Small steps, small steps

Common Dreams, citing the Miami Herald for December 20, has this, a significant addition to the growing list of complaints about the behavior of police during the November 21-22 demonstrations at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) summit:

A judge presiding over the cases of free trade protesters said in court that he saw "no less than 20 felonies committed by police officers" during the November demonstrations, adding to a chorus of complaints about police conduct.

Judge Richard Margolius, 60, made the remarks in open court last week, saying he was taken aback by what he witnessed while attending the protests.

"Pretty disgraceful what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my entire career," he said, according to a court transcript. "This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace for the community." ...

"I probably would have been arrested myself if it had not been for a police officer who recognized me," said the judge, who wears his hair in a graying ponytail.

Footnote: The police forces involved (there were several) of course denied any wrongdoing.

"We were told to deal with situations that were serious but we were always told to be very patient with people," said Herminia "Amy" Salas-Jacobson, a Miami police spokeswoman.

"In the training sessions we were told to be professional, be patient and to do everything right. There was one thing that was stressed at every meeting: Always be professional."

Well, you see, there's the problem right there. Before the demonstrations, the Miami police said they would be populated with "spoiled rich kids" and "anarchists [who] came down here to ... cause problems" - not with actual people.

Or is it that how they acted is what they regard as "professional?" After all, Mayor Manny Diaz did call it "a model for homeland defense."