from Colorado Indymedia:
On July 18th, Denver Police took human life once again. The victim in this case was Alonzo Ashley, a 29 year old man visiting the Denver Zoo during one of the summer’s hottest days. As the visit went on, he suffered increasingly from heat exhaustion and decided to cool off by sticking his head in a water fountain, after which Zoo Security tried forcefully to remove him. What followed is still debated, though the police story continues to be debunked detail by detail, but the event resulted in 18 police cars being called, 5 tasings of Ashley and ultimately the death of an innocent man.
A couple weeks later, on July 31st, the International Day of Action Against Fascism and Racism, 160 city parking meters were sabotaged in retaliation for the murder. This action was chosen for numerous reasons – it being a clear attack on the same city government responsible for the Ashley murder, that also benefits the general populace in the form of a free parking spot, to draw a connection between the racism of the far right and that of the police forces; and above all to deliver a significant financial blow to the city responsible for this death in an extremely easy, simple way. The exact damage is unknown, but repairs on one defaulting meter alone averages out at a little more than $200, not to mention the money missed out on over the course of it being down or the fact that many of these meters were brand new, high tech ones. Each meter filled, bonded, jammed, sealed, welded, or otherwise destroyed can cause the government the same amount as say, a broken window, but with the advantage of being able to be repeatedly carried out one after another after another without detection. In other words, over the course of a minute the damage adds up real quick in a way that nosier attacks make nearly impossible.
This action far from evens the scales. The government of Denver lost some parking meters and thousands of dollars, somebody suffering from heat stroke lost his life for it, and no action could possible make up for it, particularly one as modest as this one could ever correct that tragic imbalance. However, this city and its police clearly care more for money than for human life, so count this then as a small strike intended to hurt them financially for their actions, past or present. The state has many unguarded weak spots. And to any claims that may come up that actions of this sort take money from schools, the fact remains that this was a clear response to the acts of the police. For the government to cut uninvolved services for the consequences of the murders committedby its police forces shows their true priorities in sickening detail. Most disgusting? Protesters against the police have done more time in cages than any of the officers from the most brutal department in the country.
Fuck the cops. Solidarity with all who fight them.
Rest in peace, Alonzo Ashley.
