WE ARE CHANGE OKLAHOMA ACTIVISTS ARE ASSAULTED, ARRESTED AT PENN SQUARE MALL

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Sat, 12/12/2009 – 04:07 by craigmotyka

(Andrew W. Griffin) OKLAHOMA CITY – Two members of We Are Change Oklahoma claim they were brutally assaulted by mall security guards and an officer of the Oklahoma City Police Department and ultimately arrested on Friday afternoon during a non-violent “street action” at Penn Square Mall.

Red Dirt Report and Oklahoma Watchdog were given exclusive information by Oklahoma City resident and WAC-OK founder and activist James Lane who was just released from the Oklahoma County Jail arrested on charges of assault and battery.

“Even though I was the victim of the brutal, unprovoked assault, and never touched a single officer, I was charged with assault and battery,” Lane told Red Dirt Report on Sunday evening

Lane along with fellow activist Brent Southard and a third activist decided to go to Penn Square Mall – owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group – on the afternoon of “Black Friday,” the popular shopping day right after Thanksgiving.

Seeing Penn Square Mall as an optimal place to spread their information via “deception dollars,” which would be tossed from the second floor of the mall in the vicinity of the food court, they hoped to promote alternative media websites.

“There were eight of us initially,” Lane said of the protest which was designed to educate shoppers through the information on the fake money. “We (Lane and Southard) didn’t even throw the dollars.”

Gathering on the second floor, Lane was tasked with photographing the event while Southard held a bag of “deception dollars” and a third activist announced the action via his bullhorn. This got the attention of mall security who proceeded to first go after the bullhorn-toting third activist but then started going after Southard who held a bag which contained the “deception dollars.”

Lane said Southard fled the scene, exiting near the mall movie theater. It was outside that Southard was ultimately taken down by what Lane considered to be five unprofessional mall security guards.

Meanwhile, Lane said he is close behind his friend, videotaping the entire event as it unfolded. Right before Southard was taken down, he said he heard one guard yell at two other guards to “take ‘em down hard,” immediately prior to his arrest.

Lane said an OCPD officer arrived on foot to assist the guards. All the while, he is about 20 yards from Southard filming this. It is then that Lane said he was approached by three security guards who see him filming the scene. In what he considered to be a threatening manner, they inform Lane to “turn the video camera off.”

Lane said he informed a security guard named Rick Wisner that “the state of Oklahoma is a single consent state and that he can film anywhere and anyone he pleases.” Lane also informs Wisner that he is welcome to ask him to leave mall property but that if he touches him “it will be considered assault.”

This did not stop Wisner and three other security guards from allegedly attacking and assaulting Lane.

As Lane yells that he is being assaulted, he gets the attention of the OCPD officer, yelling to him that “these men are assaulting me.” Instead of intervening and stopping the attack by the guards, the officer allegedly then joins the attack, ordering him to “stop resisting.”

At this point, Lane said his face is pushed into a pile of wood chips on a grass berm, resulting in contusions on his forehead. The assaulting guards and officer allegedly punched Lane in the ribs and back, ordering him to stop resisting. The pressure on his back is so great that Lane said he could not breathe. As he struggles for breath, they allegedly threaten to mace him as well.

Telling one of the assailants to “give him some lung” (air), Lane is able to breathe again but is then handcuffed and arrested.

Sitting in the OCPD squad car, Lane and Southard endure two hours of “snide remarks and veiled threats,” allegedly calling the duo “terrorists” and “ACORN liberals.”

Lane said one of the mall security guards taunted Southard and allegedly said, “You’re going to jail for assault, not me.” Lane retorts that he will “see him in court.”

via WE ARE CHANGE OKLAHOMA ACTIVISTS ARE ASSAULTED, ARRESTED AT PENN SQUARE MALL | http://wearechangenewjersey.org.

Press Release: Local activist to deliver letter to Governor Henry to seek verification of his intention to sign an executive order instituting uninsured motorists cameras

Contact: Kaye Beach
Phone: 405-818-3224
Email: ladyaxiom@yahoo.com

For Immediate Release

Oklahoma City – An Oklahoma blogger and local activist, Kaye Beach, will hand deliver a letter to Governor Brad Henry today at 3:30 p.m. in order to seek verification of his intention to sign an executive order before leaving office to institute uninsured motorists cameras.

Oklahoma’s drivers believe cameras will ultimately lead to other revenue generating schemes such as generating speeding tickets, instituting mileage taxes, and other possible schemes which the state may easily implement once the system of cameras are in place.

Should said action come before the Oklahoma Legislature, activists will lobby and work to defeat legislation instituting automated vehicle cameras.

Letter to Governor Henry will read:

December 15, 2009
The Honorable Brad Henry
Governor of Oklahoma
State Capitol Building
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Governor Henry

I am writing you to express my concern about the proposed automobile license plate scanning cameras to be placed in fixed locations around Oklahoma. This is allegedly a way for the state to automatically verify the insurance status of our vehicles as they pass.

We all agree that the damage caused by uninsured motorists is a big problem, but now, on top of the risk of uncompensated personal loss or damaged property caused by an irresponsible driver we learn that we will also be subjected to unwarranted monitoring by the state of Oklahoma.

My question to you, Gov. Henry, is will you refrain from using the executive powers of the state to decide the matter and allow the people and their representatives an open examination of this issue so that they can properly weigh its merits and cast their votes accordingly?

This is a decision that should not be made without ample sunlight.

I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,
Kaye Beach
Norman, Oklahoma 73072

Hey folks, this is the biggest project I have ever tried to take on. I am very excited and we are receiving more positive feedback than I thought possible. If you are interested in helping out, we’d love to have you on board! Please help spread this far and wide! We need all the help we can get (emotional, spiritual, financial, time, energy, people, contacts, etc…).

If the man didn’t like me before…… haha

Shoulder to shoulder we stand, in Liberty,
Catherine

________________________________________

Announcing: Operation Defuse, 2010 the year of fusion centers

I am pleased to announce that the Liberty Restoration Project has partnered with Texans for Accountable Government to literally take the police state head on.

After attending the Continental Congress of 2009 John Bush, executive director of TAG, and myself realized that our movement is not aware of the intrusive and destructive relationship between DHS and our local/state law enforcement.

You see, DHS has found a back door way to both militarize and federalize every level of law enforcement, and through these “fusion centers”, all levels of law enforcement basically become pledged to the war on terror.

If 2009 was the year of the Federal Reserve, we intend to make sure 2010 is the year of the Fusion Center – educating every activist in our movement and exposing their fraud against the American people.

Learn more about our initiative here: www.operationdefuse.com

This project will involve:

1. Visit every fusion center in the nation, interviewing staff for our new radio show Rise Up Radio (on micro broadcasts in cities all across the midwest including Stl, OKC, and Austin starting January 1!!!!!!).

2. Coordinate simultaneous open records requests to every fusion center in the country during National Sunshine week in March.

3. Conduct community forums in each state to educate the public while building harmonious relationships with local law enforcement (humanize) – these will be live streamed.

4. Provide a central location for each state to display their open records documents… a Patriot Fusion Center of our own www.libertyrestorationproject.org/wiki

5. Filming for a documentary on fusion centers.

How you can help!

If you want to help out in anyway please consider becoming an Operation Defused sponsor or even the coordinator for your state .

The dollars and cents:

Our biggest expense will be gas and food – So far we have arranged free housing accommodations at every location we have pursued (thank you)! We know how to stretch a dollar, every penny will help. (You can donate to our chipin @ http://operationdefuse.com/) Thank you Cissy for being the first to sponsor us!

We’re also in need of a donated or loaned scanner we can take on the trip to immediately upload any documents we get, a Verizon Wireless air-card so we can live stream our events and our radio show, and a donated or loaned GPS so we don’t get lost on the road! The full estimated cost break down will be posted shortly only our website.

Save the Date Kansas City: December Tuesday 22nd, 2009

We will be kicking off “Operation Defuse” with our annual LRP Christmas Party to be held on Tuesday December 22nd from 6pm-8pm at http://thegustolounge.com/. Big thanks to Sergio and Steven for donating the space to us and supporting our cause! A local friend of the movement is also providing DJ services for the event!

Your $10 donation is appreciated at the door! (if you cannot donate, please come anyway!)

Come ready to hear what LRP has in store for 2010 – we will be making waves bigger than you’ve ever seen!

We are still looking for a donor to provide finger foods and a few kegs so our supporters can mingle and learn while having some fun Let me know if you are willing to sponsor us in that way (we can get you down as an ODF sponsor)!

RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/notifications.php#/event.php?eid=229388609971&index=1

Save the Date Austin: December

Our second event will be held in Austin, TX on December 28th. TAG will be holding their annual Christmas party at Bagpipes Pub and Brewery where we will kick off the Southern tour of “Operation Defuse”.

“Operation Defuse” Southern Tour

During the week between Christmas and New years, Catherine Bleish and John Bush plan to visit every fusion center in Texas. On January 4the we will be testifying in the Austin City Council hearing on fusion centers and then we will take off for our next stop, Phoenix. We will be driving through the south hitting fusion centers in AZ, OK, LA, GA, AL, MS, TX and, of course, MO.

Keep an eye on www.operationdefuse.com for the official dates/event locations as they develop.

“Operation Defuse” Missouri

Kevin Kobe, KC Area Director for LRP will be coordinating the Missouri components of Operation Defuse. In February we plan to hold mirror MIAC hearings in the same cities our legislature held theirs. Because LRP feels their report was nothing more than a whitewash, we intend to take liberty loving state rep candidates across the state of Missouri so they may listen to the public and develop a strategy to combat the intrusive nature of fusion centers once in office. We will be inviting law enforcement, the media and the general public to contribute. The goal is to live stream these events on the web.

I can guarantee you the report out of this liberty-candidate committee will NOT be a white wash.

You can learn more by visiting www.operationdefuse.com

Thank you all for your support – I can’t wait to experience liberty in OUR lifetime!

Shoulder to shoulder we stand,

Catherine

Catherine Bleish

executive director

Liberty Restoration Project

http://www.LibertyRestorationProject.org/

blog: http://www.donttreadoncat.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DontTreadOnMe

Freedom reaches across party lines.

via The Liberty Restoration Project » Blog Archive » Announcing: Operation Defuse, 2010 the year of fusion centers.