Anonymous responds to Omaha police brutality
/A very startling video catching the Omaha Police Dept. intimidating citizens prompted a call to action Thursday from a local Anonymous chapter demanding answers.
A wily neighbor with a cell phone camera can be a valuable thing these days, especially if you just so happen to be someone about to be unnecessarily brutalized and intimidated by your local police department.
That’s exactly what looks to have happened to a family from Omaha, NE recently, after a thoughtful neighbor decided it may be a good idea to start filming the situation unfolding in front of their house, from a second story window.
Just moments after turning on the camera that value came into focus as a very clear picture emerged of just how important it is Americans continue watching each others back by filming the police and all other state and federal officials.
With a bird’s eye view, the videographer was able to catch the horrific scene unfold as over-the-top officers brutalized and terrorized a family for asking questions and for, what has started to become a more frequent occurrence since the advent of the everyday cellphone camera, simply filming the officers becoming unnecessarily angry and aggressive.
While one man, posing no apparent threat, was violently thrown to the ground, choked and repeatedly punched in the face, his brother began arguing against the officer’s horrific actions and started recording the situation himself. Despite respecting another officer’s orders to keep his distance, the fact he kept recording the brutal attack must have been seen as justification to go after him as well.
As soon as back-up arrived, as if it was actually needed, the officers began to act as if the brother filming the action was also a threat to police and chased the man into his house, knocking over a wheel-chair bound woman in the process, sending her to the hospital.
Two men in the house were subsequently arrested, the phone-camera was confiscated (the likely reason for the second arrest) and all three men, helpless against a corrupt and tyrannical police force willing to disregard the basic rights of its local citizens, were taken to jail and charged with crimes they didn’t commit, including resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.
Not only have these actions sparked outrage around the country and the community where this took place, threatening to derail any sense of trust for the local police its citizens may have left, a local chapter of the Anonymous activist organization has decided to weigh in on the situation as well.
Organizations like Anonymous have risen to existence in recent years as a result of a noticeably lopsided justice system weighted toward state and federal employees, such as police, and a first video, released Tuesday, called attention to the absurdity of the officer’s actions and a demand for justice and the end to the routine victimization of innocent civilians in Omaha and around the country.
A second video however, uploaded to YouTube Thursday, put out the call for citizens to come together in response to the travesty that occurred last week in Omaha, with respect to a nationwide epidemic of police brutality and a system designed to allow for a large portion of that and other forms of common corruption to go publicly unaccounted for.
The video states that by doing things like ending the position of Police Auditor in Omaha three years ago, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle placed the citizens in even more danger by further centralizing the power of police oversight into the hands of fewer, internal individuals.
The video’s narrator then went on to blast the Omaha PD’s response to last week’s policing debacle, where the police chief vowed to “get to the bottom” of the excessive force allegations, by pointing out the widespread nature of a problem that has existed with impunity for a long time and isn’t just an isolated incident as typically insinuated.
Hoping to inspire a change in the current structure "so future generations will be able to live free from fear of oppression by the Omaha Police Department," a march and rally in front of the OPD headquarters, at 505 S. 15th St. in Omaha, is scheduled for April 1st and is likely to be the first of many, largely depending on initial participation levels. Details can be found by listening to the video’s message or by visiting a page associated with the rally.
“This is a revolution,” the video says, “and at the end we want to be able to say we stopped police brutality and ended corruption.”
With already over 100 likes since joining Facebook Monday, “Anon Ops Omaha,” with publicly stated plans to hack the Omaha Police Department in response to last week’s brutality, the 1.7 TB data drop released with the first video Tuesday is promised to be the beginning of a sustained retaliation campaign against the police, ending only when the people begin to see justice and equality restored to policing agencies in Omaha and around the country.
Helping to spread this article and the message contained within therefore becomes an important aspect to the overall success of obtaining the goals Anonymous and millions around the country are hoping for.
“We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” -Anonymous
