.
| Hearsay: |
Canadian SF author Peter Watts got brutalized at the border on what looks like trumped up bullshit. Cory Doctorow posts at BoingBoing. After some of the belittling, degrading treatment I’ve received myself at the border, I can’t say I’m totally surprised. There was at least once I was worried about similar treatment, but that was only a year after 9/11. I hope this story keeps its legs until something is done about it.
My friend, the wonderful sf writer Peter Watts was beaten without provocation and arrested by US border guards on Tuesday. I heard about it early Wednesday morning in London and called Cindy Cohn, the legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She worked her contacts to get in touch with civil rights lawyers in Michigan, and we mobilized with Caitlin Sweet (Peter’s partner) and David Nickle (Peter’s friend) and Peter was arraigned and bailed out later that day.
But now Peter faces a felony rap for “assaulting a federal officer” (Peter and the witness in the car say he didn’t do a thing, and I believe them). Defending this charge will cost a fortune, and an inadequate defense could cost Peter his home, his livelihood and his liberty.
January 2006
December
2005
November
2005
October
2005
September
2005
August
2005
July
2005
June
2005
May
2005
April
2005
March
2005
February
2005
January
2005
December
2004
November
2004
October
2004
September
2004
August
2004
July
2004
June
2004
May
2004
April
2004
March
2004
February
2004
January
2004
December
2003
November
2003
October
2003
September
2003
August
2003
Bookninja © Copyright
The opinions expressed on this site are those of individual participants
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the site owners,
organizers, or other participants.
[powered by WordPress.]
December 16th, 2009 at 11:59 am
It’s stunts like this that make me legitimately ashamed of my country. I live pretty close to the border, and occasionally we’ll (I’m not making this up) go over because we want Tim Hortons.
We told the border patrol there that we went to Tim Horton’s for breakfast, and his response was “Breakfast? What time is it?” To this question we all blinked at him in unison, until the driver said, “1:12, sir.” Border patrol responded cleverly, “Does that sound like breakfast time to you? What are you all hung over? Drink too much last night? Did you go to Canada to get drunk? Is that it?” Insert seething rage. What do you say in a situation like that? Any response at all will get your car searched, and probably stripped. I’ve lived close to the border my entire life.
There was also another time when our car was searched and they found a dozen donuts in the trunk (luckily they let us keep them.)
There was a third time when I was traveling with my family and a friend as a teenager, and they almost didn’t let us bring her back into the US because they thought we were kidnapping her.
The worst part about this horrible affair for me? I was looking to see where Dr. Watts was crossing, and lo and behold, it’s Port Huron. I have a cousin who’s on border patrol there.
In conclusion, yes border patrol are asses, and yes…my cousin might have been one of the guys responsible for this. It doesn’t surprise me.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
FTP
December 16th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
This is scary. I always cross at Port Huron. What a nightmare for Mr. Watts. Just wow.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Think our federal government will do anything about it? Not likely. Unless turn Watts over for another beathing in Afghanistan.
December 17th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Ten bucks says he just got put on the no fly list. I’m sure the Minister of Crime, Richardson will help out by writing a 6000 page top secret memo on the subject.