Profane Existence 33

"Fuck You Pig... I'm Revolting!"

On the night of Friday July 18, during a gig by Defiance, Terminal Disgust, Stray Bullets, and Dreadnaught, the lathering idiots known as the Minneapolis' "finest" stormed into the Bombshelter with truncheons and flashlights swinging, making 13 arrests and closing the two-and-a-half-year old venue for good. On the scene were over 40 squad cars, K9 units, riot troops, and even their "ghetto bird," necessary to end a concert attended by less than 150 people, mainly out to have a good time and a few beers, and certainly not looking to start a riot. Of the thirteen arrested, ten face at least two felony charges which have a possible jail term of ten years or more.

The initial incident that brought the police occurred at approximately 11:30 pm when the last band Defiance were just beginning to play. Many people were still cooling off outside between bands when a small scuffle started outside. The scuffle escalated when one testosterone-laden idiot pulled a knife and was wildly threatening several other people. People witnessing the situation began to react just as a police cruiser swung around the corner whereupon the cop inside immediately called for backup. After the arrival of the first police car, most of the punks outside went back into the venue.

Moments later, additional squads arrived on the scene and insisted that a stabbing took place-which none did. Disregarding pleas from the Bombshelter volunteers not to escalate the situation, seven cops stormed down the stairs into the basement space where the concert was taking place. Defiance was just completing their second song and were unaware of what was taking place or that the cops had even arrived. As well, most of the people in the small concert space had no idea what was going on when the officers entered and slammed the usually open door behind them. The police officers now in the basement forcibly detained Louis, a legal resident of the United State of Mexican heritage, and claimed it was the person they saw with the knife. With their so-called "criminal" handcuffed, the cops proceed to leave building. Witnesses report hearing the cops taunt Luis with racial epitaphs and insults regarding his Latino heritage and then one officer hit him over the back of the head with a flashlight.

Someone in the basement, so distraught at seeing one of their friends beaten while helpless at the hands of the pigs, threw a punch at the cop with the flashlight. People began chanting "fuck the pigs" and the police responded like the pack of rabid hounds they are; beating people at random and spraying mace into the crowd who until a few minutes before were peacefully watching the band. When a dog goes rabid, the only recourse is to put it down, so understandably people began fighting back and the cops beat a hasty retreat with their prize in handcuffs. After this brief melee one not particularly fleet-footed cop fell off the curb outside and broke his arm. An embarrassing injury sustained not while battling a pig-munching 500 pound mutant teenage punk rocker, but out of his own stupid clumsiness. The panicked and confused keystone coppers responded by radioing in an "officer down" call, after which all hell broke loose. In cop lingo "office down" means about the same as "send in the air strike and let loose the napalm!"

People began leaving the Bombshelter, now completely filled with choking mace sprayed by the cops during their retreat. The mayhem in the basement was further escalated by additional police, answering the officer down call, who charged down with their guns drawn and threatened people at random. The scene was of total chaos and confusion with people in the basement trapped by police who blockaded the only real entrance out to the street. In the small room it was hard to tell what was happening and Defiance didn't stop playing until they found police pistols shoved in their faces. Red laser sight beams broke through the clouds of mace and cigarette smoke and one cop repeatedly yelled "get the fuck down" while pointing his .45 hand-held howitzer in confused people's faces. Other cops yelled at people to get out, even though the entrance was blocked by their buddies who were also spraying mace and beating people at random.

More and more police began to arrive at the scene until there were over 40 squad cars, parked three abreast up and down Bloomington Ave. We witnessed cars from several precincts scream into the area, with as many as four cops a piece inside, doors partially open to allow their fat occupants easier access to the ass-kicking they planned to dish out. As more cops arrived they immediately began beating people with their batons and pepper-gassing people on the street in front of the Bombshelter as they struggled to get away from the scene as fast as possible. Officers were venting their anger on people who couldn't move fast enough-either because they were blind from being maced, dizzy from being hit, or just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. One person was taking pictures of the cops' actions, but was soon confronted by a particularly ugly pig bastard and had his camera seized, the film torn out, and exposed. Many people from the mainly African-American neighborhood came out to see what was going on and were obviously dismayed at what they saw happening. Many yelled shouts of support for the punks until they were chased back inside their homes by riot cops.

As soon as the cops had a few minutes to put on their robocop outfits and organize their storm trooper ranks, they then began clearing the area by forcing anyone unlucky enough to still be in front of the Bombshelter out into the Bloomington and Lake Street intersection. Those not being beaten, maced and arrested only escaped by dodging the moving traffic and high-tailing it out of the area. The police then methodically combed the area for any more punks in the area to lay their vengeance upon. There was virtually no resistance from the punks as nearly every cop on duty was soon at the scene, completely blanketing the area under their control. Up in the sky "Blue Thunder" kept a careful watch from overhead, with he pigs inside undoubtedly with fingers on the trigger. One person who managed to escape the initial police violence, was driving through the area, picking up stragglers, when he overheard one pig in a line of marching cops tell his buddy, "I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!" They were too busy looking for people on foot that they failed to notice the punks in the car right behind them!

Later that night, the pigs secured the Bombshelter by removing the door locks and then boarded up the entrance with plywood. The bands that played that evening were told they could not get their equipment until they had the OK from the homicide detectives who were to take over the case the following Monday. They were told by the top swine on duty that night, Lt. Steve "Boss Hog" Sizer, that they would be arrested for unlawful entry if they attempted to get in. As it turns out, when the bands contacted the homicide detective assigned to the case the following Monday, the detective, Sgt. Andrew Smith, told them there was no reason whatsoever they couldn't just go in and get their stuff. One pig blowing over another's straw house! The cops were so elated on achieving absolute victory over the punks they even gave parking tickets to all of the vehicles in front of the Bombshelter that night. Dreadnaught received a ticket for a dirty license plate while Stray Bullets received one for "parking within 30 feet of an intersection" although being parked legally in front of a meter! Who said the cops couldn't be petty? Ever see a cop wait for a green light?

All told, thirteen people were arrested that night, mainly grabbed at random and held on ridiculously exaggerated charges. Ten of those arrested were held without charges until the following Wednesday, after the city attorney's office filed continual extensions to hold the accused, while the cops had time to get their fiction straight and the bruises and cuts on those in jail had time to heal. One of the arrested, Kevin "Baker" was pushed off his bicycle, handcuffed, then had a can of pepper spray emptied on his face at point blank range, while a cop held his head steady under with his boot heel. Most of the blistering from chemical burns had healed by the date of their first court appearance five days later.

Immediately the Minneapolis pigs made every effort to claim that their actions were justified to the public. Lt. Steve Sizer continued his stream of lies by claiming to the Star Tribune that "It was a battle royal. [Police] had their backs to the wall," and, "They were literally fighting for their lives." Of course the local press and television news immediately lapped up the lies and reported them almost verbatim. The Star and Tribune reported the incident of the cop with the broken arm as if the injury was inflicted by the punks, with the cops seeking public sympathy to justify their rabid conduct. All told, six cops were hospitalized for minor injuries, although we suspect most of them were the result of cops going berserk and injuring themselves or each other. A common sight witnessed that evening was cops spraying each other with pepper spray in the chaos they created. We can only guess what other self-inflicted injuries their ineptitude caused.

On Tuesday, July 22 the Minneapolis city attorney's office filed their official complaint against the ten people still held. All of the defendants received at least two felony charges; Riot Second Degree and Obstruction of Legal Process or Arrest. Each charge has the penalty of 0-5 years in jail and/or fines up to $10,000. Others were with given additional charges; Assault in the Second Degree (felony), Assault in the Fourth Degree (felony) and/or Assault in the Fifth Degree (misdemeanor). The charges were apparently given out at random, with the police obviously confused at what really took place that night. The only thing that was apparently clear in the heads of the pigs that night - aside from giving the punks a good ass-kicking in general - was to target the punks of Mexican heritage for arrest. Three of the ten charged with felonies are Latino, hardly representative of the statistical makeup of the people in the Bombshelter that night. Bail for the ten accused of felonies was initially set at $7,500 to $25,000 for each person.

The criminal complaint reads like a skit from a Mel Brooks comedy, filled with such preposterous gags that only the seriousness of the charges keeps it from being very funny at all. The police accused Baker, the guy thrown off his bicycle and maced, of throwing the first punch against the police in the basement, although he was outside at the time unlocking his bicycle to leave the area. He is also accused of jumping on another cop, Officer Charles Storlie, and punching him in the face. In the complaint it says Officer Storlie's lower lip was swollen and bruised-obviously a tough blow to his fragile ego. Storlie appears as some kind of superhero cop in the criminal complaint, "witnessing" at least two of the other arrested in supposed criminal activity and was swung at at least once more. He'll probably get a medal of honor for such valorous deeds, or at least a promotion.

Another top cop this evening was officer Lawrence Loonsfoot who not only could hear and see bottles breaking but also hallucinated that he saw another of those arrested throw a rock. Come on, too much LSD in college might make you imagine things, but it is a known fact there are no piles of rocks conveniently located at the intersection of Lake Street and Bloomington. Loonsfoot also claimed to see a juvenile female (also arrested with pending charges) twist the arm of a big strong cop behind his back. As if this wasn't enough Loonsfoot claims to have seen Pignose from Dreadnaught "pushing officers back" when he was standing around his van waiting to move the band's equipment. Another cops claims that Pignose shouted "Police have no right. Let's Get them." Yeah right. For simply not leaving the area quick enough Pignose now faces two felony charge as well.

The calamities continue with one more farcical accusation after the next. Another person was arrested for supposedly telling a cop "Fuck you pig. I'm revolting" he is also accused of pulling a knife during arrest, simply because the police found it on his person while he was being handcuffed. He now faces an additional assault charge on top of his two riot and obstruction felonies. Luis, the first person arrested, has also been also accused of attempting to break free after being arrested, kicking one pig in the knee cap, then spitting in another's face. All the while in handcuffs and surrounded by seven pigs. Some of the charges are so vague it is pathetic that they would even accuse anyone of them; "That [the defendents] intentionally by use of force or violence obstructed, resists, and/or interferes with Minneapolis police officers, while the officers were engaged in the official performance of their duties and/or intentionally disarmed or attempted to disarm the officer without the officer's consent." Aside of the ridiculously broad implications this suggests, when it is the official performance of the Minneapolis police to call people "wet backs" and beat people in handcuffs with flashlights or punch people in the face for no reason?

The exaggerated charges are an obvious attempt by the Minneapolis police to excuse their excessive behavior that night. If there was any kind of riot at all, it was a result of the gung-ho cowboy mentality of the cops who were obviously looking for and prepared for a fight. Of course the criminal complaint doesn't mention that the pigs were using racial slurs while making the first arrest, nor mentioned that it was the cops who made the first aggressive moves. As well, they fail to take any accountability for their panicked "officer down" call which resulted in further escalation and subsequent arrests.

The cop's campaign of retribution and terror has continued since July 18th. Those who have spoken up against the actions of the cops have received harassing telephone calls and been threaten with "visits." Sgt. Andrew Smith, the homicide cop investigating the incident and signatory on the criminal complaint, has repeatedly harassed the Duke over the telephone for the "crime" of contradicting the cops' story on television. One cop who moonlights as a security pig at a bar while off duty has also harassed another bar employees who regularly went to gigs at the Bombshelter. This person has been threatened with physical violence and was followed home by the cop one night after work. Other basement shows have since been interrupted, found out by the obvious undercover cops spotted writing down information off of flyers outside of Extreme Noise Records. Harassment of punks on the street has escalated, now with the additional threatening accusation by the pigs "Were you at the Bombshelter?" Some of the local press have also jumped on the punk-bashing band wagon, portraying punks as rich white suburban teenagers bent on causing trouble; when in fact this stereotype would be more true of the majority of the Minneapolis police force!

In the days since the arrests, much of the Minneapolis scene has joined together in the defense of those arrested. Several attempts were made to contact the news media to give a punk's view of the story, but mainly received a lukewarm response. With press releases sent to all of the major newspapers and televisions stations, only two media outlets responded. Channel Five News aired brief parts of an interview with Jon and the Duke that took place in the Profane office and the Star Tribune quoted brief parts of a conversation with Jon. Even so, these always played second fiddle to the cop's side of the story with Lt. "Goebels" Sizer broadcasting his bullshit propaganda nightly on every channel. However, other sources of support have come through, often from unexpected sources. The City Pages, the biggest weekly newspaper in the Twin Cities published an article doubtful of the cop's behavior the week after the incident. The upstairs neighbor from the Bombshelter also told the television news that there was never any problems before with the punks having shows. A local cable access program also featured Jon and the Duke during a 15 minute interview.

On July 23, all of the defendants finally had their first hearing and were formally charged. Two were released immediately without bail because they were able to secure lawyers. The rest faced high bail requests which were mostly upheld by the presiding judge who obviously sided with the cops and the city attorney's office and wanted to punish the defendants. All but one were out of within a week after paying 10% bail bond (this means 10% goes to the bonding agency which is not refunded). One defendant, a person visiting from out of state thus having bail set at $25,000, was not released until an August 15th hearing when his bail was finally reduced to $500. Almost all of the $4000 paid to get people out of jail was lent by other Minneapolis punks, who forfeited such things as rent, beer, and food money to get their friends out of Castle Greyskull as the Minneapolis gulag is called.

The defendants face an uphill battle to clear their names of the trumped up charges they are accused of. It is obvious that the police and the city attorneys threw everything they could at them in hopes that something will stick. A fund-raising campaign has been called to help raise money for the costs of the legal battle. As well, many people who lent money to get their friends out of jail are too poor to not be paid back. Efforts are being made to raise funds to cover the cost of bail money as well. So far a small amount has been raised, but much more is needed in the face of a long, uphill defense. We are urging people to organize benefit events, concerts, or projects to proceed the Bombshelter defendants. In New York City a benefit concert has been organized and others are encouraged. In Minneapolis, donations can be made in person at Extreme Noise Records @ 2524 Nicollet Ave. So. Or by mail to: Police Riot Defense Fund c/o Profane Existence / P.O. Box 8722 / Minneapolis, MN 55408