By Luke Thomas
August 14, 2009
A San Francisco Police Department sergeant today threatened to inflict bodily harm on a member of the public for expressing his opinion during a protest against healthcare reform.
Organized by the Bay Area Patriots, the rally was held at Justin Herman Plaza to protest America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
During the rally, French-born rally participant Daniel Cohen was discussing healthcare reform with two anti-reformists when Sgt. J.S. Colla intervened and told Cohen to leave.
“I was talking to two ladies about socialized medicine and the cops came with another guy and said I could not be there,” Cohen said, adding that Colla told him that “he was going to kick my arse if I didn’t get out of there, like I have never had my arse kicked before.”
“He was very, very aggressive,” Cohen said. “I couldn’t believe how aggressive he was.”
About five minutes later, according to Cohen, Colla returned to apologize for his threats but then asked Cohen if he was “in this country illegally.”
Cohen, who works in a hotel at Justin Herman Plaza and speaks English with a slight French accent, is a 30-year US resident and was shocked to find himself being physically threatened by a police officer for holding a first-amendment right to an opinion not shared by the Bay Area Patriots, but even more dismayed by Colla’s questioning about his legal status.
“I said I have a right to be here,” Cohen told Colla. “I am not screaming at anybody. I have a different opinion than you.”
For his part, Colla told Fog City Journal that he had received a complaint alleging Cohen was “inciting the crowd.” He denied threatening Cohen with physical harm or that he apologized to Cohen for his threats.
Colla then left the scene after Officer T. Cunnane motioned to Colla to extricate himself from the rally in an apparent attempt at damage control.
Officer C. Payne, who was not involved in the altercation, apologized to Cohen after Colla left, telling Cohen that police policy is to separate protesters at rallies.
“If someone complains, we have to do something,” Payne said.
“The world has gone upside down,” Payne added. “All the problems we have in America come down to greed, hatred, prejudice and selfishness.”
Elizabeth Rauber contributed to this report.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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August 17, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Jabber,
I’ll respond to you when you grow a name.
h.
August 16, 2009 at 3:50 pm
It makes me wonder if we are getting accurate accounts of rallies around the rest of the country.
August 16, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Oh Harold, we both know that liberals bleat through bull horns or amplifiers every chance they get in this town and I think we both know that they are un-permitted.
Why does it freak you open minded liberals out so much when the right uses your tactics? For people so obsessed with the supposed hypocrisy of others your own doesn’t seem to be a problem.
August 16, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I have really come to enjoy the “astro-turf” complaint. It was an apt description of made up environmental groups with silly names.
Although I am for single payer and all of that, I find it odd that groups like the SEIU have put so much time and energy in this talking point, when they are the hardly grass roots. Anyone who makes as a base for their argument that the other side is “astro turf” when making common cause with SEIU has a rough time with reality.
And alas, it is all to easy to believe that an entitled lefty freaks out and assaults and harasses people. Look at the SEIU spin on their thugs pounding that guy.
August 15, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Typical SFPD thug behavior. They probably thought he was stirring up shit about the Hugues de la Plaza investigation or lack therof. This case has made SFPD the laughingstock of US and Western European law enforcement and the thugs are sensitive about it. Nothing new and nothing will be done about it. SF is a failed social experiment that desperately needs to be corrected.
August 15, 2009 at 4:04 pm
two things,
The guy Daniel was talking to his friend in the pool cleaning business who has cleaned his pool for years. They were referees together in their kids soccer leagues for years. That’s up in Sonoma from where the tea baggers were bussed. The cop came back and apologized when he realized he was busted. That should tell you something.
On permits? My friend (Cohen) had just gotten off work at the Hyatt. The demonstration was in the plaza adjoining the hotel and he was attracted by the booming voices on the bull horns the t baggers were using. They did not have a permit for the amplified sound which they used to berate San Franciscans with glee. Cops said that was OK which of course it was not. They were screaming about immigrants being the cause of all trouble and alerted the cops to muscle in because Daniel has a French accent. Cop asked him if he was in the country legally which is not protocol in SF. Cops were working for the Right wingers. No surprises there.
h.
August 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Zinfan,
I certainly agree with you that this protest was very “professional.” The organizers did an admirable job with their astroturf campaign, bussing in the protesters with red tea party T-shirts.
That’s certainly your right, even if it’s an astroturf campaign organized by insurance companies and Republican party operatives. We have free speech in America, and people have the right to spout even ill-informed opinions.
But what concerns me in this particular situation was the bias that the police showed in dealing with counter-protesters, vs. the way they deal with counter-protesters at anti-war rallies. I didn’t personally witness the incident with the French immigrant, but the woman with the sign wasn’t bullying or being disruptive to anyone. The police still threatened her with arrest for “not having a permit.”
Not only that, but she said that she had her life threatened by some of the protesters. That’s ugly, and it illustrates the difference between progressive groups and some of the philosophies prevalent on the right (peace through force, militarism, and various other permutations of might makes right). For whatever reason, the Right in America seems much more willing to use physical violence on both a global scale (think Iraq War) and locally (think murders of Dr. Tiller and the Holocaust Museum shooting). Meanwhile, the weight of the state security apparatus seems to be directed more towards the left.
August 15, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I witnessed the event Mr. Cohen is describing. However, it happened VERY differently than he portrayed. I know this because he first confronted me, walked right up, got into my face and started making rude and disparaging comments. I replied to his sarcastic comments and he continued on to a group of people next to me. At te time, we were all minding our own business and paying attention to the speakers and hosts of the event. This person, Mr. Cohen, began getting into the faces of several attendees and quite obviously began to incite violence by goading them and acting very hostile. The event security team was summoned by several attendees and they, in turn, asked police to intervene. I observed them speak to Mr. Cohen and very politely ask him to stop causing trouble and leave. I don’t know if they threatened him with arrest for disordlerly conduct but if they did, it was justified. By the way, he did leave and then came back about an hour later. This tie, he stood very quietly and acted more adult-like.
There was no “Motley Crue”. There were mostly seniors and veteran’s. Everyone was very respectful and law-abiding. In fact, the only people who acted maniacal were the folks shouting their opposing views and running around, childishly trying to disrupt the event. Now, isn’t that very “un-American?”
August 15, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I was a few feet away from the individual and police officers that you refer to. Stop the lies here…it’s amazing how you twisted the facts. The gentleman escorted away was not involved in friendly discussion about healthcare reform. He was bullying, offensive and distracting….obviously his intention. This “motley crue” was professional and law abiding. We engaged in serveral conversations with people that have opposing views, successfully agreeing to disagree.
The truth shall always prevail. The police officers did their job admirably as they protect everyone’s right to peacefully dissent.
August 14, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I happened to go by there, and the whole scene was pretty disgusting. A motley crue of teabaggers, 9/12-ers, birthers, deathers, Ayn Rand enthusiasts… one lady was circulating a petition to deny “illegal immigrants” services, the minutemen had a table with minuteman-y stuff. Medicare-age protesters were screaming against “socialized medicine” because the government would supposedly euthanize old people if health reform passes… with not a hint of irony.
In talking with these folks (and I did actually get a chance to engage them), it became apparent that most of them are woefully misinformed.
But the police aspect may be the most disturbing thing of all. I personally wasn’t threatened with arrest, but I talked to a woman who was peacefully walking around with a sign that said “Who would Jesus insure? Answer: everybody.” She said the police threatened her with arrest because she didn’t have a permit to be there!
You go to an anti-war rally and there’ll be counterprotesters yelling and screaming all over the place. But when teabaggers and minutemen come to town, suddenly you need a permit to excersize your constitutional rights and share the ground they walk on!
Stuff like this… the different way that protesters are treated, along with incidents like POA boss Gary Delanges passing out Michael Savage tickets… just confirm what I’ve suspected for a long time -that even in this liberal city, many (most?) of the police force harbor some pretty far right sympathies.
The whole thing is pretty unnerving. What we saw today was just a manifestation of a disturbing undercurrent of extremism and violence in America today. And I fear that the police won’t be there to protect us from it.
And to think… all I really wanted was to get some gelato at the Ferry Building!
August 14, 2009 at 11:22 pm
The cops try to keep opposing groups separated at rallies over heated issues. That’s a sensible policy.
On the other hand, individuals of opposing views have the right to talk to each other.
Conflicts between these two needs are bound to pop up in real situations. That’s life.
Given the circumstances, as reported so far, of this incident, it seems trivial, compared to many things that I have personally witnessed at demonstrations over the years.
Let go of the drama and move on.
August 14, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Luke,
I apologize to Officer Cotta whom I identified on my blast list as being involved. Officer Cotta was one of the officers indicted for covering up the assault by former chief Alex Fagan’s son and a couple of his buddies when they strong armed a couple of gay guys for their take-home fajitas a few years back. Of course they were held blameless as was the entire upper echelon of the police department.
New Chief, Gascon … sure you’ve already heard enough of that case but keep in mind that not only are most of the command staff who covered it up still on the job (don’t let Greg Corrales get behind you) but they still want your job so that they can continue this suburban-cop-vs-helpless-immigrant scenario forever.
Colla is not Cotta. Nor is he Serna, who wears the ID of other officers while he assaults people in North Beach. Colla is a new player. Someone looking to make a name for himself? By threatening a French immigrant?
h.