at least 7 arrested in clandestine swimming attempt

a herd of kittens, 01.08.2006 12:08

Police showed up at the public pool last night in Glendale to find about fifteen people there swimming (illegally). About eight of the fifteen managed to run away, hiding in the woods half naked through muddy creeks and thorny bushes or jumping fences amidst pleas by the police that their charges would only be worse if they ran. They would only be worse of they ran and were caught or obeyed after resisting. They were taken into police custody at about 1pm last night and are still in jail as of right now. We have had no contact with any of those in police custody. All of this happened with no warning from the police and is nothing but ridiculous overkill on the hottest night of recorded milwaukee history in the last four years.

A list of names of those who are in custody are (our fallen comrades):

shea
Dave (from england who just arrived from the crimethinc convergence in MN)
tom ciaccio
nichali ciaccio
mike wells
james revolinsk
josh del colle

well... 03.08.2006 - 16:26 That's odd. The pool is normally open at 1pm... is 1pm considered night-time now? Admit it. the only reason the people were arrested is because they showed up at 1pm, jumped in the pool nekkid with Michael Jackson masks on, and tried to touch little boys. parade enthusiast> ... 03.08.2006 - 17:58 There was only one michael-jackson clad swimmer there, and he kept throwing buckets at people. swimming enthusiast> NO!!! 03.08.2006 - 19:48 sorry to all who got arrested. police rot. mel> fight the power 04.08.2006 - 10:26 great to see suburban kids fighting for their absolute right to use suburban pools after hours! this is an important moral battle, we need to show these pigs that they have no right to intimidate rich white kids, no matter how elite, spoiled, and/or idiotic they act! keep up the great work! XswimORdieX> you are a total fucking idiot 04.08.2006 - 16:54 Check your geography, fool. The Lincoln Park Community Pool might exist on the very border of Glendale, but the neighborhood around Green Bay rd and Hampton is in no way a rich, white suburb. Clearly you have no idea where it is or what the neighborhood is like. Perhaps you'd have a better idea if it was the People's Revolutionary Vanguardist Pool of the Proletariat, but I don't think having fun fits anywhere into that particular agenda. The article clearly wasn't written to suggest swimming was in any way a political act (though certainly this point can be debated). You are flogging a dead horse, and it is completely pathetic. ...> Swimming as political action 04.08.2006 - 17:51 I'd be interested in knowing if this action was a political act. Considering that the swimming took place on one of Milwaukee's hottest days on record and in the face of county pool closures and reduced hours, there seems to have been potential. Or was this just a goof??? Mark Spits> take it easy man, eaaaasyyyy... eaaaaasy 05.08.2006 - 11:00 The point is not where the pool is located, but that an almost totally white male group were the ones "taking it back" (It's actually even more hilarious that a group of mostly white males felt they had the right to use a pool at any hour in a community they are no way a part of or respected in... whats the difference between anarchism and conservatism again?). It's really strange, being some of the most privileged people in the world and acting like you are oppressed. To me, it seems pretty offensive to those actually struggling against REAL police violence and poverty. XswimORdieX> anyway 05.08.2006 - 11:05 i never said it was a rich, white suburb. i said it was a suburb, which is a fact. please don't attack me for things i didn't even say. XswimORdieX> what the fuck? 05.08.2006 - 12:25 go punch something Choppy Gremlock> g wizard 05.08.2006 - 12:35 What does people being white have to do with police oppression being right or wrong? Does this even need explanation? "It's actually even more hilarious that a group of mostly white males felt they had the right to use a pool at any hour in a community they are no way a part of or respected in... whats the difference between anarchism and conservatism again?" Why is it wrong to go swimming in pools after ours? I know we probably couldn't do that in soviet russia. And you somehow know that people don't respect us as individuals in this area? And you somehow assume you have the slightest of an understanding of anarchism? I really forgot that only non white people can be oppressed, erik. i don't know how many times we need to go over this bullshit. But it gets really fucking boring. Go try to convince people on the street how much they should love to give money to jimmy johns or why don't you go yell at your girlfriend for 3 hours, you authoritarian shit. tammy> eyyyyyyyy 05.08.2006 - 13:58 It's amazing how you can't defend or explain anything. All you can do is talk about how I love Stalin or authority or something (which I don't, and never have, but your comment is ironically the exact same way right-wingers in the news media and government exaggerate to discredit the left!), and attack me personally. It's just so strange because I don't use ANY personal attacks against you or your friends. Why are you so angry? If you are so tired of debating, as you claim to be, why waste time to respond in such a pointless, counterproductive way? Why not just ignore it, or at least respond with some substance? Regardless, I still don't understand how your group of wealthy, white, hipster males is oppressed. You didn't explain at all, nor did you address almost any point I brought up. You did point out that whites can also be oppressed. I agree, obviously. White women are constantly being oppressed in many ways (the fact that your group is mostly male is a prime example of that). Poor and working class whites experience oppression as well. But upper class white males in America are not remotely oppressed; they are actually one of, if not THE, main groups benefiting from the oppression, domestically and internationally. To me, it just really seems like we should stop focusing on "liberating" the most fortunate and murderous people on the planet (elite North American males) and instead look to the true victims. This could mean, in practice, dedicating oneself to something worthwhile rather than provoking pointless scuffles with the police. In reality, what you did is supportive of authority and the state, because now you are going to give huge amounts of money in fines to them, I assume. That money could have gone to starving kids or some other worthwhile cause. Instead it went to support the preservation of a state where rich kids can do whatever they want, when they want. Like I said, keep up the great work! And keep clogging up the Indymedia homepage with this worthless, embarassing bullshit! XswimORdieX> zing!!! 05.08.2006 - 16:46 ERIK GOT BURNED! (A)> swimORsweat 05.08.2006 - 18:06 calm down everyone, maybe erik is just jealous that he was sweating his balls off all night. it's so funny how nothing has changed since i last sheck in with mke. if herd of kittens didn't post this, and the names weren't released, i would be very surprised if there would still be this backlash from swimordie. I suppose I'll wait to hear if this act was supposed to draw attention to public policy or if it was just some kids that wanted to cool off on a hot night. portland/milwaukee> get a life................. 05.08.2006 - 22:08 It was a hot night, the pool had cool water in it, therefore, they swam. Get over it. As for the names, why does it matter? old fart> they aren't all wealthy, white males 05.08.2006 - 22:12 erik, you comments give me reason to laugh. Why did you respond?! And, no, they aren't all wealthy white males in the pool. old fart> i'd like a number six with no cheese or mayo. 06.08.2006 - 04:09 Erik, your ability to turn a light-hearted, mildly tongue in cheek thing (seriously, 'our fallen comrades'...) into an epic, insulting issue of class iniquity never ceases to astound me. Following your model, the only way for white kids to exist harmoniously with less privileged people is to find an apartment on the despicable Brady Street and give their time and energy to a corporation that doesn't give a shit about them. It was the hottest day of the summer. Some young men and women (of varying class statuses) decided to go swimming. I find that to be a rather reasonable course of action. Let's say some people from that community took the same course of action. I do not believe that everyone would be unable to swim together respectfully. The fact that police kept them in custody without suitable food for 18 hours for such a mild charge is absurd, unnecessary and degrading. That is the root of this post, which is pretty clearly an attempt to cast a not so negative light on what was a rather unnecessarily uncomfortable 18 hours for a few men and women. kilgore trout> to erik 06.08.2006 - 16:20 follow your leader. kill a commie for mommy> oppression 06.08.2006 - 18:02 We are all oppressed, albiet not equally, so long as we fail to have control over our own lives, so long as we are mediated by goverments, the consumption of desire, isolated and caught up at any level of this hierarchy. This system systematically makes sure that everyone, even those with more "benfits" maintain that system at the detriment their own happiness. We are all caught up in this. To ignore this is dangerous. The fact that people caught were white has nothing to do with the fact that what the police did was rediculous. There's no way around that. No one was saying that we have it worse than other people, just that it was absurd and shouldn't happened. I don't know why you're angry, erik. Is it because we don't put every article you post about venezuela in the front page feature? princess mononoke's wolf brothers> "hunger" 07.08.2006 - 09:23 they can control us while we believe our pain exists in some order adrienne rich> whats the real issue kids? 07.08.2006 - 11:15 Alright enough banter about the invisible backpak... (white males have privelege automatically in this society) Wether any of them chooses to use the contents of the packpack is another story... but clearly it can be demonstrated. Okay so first- despite the logic that a hot night deserves a cool swim... laws are laws... you bend or break them, you pay a penalty. Thats called civilization. What I don't understand is that since laws are made as guidlines to keep a sense of order.... and clearly the hot conditions gave credence to a different interpretation of the hours of operation laws... why did you run? A mature, self-actualized individual would stand there ground in the face of injustice... not run like naked little children... come on... are you just playing silly games or do you really mean to stand up for your freedom and liberty? If I were a Glendale Cop and found a bunch of people innocently cooling off in a pool after hours.. on the hottest night of the year... I think I'd have leiniency.... Unless you were'nt just cooling off, but rather being rowdy... and don't forget thses police officers are working on the hotteast night of the year too... so don't think their tempers could be short in the heat too.... Friends... there is a time to fight, a time for flight, and a time to stand up for what is right. Don't waste your breath in struggles that are not connected... you don't like police... fine. But please understand you don't have an unalienable right to interpret laws and rules without regard for a greater community... you become no better than the f**ked up leaders of our once-great nation... who would not only bootleg the pool and go swiming, theyd bootleg the liquor store for some cold beers, bribe JimmyJohns to deliver subs, and pay off the police when they finally arrived. - you are better than that... rise up -realize your potential. StandandDeliver> you are all ridiculous 07.08.2006 - 12:26 this thread of comments is pretty ridiculous. the original post never said anything about "oppression", or "liberating" the pool, or anything about the swimming being a political act. why does everything have to be about "the revolution" or whatever? johnreed> ... 08.08.2006 - 00:55 ...hahahaha. kilgore trout> The story behind the story 08.08.2006 - 14:11 Alright. I'm going to reveal the big secret to you all. We weren't "swimming." We were creating a TAZ right here in Milwaukee. Thats right, our own temporary autonomous zone! The water slide was our parapet; the plumbing under the pool, our armory. What appeared to be fences keeping out young rabble were really the outer defenses, protecting the portcullus. We the state beseiged our walls, we threw buckets and water balloons (from our invisible backpacks) from the machicolations and crenellations. Oh it was a grand time! Ultimately, however, the dark forces combined strength and defeated the united hipster defense force. This, my friends, is why I implore you: put aside your differences! Never disagree about anything! If we do not stand together at every moment, silencing our own feelings for the greater good, we will always be defeated! sir johnny rico> Swimming as political action 08.08.2006 - 21:43 AGAIN: I'd be interested in knowing if this action was a political act. Considering that the swimming took place on one of Milwaukee's hottest days on record and in the face of county pool closures and reduced hours, there seems to have been potential. Or was this just a goof??? Mark Spits> goofs galore 10.08.2006 - 14:54 I promise it was just a goof. Anyone who takes it more seriously than that needs to grab a Mountain Maze and learn how to hang out. get it right or pay the price, goofing gets the goods. Gary Goofabout> oraculum 10.08.2006 - 19:00 In reply to Mark's question--was sneaking into the TAZ and swimming a political act or not?--I have two responses. First, as one of the swimmers, I'll emphatically state NO, it was not meant to be a political act. It was fucking hot that day and I like water slides. Pretty much boils down to that. Second, in contrast, I think an argument can be made for sneaking into pools as a political act. You have to have a bit of imagination and willingness to stretch your definitions, but it is certainly possible. Accept the following premises: 1. Space, especially communal space (or "the commons") is becoming increasingly restricted in the United States. This occuring through a number of seperate but intricately related processes. First, as cities adopt positions as entrepenurial entities, treating themselves as business entities instead of community management entities, money is drained from programs which provide little direct return income. Hence, pools, parks, museums et cetera are becoming reduced or eventually derelict in favor of development projects (note current debate surrounding Garden Park in Riverwest at the moment). Another trend is the privatization of public spaces. These walk hand in hand, with the public ultimately having fewer and fewer places to just exist, without financial transaction. The extreme poor, without money for a home or to buy anything, have literally no place they belong on this spectrum. 2. Humans, by thier nature, have the "right to swim" (I use rights here in the sense eating, sleeping, having sex, and so on are rights--not in the sense that the state "gives" us certain things which we then have the "right" to do, like speak or meet in groups). We have this by being alive and able to swim. This should be qualified: swimming has little or no detrimental effect on other humans, non-human animals or the environment. Even the state would consider what we did to be a "victemless crime." In Milwaukee, however, one can only swim if they: a. Have the ability and desire to do so during the day (a completely arbitrary proclamation) as parks and pools are closed at night, or b. Have the money to own a pool or property along the lake. 3. Any time one acts according to thier natural feeling or inclinations (premise 2) AGAINST or IN VIOLATION of state or corporate dictates (premise 1) is committing a "political act." Please note this political act is inherantly neutral, without positive value. You anarchists can take it from here. Therefore, it would follow, the act of sneaking in and swimming to the Lincoln Park Community Pool was a political act. I would advice, for future acts of this nature, a bit more strategic planning, however, as the state sure whupped ass this time. Now: swimmers of the world unite! To the barricades, you vagabonds, clandestines and reprobates! nmc> crashing your dads car into the pool 11.08.2006 - 13:23 the will to live is a political act stephany tanner> quit being whiny little weirdos and think 23.08.2006 - 06:50 if there is anyhing political about this it is the time that the arrestees were in custody before any communication from the police. that is what you need to be concerned with. police have to act in a timely manner to communicate the status and the charges of the arresteees. they are not supposed to hold people indefinitely. if you let them get away with that, that sets a precendent. quit your weird squabbling. nobody wants to hear it. dehydrated> hahah "TAZ" 31.08.2006 - 14:39 a) dont take 15 people to a fucking pool thats closed. b) especially ones that cant run or are too stupid to be alert c) TAZ? keep reading the shitty Bey and Crimetinc books so you can justify your glass bubble parties/events as "autonomous". what a fucking joke. against hakim bey's fat ass> How am I supposed to understand this as news? 01.09.2006 - 02:28 Are these articles being written by people on acid? Maybe next time hitting golf balls at the country club at the very risque time of 4pm will be the headlining article. After seeing something like this, why would we even believe the credibility that these people were arrested in the briers after their great run away from a rich suburban pool? And yesterday I was flying over the Bradley Center watching the clouds turn to lemons when the police caught me and here I write from my cell. I haven't had mom's soup for over 2 weeks now. I think there are ostriches growing inside the police's ears. Now on to sports where university educated protestors are risking their lives playing badminton. Spelunker> ... 04.09.2006 - 01:52 The state of the mke.indymedia community's joke taking ablities are at an all time low with the comments on this article. Remember this is the internet. People make jokes on here, and there are no facial expressions or tonal differences to accompany them, so you have to think a little harder about it. Please, please try and think about it. You can do it. a herd of kittens> agreed 08.09.2006 - 15:32 Indymedia--even the global site--has a history of occasional pranks and jokes. 99% of everything on this site is news, so I don't understand the point of complaining about this one. And this event actually did take place. As always, the burdon to create and produce news belongs to the Milwaukee community, so I encourage anyone who distains this article to go do something and publish it here. nmc> Slow news day? 22.05.2007 - 12:06 - -> hehe 22.05.2007 - 13:01 hehe marco> Focus 22.05.2007 - 17:47 Are we building a movement or just having fun? What are we constructing while we break into a swimming pool after hours? Now, we could have a debate on the situation in general, like: --if the pool is public, why is it closed? --if it´s really hot, why can´t we swim? and maybe there are more that i´m missing right now. Or, maybe we could get pissed off about how the police acted, and i agree, detaining people thus is unecessary. Maybe, if these issues were really our concern, like having a public space to swim in on specifically hot nights, we could gather support in the community to create this opportunity. And maybe, if police misconduct was really our concern, we would pick any number of cases in milwaukee that have already happened to expose to the community and demand justice, specifically cases where young people have been murdered. Thus, i can´t help but believe that this course of action, the ¨breaking into¨ the swimming pool, provoking the police, is some kind of fun stunt. We possess a luxury to have the time to do this in the first place, and to not need to consider beforehand ¨what happens if i get caught and have to pay the fines?¨or to not have to be preoccupied with actual problems that the rest of the world (including people in milwaukee) HAVE TO face daily. So, are we really concerned with alieviating these problems that are faced daily? Because as i´m sure we can all agree, it is a matter of building a social movement within the community, with the PARTICIPATION of the community (and ¨participation of the community¨ does not mean just a group of friends). Also, i want to note that this is not a personal attack on anybody, but an effort to produce a clear, objective analysis of what we´re doing as people who want to change the world. In ending, i feel that we, again as people who want to change the world, need to study much and think deeply about how we can be most effective in doing so, because there is no time to waste. solidaridad, Slim please comment Slim> spiriva 14.08.2007 - 19:28 nice news thanks!Metformin spiriva> e-mail:: idfo@dssewt.net Homepage:: http://nasonex citalopram 14.08.2007 - 20:14 nice news thanks!Glucobay citalopram> e-mail:: idfo@dssewt.net Homepage:: http://nasonex