This Just in:  [I don't have a place for announcements yet, anybody want to help me start a Baby Bloc forum somewhere?]

RNC Baby Bloc: Activist Families in NY 

    I'm part of the radical teachers group that's organizing childcare (and possibly a family space) for the no-RNC events in NYC for august/september. 
     If you want to know more or help out, we sure could use it!  also, right now we just need to get the word out.  we'll need kids, parents, and lots of volunteers.  if you could mention it on your website (and just in "real life" too), that would be super.  folks can contact us at info@radicalteachers.org for more info.  Let me know what you think!

      chao,
           melissa
 

•   

From the Father of the
Pepper-Sprayed Children

by  Don Joughin,  August '02

This is an open letter describing our experience and a call to action. 

First and foremost I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the kind human beings who helped my children, my wife and me after we were pepper sprayed by the Portland Police.  We were aided immediately by fellow demonstrators, the Black-Cross, and passers-by caught in the crossfire.  These people shielded us with their bodies and soothed us with their treatments and words, and argued with police, putting themselves in danger, to secure our safe passage through the cordon.  Their actions stand in beautiful contrast to the savage inhumanity of the police. 

We brought our children to a peaceful protest, [Bush’s visit to Portland, Jan. 2002].  We stayed in the back and we were walking on the sidewalk.  The march stopped at the intersection of 2nd and Alder, we could not see why from our position on the SW corner of the intersection.  Police quickly moved up behind us and a moment or two later sprayed pepper spray into the crowd from the NE corner of the intersection.  The crowd ran toward us to escape the spray.  We asked the officer closest to us how we should exit the intersection.  He pointed and said to exit to the NE, into the spraying police opposite him.

As the crowd pressed toward us, I yelled to him to let us through (south on 2nd) because we had three small children.  He looked at me, and drew out his can from his hip and sprayed directly at me.  I was at an angle to him and the spray hit my right eye and our three year-old who I was holding in my right arm.  In the same motion he turned the can on my wife who was holding our 10 month old baby and doused both of their heads entirely from a distance of less than 3 feet.  My six year old daughter was holding my left hand and was not hit directly.  We ended up on the sidewalk a few feet down Alder with fellow protesters holding my screaming children and pouring water on our eyes. 

Someone yelled that the police had said that we could pass through the cordon on Alder with the children.  I picked up the baby and other protesters brought my wife and other children to the police line.  We attempted to pass through, but they leaned in their shoulders to block us.  I yelled at them to let us pass for about two minutes and finally some officer up the line nodded me and the baby through.  They were not going to let my wife and other children out but after a few minutes of pleading from the crowd and another signal from up the line they let them out.  As we passed, the officers were laughing and said something to the effect of, "That’s why you shouldn't bring kids to protests". 

I immediately called 911 as we moved up to the corner of 3rd and Alder.   I explained that a baby had been directly pepper sprayed and that I needed an ambulance.  They informed me that they would not send one and that all protesters were to report to a first aid tent on the other side of the police lines. 

Fellow protesters aided us until Black-Cross arrived.   Business people brought water from the nearby offices and someone bought some juice for the children.  Two KBOO staffers drove up in their Volvo and took us to Emmanuel ER.  One of the protesters who had helped us from the beginning accompanied us to the hospital and waited with us until the kids were admitted (special thanks!). 

The children were examined for respiratory problems and chemical burns.  Luckily all were only suffering "normal" pepper spray reactions that have no treatment but to wait.  The Pediatrician kept us a little longer so that she could call Poison Control to check for other recommended procedures as she had never in her career seen an infant pepper spray victim. 

On the way to the E.R. my three year old said that those guys back there were trying to get us and said we should call the police. 
 

Thank you again to all the wonderful people who helped us. 

Donald Joughin    e-mail: a22brutality (at) attbi.com 
 
 

Happy Family Update

We contacted the parents (Corrina and Don) right after this happened, and sent Baby Bloc shirts for all their kids (Sophie, Kieran, and Daschle).  We got to meet them last summer ('03), and they want everyone to know they’re OK, in fact, they’re really very nice, and their lawsuit against everybody in charge of Portland is going very well.  We hope they give a full report in the Baby Bloc Handbook. 

The  lawsuit would ban police use of pepper-spray in the city of Portland.  The original IMC post requested help to hold the police accountable.  They called for witnesses, photos, and video of the event: “We need facts written down (location of police, names of officers, timelines, everything).” 

Remember to get contact information from witnesses if anything bad ever happens to you at an event! 

These folks' story inspired us to do our first issue, but we’ve heard folks say it frightened them.  Please don’t let repression silence you or your kids; find ways to talk about fear and get support to keep doing good, effective, and hopefully fun work.  Together we‘ll be ok! 

Originally published by the Portland Indy Media Center:
   See also: more pics and sarcasm.