sick to my stomach from tonight's events.

Tonight at the Bamboozle Road Show I witnessed the worst case of police brutality I've ever seen. I'm not sure of the exact story of what happened, all I know is that I walked downstairs and was ready to leave the venue only to see Chris V being pushed back into the venue (from the alley) by 3 cops with billy clubs. They were screaming and pushing him to the ground, threw him down onto a glass bottle that he hit his head on, split it open. He was bleeding everywhere and they still continued to beat him with clubs. They would not stop, even when he was compliant. Everyone was screaming for them to stop, I just could not stop yelling, I was so angry. I wanted so bad to have us all go over and pull them off of him, but no one could or we'd be next. Finally they stopped and dragged him outside after a pint of blood left his head and was all over the stage of the TLA. After everything was calmed down a bit, I saw my good friend Ian Planet being shoved inside, slammed into a brick wall, his cell phone thrown across the room and his face shoved onto the concrete floor all because he wanted to go outside and finish his job. The same happened to T-Fair right out back as well.

I honestly felt like I could throw up from the utter lack of respect for humanity and compassion. I couldn't believe what i was seeing. Ian Planet is the last person who would ever instigate or start fights, plus he weights about as much as me... why did they need 3 cops to throw him around and beat him? The answer is: they didn't. It was all unnecessary. All of this was just examples of cops abusing their power. They wanted the bands to move their busses and vans, even though they weren't finished loading up. They really just wanted to start fights and write tickets and make some money. The wanted to be the heroes of the police station that ticketed all these busses and made the city a few extra dollars from some "dumb punk kids" or however they get their kicks. It didn't need to go any further than them walking away or even just giving the ticket and walking away, but they had to be on a power trip. The kept keep instigating until it escalated into them using their power to get their rage and anger out on people who didn't deserve it.

After all of this happened and it was clear the cops weren't going to be reasoned with and people were to "stay out of the alley for get arrested" I made my way back home. The ambulances were on their way and no one was to go near the detainees. I went to go get my bike (that was less than a block away from where this was all happening) and it was Stolen. My bike was stolen off of busy south street because the cops were too busy beating up innocent people behind the TLA to protect & serve right out front. I was even more angry and fuming on my walk home, when I heard my name being shouted. It was Ian Planet sitting in the back of a cop car. He was so upset and it was such a heartbreaking thing to see your friend, who did nothing wrong, handcuffed in a cop car. I wasn't even allowed to talk to him. The cops were shoo-ing me away. Not allowed to talk to my friend and let him know that I gave his cell phone to his friends and they were on their way to bail him out. Not allowed. I couldn't believe it. I got halfway home and was even more upset about it that I turned right around and went to get Ian or at least make sure he knew what was going on. By the time I got there they had taken him into the station. I really felt so awful. It was the 4th time in one night when there was nothing I could do or even say to help a friend.

What I want to know is how these cops can justify going home to their wives and telling them the story of how they beat these kids senseless for no reason. The bigger issue is that I'm sure they can spin it someway to make sense in their head that it was okay to beat up a weaponless, defenseless, kid just trying to do his job or to hospitalize someone. They can also somehow justify continuing to hit someone with nightsticks who has a serious injury and needs medical attention OVER A PARKING TICKET. The serious flaw in the system is that it's okay for this to happen. The law works so that this can happen and that it's illegal to "disobey an officer of the law" even if his orders are out of line you have to follow it or you will get arrested. It's just crazy that people with such a complex (that needs to be using their power this way just to feel important) can be given so much power and that it's almost a never ending cycle. You see this stuff all the time on tv, american cops using their power to get their jollies and channel their stress from work or their rage out onto innocent people. It's horrible and I wish there was a way to screen these people. A way to figure out their rage issues and find out if their stress can manifest itself into an incident like this instead of just hiring anyone and giving them so much power and hoping for the best. I guess it would be extremely difficult to predict things like this but, it happens far too often and needs to stop, something should be done.

What a night. Sorry for such a long post but I couldn't let this go. I've been sitting here seething and had to let everyone know. Such an awful thing to witness, I never want to see that again. Tonight I am ashamed to be a part of this city.