Police Assault Langford Tree-Sit

Written By: Lex
Date: 2008-02-14 11:09:16
<a href="/article/221619331-police-assault-langford-treesit">Article Link</a>

The controversial project just outside Victoria, British Columbia has drawn sharp criticism for a number of reasons: The initial land purchase deal, tainted by perceptions of conflicts of interest regarding "gifted" crown land; a city councillor who made more than a million dollars on the deal, (and stands to gain millions more) failing to recuse himself on at least one crucial green-lighting vote; environmental impact assessments that failed to note a network of karst cave structures running below the proposed route of the highway; failure to adequately consult with local First Nations bands on cultural and historical issues at the site; and, shoddy archeological studies, Bear Mountain has become the poster-child of wrong-headed development.

As if to amplify the greed and stupidity of the Langford city mayor and council, the RCMP ride to the rescue in overwhelming force sets a startling new tone for contentious land use issues on Vancouver Island, of which there are many. Kluane, one of three sitters up on the platforms in the canopy when the raid occurred, described between fifty and seventy police, many armed with assault rifles, "bean bag" shotguns, and accompanied by snarling police dogs, aiming their weapons at him, warning his safety could not be guaranteed if he did not exit the tree.

The sitters had liaised with local RCMP several times before the assault and had made clear theirs was a strictly non-violent protest. They reassured the police there were no weapons in the camp, but that meant little to the planners of a police production that must be worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Officers from up island and the mainland were brought in to join the Westshore detachment, and a police spokesperson told the press they would continue on at Langford to ensure security for an unspecified period yet. That bill will have to be picked up by the tax-payers of Langford, as will the costs for continued police oversight of the final destruction of the forest and sub-alpine meadows tree-sitters had protected for nearly a year.

As of writing, the entire area is a cordoned and flagged "red zone" against protest, or "trespass"; anyone caught there is subject to arrest.

...

<a href="http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/police-assault-langford-tree-sit.html">http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/police-assault-langford-tree-sit.html</a>

Ah, yes! More fascist police state tactics! Sadly, I`m seeing people buy into the totalitarian fad everywhere. The workplace, kids sports, municipal politics, unions, people 'in charge' seem to think they`re just entitled.

---
Dave Ruston

People who find themselves in lower levels of power tend to take their instruction of what's acceptable from those who set the example from above, so what else can you expect when the leader of our country is a massively corrupt authoritarian dictator?

In the case at hand, we're most fortunate that the RCMP did not murder anyone this time around since the precedent has been set and OK'd at the highest levels of government.

I'm afraid things are going to get a lot worse very rapidly unless people rise up in large enough numbers using methods such as those employed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and others.

"In the case at hand, we're most fortunate that the RCMP did not murder anyone this time around since the precedent has been set and OK'd at the highest levels of government."

That is a sad commentary my friend, that we should be happy that protesting didn't result in the loss of life.

With the coming food shortage, and resulting higher prices; lack of affordable housing and a rise in the working homeless, I think we can expect the 'perfect storm' soon. People are generally restless. "The peasants are revolting!"

---
The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.

"The peasants are revolting!" 
seen in the eyes of those who are being revolted against the peasants are indeed 'revolting' 
as is a nusance to be delt with by "the Authorities" 
 
I want your view to be the one that wins, and it will not 
 
There are too many individualists and greed based profiting The world is on permanent wonk 
 
trash it and start again 
 
<a href="http://www.mindmined.com/public_library/nonfiction/david_f_feudalism_aka_capitalism.html">http://www.mindmined.com/public_library/nonfiction/david_f_feudalism_aka_capitalism.html</a>--- "When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do." 
 
William Blake

Some further points on the raid:

- In very militaristic modern US fashion, the RCMP prevented media from filming the raid, keeping them back with barricades. No doubt very concerned somebody would be tazered to death on live TV.

- The RCMP occupied the site, using 300 officers in rotating 24-hour shifts, in a huge paramilitary operation costing tens of thousands of dollars. They stopped and id'd any law abiding citizens driving by on their way home or to work who drove too close to the area.

---
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

Article from bear mountain tree-sit blog, written by protesters:

"A small but spirited group put their freedom and safety on the line today to stop the work crews that are destroying rare ecosystems and First Nations sites on Vancouver Island.

About 40 people turned out at noon in Langford, BC and marched up the highway to view the destruction. Two dozen or so were inspired to scramble over the fresh-cut trees and stand in front of the yarders and excavators that were working. All four machines had to be shut down. The handful of police on the scene made no arrests and issued no warnings.

After stopping the machines, many of us made our way through the stumps and slash to Langford Lake Cave, which has a huge mass of rebar crisscrossed over the entrance like a drunken spider web. The second entrance has a triangular steel cap welded over it. The forest was cut to within a few meters of the cave entrances.

We found the spot where the camp kitchen had stood, and we were able to salvage much of the food, camping gear, and personal belongings that were piled up and left on the site.

Without a medium-sized army of RCMP and special forces to back them up, the contractors had no choice but to give up and go home. The police forces withdrew on Friday evening, and one officer said the operation had required 300 officers in rotating shifts on patrols, command and communications. We estimate the operation cost $5000 an hour for the 60 hours or so the officers were on the ground. The question of who is picking up the tab has not yet been answered.

We have raised the cost of aggressive development on the Island. If the greedy thugs want to force through this kind of horrific, destructive project, they will have to call in the army. Otherwise, we will stop them.

Today’s rally was organized in part by the Hundred Voices of Conscience"

---
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

"If the greedy thugs want to force through this kind of horrific, destructive project, they will have to call in the army. Otherwise, we will stop them."

These guys have a lot of resolve, and that's what it will take to force the issue showing us all how much of a brutal police state Canada has become. If the so-called law says that the forest is to be destroyed, then the so-called law also says that anyone who gets in the way will be forcibly removed, and if that's not possible through means that won't kill you, then you will be killed at the scene because the only way to prevent forced removal is to fight back with equal or greater force. If the police can't do the job (or is moral enough to be unwilling to do it), then the army will be called in, but don't expect Joe Regular to show up wondering why he's supposed to shoot his own people, instead expect the worse of the worse to show up who does not give a shit who he murders in cold blood.

BTW it's high time we stop calling the police "police officers" because that's not what they are anymore when they represent and protect corporate interests from the very same people who are enslaved to fund them through police enforced taxation.

It's a twisted circle of incestuous conflicts of interests that's gotten us into this ugly mess and I'm not really sure what it will take to get us back out. I guess we'll eventually be forced to find out given that things are spiraling down the toilet rather quickly and accelerating.

I have protested in downtown Victoria, and the Victoria city police are EXCELLENT with protests, very polite, very clear, they use bicycle patrol officers to control the crowd and keep cars away.

In Langford, however, we have no local police force, so the Praetor's Guard (RCMP) are called out whenever there is an insurrection, and they are noticeably more mean-spirited and militant, often over-reacting to situations and quickly resorting to pepper-spray and tazers.

---
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

What I meant was the RCMP as "police officers" which it seems they are not.

You are quite right, local cops tend to behave much more like real servants of the public than the RCMP ever do. It's the same thing with any system of government where the bigger it is, the more disconnected it is from the public, and as a result the more corrupt and self-serving it becomes.

In general, big governments (and big corporations), tend to work against the public good.

(Apologies for caps-lock, this is the way the old-foggies radio station, CFAX-1070, likes to display their news bulletins online. Reminds me of a teletype machine)

PROTESTORS TAKE TO THE TREES AGAIN AT LANGFORD INTERCHANGE SITE

Feb 21, 2008

THREE PROTESTORS REMAIN IN THREE TREES AT THE SPENCER ROAD INTERCHANGE CONSTRUCTION SITE.

EARLIER TODAY THEY CLIMBED THE TREES, WHICH ARE MARKED TO BE TAKEN DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR THE ROAD WORK.

RCMP HAVE BEEN ON THE SCENE. ACTIVIST ZOE BLUNT, WHO IS ALSO THERE, SAYS AN OFFICER HAS TOLD THOSE IN THE TREES THAT THEY'RE UNDER ARREST.

HOWEVER, NO MOVE HAS BEEN MADE TO PHYSICALLY GET THEM DOWN.

EARLIER TODAY, A PROTEST RALLY TEMPORARILY STOPPED A TRUCK HAULING TREES FROM THE LANGFORD SITE.

---
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

As for the comments on the RCMP, the RCMP in Canada essentially provide the same service as the FBI in the United States, and as such, they are involved in anti-terrorism work, intelligence work, spying, surveillance, covert operations, ect... in addition to their 'menial' work providing police services to those communitiest that cannot afford it. As such their reactions to all such events are often very militant, as they train to treat such people as geniune threats and often deploy people who are anti-terrorism specialists on such missions. They are the real fighting arm of the Canadian government in many respects. I once heard that for a single individual involved in suspected 'eco-terrorism' activities in Vancouver, the RCMP were able to deploy 200 plain clothes agents (officers and also paid mercenary agents) on rotating shifts to follow him and track his movements 24 hours a day. The scope and budget of the RCMP rivals that of the Canadian Forces, and I suspect much of it is hidden in other budgets of the Federal government.

---
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”