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Videos Challenge Accounts of Convention Unrest
By JIM DWYER

Published: April 12, 2005

Dennis Kyne put up such a fight at a political protest last summer, the arresting officer recalled, it took four police officers to haul him down the steps of the New York Public Library and across Fifth Avenue.

"We picked him up and we carried him while he squirmed and screamed," the officer, Matthew Wohl, testified in December. "I had one of his legs because he was kicking and refusing to walk on his own."

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Accused of inciting a riot and resisting arrest, Mr. Kyne was the first of the 1,806 people arrested in New York last summer during the Republican National Convention to take his case to a jury. But one day after Officer Wohl testified, and before the defense called a single witness, the prosecutor abruptly dropped all charges.

During a recess, the defense had brought new information to the prosecutor. A videotape shot by a documentary filmmaker showed Mr. Kyne agitated but plainly walking under his own power down the library steps, contradicting the vivid account of Officer Wohl, who was nowhere to be seen in the pictures. Nor was the officer seen taking part in the arrests of four other people at the library against whom he signed complaints.

A sprawling body of visual evidence, made possible by inexpensive, lightweight cameras in the hands of private citizens, volunteer observers and the police themselves, has shifted the debate over precisely what happened on the streets during the week of the convention.

For Mr. Kyne and 400 others arrested that week, video recordings provided evidence that they had not committed a crime or that the charges against them could not be proved, according to defense lawyers and prosecutors.

Among them was Alexander Dunlop, who said he was arrested while going to pick up sushi.

Last week, he discovered that there were two versions of the same police tape: the one that was to be used as evidence in his trial had been edited at two spots, removing images that showed Mr. Dunlop behaving peacefully. When a volunteer film archivist found a more complete version of the tape and gave it to Mr. Dunlop's lawyer, prosecutors immediately dropped the charges and said that a technician had cut the material by mistake.

Seven months after the convention at Madison Square Garden, criminal charges have fallen against all but a handful of people arrested that week. Of the 1,670 cases that have run their full course, 91 percent ended with the charges dismissed or with a verdict of not guilty after trial. Many were dropped without any finding of wrongdoing, but also without any serious inquiry into the circumstances of the arrests, with the Manhattan district attorney's office agreeing that the cases should be "adjourned in contemplation of dismissal."

So far, 162 defendants have either pleaded guilty or were convicted after trial, and videotapes that bolstered the prosecution's case played a role in at least some of those cases, although prosecutors could not provide details.

Besides offering little support or actually undercutting the prosecution of most of the people arrested, the videotapes also highlight another substantial piece of the historical record: the Police Department's tactics in controlling the demonstrations, parades and rallies of hundreds of thousands of people were largely free of explicit violence.

Throughout the convention week and afterward, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that the police issued clear warnings about blocking streets or sidewalks, and that officers moved to arrest only those who defied them. In the view of many activists - and of many people who maintain that they were passers-by and were swept into dragnets indiscriminately thrown over large groups - the police strategy appeared to be designed to sweep them off the streets on technical grounds as a show of force.

"The police develop a narrative, the defendant has a different story, and the question becomes, how do you resolve it?" said Eileen Clancy, a member of I-Witness Video, a project that assembled hundreds of videotapes shot during the convention by volunteers for use by defense lawyers.


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I'll bet the statist liars won't even get a verbal warning.

TFL

Sad thing is, if it wasn't for that tape, the officer would have gotten away with perjury.  One protester's word against four police officers.  I wonder if they'll charge him for perjury??????

And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

Quoted: Sad thing is, if it wasn't for that tape, the officer would have gotten away with perjury.  One protester's word against four police officers.  I wonder if they'll charge him for perjury??????

Don't hold your breath. I'd be surprised if they even get a reprimand. It's for this reason, and things like this, that the police DO, that I fear all of them. You can never tell if the police officer you are dealing with will be fair with you, or do like these guys did. I don't know of any way to avoid this except to stay away from the police if I can. Sad situation.

Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

Yes I agree. And it needs to be pointed out. Maybe some cops will do something about it.

Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

no, its because this kind of abuse of power happens a lot more than you want to admit.

kinda like a catholic preist, not all like little boys, but there are a precentage that do and it ruins it for the good ones.

Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

Shit like this really pisses me off.  JBT hater or not, how can it not piss you off?  He should be fired without question.  He made a blatant lie.  Resisting arrest is a crime and effects your record.

It isn't so much as this shit happens, as cops are humans and some of it can be expected.  What is annoying is that when it happens they'll do their best to cover it up and protect the dirtbag that did it, so it can happen again, and again, and again, and again...  

It was all Bushs fault. He put the police up to this.

tag

Quoted: It was all Bushs fault. He put the police up to this.

Makes me happy I didn't vote for him then.

I sat through the jury selection process.  You wouldn't believe how many people said that they would give more weight to, or be more inclined to believe, the testimony of a law enforcement officer.

"Well, he's a professional, so I'd like to think he's more honest than the average person."

"They know what they're doing."

"They have to have background checks to be a LEO so they have to be good people."

I pointed out that unless they were eyewitnesses to the crime occurring, then by the end of the trial we will know just about as many facts, maybe more, than any one of the individual officers that are put on stand.  If they aren't a witness, they collect evidence that is presented to the jury.  If they were an eyewitness, they are subject to the same possibility of error in recollection that any of us would be subject to and should be given no more or no less consideration than any other witness.

Couple that with the career and political pressure to gain a conviction for a publicized alleged crime, and you'll see me looking at ALL of the evidence, not just taking the cop's word for it that the defendent is the guy they are looking for.

They should have just kicked Dennis Kyne ass on the spot and let him go rather than waste the time on booking and a trail.

there were officers that lied

if the people would have been found guilty they would have a record, and could have done jail time

the officers who lied should be fired and prosecuted, what gives them the right to send an innocent person to jail? i really wanna know...

Quoted: Link Videos Challenge Accounts of Convention Unrest By JIM DWYER Published: April 12, 2005 Dennis Kyne put up such a fight at a political protest last summer, the arresting officer recalled, it took four police officers to haul him down the steps of the New York Public Library and across Fifth Avenue. "We picked him up and we carried him while he squirmed and screamed," the officer, Matthew Wohl, testified in December. "I had one of his legs because he was kicking and refusing to walk on his own." Advertisement Accused of inciting a riot and resisting arrest, Mr. Kyne was the first of the 1,806 people arrested in New York last summer during the Republican National Convention to take his case to a jury. But one day after Officer Wohl testified, and before the defense called a single witness, the prosecutor abruptly dropped all charges. During a recess, the defense had brought new information to the prosecutor. A videotape shot by a documentary filmmaker showed Mr. Kyne agitated but plainly walking under his own power down the library steps, contradicting the vivid account of Officer Wohl, who was nowhere to be seen in the pictures. Nor was the officer seen taking part in the arrests of four other people at the library against whom he signed complaints. A sprawling body of visual evidence, made possible by inexpensive, lightweight cameras in the hands of private citizens, volunteer observers and the police themselves, has shifted the debate over precisely what happened on the streets during the week of the convention. For Mr. Kyne and 400 others arrested that week, video recordings provided evidence that they had not committed a crime or that the charges against them could not be proved, according to defense lawyers and prosecutors. Among them was Alexander Dunlop, who said he was arrested while going to pick up sushi. Last week, he discovered that there were two versions of the same police tape: the one that was to be used as evidence in his trial had been edited at two spots, removing images that showed Mr. Dunlop behaving peacefully. When a volunteer film archivist found a more complete version of the tape and gave it to Mr. Dunlop's lawyer, prosecutors immediately dropped the charges and said that a technician had cut the material by mistake.

Riiiiiight. They always   say that.

Quoted: there were officers that lied if the people would have been found guilty they would have a record, and could have done jail time the officers who lied should be fired and prosecuted, what gives them the right to send an innocent person to jail? i really wanna know...

Not only that, they could be charged for filing a false police report.

Unfortunately, if America ever sees widescale civil unrest, it is likely to be a push back against LEOs.  People are getting tired of being bossed around by guys with a badge.  Sad.

Too bad I'm not a lawyer. $$$

CW

A semi-serious question - just who are we to turn to when the police go bad?

The police are sworn to uphold the law and the Constitution.  They should be leading by example and proving every day why society should place their trust in them.  Once the trust is broken, it cannot be repaired.

I'm sure that it is a rough job, but they signed up for it.  If they cannot uphold the standards, they should resign.  If they break the public trust, they should be fired.

What a cop lied?
I can't believe it.
That never happens.

Where are all the apologist now....the silence is staggering. And its not like we see this like every day now.

Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

it's Because shit like this IS THE NORM, rather than the exception.

Quoted: Where are all the apologist now....the silence is staggering. And its not like we see this like every day now.

fresh donuts at the coffee shop

Quoted: Unfortunately, if America ever sees widescale civil unrest, it is likely to be a push back against LEOs.  People are getting tired of being bossed around by guys with a badge.  Sad.

Not sad.  LOOOONG Overdue.



The sad part is that the good cops out there are going to get caught in the middle.

That's bullcrap, because the original copy submitted by the police had a time code on it - and those are very hard to fake!

And yet at the same time this forum was alive with cheering and back patting when we saw the hippy scum being arrested at the RNC.

Hell, we were (hopefully) asking Wave for storys on this boot stompings he had taken part in.

EDIT: The purguring officers deserve to be fired and prosecuted.

Quoted: Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this. no, its because this kind of abuse of power happens a lot more than you want to admit.

And yet there are members on this board that have no objection to waiving their constitutional rights, and allowing an LEO to search their car because "they have nothing to hide."

Quoted: That's bullcrap, because the original copy submitted by the police had a time code on it - and those are very hard to fake!

For the bennefit of the court, please explain "Time Code".

One bad cop would be a serious problem.

It sounded like the group of them were in on it.

So has the DA said if he will file charges against the POS that lied????

or does another JBT get to skate???

eta:

prolly not...

"New York, 16 April 2004 - In a move widely regarded as an anti-dissent crackdown on behalf of the imminent Republican National Convention, the NYC District Attorney has defined protest speech as "criminal", urging jail time for activists who have a history of dissent. The DA's office made the statement in a letter outlining sentencing recommendations for 16 activists recently convicted for non-violent civil disobedience. The activists are to be sentenced on Monday.

The letter demands the judge jail eight defendants out of the sixteen, citing prior records of protest activity. However, none of cases cited involved criminal charges, and the vast majority were dismissed. The cases on which the DA based the demand for jail time included demonstrations for the rights of people of color; immigrants, people with AIDS; lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people; and nations under pressure from the World Bank and the IMF."

Sounds like they should have just night-sticked anybody that needed it, arrested the lot of them, then just released them without charges.

When you have 1,800 arrests, I think it would be nearly impossible to remember who did what.

what you mean cops lie

<junker46 sits and squirms, eyes twitching rapidly, hands shaking because just the other day he said he'd hold hoff on any bad JBT -not LEO- comments>

Officer should be fired.  But so should his supervisors who ordered tyhis type of thing, all the way up to the RNC politicians.

Quoted: When you have 1,800 arrests, I think it would be nearly impossible to remember who did what.

I'm sure that will be the defense the officer uses.  "I wrote 157 crime reports in 2 days. I simply confused Jon Smith with John Smith."

Let's call this what it is......
A PIG ROAST.

If the officer lied in court, and it can be proved, he should be charged with perjury.  That is absolute.  Proving that will be challenging at best.

There is the possibility that he was confused about wich guy he had been in on the arrest with.  They did arrest 1800+.  Maybe he was telling the truth but had the wrong guy in mind.  I have been in some confusing donnybrooks, and have written reports that I found later to be entirely wrong.  Those were not lies.  I just mixed up which clown did what to the other clowns.  These were incidents where we had maybe 15 people under arrest.

I know that there are bad cops.  They need to be removed.  

I also know that there are people here who will leap on any incident, without much evidence at all, and proclaim that all are evil.  Their hatred is obvious.  Their decision making process is tilted by their anger.

99% of cops are serious professionals trying to do their job, I will not make excuses or apologize for any wrongdoing, but these guys can make mistakes.

There is a difference.




You may flame at will.

Quoted: Quoted: When you have 1,800 arrests, I think it would be nearly impossible to remember who did what. I'm sure that will be the defense the officer uses.  "I wrote 157 crime reports in 2 days. I simply confused Jon Smith with John Smith."

oh yeah well, you just sent the wrong man to jail... no big deal- right?????

i will right now bet any amount of money nothing will happen to the police for this

Quoted: If the officer lied in court, and it can be proved, he should be charged with perjury.  That is absolute.  Proving that will be challenging at best. There is the possibility that he was confused about wich guy he had been in on the arrest with.  They did arrest 1800+.  Maybe he was telling the truth but had the wrong guy in mind.  I have been in some confusing donnybrooks, and have written reports that I found later to be entirely wrong.  Those were not lies.  I just mixed up which clown did what to the other clowns.  These were incidents where we had maybe 15 people under arrest.

I'm sorry, but if you're testifying in court about something that will affect the REST OF SOMEONE'S LIFE and someone's BACKGROUND RECORD, you had better be DAMN sure that you're not "confusing" someone with someone else.

Quoted: there were officers that lied if the people would have been found guilty they would have a record, and could have done jail time the officers who lied should be fired and prosecuted, what gives them the right to send an innocent person to jail? i really wanna know...

When the good guys become bad guys.........Just like in Mexico, eh?

I got to see how the NYPD acted during the convention as a bystander.  If there were protesters blocking a sidewalk or street the police would tell them to move (sometimes).  The thing is, and if anyone has ever walked down a NYC sidewalk you know what I mean, there are dozens of other people trying to get through the same piece of sidewalk.  What the NYPD would do was deploy these orange plastic nets that are used at construction sites.  They would literally corral a large group of people at once and arrest all of them...it didnt matter if you were a protester, bystander or a guy picking up your lunch.

Quoted: Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this. it's Because shit like this IS THE NORM, rather than the exception.

I somehow doubt that a significant number of the 700,000 cops in this country are liars and JBTs. A small percentage, certainly.

Remember, it only takes one person to ruin it for thousands or tens of thousands more.

Quoted: I have been in some confusing donnybrooks, and have written reports that I found later to be entirely wrong.  Those were not lies.  I just mixed up which clown did what to the other clowns.  These were incidents where we had maybe 15 people under arrest.

Lets say your incorrect report ended up sending an innocent person to jail (it could happen very easily) and you found out later that you made a mistake.  What would you do at that point?  Would you go to the DA office and tell them that you made a mistake and jepardize your job, your pension, your career?  Don't answer here as that means nothing... just answer that question to your self.

 

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this. it's Because shit like this IS THE NORM, rather than the exception. I somehow doubt that a significant number of the 700,000 cops in this country are liars and JBTs. A small percentage, certainly. Remember, it only takes one person to ruin it for thousands or tens of thousands more.

Then it's ok for the people wronged by by this "one person" to have his life ruined.  Yeah, that's the ticket. Fuck us all. You get to keep your job, while he gets butt fucked in prison. Yay.

When a cop gets caught in lies on the stand, you have to ask, what other cases did this cop lie in?  Did he also plant/alter evidence?

Every case this cop was involved in should be reviewed.

The really amazing thing about this is how suddenly everybody here believes the New York Times.  

Quoted: The really amazing thing about this is how suddenly everybody here believes the New York Times.

+1

Maybe I'm just callous but I'm not shedding any tears over these folks.

(New York native and RNC volunteer)

If the article is accurate and anybody has the nerve to do it, proving the officer perjured himself will be no problem at all. Mr. Hippie was only arrested once. The officer testified unequivocally that Mr. Hippie flailed, fought, et c. during the arrest. The tape proves otherwise.

The officer should be tried and if convicted he should be incarcerated for life in the general population of a prison in the state where he works. The officer's conduct is inexcusable. He should suffer unspeakable agony for his crime. Since roasting these lying pieces of shit in a lake of inextinguishable fire will be the task of the Almighty, a big fat lawsuit is in order, pending the Apocalypse.

ETA: Beating up hippies is OK by me. Lying in court to obtain false convictions is not.

Quoted: And this is why the JBT haters on here scream against LEO's. Because of stupid shit like this.

Yep, he should be fired, he has lost all integrity.  What a Dumbass !   Lying is never worth it.