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Background: the events at UNCG were not in any way planned as a protest...it was really conceived by the Cakalak Thunder drum corps as a piece of street theater in which they would challenge the College Republicans, who were in the middle of a reactionary and largely unsuccessful "Morals Week" to a "beat battle", which the Republicans would of course have to forfeit since they have no marching band. Tim had no part in the planning of this event, contrary to the beliefs and accusations of the UNCG police, and was simply coming to show support and to let people know about the April 21st rally.
12:00 A supporter of Cakalak Thunder walks up to the area across the lawn from the UNCG Jackson Library and announces on a bullhorn that Cakalak is coming to lay down its "beat battle" challenge to the Republicans. He is immediately told that if he continues to use the bullhorn, he will be arrested. A substantial number of students and non-students is already gathered.
12:05 Cakalak Thunder marches up from Walker Ave. playing the drums. The police immediately step amongst them and order then to stop. They comply, though they produce a permit from the school. A chant goes up from the crowd, "Let them play! Let them play!"
12:10 Cakalak goes into an a capella version of one of their more popular cadences. About 80 supporters are in the area immediately around them.
12:15 Cakalak starts playing the drums. The crowd of supporters continues to grow. Cops try to snatch away drum sticks and bass drum mallets, and pull aside individual drummers. the beat, as they say, goes on.
12:20 Tim comes up, finds Scott, who has the WCW fliers, and the two start handing out fliers for the April 21st anti-war/pro-impeachment demonstration.
12:24 Officer G of the UNCG police tells Tim he can't hand out fliers. Tim replies, "Yes I can, and I'm not going to stop." Ofc. G repeats, "I'm telling you to stop". J, a UNCG officer in plain clothes (not sure of rank) threatens, "If you hand any more out I'll arrest you." Scott, who hasn't heard the discussion, walks over to where Tim and the officers are arguing, takes the remaining fliers from Tim to hand out and is immediately stopped by the police, who take the fliers, but then hand them back, saying that we cannot hand them out. Tim tells the officers that he is going to speak to the crowd
12:30 Tim addresses the crowd (without the bullhorn), saying that he came to support the drum corps, that he's with "World Can't Wait", but that the cops have told him that he can't hand out fliers. He talks about the demonstration on April 21st, and that Cindy Sheehan will be speaking there. Scott puts the fliers on the ground and says that if we can't hand them out, people can just take them, which several people do. The cops rush over and snatch up the remaining
fliers.
12:35 Tim is approached by a reporter from the UNCG Carolinian, and talks to her for a few minutes. At this point Cakalak, trying to keep the energy up, decide to march a circuit past the front of the library, where the College Republicans are gathered with about eight people. There are well over a hundred supporters of the drum corps and seemingly-sympathetic onlookers gathered at this point. Tim goes to follow the drummers, stops to tell officer J, pointing at him, saying, "You haven't heard the last of this. We have Constitutional rights. We'll be back, we're not going to stop exercising our rights." J replies, "Get your hand out of my face or I'll arrest you." The drums are very loud.
Tim, walking away: "Ah, fucking forget it."
J, following Tim: "What did you say?"
Tim, still walking away: "Nothing, just forget it."
J then orders Tim to get on the ground. Tim immediately complies and is handcuffed.
12:40 The drummers are made aware by another non-student supporter (also in her 60s) that Tim has been arrested. They begin heading toward the cop car where he is standing with J, hands cuffed behind him. Tim says to J, "Look, we could make this all go away right here. Just take the cuffs off. Here they come, anyway," indicating that the drummers are approaching J and Tim, still banging away on the drums. Tim is lectured about "the rules" by Officer G, who says that they have seventeen thousand students in a one-half square mile area, and that they have to keep order.
12:43 The drummers arrive where Tim and J are standing. Cakalaker Jonathan asks Tim if he wants us to be there. Tim says yes.
12:45 J walks Tim about twenty yards to another cop car, while the drummers and supporters follow. Tim is put in the car and taken away.
I'm not clear on the exact time line after this point, but Tim was first taken to the UNCG police station downtown (not the one on Tate St.) where they fill out paperwork and question him. Officer J makes the accusation that Jonathan had asked Tim if Tim wanted the drummers and supporters to "escalate", and that Tim had replied, "Yes." Both cops but especially J, talked about the main reason the "rule" against handing out any information was the problem of "littering." J made a point to talk about "African-American rap show promoters" who will bring 5000 flyers to promote a show at the coliseum, and they all wind up on the ground and "somebody has to pick them up". J becomes so angry during the questioning that he storms out of the room, slamming the door.
Tim is then transported to the Guilford County Jailhouse and booked. He is told he is charged with 2nd degree trespass and has to pay a $500 bond if he wants to get out. He asks to speak with the magistrate. He asks why he's been charged with trespassing and is told by the magistrate, "You were told to leave, and you refused," which is completely untrue. He asks why he cannot be released on his own recognizance and is told that it is because he "almost started a riot." He is released by friends who post his bail at about 3:30pm.
12:00 A supporter of Cakalak Thunder walks up to the area across the lawn from the UNCG Jackson Library and announces on a bullhorn that Cakalak is coming to lay down its "beat battle" challenge to the Republicans. He is immediately told that if he continues to use the bullhorn, he will be arrested. A substantial number of students and non-students is already gathered.
12:05 Cakalak Thunder marches up from Walker Ave. playing the drums. The police immediately step amongst them and order then to stop. They comply, though they produce a permit from the school. A chant goes up from the crowd, "Let them play! Let them play!"
12:10 Cakalak goes into an a capella version of one of their more popular cadences. About 80 supporters are in the area immediately around them.
12:15 Cakalak starts playing the drums. The crowd of supporters continues to grow. Cops try to snatch away drum sticks and bass drum mallets, and pull aside individual drummers. the beat, as they say, goes on.
12:20 Tim comes up, finds Scott, who has the WCW fliers, and the two start handing out fliers for the April 21st anti-war/pro-impeachment demonstration.
12:24 Officer G of the UNCG police tells Tim he can't hand out fliers. Tim replies, "Yes I can, and I'm not going to stop." Ofc. G repeats, "I'm telling you to stop". J, a UNCG officer in plain clothes (not sure of rank) threatens, "If you hand any more out I'll arrest you." Scott, who hasn't heard the discussion, walks over to where Tim and the officers are arguing, takes the remaining fliers from Tim to hand out and is immediately stopped by the police, who take the fliers, but then hand them back, saying that we cannot hand them out. Tim tells the officers that he is going to speak to the crowd
12:30 Tim addresses the crowd (without the bullhorn), saying that he came to support the drum corps, that he's with "World Can't Wait", but that the cops have told him that he can't hand out fliers. He talks about the demonstration on April 21st, and that Cindy Sheehan will be speaking there. Scott puts the fliers on the ground and says that if we can't hand them out, people can just take them, which several people do. The cops rush over and snatch up the remaining
fliers.
12:35 Tim is approached by a reporter from the UNCG Carolinian, and talks to her for a few minutes. At this point Cakalak, trying to keep the energy up, decide to march a circuit past the front of the library, where the College Republicans are gathered with about eight people. There are well over a hundred supporters of the drum corps and seemingly-sympathetic onlookers gathered at this point. Tim goes to follow the drummers, stops to tell officer J, pointing at him, saying, "You haven't heard the last of this. We have Constitutional rights. We'll be back, we're not going to stop exercising our rights." J replies, "Get your hand out of my face or I'll arrest you." The drums are very loud.
Tim, walking away: "Ah, fucking forget it."
J, following Tim: "What did you say?"
Tim, still walking away: "Nothing, just forget it."
J then orders Tim to get on the ground. Tim immediately complies and is handcuffed.
12:40 The drummers are made aware by another non-student supporter (also in her 60s) that Tim has been arrested. They begin heading toward the cop car where he is standing with J, hands cuffed behind him. Tim says to J, "Look, we could make this all go away right here. Just take the cuffs off. Here they come, anyway," indicating that the drummers are approaching J and Tim, still banging away on the drums. Tim is lectured about "the rules" by Officer G, who says that they have seventeen thousand students in a one-half square mile area, and that they have to keep order.
12:43 The drummers arrive where Tim and J are standing. Cakalaker Jonathan asks Tim if he wants us to be there. Tim says yes.
12:45 J walks Tim about twenty yards to another cop car, while the drummers and supporters follow. Tim is put in the car and taken away.
I'm not clear on the exact time line after this point, but Tim was first taken to the UNCG police station downtown (not the one on Tate St.) where they fill out paperwork and question him. Officer J makes the accusation that Jonathan had asked Tim if Tim wanted the drummers and supporters to "escalate", and that Tim had replied, "Yes." Both cops but especially J, talked about the main reason the "rule" against handing out any information was the problem of "littering." J made a point to talk about "African-American rap show promoters" who will bring 5000 flyers to promote a show at the coliseum, and they all wind up on the ground and "somebody has to pick them up". J becomes so angry during the questioning that he storms out of the room, slamming the door.
Tim is then transported to the Guilford County Jailhouse and booked. He is told he is charged with 2nd degree trespass and has to pay a $500 bond if he wants to get out. He asks to speak with the magistrate. He asks why he's been charged with trespassing and is told by the magistrate, "You were told to leave, and you refused," which is completely untrue. He asks why he cannot be released on his own recognizance and is told that it is because he "almost started a riot." He is released by friends who post his bail at about 3:30pm.
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Bellamy needs to get a handle on this if he wants the public to trust him and the police force.
6 comments:
"Bellamy needs to get a handle on this if he wants the public to trust him and the police force."
I was not aware that the UNCG Police report to GPD.
Now that you mention it, I've never been clear on the extent of their relationship and their Web site certainly doesn't clear it up with ambiguous info like, "A mutual aid agreement with the City of Greensboro gives the UNCG Police Department jurisdiction throughout the city." You would think, though, that Bellamy would want to preserve the integrity of those with whom his department is so closely associated.
Sarah Beth,
I think that perceived or possible loss of civil liberties due to the "war on terror" and the ridiculous absence of civil liberties on college campuses must be separated. One could make the point that nowhere is there less freedom of speech than on our college campuses. This restriction has been generally imposed by the left leaning politically correct "let's all be nice" crowd than by Homeland Security or the Bush administration.
I hear what you're saying, Joel, but I'm not sure I agree. One look at college radio suggests that college is actually a place where young people go through wild and sometimes radical extremes as they discover who they are...
Sarah Beth,
College radio may be an exception....I am not sure what
"rules" bind them. I'd like to know. But of course I am talking about things like the "free speech zones" and, sadly, what kids can and cannot say in the classtoom itself. I guess I would say we may well have a two front attack against civil liberties coming from two different directions.
Joel, I see what you're getting at now and it's a great point. "Free speech zones" - that always kills me. I guess I always expect the rabble rousing tendencies of people still coming out of their teen angst years to trump any attempts to suppress it but that certainly doesn't mean that suppression isn't attempted around every turn. Thanks for the great comments!
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