The Miami Police Department has released a report on their handling of the protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas in November of 2003. While much has been said about "the Miami Model" and the government-corporate alliance to silence dissent, the MPD's report provides an interesting look at how the police operated internally.
Of course, the MPD report must be placed in the proper context. In the name of "protecting the city" from "anarchists," the MPD denied thousands of people their constitutional rights through a series of illegal stops and searches, illegal arrests, and a surprising level of militarization of the police force. In the months since the protests, judges have said that they witnessed the police commit felonies, many charges have been dismissed when there was no evidence presented to back them up, and members of the Civilian Investigative Panel have resigned. (an update on developments over the past two months)
By all indications, activists are learning from the FTAA protests and continuing to challenge corporate globalization. Protests against the G8, meeting in June of 2004, will consist of local and regional actions linking the global neoliberal agenda to local communities. There have been discussions about creating a continental anti-capitalist network in order to build a stronger movement and expanding resistance beyond protests.
Past Media Mouse Coverage of the FTAA:
