The piece was published without an individual byline, but clearly argues in favor of the act of throwing rocks at events such as May Day. I quote: “Some will rightly point out that tactics need to be escalated…” “Anybody who is swayed against our cause by seeing people fight back was … never on our side in the first place.” These quotes are from an imaginary discussion with 20 imagined “anti-imperialists.” They are laid out in argument, counter-argument style in a common form of propaganda called false equivalence. The arguments are presented side by side as if they are equally valid, and the piece does not openly state that one or the other view is correct, except in its choice of the phrase “…rightly point out..” and “…our side,” as if we the readers are on the side of those who threw these rocks. The good intentions of those who threw rocks are also assumed by the author, opening the question of whether the author participated in this act.

Just before Works In Progress went to press, we were given the following account of the events that followed the downtown Olympia May Day rally. The May issue of Works In Progress, which includes this and other articles of local interest, is now available at the usual locations around town, and will soon be posted to the Works In Progress website.

May 1: Eyewitness Report of May Day Melée

Most people know what to expect from May Day in Olympia. Music, dancing, marching (usually without a permit). Food Not Bombs serving from a big tub of soup. A festival, both to celebrate Beltane, and in honor of those who died so we could have a weekend, overtime pay, and an end to child labor. In recent years, this has been complimented with May Day’s additional focus as an immigrant rights day, and with it a focus on multilingualism and the ongoing ICE raids.

All went as expected for most of the day. Indeed, there was music. There was dancing. There was marching (with a legal permit, this year). There were invited speakers, talking about things ranging from the Longshore work stoppage, to the proposal before the Olympia City Council to establish Olympia as a Sanctuary City for war resisters and immigrants.

In light of the Daily O's top story today, I thought these should be shared. Olympia's finest hard at work!

See more photos...

This report says that we are the biggest police state in the world. It also points at systemic racism. Link.

New High In U.S. Prison Numbers
Growth Attributed To More Stringent Sentencing Laws

By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 29, 2008; A01

More than one in 100 adults in the United States is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year and the federal government $5 billion more, according to a report released yesterday.

With more than 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States leads the world in both the number and percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving far-more-populous China a distant second, according to a study by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.

Given all the thought going into policing this week, I thought this one deserves its own post. The city council is looking at its Police Auditor program this week. To that end, they got a report.

Here's a summary:

• 14 total complaints, with 28 seperate allegations in 2007, compared to 28 compaints in 2006 with 50 allegations. In 2005 12 complaints, 27 allegations.
• 3 complaints of racial profilling, none sustained.
• 4 excessive force complaints, none involving Taser, OC spray, batons or firearms. Most common included handcuffs. None sustained.
• One unlawful arrest, which was unfounded.
• The only sustained complaint was one count of "Improper Driving."

Here's some background information on the police auditor program.

Here's the full report, scroll down for the full counts:

Dear OlyBlog,

I am a frequent lurker and newly registered member. While there is much to discuss and consider around the events at TESC the night of the 14th, I'm here with some questions about the Olympian and general media coverage.