Yes, Virginia, There Are Such Things as Postal Police. And They Raided the Berkeley Post Office Defense.

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Categories: Front Page, Open Mic

 Yes, Virginia, there are such things as Postal Police.

And Postal Police, not Santa Claus, arrived at the Berkeley Post Office Occupation at 8:00 AM Thursday morning, December 4th…

 

and didn’t leave until almost 6:00 PM, in the process clearing out tents and possessions from the Milvia side of the building and stealing protest signs from Berkeley Post Office Defenders and First They Came for the Homeless.

For tense moments just before they left, protesters and police faced eye to eye and toe to toe as the police attempted to move in on the main protest site, but the police blinked first and marched away into the night.

They came back at 8:00 AM Friday morning, removed two tents still up on the steps of the post office, then mysteriously disappeared once more into the nether regions from whence they came.

As of Friday afternoon, the Occupation / Vigil / Protest still exists, with table, chairs, canopy, materials and the like.

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we-the-people-raid

Our statement to the Postal Police:

THIS IS PUBLIC PROPERTY. IT BELONGS TO
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
WE ARE HERE EXERCISING OUR RIGHTS UNDER THE 1ST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION:

  • The right to Free Speech. With signs, tents, tables and human presence, we express our belief that the Postal Service has no right to sell this building.
  • The right to Peacefully Assemble.  We are here, gathered in an ongoing and continuous vigil, peacefully assembled. We harm no one. We deny no one ingress or egress.
  • The right to Petition for a Redress of Grievances. Our grievances are many with the Postal Service. We demand that Postmaster General Donahoe come to the Berkeley Post Office to hear the people.

YOU ARE HEREBY WARNED: “Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress…”   — 42 U.S. Code § 1983 – Civil action for deprivation of rights

 

Postings by various defenders:

We got raided, about 90 minutes ago! About a dozen postal police took away everything except for the “main covered display table” and two tents in the front. All of the tents and belongings on the (Milvia) side of the building were removed by either the police, or by the owners, and the police then removed all of our signs except for a few that were pasted to the central pillars. We’re not sure if they’re going to be raiding again to remove the rest of the stuff (and residents) tonight, overnight, or tomorrow

We are all clear. The raid lasted over 9 1/2 hours. They got four tents, and some homeless people’s possessions. The main protest remains untouched. Hudson Mcdonald has left the negotiating table. Thanks to all of people who came out to say NO, you will not steal our post office.

 

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