[Cc-webedit] [Fwd: RE: [mediateam] next steps on policing?]

[Jonathan Leighton]

Webbies - Are we happy for this to go on the blog? I think it would be
great.

-------- Forwarded Message --------
> From: Danny Chivers <dannychivers at wildmail.com>
> To: mediateam at lists.riseup.net
> Subject: RE: [mediateam] next steps on policing?
> Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:08:39 -0700
> 
> Being me, rather than just writing a simple report, I've accidentally
> written a slightly longer article all about the role of Police
> Liaison, cop propaganda and our strange adventures at Gravesend. I'm
> just running it past Frances and some other Police Liaison peeps, I'll
> send it round this list next (if that's alright). If people think it's
> OK, it could go on the blog and Indymedia and maybe help to address
> some of the concerns out there.
> 
> Dx
> 
> <-----Original Message-----> 
> >From: Catherine L [rainbow_fnord at hotmail.co.uk]
> >Sent: 8/21/2009 10:49:46 PM
> >To: mediateam at lists.riseup.net
> >Subject: RE: [mediateam] next steps on policing?
> >
> >This sounds great, well done! Would be good if the report were to be
> published
> >on Indymedia to counteract the Climate Camp-bashing
> >
> >
> >
> >From: dannychivers at wildmail.com
> >To: mediateam at lists.riseup.net; legal at climatecamp.org.uk
> >CC: everythingconnected at yahoo.co.uk
> >Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:42:42 -0700
> >Subject: Re: [mediateam] next steps on policing?
> >
> >Hi Jonathan,
> >
> >Glad the open letter's helping!
> >
> >Frances, Andy and I are putting together a brief report on what
> happened
> >yesterday. I think the key thing is explaining to the movement
> exactly what
> >we're doing with these meetings, making clear what the aims of Police
> Liaison
> >are and what we get out of it. Essentially:
> >
> >- We gather information first-hand about likely police tactics,
> strategy,
> >personnel and attitude;
> >- Meeting with the cops gives us extra weight in the media/PR war -
> "we met with
> >the cops and told them we weren't going to do anything dangerous, but
> they still
> >came and beat us up..." - it scores us significant "reasonableness
> points" with
> >the public;
> >- To a lesser degree, it also gives the Climate Camp a "human face"
> and might
> >make some officers be a tiny bit less brutal towards us (we have no
> definite
> >proof of this, of course);
> >
> >We do NOT negotiate with the police, make any concessions to them, or
> give them
> >any information that they wouldn't have found out anyway.
> >
> >This is what Police Liaison do every year - the remit hasn't changed.
> Something
> >that is different, however, is the unprecedented media attention on
> these
> >meetings, and the fact that the cops are on the back foot and are
> desperately
> >trying to repair their image. This does increase the risk that the
> cops are able
> >to say "look, we're even having meetings with the protesters, aren't
> we nice!",
> >and that this helps them with their spin. It's something we have to
> be aware of,
> >and do our best to counter, which is why I think the three proposed
> policing
> >messages from this week's meeting are so great. It's also something
> that the
> >open letter was trying to tackle.
> >
> >The other new thing has been the proactive work that the Camp has
> been doing
> >this year to hammer the police in the media and via parliamentary
> committees
> >etc. If the policing really is less outrageous this year, it will be
> partly down
> >to the fact that we put the work in and forced them to tone it down.
> It's the
> >Camp's victory, it's not them being "nice"! It's also worth stressing
> that this
> >happened via lots and lots of anti-police PR and media work, NOT via
> meetings
> >with the police. We DON'T expect the police to change their behaviour
> because we
> >meet with them, they'll only do it if we force them to by exposing
> their
> >violence and intimidation to the world. "The wider movement" need to
> realise
> >that everyone involved with Police Liaison knows and understands this
> perfectly
> >well...
> >
> >Anyway, as I say, we're putting together a friendly little report,
> and we'll
> >also probably be doing a presentation during the Tuesday of the Camp.
> Plus, the
> >Legal Team have been working on lifting some of this anti-cop work
> out of the
> >Climate Camp process - we aren't the only ones being harassed by the
> police, and
> >so Frances has been in touch with other activist groups and
> representatives from
> >oppressed minorities with a view to getting funding for a separate
> joint
> >anti-police-harassment campaign. It all sounds very exciting, she's
> going to
> >write a short bit about it for our little report, which will be ready
> as soon as
> >is possible in this crazy mixed-up manic time.
> >
> >Hope this helps, see you all terrifyingly/excitingly soon,
> >
> >Danny x 
> >
> ><-----Original Message-----> 
> >>From: Jonathan Stevenson [jjjstevenson at fastmail.fm]
> >>Sent: 8/21/2009 3:31:54 PM
> >>To: mediateam at lists.riseup.net
> >>Cc: legal at climatecamp.org.uk
> >>Subject: Re: [mediateam] next steps on policing?
> >>
> >>Hi all,
> >> 
> >>Great stuff with the open letter - it seems to be going down very
> well, and
> >>repairing some of the damage that I have to say the Guardian article
> seems to
> >>have done within 'the wider movement', in terms of how it presented
> our
> >>relationship with the police, and particularly the trip to Gravesend
> - people
> >>saying on Indymedia and blog posts etc that it made them not want to
> come to the
> >>Camp and/or that they're disappointed etc. (Obviously they should
> know better
> >>than to jump to those kinds of conclusions but we don't seem to be
> able to help
> >>that!)
> >> 
> >>Danny I'm sure you've got a million things to do but any report back
> from how
> >>the trip went yesterday? 
> >> 
> >>I'm now also wondering about whether there's more we can do to use
> the
> >>opportunity of media scrutiny of police behaviour around the Camp,
> particularly
> >>on the day of the Swoop, to try to build bridges with the parts of
> the movement
> >>who felt alienated by the peaceful/violent split around the G20, and
> also as a
> >>form of outreach in itself. Eg. I think it would be good to have
> banners about
> >>Ian Tomlinson, Justice for Jean Charles de Menezes, deaths in
> custody, etc,
> >>brought along on the Swoop, so that even if the story is 'Police
> behave
> >>themselves under scrutiny', we've tried to make the wider point that
> when the
> >>world isn't watching they don't. We could approach particular
> organisations and
> >>groups to invite them to participate in the Swoop and bring their
> banners maybe?
> >> 
> >>This is obviously not just a media team thing, but I wanted to check
> what people
> >>felt about it as an idea from the media perspective. One of the
> reasons for
> >>doing everything we're doing this year in terms of media work around
> the police
> >>is clearly so that we don't get attacked and so we get more chance
> to focus on
> >>climate change rather than the police, so in a way I can see that
> this might be
> >>allowing ourselves to get diverted from our key messages. But I'm
> not proposing
> >>we make it our key media message for the Swoop, more that it's an
> aspect of what
> >>happens on the day of the Swoop, and/or at the Camp. But it may
> translate into
> >>the content of media coverage at the Camp. However, I think it might
> just be eg.
> >>one shot within the story of the Swoop, or one line within the
> article about the
> >>Swoop. What do people reckon?
> >> 
> >>J 
> >
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