From: Refuse & Resist! Hawaii Chapter
When the Asian Development Bank announced that it was going to hold its next meeting in Honolulu, R&R! immediately began alerting people to the probability of increased repression. That this is happening is no longer a question!
According to the Honolulu Advertiser (7/12/2000), all of HPD's 1800 officers are receiving special training in "handling civil disturbances, dealing with crowds and other situations" to prepare for the convention, and the HPD has requested "special equipment" costing several million dollars.
Jeff Beatty, founder of Total Security Services International has been brought in to speak at a seminar sponsored by the HPD and Hawaii Tourism Authority. (Beatty is a former U.S. Army Delta Force commander, special adviser to the FBI and CIA, and planned security at the Atlanta, Barcelona and Los Angeles Olympics!)
On January 12, 2001, KITV ran a special report beginning with an intimidating line of HPD officers loaded down with special equipment to "deal with ADB protesters". They reported that the HPD, firefighters, National Guard, and Sheriff's dept were coordinating their training efforts and even staged a "demonstration" at a special police training ground showing a few demonstrators throwing water balloons and then being shot with "non-lethal" weapons. This supposed "news" was threatening and intimidating.
On Thursday, January 18, Channel 2 (Joe Moore) reported on 4 bills introduced at City Council. The report again showed an intimidating line of officers set to advance on protesters, and related the bills to preparations to the ADB protests. The following description of the bills comes directly from the City and County link:
Bill 6, 2001: "A bill for an ordinance relating to public parks and recreation facilities. To (a) provide a definition for "camp" or "camping" relating to park use and park use permits; (b) allow horses and dogs used by law enforcement officers; and (c) allow arrest for camping when and where camping is not allowed. (Introduced by Chair Jon Yoshimura)
Bill 5, 2001: "A bill for an ordinance relating to wearing of masks or disguises. To establish certain prohibitions with respect tot he wearing of masks or disguises." Submitted by HPD; introduced by Jon Yoshimura.
Bill 4, 2001: "A bill for an ordinance relating to prohibited activities in the city: To prohibit any person to possess with intent to use a device capable of emitting an obnoxious substance as described in Section 40-2.2 of the ROH 1990."
Bill 3, 2001: "A bill for an ordinance relating tot he traffic code. To amend the penalty and enforcement provisions relating to putting glass or other injurious substances on a highway." The amendment would allow the immediate arrest of persons who put glass and other injurious substances on highways.
These bills were submitted in preparation for the ADB, but will remain after the ADB is over. In other words, we'll have a whole new set of repressive rules and ordinances aimed at limiting the freedom to protest. These ordinances are very broad. They clearly seek to further limit the ability to camp, and allow police horses and dogs to be used in arresting persons who are camping. Just what is a "mask or disguise?" Often protesters wear paper masks in the likenesses of individuals or even animals. Sometimes they wear bandannas to protect them from possible tear gas attacks. And what kinds of devices are "capable of emitting an obnoxious substance"? The news report referred to water guns. Could it include a soda can or water bottle? We can be sure it doesn't outlaw police guns capable of emitting bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, pellets, etc.
The ADB Conference is still 4 months away, and Hawaii's population is already being threatened and intimidated. New laws are being adopted. Intimidating "news reports" are being aired. Articles in the newspapers boast about the acquisition of new equipment "prepare for the protesters". And youth are already being interrogated by police detectives about their affiliations and plans. In short, while peole from many different trends are preparing for non-violent speak-outs and protests against the ADB, the HPD (along with the military) are preparing for a police riot! This is outrageous.
Ben Cayetano and Hawaii's State Dept of Tourism and Economic Development have issued an open invitation to finance agencies such as the WTO, IMF, and APEC. In order to do this they are willing to turn Hawaii into a virtual police state. R&R! calls on everyone to protest every effort to limit our right to speak out against the anti-people policies of the Asian Development Bank (aka Asian Destruction Bank).