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Somebody needs to dig around for possible illegal links between the Dekalb County Police and the Atlanta Church of Scientology. Police presence was NOT THIS HIGH, nor treatment SO BRUTAL, for any other location in the globe.

These IPs have been deleting shit from this page:

• 79.99.236.2
• 76.124.20.85

[edit] Summary of events

Despite having some really freakish weather over the last 24 hours, quite a few Anonymous attended the raid, perhaps ~120 at peak, risking rain and potential tornado weather. Things started out in good fun, with anonymous bringing supplies like water, soda, inflatable aliens, signs & posts, etc. Cake was had, and after the success of the Feb. 10th raid, everyone was ready for a relaxing day. Unfortunately the police force - which had been quite understanding and even friendly at the last event - stepped up their intimidation level.

Shortly after The Speech was read over bullhorn, the riot guard crossed the street in formation and arrested two Anonymous for noise violations. After that, the day took a turn for the worse, and the police - without warning to Anon or motorists - began pulling over and ticketing cars that honked or flashed lights in support, and at times pulled them over for even slowing down as they passed. Anonymous scrambled to create "Please Don't Honk!" signs and posted bearers at both ends of the street. Even so, many cars were ticketed throughout the course of the day. As the day wore on, the police became more demanding, suddenly deciding that the dust masks everyone was wearing were illegal 'unless you have allergies' and had to be removed. Citations were given for bandanas. Morale took a real hit. Throughout the entire event the police captain was in constant contact with representatives from the 'church' and their photographers-for-hire, who shot pictures of anyone and everyone they could.

Atlanta Anons intend to create a donation/PayPal account to help cover the cost to the ticketed motorists (with whom we attempted to speak in apology for their trouble) and detained /b/rothers.

[edit] Media

• Flickr Set 1
• Flickr Set 2 (jasperjames)
• Flickr Set 3 (anonymous_ferret)
• Flickr Set 4 (anonymous_ferret2, includes Anon flier images)
• Flickr Set 5 (atlantanon)
• Flickr Set 6 (anon_ymous)
• Flickr Set 7 (horky.porky)
• Flickr Set 8 (timdorr)
• Flickr Set 9 (zlatko, includes images of Atlanta tornado aftermath)
• YouTube: Video of Speech & Arrest
• Youtube: Complete Arrest Video
• YouTube: Remove the Masks
• YouTube: Dekalb Cops Eat With Scientologists
• Men's News Daily: Article about arrests in Atlanta - Far more accurate than brief report filed by ajc.com reporter David Simpson.
• Cop Apologizing for handing out horn ticket - The motorcycle cop tells the driver that he didn't want to ticket people but had to, since his "boss" was watching.

[edit] Arrest Update

The arrests were made not only for noise violations, but included two strikes:

• Causing offensive or hazardous conditions (noise, and undoubtedly something to do with traffic).
• Protesting without a permit.

Dekalb was notified and Anonymous was apparently told that no permit would be necessary. Even so, police singled two of the speakers out as 'organizers' and made them responsible for the group's lack of a permit.

FYI: City of Atlanta Permit FAQ
FYI #2: ACLU of Georgia Your Right to Protest doc

Help those arrested: contact each of the Dekalb County Board of Commisioners, inform them (remember - polite and professional) that this is getting large-scale attention and that eyes are on them. Give them details/documentation on COS tactics.

[edit] Further Updates

from [1]

UPDATE: The guy you see being taken across the street with the green face paint has, and this is CONFIRMED, been Released. (a few hours ago actually.) Friends of his bailed him out. Bail was set at $763.00. He has two charges against him, but it's expected that they'll be dropped the second he enters the courtroom.

• This is fine but his name and personal information has been collected/exposed. Perform Live Agenting on him.

[edit] MOAR Update NAO!

Was the second Anon charged with anything? When is the court date? Has there been a response from ACLU Georgia?

UPDATE: CONFIRMED, second Anon was release on bail, about the same time the first was release. Same charges as first Anon.

[edit] Anon Who Was At Dunwoody-area (Atlanta) Protest Reports In:

Atlanta is the only city worldwide to have police who have taken this kind of drastic measure, and the total cost on 15 March to taxpayers was guesstimated to be over $2,000, not including whatever it must cost to operate a chopper and to direct police presence and manpower from the tornado-affected areas in downtown Atlanta. The Church of Scientology has tax exempt status, the circumstances around this granted benefit are murky at best, and thus taxpayers, not the Church itself, bear the burden of this unnecessary show of force. I suggest that perhaps this was, erm, a tad excessive.

The two arrested gentlemen spoke briefly through a bullhorn to deliver an explanatory speech about why the protesters were there and to identify the group protesting as Anonymous. They also made a point to sincerely thank the officers who had to suit up in warm weather and stand at attention for hours, needlessly, to observe peaceful protesting, and to offer them some delicious (and moist) cake. As videos on YouTube indicate, speeches were brief and to the point, and at no time during the speeches did the officers signal in any way that they were unacceptable. The protesters would have immediately ceased and desisted if warned. After the speeches, a phalanx of riot-gear-clad officers marched over, did not read the two arrested gentlemen their Miranda rights, frogmarched them across the street onto Church property, and held them for over three hours without a word. After three hours, two nice officers did finally reveal what the two arrested gentlemen were being held for:

• Causing offensive or hazardous conditions.

DCPD has claimed that protesters were stepping on and off the sidewalks onto the roadway repeatedly throughout the protest. Video and photographic records taken by the protesters, as well as two hundred on-site witnesses, indicate that this is not the case.

• Protesting without a permit.

Protesters spoke with several officers prior to the planned protest, including Lt. Jay Smith at the DCPD, and were assured that no permit would be required to protest peacefully as long as protesters did not plan to "march." No one marched.

Police were also invited to read the public forums at http://forums.enturbulation.org to keep abreast of all protest plans, and encouraged to post and guide participants so they could stay well within the law. It was confirmed by some officers that, yes, they had been keeping abreast of these forums, and were well aware that the protest was planned to be peaceful and orderly. As such, the officers were put into an uncomfortable position, and no one is faulting any individual officers.

The protesters believe that because those gentlemen used bullhorns to speak that they were assumed to be "leaders" of the leaderless group of protesters. Of course, there are no organizers or leaders, it is a large group of individuals who act according to the dictates of their consciences. There is no centralized location or overseer, though the protesters take pains to work hand in hand with local police departments, the ACLU and other human rights organizations to make sure their message stays on point and that protests are coordinated smoothly.

I cannot comment on the three citations for mask-wearing other than to ask for clarification about the law. My understanding is that it is not illegal to wear a mask in public, but that it is illegal to refuse to identify yourself to an officer of the law if you happen to break the law. (Otherwise the police would be very busy handing out citations to small children every Hallowe'en and at masquerade balls, amirite?)

Many hours into the protest, two officers told the protesters that it was illegal to protest peacefully with sunglasses and a dust mask ('unless you have allergies'), which were worn specifically to prevent Scientologists from collecting the usual photographs and videos of critics. Notably, Scientologists were, in fact, trying to record the protesters on camera throughout the entire protest, and took pictures of vehicle license plates as well. Throughout the entire event the police captain was in constant contact with representatives from the Church and their photographers-for-hire, who shot pictures of anyone and everyone they could, and several officers were fed from a Scientologist craft services table.

Long after handing out citations and arresting two protesters, officers eventually requested a spokesperson, something the protesters do not have. There are no official spokespeople, each protester can only speak for him or herself, not for the group as a whole. After much consternation and discussion, a protester did volunteer to be the go-between, which probably served to label him as a "leader" to Church members. He was photographed extensively. He relayed the officer's requests and concerns to those protesters who were aware that mediation of any sort was happening, but was not in a position to do more. Even so, the protesters again scurried to meet the new requests and guidelines outlined by the police. This makes the arrests and citations given out during the protest all the more troubling. Cooperation was repeatedly met with increased demands that eroded the personal anonymity and safety of protesters.

Hapless civilians in vehicles tooting their horns in support, which was allowed during the 10 February protest (the police themselves saluted the protesters on their horns afterwards), were chased down by motorcycle-mounted policemen for honking, slowing down to grab fliers, or generally appearing positively inclined towards the protesters (or so it seems). The protesters scrambled to create "Please Don't Honk!" signs and posted bearers at both ends of the street. Even so, many cars were ticketed throughout the course of the day. The Fire Department drove by and expressed support with their horn and were not cited, thankfully. Honking as a means of political expression has been upheld in federal court.

See also: http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/020108/loc_n2001.shtml

Civilians who got popped for this would be well within their rights to contest the citation and/or contact the ACLU.

DeKalb County police might be using the following ordinance to justify their actions (From http://www.noisefree.org/cityord/atlanta.html):

Sec. 74-133. Excessive noise.

It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any loud or excessive noise which unreasonably interferes with the comfort, response, health and safety of others within the jurisdiction of the city.

(Code 1977, § 17-3102)

Sec. 74-134. Specific prohibitions.

In addition to the general prohibition set out in section 74-133, the following specific acts are declared to be in violation of this article:

(1) Horns, signaling devices. The sounding of any horn or signaling device of a motor vehicle on any street or public place within the jurisdiction of the city continuously or intermittently for a period in excess of 60 seconds, except as a danger or emergency warning.

See also: http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/atlanta.htm

[edit] Helping the arrested in court

Here are some questions that need to be address in court/ hearing if anyone is willing to get a lawyer for these anons.

1. If they didn't know there was a protest why did they bring out the riot squad?

   They did know, and it is apparently a policy of the DeKalb County police dept. for any demonstrations.

2. Mask are sign of expression is it violation the 1st amendment rights?

   Masks are not necessarily a form of expression. The government has a compelling interest in being able to investigate criminal activity when it occurs. The most significant precedent is KKK v. Kerik, which upheld a mask law.

Important point: As evident in the video, those arrested were niether organizers nor official spokesmen. The police refused to speak to the crowd and asked them to choose someone to speak to them. The video clearly shows the group's confusion at trying to figure out who would speak to the police since there was no leader.

[edit] Dealing with the corruption in the PD

Can someone post some phone and email lines to contact them with.

Terrell Bolton is the chief of police in Delkalb. I believe his email address is tdbolton@co.dekalb.ga.us.

Please note that Chief Bolton is unlikely to be responsive to any concerns you express. Read on for details about why.

Also lets get some higher ups starting to "Raise some hell" in the department with an internal affairs investigation.

DeKalb Police Grand Jury Investigation Report

• Grand jury: Wrongdoing possible in 2 DeKalb police shootings - March, 27 2008

"A long-awaited grand jury report on police shootings in DeKalb County recommends possible criminal prosecutions in two fatal shootings by law enforcement officers and urges authorities to investigate possible thefts of money by other officers and bias or even evidence-tampering by a former top official in the county medical examiner's office."

The report issued by District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming today also made mention that:

• The DA should investigate whether money was stolen by DeKalb County police from two crime scenes. The report condemned management practices in the police crime scene unit.
• The DeKalb department needs a new police academy, more supervision of patrol officers, dashboard cameras and a new outside review of its use-of-force training.
• The DeKalb department "is reluctant to terminate officers" and should have fired one officer for a shooting in which no one was injured.

While this investigation report was solely to investigate a rash of 29 shootings that began in the fall of 2006 (of which 23 were declared "justified"), the department itself is under heavy scrutiny and has been for some time. The DeKalb police department has had a long history of corruption prior to the current chief of police Terrell Bolton. Police Chief Terrell Bolton accepted the position of Chief on December 22, 2006 shortly after the incidents began and was called a "Christmas present for the people of DeKalb County" by DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones.

• District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming can be contacted at:

DeKalb County District Attorney's Office

556 North McDonough Street

7th Floor

Decatur, Georgia 30030

Phone: 404-371-2561

Fax: 404-371-2981

Email: dekalbda@co.dekalb.ga.us

Direct Line: 404-371-4961

[edit] Selected Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff E-mail Addresses

Request: Please use your discretion when contacting any members of the media. Stick to verifiable facts, and provide them with a means to verify your statements.

Note: David Simpson wrote a few paragraphs on 17 March (posted on ajc.com) about the two Anon protesters being arrested, but his facts were not entirely accurate.

• Investigations editor Jim Walls, jwalls@ajc.com or spotlight@ajc.com
• Public Editor Angela Tuck, 404-526-5819, fax 404-526-5611, insideajc@ajc.com

"As your liaison to the newsroom, the Public Editor takes comments from our readers about fairness and accuracy in our news coverage and editorial pages."

• Newsroom Customer Care phone 404-526-7003, toll-free phone 1-866-988-NEWS (6397), fax 404-526-5746, newstips@ajc.com

"Newsroom customer care representatives are ready to assist you with general newsroom questions. If you have an idea for a story, or would like to alert us to breaking news, we want to hear from you."

• Letters to The Editor letters@ajc.com
• ajc.com News Manager Phil Gast, pgast@ajc.com

LOCAL NEWS BUREAUS

• CityLife (DeKalb, Fulton) Editor - Larry Conley, 404-479-8613, lconley@ajc.com
• NorthSide (East Cobb, North Fulton, North DeKalb) Editor - Glenn Hannigan, 770-410-3757, ghannigan@ajc.com
• DeKalb police & courts - David Simpson, dsimpson@ajc.com
• DeKalb government, politics, civil court - Ty Tagami, ttagami@ajc.com
• DeKalb business & development - Paul Donsky, pdonsky@ajc.com
• DeKalb communities & neighborhoods - April Hunt, ahunt@ajc.com
• Fulton Goverrnment/politics & civil courts - David Bennett, dbennett@ajc.com
• Fulton neighborhoods - Mary McDonald , mmacdonald@ajc.com; Doug Nurse, dnurse@ajc.com

Investigative/specialty reporters

• Sonji Jacobs (explanatory & watchdog), sjacobs@ajc.com
• Matt Kempner (explanatory & watchdog), mkempner@ajc.com
• Andy Miller (explanatory & watchdog), amiller@ajc.com
• Stacy Shelton (explanatory & watchdog), sshelton@ajc.com
• Gayle White (explanatory & watchdog), gwhite@ajc.com
• Bill Torpy (general assignment), btorpy@ajc.com
• Tim Tucker (general assignment), ttucker@ajc.com
• Alan Judd (general assignement - investigative), ajudd@ajc.com
• Heather Vogell (general assignment - investigative), hvogell@ajc.com
• Cam McWhirter (suburban watchdog), cmcwhirter@ajc.com
• Jeremy Redmon (suburban watchdog), jredmon@ajc.com
• Bill Sanders (suburban roving reporter), bsanders@ajc.com
• Gracie Bonds Staples (suburban roving reporter), gstaples@ajc.com
• Ernie Suggs (suburban roving reporter), esuggs@ajc.com

Full list is posted here: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/services/info/staff.html

[edit] PD corruption blog

• Dekalb cops anonymously protest Dekalb police chief (digg link)

These people should be contacted and helped. They are our vital link to what is going on in the PD. Read their stories, and spread them.

[edit] A letter from someone who supports Anon sent to the ACLU of Georgia

Dear ACLU-Georgia Representative:

I was not a participant in the Atlanta protest at the Church of Scientology. However, based on what I've read on various websites and seen on YouTube videos of the event, I am very concerned about what appears to be an egregious violation of constitutionally-protected rights by local police officers.

Videos and information may be found here: http://www.partyvan.info/index.php/Project_Chanology/2008-03-15_Atlanta_BS

Representatives from organizations such as the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse (a joint effort between the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, et al.) have noted the unfortunate reality that civil rights is sometimes trumped by one's ability to access adequate legal resources. I am confident that you have the means and capability to help these individuals.

Please take swift and decisive actions to protect the civil rights of individuals who call themselves "Anonymous" (among others) who lack the legal and monetary resources of the Church of Scientology.

Sincerely, -<removed>

N.B.

1. The "attack the attacker" litigation and harassment strategy crafted by L. Ron Hubbard for use against critics of the Church of Scientology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversy#.22Attack_the_Attacker.22_policy

1. A news story on recent legal action from the Church of Scientology against "Anonymous": http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/article416511.ece

[Letter posted by Bob Loblaw, an anon from Portland, OR] - who may or may not be related to Bob Loblaw, the president of Loblaw's food chain. He may or may not also like to be called Bah BlahBlah.

[edit] Dox

(Feed me, Seymour. Need moar dox nao!!oneone1)

[edit] Dirt on DeKalb County, GA

from [2]

In September 2005, vegan protesters were subjected to false imprisonment, false arrest and harassment by officials of the Homeland Security Division of DeKalb County and the DeKalb County Police Department. It seems DeKalb has no sympathies for any activists, $ci-related or otherwise. The ACLU of Georgia took up their case.

from [3] [4]

Vowing to clean up the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office during the 2000 elections, Derwin Brown was elected as Sheriff. Two days prior to being sworn in, Brown was "gunned down" in his front yard. Brown was shot 11 times in what the prosecutors called a "professional hit." Former Sheriff, Sidney Dorsey, was convicted of orchestrating the death of his successor along with a laundry-list of other crimes including "accepting bribes, demanding sex from a female bonding agent, ordering deputies to work for his private security company at taxpayer expense and using deputies to run family errands."

from [5]

DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones has also been, to say the least, controversial in his tenure of CEO including his desire for "a darker administration."

from [6]

Jones made a bid in 2007 and is currently running for US Senate in the 2008 elections. On January 25, 2007 Georgia Senate BILL SB 52 was submitted before the Senate and was subsequently passed and adopted by the Senate on February 14, 2007. The BILL was written to "amend an Act revising, superseding, and consolidating the laws relating to the governing authority of DeKalb County." Effectively, the BILL would reduce the power/influence Jones would have over the county commision. The BILL is still currently under House 2nd read.

from [7]

Anon uncovered a link between current Co$ member Merrick Levetan and Former State Senator and DEKALB COUNTY CEO LIANN LEVETAN. She's his aunt.

from [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

While Vernon Jones is running for Senate, Senator Nancy Shaefer has made her bid for Congress. Nancy is an active $cientologist and achieved the state of "clear" in 1987. Public records last show that in 2006 she was in OT preparations ($cientology Drug Rundown.) Nancy has also been an open speaker and proponent of Co$'s anti-psychiatry doctrine.

from [14]

Former Probate Judge Jordan pleads guilty to extortion; investigation into corruption by Cherokee County Commission "active and ongoing"

"The Gadsden Times reported on July 2 that former DeKalb County Probate Judge Paul Thomas, who fell to his death near his home in Fort Payne on June 24, was the "third party" who cashed the checks and returned the money to Jordan"

[edit] Corruption Charges While Chief in Dallas Ft Worth

Anon says:

"Hey guys, I found this looking around: Fake drugs used in entrapment stings while he was chief in Dallas-Ft Worth:

Dallas Observer article.

"The chief's loss of credibility unites a legion of critics in law enforcement, political and media circles who have watched him try to explain away problems before, from his role in a 1993 sex-club scandal to his demotion of a slew of seasoned commanders when he took charge in late 1999. Influential people in and out of the department say they simply don't believe Bolton when he speaks; District Attorney Bill Hill reportedly is among them.

"Looks like he has a history of bending rules to suit his political agenda."

Anon responds:

"Good find!

"Just wanted to pile some more evidence on the Terrell Bolton did this to us theory, with which I completely agree:"

• YouTube
• NBC5i News
• Dallas Observer Blog

Anon adds:

"Gosh, I wonder why someone with a history of accepting bribes in exchange for police cooperation would accept bribes in exchange for police cooperation... Seems like a no-brainer.

"The CEO of Dekalb County, Vernon Jones, who hired Bolton (against the advice of a committee formed to suggest appropriate replacements for the position) is also implicated in some nasty business. Two rape allegations and then some, including what they call "cronyism". I call it the corrupt hiring the corrupt.

"If we were protesting for PRO-LIFE, or PRO-CHOICE, the obvious conclusion would be that the police force's actions clearly indicated what side they were on. This is 100% true. Whoever can put the most money in Chief of Police Terrell Bolton's pocket wins."

[edit] Resources & Protections for This and Future Incidents

[edit] Reacting to Future Requests for Spokespeople

• In dealing with the police in the future, there are a few main points to keep in mind:

• The police may request demand a one-on-one conversation again, and we must be ready as individuals to step up. Only by making everyone a potential emissary can we avoid arbitrarily creating 'leadership.' We cannot depend on the older, more vulnerable supporters to always take the lead in this, as they will then be thought of as organizers for the younger crowd - a position that could put them in legal jeopardy and make them targets of CoS.
• We do not have, and shall never have, formal leaders or organizers. Any conversations with the police about group behavior or policy must take place with the understanding that NO ONE CAN MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE GROUP OR MAKE PROMISES ABOUT ITS REACTION TO POLICE REQUESTS. The ONLY function of an Anonymous 'spokesperson' is to help to police communicate their needs to the crowd and vice-versa. The police must be made aware of this before the conversation begins. If they push for any measure of personal responsibility, politely decline to speak with them on those terms. If put in this position, watch your words. NEVER say: "Okay, we will." Instead: "Okay, give me a few minutes and I'll try to let everyone know."
• We're not really negotiating, and no ad-hoc 'spokesperson' would be expected to negotiate or quibble with the police. This isn't about fighting injustice, it's about establishing communication so that we can respond to their requests without inciting violence or arrests. If we feel they've violated our civil rights or ability to speak freely, we will act as a group since numbers give us strength on those points. No individual is responsible for 'saving the day' by arguing with the cops about the 'fairness' of their policy - in fact, they are discouraged from doing so. Arguing or making counter-demands will only serve to heighten the tension and would run contrary to the idea of not making decisions for the group.

If you feel that these points are wrong in some regard, fix them or discuss it on the talk page.

[edit] Permits

Anytime you are holding a protest in an area where there are no sidewalks, GET A PERMIT. Sidewalks are public forums in the US. Road shoulders are not necessarily.

Well in advance of a protest (i.e. a month), call up the relevant authority and ask whether a permit has been granted. If it has, ask for a fax copy. If not, send in the paperwork and then post a scan of the permit on Enturbulation.org for other people to print out.

[edit] Meetings

Posted on Enturb about an Anon and DeKalb County officer meeting (typos are all OP's):

As many of you may already know, I had asked for a meeting with the DeKalb County Police department to seek a dialogue with them. I wanted to get clarification, on many legal questions, i.e laws about Honks,Masks,Handing out of flyers and the use of noise making devices. The Police Official's I met with where both professional and respective of me and our RIGHTS as protesters.

My main reason for posting this here is , this is where , i gained the most knowledge and have found some of the nicest people one could come across in this world. The compassion expressed within these pages have had a great impact on me. For this i thank you all for helping me gain the ability to speak up for my and my fellow man's rights.

@ 3:15 EDST I had a very good meeting set up by Major Rancifer of the Dekalb Police Departments Special OPS Unit. I actually met with 6 Officials at one time. Lt Moore was present. He is the gentlemen some of you have seen talking to the protesters, in some of the videos on Youtube.

The other 4 Officers were, I believe, from the North DeKalb precincts and other departments. Once again, all 6 Officers were at all times professional and listened to what I had to say, and I also listened to their collective concerns. Please understand this , the Dekalb County Georgia Police department want the protesters to have a safe and legal picket on the 12 of April 2008.

Major Rancifer is the point man, I would image here. He responded the most during our conversation. What I was surprised to find out is, as it was explained to me, Anonymous was an unknown entity to them. As I am not a spokesmen for Anonymous, I gave them my take on the afore mentioned subject and gave Anonymous a glowing review, of what little knowledge I have about them. As anyone i know within Anonymous is Anonymous too me! Do i make any sense here?This did clear the air somewhat. So we proceeded to get to the business of having a safe and legal protest.

Below, is what I culled from the notes I was taking at the time. Please realize I am not in anyway legal consul or would know how to be such. This is just my personally take on what was discussed. I would highly recommend any concerned party to contact Major Rancifer of the Dekalb county PD @ 404-294-2537 for questions or concerns.

So, away we go!

• Clarification of the use of masks. It is against state law to wear a mask or masking devices to hide one's face.Thanks to laws passd regarding the KKK i,m told. It apparently is ok to wear face paint, sunglasses etc, But not a mask of any type, this includes dust masks, Hoodie,s drawn tight around ones face as to mask appearance. Call the Major, if you want more on this.
• Clarification of Noise ordnance and the use of megaphone or other sound generating devices. These are legal if used in non insightful manner. Please note that there is an Assisted living home on the property we protest across the street from. The C of S mission occupies a suite in one of the 3 buildings on the property, many other small businesses occupy the rest. So, Anonymous, being an unknown element, the assisted living unit was of concern to DCPD. This may be why the large police presence. IMHO.
• Clarification of cars passing by honking ones horn in support of the protest. Perfectly OK, by the Major,s comments. But, I was told, some people in autos had repeatedly driven back and forth honking. This may have been interpreted as insightful. Like I said, contact the Major if you want it directly from him.
• Clarification of Solicitation issues. It is to my understanding as conveyed to me by the Major, It is legal to hand out flyers to passersby if one is not impeding traffic or selling anything or crossing into the center lane or impeding traffic. Once again call the Major if you have questions.
• Clarification of permits. Well this was, for me, quite strange, as to the response I got on this question. Apparently, there is not one needed. Yet the Officers are still waiting for some legal clarification themselves.

This is what I was told by the Major. please call him, if you need more information. They would informed me as to those needs, if they arise. Meaning, I do not know what they where meaning. It is a little over my head and I can't figure out why there is no final answer on the subject. Like I said, I was there seeking information. At this time, I think it is nothing to get overly worried about. If they do not get an answer from there higher ups, within a reasonable amount of time before 4/12 the permit issue will be moot.

Littering was, I am told, an issue after the protest of 3/15. The Officers cleaned it up.Sign,s etc.

So that's my day in a nut shell. I'm going to attend a nice protest in Dekalb County Ga, on 4/12/08 and I hope many of you, like minded concerned citizens attend also!

For your files. Major Rancifer DCPD Special ops @ 404-294-2537 or LT, Moore of the DCPD TRT Unit @ 404-2292

Anon response (all typos are OP's):

Littering was, I am told, an issue after the protest of 3/15. The Officers cleaned it up. Sign,s etc.

You were being told porky pies. This is untrue. My group was the last to leave the area. Anon cleaned up everything, including ferret poop, cig butts and signs.

The police did not go to the protest area before rolling out. We were still there. ~14 cop cars, two huge SWAT busses.

There was no trash whatsoever, unless wind from tornado weather blew litter onto the site later that night.

Two other Anons were across the street (protest side) after the protest as well, with a cooler, but left shortly before cops rolled out; still, they can verify we cleaned up.

I have pix of [Anon] with a trash bag, even.

Clarification of cars passing by honking ones horn in support of the protest. Perfectly OK, by the Major,s comments. But, I was told, some people in autos had repeatedly driven back and forth honking. This may have been interpreted as insightful. Like I said, contact the Major if you want it directly from him.

Not accurate. ONE driver, who lives in the area, circled to use video function on mobile phone and got popped. Driving past site 2x != cruising.

OK. We need videographers covering the event from start to finish, with timestamping. One covering cops / street / front lines of protesters, one covering backlines of protest, including a sweep of area when we leave, and one covering any speeches and YouTube-able clips. Tripods could be set front and back with trusted Anons taking shifts to watch them while videographer roams the crowd.

Video records with timestamps. Urgent. Asses must be covered from here on out.

Clarification of Solicitation issues. It is to my understanding as conveyed to me by the Major, It is legal to hand out flyers to passersby if one is not impeding traffic or selling anything or crossing into the center lane or impeding traffic. Once again call the Major if you have questions.

Only pass fliers at stop lights, and with a printout of relevant info from PD & ACLU contact numbers in pocket, and constant videotaping to CYA.

Discourage honking, again.

Don't know why this stuff irks me so, particularly the fib that we littered, but it does.

[edit] Keeping Current

The following links will help interested parties stay current.

Enturbulation.Org

• Atlanta Post-Game 3/15 thread
• Atlanta Pre-Game 4/12 thread
• Atlanta Dragon*Con Planning thread

Other Forums

• ScanDeKalb. Lots of information about DeKalb policies, laws and more from a LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) perspective. (Do we really need to tell you to mind your Ps and Qs on a police officer forum? I thought not.)
• Atlanta Protests. Operation Clambake. Keep abreast of developments here as well.
• Atlanta Pickets. Operation Clambake. Post-game picketer reports.
• Bad Press in Atlanta. Operation Clambake. Post-game press coverage.
• Protest Planning. Southern Anonymity. Back-up for Enturb planning threads.

[edit] Observers

TRY TO HAVE A LEGAL OBSERVER PRESENT AT ALL PROTESTS. They're citizens with special training from the National Commie Lawyers Guild and serve as disinterested third parties who can provide witness testimony should anything go wrong (They're the ones wearing neon green hats to differentiate themselves from protesters). This is obviously no easy feat for those of you living in rural areas, but in Atlanta it shouldn't be a problem. I looked for Legal Observer trainings, but only found their extensive training manual NLG Legal Observer Training Manual (PDF).

Anon says:

"It is my understanding that we (Atlanta protesters) had an ACLU observer on site. He took such pains to be impartial and uninvolved that some Anons even thought he might be a Scientology plant. He sat on the outskirts of the protest site, quietly observed and took notes and remained separate from all the protest activities, as is appropriate.

"There was also an Anon present with contacts at the ACLU, and Anon has vowed to share his/her experiences, notes and observations with Anon's ACLU contacts.

"Also, as shown above, concerned citizenry who were not protesting have seen the YouTube documentation and sent politely-worded pleas to the ACLU asking them to investigate and / or get involved.

"This is not to say that MOAR attempts to contact ACLU folks are unnecessary. The more information available to them, the better."

Contact other activist groups for protips and advice. There are plenty of skilled organizers from the Iraq war era(s) who might offer help in getting permits, dealing with dirty police tactics, etc., even if they don't necessarily care about protesting the C(ult)oS. Some of them are probably among us. They might even have some legal observers in their contacts to happily share with you.

For this situation, those in Atlanta should try the following:

• Contact the Georgia division of the ACLU to lodge a complaint

ACLU of Georgia

Executive Director: Debbie Seagraves

75 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 514

Atlanta, GA 30303

Phone: 404-523-5398

E-mail: info@acluga.org

• Contact and explain what happened to any number of these organizations:

Full list at The National Police Accountability Project

Even if some orgs can't help, they can recommend an org who might.

• Organize in DeKalb to fight the motorist violations; enroll townsfolk for their support. Petition? Town meetings? Urge those ticketed to appeal.

[edit] Some more advice for avoiding drama

All right, I know people are not thrilled about this, but get one thing straight: YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ENEMIES WITH THE COPS. OSA would piss their pants for joy if that happened. Atlanta Anonymous is handicapped because there is no sidewalk near the church. They need to get a permit for the next raid and distribute copies to as many people as possible (with personal info removed, it should not be necessary). Let the lawfags figure out what the law is and then follow it. If that means bringing hat & sunglasses next time instead of masks, then so be it. (Or, like Tom Cruise, use a beard. I'd like to see a video of cops saying "for those of you wearing fake beards, you must remove them.")

• The thing is, most cops are actually on our side. It's just the chief that's corrupt. We can expose that and have the police still on our side. And afterwards it will make future actions vs. Co$ easier.
• What's up with the continuing crap about there not being sidewalks? *I* was on a sidewalk. In the pictures, there's a damned sidewalk under everyone's feet. Every CoSplay page I visit has made some mention of us not having a sidewalk near the church. You can't get much closer than across the street. We're at a disadvantage in terms of foot-traffic - there's no reason to stand there except to yell at the church - but there's absolutely a sidewalk.