Sound familiar?
To suppress demonstrations and protests, a militarized crowd control model has emerged that has become known as the
Miami Model, a named coined by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz following the brutal police reaction to the 2003 FTAA protests.
Source:
http://www.g20media.org/miami-model-checklist
- Establishment of joint, unified, multi-agency command/control network.
- Operations, logistics, training, intelligence, and legal committees form.
- Mass purchase of surveillance equipment, riot gear and other supplies.
- Training of local law enforcement in "crowd control tactics" and less lethal weapons.
- Information warfare: "terrorists/violent protestors coming" vs "well trained officers".
- Pro-event/anti-demonstrator promotional tools developed/used in community.
- Reluctant officials, civic groups pressured to comply with plan by Secret Service/DHS.
- Locations strategically valuable to protestors reserved by law enforcement.
- Plans to secure public buildings and strategic private businesses complete.
- Anti-protest ordinances and other legal hurdles to prevent lawful assembly begin.
- Information warfare: "event meaningful target for terrorism."
- State of Emergency declared or Executive Order signed to allow military policing.
- Surveillance, harassment and disruption of protest organizers begins.
- Attempts to divide protest groups and organizers begins in media and meetings.
- Information warfare: "police will protect the right to protest."
- Court system co-opted: regular business delayed during protest; assist mass arrests.
- Command centers identified and prepped for operations.
- Mass detention facilities identified and prepped for use.
- Civic groups and clubs employed to support law enforcement activities.
- March and event permits denied or delayed; empty promises; delay tactics.
- Police/military collaborate with corporate media, ie. embedded reporters, etc.
- Street level surveillance increases on organizers and demonstrators.
- Information warfare continues: "anarchists and criminal elements, Seattle WTO or London imagery".
- Public training drills and mass show of force.
- Sporadic harassment, detention and arrest of demonstrators traveling in area.
- Disruption of organizing/assembly/housing/media spaces. Possible preemptive arrest.
- Information warfare: display of confiscated "weapons" prove malintent.
- Command Center operational; large undercover teams begin reporting
- Militarized "hard zone" and limited access "soft zone" created with fences, barricades.
- Area wide surveillance video, including 3-D video systems operational.
- Field forces (riot cops, bike cops, checkpoints, etc.) put into place.
- Day of protest: assembly blocked, obstructed, redirected.
- Illegal mass detentions and arrest.
- Information warfare: "unpermitted protests can continue" due to "police good will".
- Precipitous violent event coordinated with major news cycle.
- Use of less lethal projectiles, chemical weapons, electric weapons, etc.
- Information warfare: spin story; direct lines to corporate media justify use of force.
- Information warfare: independent media targeted, cameras, video confiscated.
- Streets cleared using force; protestors pursued; more mass arrest.
- Jail solidarity event (allowed to protest for few hours, then cleared).
- Information warfare: "job well done, we beat the violent protestors, thank you city".
- Protestor quest for accountability and justice begins; jail support.
http://web.archive.org/web/20071023...news.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=488
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...876--porter-when-police-stick-to-phony-script
