[www-features] Proposal: Post-RNC Fallout

[Matt Wasserman]

Image:
http://images.indymedia.org/imc/nyc/image/13/147815_138133_IMH_8340.jpg<a href="nyc.indymedia.org">NYC</a>: RNC/LEGAL
Post-RNC Fallout

Close to a year after last summer's protest against the Republican
National Convention in New York City, the truth is finally coming out
about how the City treated protesters. The charges against Josh Banno,
wrongly arrested in connection with the <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/106265/index.php">"green
dragon fire"</a>, were <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/148003/index.php">dropped</a>
on Friday, April 15. As well, The National Lawyers Guild <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/148131/index.php">announced</a>
on Friday that the city is to pay 230, 000 dollars in contempt of court
charges for their slowness in releasing arrested protesters. Evidence
provided by <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/138832">video
activists</a> has cleared over 400 of the 1806 arrestees, including some
non-protesters caught up in police sweeps. And a <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/147783/index.php">front
page story</a> in the <i>New York Times</i> largely confirmed 4 months of
postings to <a href="nyc.indymedia.org">NYC IMC</a> documenting police
perjury and the <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/138132">doctoring of
evidence</a>.
</p> However, the <i>Times</i> has yet to investigate the questions raised
on <a href="nyc.indymedia.org">NYC IMC</a> about <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/114761">Pier 57</a>, or
"Guantanamo on the Hudson", primary city detention center during the RNC.
Documents obtained by imcistas show both the city's use of Pier 57 <a
href"http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/133647/index.php">violated</a>
its written lease agreement and that the Hudson River Park Trust,
controlling authority for the Pier, was <a
href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/133646/index.php">aware</a>
that the pier contained asbestos, lead and fire hazards. Arrestees posting
to the NYC IMC newswire have claimed to be suffering from chemical burns
and <a href"http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/112690">other
ailments</a> as a result of their detention at Pier 57.
                            -Matt