secure, not owned by Google

The cops surrounded a parked car before protesters returned to it, ticketed the car for an alleged 13 inches from the curb, threatened to JAIl the driver and impound the car over tinted windows, threatened to arrest the group’s attorney and pushed him away, claimed an attorney could not videotape the proceedings because no charges were being filed, grabbed a camera but returned it on orders from a superior-then let eveyone go. Had they had the legal right to arrest anyone, they would surely have done so after the raucous home demo that had just wrapped up a half-hour earlier. the fact that no arrests were made can be regarded as proof of the lies the cops were telling. At least they were not stupid enough to think they had the ability to “delete” the pictures this time!

A Sgt. Culliver, badge number 722, claimed to be in charge of the police attack.

PHOTO:Protesters at the home of John Richardson in Georgetown

Two HLS-related targets received peaceful but very noisy protests that day-Michael Pace of Goldman-Sachs, 1632-B 19th st NW, and John Richardson of Abbot Fund, at 2732 P st NW. There were no problems at Michael Pace’s place, minor neighbor problems at John Richardson’s-and a police attack against protesters afterwards when people returned to their car.

The protests were held in solidarity with the SHAC-UK defendants, six good activists bein sentenced, possibly to long prison terms, in Britain for peaceful, legal protests just like these two. In addition, Michael Pace was warned that for his company, Goldman-Sachs to send 75 Capitol police with guns (via a false report of shots fired) against protesters at the Goldman-Sachs office at 101 Constitution Ave would just send protesters to his home in addition!

HLS Shac Solidarity demos: Guns at Goldman-Sachs, Bayer/Astra-Zenica stormed

Oct 21 was the start of the global days of action in solidarity with the SHAC defendants in the UK. In DC, like many cites, protesters showed up at Huntingdon Life Sciences customers, funders, and others whose business dealings keep HLS torturing animals. Perhaps the strongest part of the DC protests was the storming of the lobbying offices of Bayer and Astra-Zenica, coming by surprise as the siege of Fortress (and its investors like Goldman-Sachs) has kept activists busy elsewhere until now.

In DC, HLS protesters deployed first to the offices of Goldman-Sachs,101 Constitution Ave NW, a major stockholder of Fortress Inc. Once again, US Capitol Police with shotguns and automatic rifles showed up, but this time they only watched from across the street after one o them entered Goldman-Sachs to discuss something. Protesters stayed put for about an hour, and the US Capitol Police, perhaps embarassed by last week’s gunplay, did nothing to interfere.

(Note on police response: At the later protests, the DC cops did not interfere either, though cop cars drove by and an undercover parked behind a tree at the British Embassy protest.)

Next, protesters deployed to Nomura, spending about a half hour outside while a building manager whined about the bullhorns. Maybe he’d be better off complaining to Nomura, which is now the largest stockholder in Fortress Inc with 30% of their shares! Fortress saved puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences(HLS) from bankruptcy with $100 million in loans. Therefore, about 500 animals are still being killed every day at HLS testing shit like bleach and Splenda.

Having finished the day’s “Siege of Fortress” targets, protesters moved on to the 701 Penn Ave offices of Bayer and Astra-Zenica, which were caught off guard as they have not received protests in a while. The entire protest, signs, banners, and all got inside the building,blowing air horns and chanting through bullhorns.

A quick follow-up protest was held at the offices of Sanofi-Aventis, at 801 Penn Ave, part of the same compound but adjoining 9th st instead of 7th st.

Finally, protesters went to the British Embassy, demanding that the SHAC defendants facing sentencing in the UK for protesting HLS investors/suppliers, be released without punishment for exercising their right to speak out against animal torture.

Reportback on protest of monkey vivisection at NIH

On Oct 19, as part of National Primate Liberation Week, protesters showed up at NIH on the Old Georgetown Road entrance, demanding that NIH cease and desist the use of primates other than human volunteers in medical research.

According to industry statistics, the use of monkeys and chimpanzees for “research” has actually INCREASED in the past year! Given that AIDS has been cured at least six times in chimps without these cures ever working in humans, it seems that this obsolete form of research is a failure. Yet, NIH continues spending taxpayer money on a practice that horrifies many taxpayers, inflicts unbelievable suffering on monkeys and chimps, and may even represent a net loss for heath care as researchers keep chasing after ghost cures that work ONLY in some animal other than ourselves.

During the protest, the owner of a business across the street complained that the protest “disturbed his customers” and demanded that protesters move all the way to the Wisconsin Ave side of NIH. When protesters refused, he called the cops, who took a report, demanded that protesters march in a circle-and left when protesters refused this demand as well. I could not tell what this guy was selling, but it looked like firewood is at least one of his products based on some logs stacked in the lot.

Capitol cops brandish automatic weapons at HLS protest, “delete” photos

On the 14th of October, an estimated 75 US Capitol Police ambushed animal rights protesters outside Goldman-Sachs at 101 Constitution Ave NW, possibly in response to a false report of a gunshot inside. Some brandished automatic rifles and at least one drew his pistol against activists. 101 Constitution Ave is almost across the street from the US Capitol, putting it in range of these armed thugs.

At one point, the cops brought a bomb-snifffing dog to a car used by protesters-and seized the photographer’s camera. Here is the last video clip shot before the police grabbed the camera and “deleted” everything

If a false report of a gunshot inside was filed, this is the second time such false police report was filed against HLS protesters in DC, and the second time it led to guns.

There have been four major incidents of this type in the last three years. The first was a false police report of an armed home invasion by a Georgetown recipient of a peaceful HLS home demo, leading to the armed detention of the protesters. The second was the December 19 ambush ouside Janet Lambert’s house in which I was nearly killed. The third was a bike-cop ambush of another HLS protest a week later, in which protesters refused to show ID while detained and established the precedent that we do not carry ID and we get away with it.

The final incident was today’s armed ambush of HLS protesters ouside Goldman-Sachs, involving at least one drawn pistol and brandished automatic weapons.

Protesters were outside Goldman-Sachs as part of the continuing Siege of Fortress. Fortress floated a $100M dollar loan to puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences or HLS.

Second IMF night march ends in police violence, mass detention

On October 9, a second night march against the IMF and World Bank meetings was met with police violence and and an illegal mass detention where people were detained and released singly.

Video on Liveleakof the police trap

Longer video of the march

This skirts close to violating the terms of court settlements and legislation against mnigass arrests stemming from IMF protests in 2000 and 2002.

In addition to the mass detention, there was a report from a legal observer that one person was thrown to the ground by four cops and ended up in the hospital with a bleeding head wound. As is usual when the pigs inflict personal injury, they charged him with “assaulting a police officer”- For what-hitting the pavement they were standing on with his or her head?

The march still managed to pay a visit to the Mayflower Hotel, where IMF delegates were staying, keeping them awake marching around the back and side of the building-an unexpected line of attack.

Noisy midnight march wakes up Mayflower, Concordia hotels

On Oct 8, a noisy late-night march with drums, etc visited the Mayflower and Concordia hotels in DC, both hosting delegates to the IMF and World bank meetings.

Video-Night March against the IMF and World Bank
After dodging cops all the way from 16th and Harvard sts, the Friday night march arrived at the Mayflower Hotel, packed with IMF delegates, at about 11:30 PM. At around midnight the march reached the IMF-owned Concordia Hotel

At the Mayflower security quickly shut the doors, remembering their experience last Spring when they were stormed by another anti-IMF night march.

The arrival here was like stirring up a hornet’s nest, with MOTORCYCLE cops appearing to suddenly come up the Metro escalators, motorbikes and all!

All night cops blustered and threatened, one person reported tackled, but I did not witness any arrests. I did see barricades thrown in the streets to delay the cops both near the start and at the Mayflower.

The IMF-owned Concordia got TWO wakeup call, as the march passed by them twice. Both times cops were stationed outside the door (unlike the Mayflower), again like in Spring 2010 during the “soccer riot” outside this IMF-owned excuse for a hotel.

Jubilee hangs “chains of debt” on White House fence

On the 8th of October, as the IMF and World Bank meetings got underway, an estimated 300 protesters took to the streets, carrying “chains of debt” to the IMF and World Bank, maching with them to the White House-and finally draping the paper chains over the White House Fence and getting away with it!

Video of march and hanging of chains on White House Fence

The march went right past the front and back doors of the World Bank and wound around the IMF before proceeding to the White House. A giant “Loan shark” puppet was constantly circling, like a real shark smelling food.

Finally the march, about 300 strong, proceeded to the White House for the real surprise-hinging the chains on the White House fence! The police made little effort to interfere, in stark contras to,say, a 1984 incident where someone was arrested for throwing jellybeans over the fence(from the July 4 pot parade) while Reagan was in power.