Authoritarianism Can Be Parochial

Sf writer David Nickle writes,

Hugo-award-nominated science fiction author Dr. Peter Watts is in serious legal trouble after he was beaten, pepper-sprayed and imprisoned by American border guards at a Canada U.S. border crossing December 8. This is a call to friends, fans and colleagues to help. Peter, a Canadian citizen, was on his way back to Canada after helping a friend move house to Nebraska over the weekend. He was stopped at the border crossing at Port Huron, Michigan by U.S. border police for a search of his rental vehicle. When Peter got out of the car and questioned the nature of the search, the gang of border guards subjected him to a beating, restrained him and pepper sprayed him. At the end of it, local police laid a felony charge of assault against a federal officer against Peter. On Wednesday, he posted bond and walked was taken across the border to Canada in shirtsleeves (he was released by Port Huron officials with his car and possessions locked in impound, into a winter storm that evening). He's home safe. For now. But he has to go back to Michigan to face the charge brought against him.
The charge is spurious. But it's also very serious. It could mean two years in prison in the United States, and a ban on travel in that country for the rest of Peter's life. Peter is mounting a vigorous defense, but it's going to be expensive - he's effectively going up against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and he needs the best legal help that he can get.
He's got that help, courtesy of one of the top criminal lawyers in the State of Michigan. We, Peter's friends and colleagues here in Canada, want to make sure he gets the help he needs financially to come out of this nightmare whole.
The need for that help is real. While Peter is a critically successful science fiction writer, he is by no means a best-selling author. Without help, the weight of his legal fees could literally put him on the street by spring.

Links to articles/sources

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"Who Watches the Watchmen?" springs to mind.  The idea our culture has of authoritarian tyranny is of a widespread systematic oppression.  However, as the above indicates, small localized abuses of power and smug douchery can be just as dangerous and even more insidious.  Fiction does abound with the small town Sherif, big fish in a small pond, despot.  The 'untouchable' status of homeland security and other systems is giving them a lot of power and little over sight.   Everyone is concerned about those damn foreigners, illegal immigrants that we're willing to let a few innocents get their heads smashed in why not.  The fact that police both local and apparently federal have a disturbingly common disposition that they can push around and bully low wage people is problematic.  I have seen the traffic cops feel free to be down right nasty and harsh as all hell on lower or middle class folks, they know that they can't afford the legal dues to actually get justice.  This is the same thing.  Peter Watts does well for himself, but he's not wealthy and can't take on their authority all that well.  That's what this abuse relies on...we don't have the coin to pay for the justice.  It's sick and the way the police disproportionately lays the lawhammer down on the lower and lower middle classes than it does the upper or white color is generating a disrespect for their authority.  We don't see police as defenders of our rights or laws.  We lower folks see them as nuisances, bullies to avoid.  Dicks with guns who will jump with glee the second you step out of line and hit you with every alphabet soup violation they can catch you on.  Meanwhile, Bankers and CEOS steal billions.  ENRON guys more or less got away scottfree, Exxon gets away with international crimes, etc.  Hell the only reason they cared at all about Bernie Madoff is because he attacked rich people.  With the common joe getting the short stick of the law, taking more of the burdens that come from a lawful society while reaping less of the benefits it's no wonder inner-cities have a 'stop snitching' campaign.  More and more in this country we are growing to fear and despise our police instead of rely on them.  The little bits the MAN does, blue sheild, looking the other way for rich folk, letting permits slide for upscale establishments, focusing on drugs and prostitution and traffic tickets instead of grand larceny or murder, add up.  The law seems to be stacked against most people and this is a problem.  Above the police were able to be as dickish as possible and for their dirty actions they get to lay down an arrest and smugly go home at night.  In the end we need someone to watch our watchmen, to help insure they won't disperse 'justice' just because they know their victims can't afford to challenge them.



Edit: the apologist comments are really disgusting.  Regardless if someone was snarky or mouthed off, police do NOT have the right to beat them up, mace them, and abandon them in the snow.  Innocent until proven guilty and free speech and all that shit no one actually cares about.