Elliot Hughes, tortured by Ramsey County Sheriff, testifies.

[613maccabee]

Anyone who thinks this is alright for the police to do has no right to our freedoms. I as a Marine took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC. The pigs who particiated in this are cowards and should be put to death.

[samten10a]

Who was imbeciles that approve the conference here any way. You should have a recall vote get rid of the shit heads. There are some conferences that are nothing but trouble. Three that I know of, Democrats G20 and republican. I am sure there are more. Before they are over there is nothing but hard felling and hate. No city need that. So why bring it to any city in the usa.

The sheriff probable not get re-elected when this all comes out. The mayor should loose also.

[milt74]

FUK THE POLICE! I was punched in the mouth by a cop when I was just fifteen. I hate dem @ssholes. I know not all are like that....but hey....those that are not like that...keep their mouths shut.

[tsavodiner]

Activist since he was 10, huh? Sounds like a professional busybody with nothing to do but mind everybody else's fucking business. Professional Fucking Victim.

"I've seen imperialist empires rise and fall" Yea, you've seen the inside of another man's anus is what you've 'seen'. why people will sit around and listen to whiny douchebags like this is beyond me. I'd rather listen to the worst foaming meth head truck driver I've ever known talk about fucking farm animals than put up with this shit

[DrArchivist]

I have a hunch you'd probably REALLY like listening to the worst foaming meth head truck driver talk about fucking farm animals.

[phnixlady]

Let the mothers at them we will tear them to bloody shreds. I am not kidding.

[Lehl19]

wow, i was even getting annoyed ;)

[CavsWarrior14]

i can't believe this happend to a young man in america damn the st paul police to hell i want those pigs to be beaten just like they beat him

[silverton7777]

Kid cant speak III III II I I I

[MMK86]

yeah? imagine going through something like that then retelling the story to a group of people. give him a break.

[nigelparry]

Sorry, I pulled an STFU on Tessler. I'm sick of reading his torture denial.

[DowntownHound]

No need to apologize. He was rather annoying, wasn't he?

[nigelparry]

yep. and i'm really unhappy with what the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department did to Elliot, so the endless e-mail alerts with his latest BS were getting irritating. had to stop. You have a good day and keep fighting the power.

[tessler6868]

as long as you keep talking about protesting, not activism ... and can't name specific causes you know beyond 'protesting' for... and promote groups of pathetic creatures like in this video...

you are working for other side.

[DowntownHound]

Protesting is a component of activism. Believe it or not, i do more than just protest. And I have already given you a list of causes I care about, and I asked you to choose one for me to discuss in more detail. Shall I do it again? Okay:

The war in Iraq, the environmental destruction, the loss of civil liberties at home, domestic spying, all of those I can think of offhand. Would you like me to list others? How about the prison industiral complex? The torture of detainees? Abortion rights?

[DowntownHound]

Gay marriage rights? Separation of church and state? Media monopolization? Outsourcing of American jobs to sweatshops in third world countries? Labor and union rights? I could go on all day. All I asked you to do was be a little more specific, because, as I said, youtube only allows for brief comments. Not really the best place to give you a protester, excuse me, activism 101 class. If you have a specific question then ask me about it. Otherwise, give it up.

[tessler6868]

"I disagree that we've accomplished nothing. But ultimately, that's really just a matter of opinion, isn't it?"

i rest my case (again)

:)

[DowntownHound]

Let's see, these folks that protested the RNC were protesting the policies of the Republicans. A few months later, the Republicans suffered a blistering defeat. Yet you say that we've accomplished nothing? Can you point to me a single incident in the 60's where you can say for sure that any of those protests and activism accomplished something? You say they shut down a war, but it took them years to do it. We haven't even been at it that long, yet we've already remade the political landscape.

[tessler6868]

dude. there are no BRAINS to your operation (you & elliott exhibit A & B). or you're bogus.

why would i ask you questions?

:)

[DowntownHound]

How do you know there are no brains to any of our operations? Did you know that planning for the RNC went on for over a year before they actually happened? Have you ever sat in on protester meetings where they plan direct actions? I have. If you had as well, you'd know that there is immense planning and brains that go into every operation.

But you really don't know what you're talking about, do you? You just like to bitch from the sidelines and criticize the people actually doing the work.

[tessler6868]

"I saw lots of ex-hippies out in the streets. They marched this time around, got arrested, got gassed."

hate to break it to you, but that's not the measure of a protest. you confuse form with substance cuz you're scuzzy protest junkies. or bogus. like i said.

you've accomplished nothing.

[DowntownHound]

I disagree that we've accomplished nothing. But ultimately, that's really just a matter of opinion, isn't it? Since you haven't done jack shit but moan from the sidelines, I can definitely say that you've accomplished nothing except for being a crybaby.

[tessler6868]

ya keep making my point, sonny. you've got no detailed knowledge or commitment to ANY issue. your "cause" is protesting. period.

btw, i'm baby boomer, kid. we helped shut down a war & change civil rights law, were organized and had intelligent leaders & trainers. that's how i know you lot are pathetic. stay home. or maybe trekkies want you.

[DowntownHound]

Did you help shut down a war? Were you one of the ones out there protesting? Or are you taking credit for the work of others? If you were, cool. But what made you stop? I saw lots of ex-hippies out in the streets. They marched this time around, got arrested, got gassed. They didn't sit around and moan and bitch from the sidelines about how they could do it so much better and how they would do this and that while all the time doing nothing at all. If anybody's a poser here, that would be you.

[DowntownHound]

And again, I gave you a list of different issues, and asked you to expand on any one of them that you would like me to discuss. You do realize that youtube only allows for 500 characcter comments, and I'm not going to go into a long diatribe about any of them at random without you asking me a specific question. If you're curious about my knowledge, then ask me something, preferably something a little more specific than, "got cause you know jack about, puppy?"

[tessler6868]

*sigh* dude. there's difference between activism & protesting. activists stick to an issue and organize, plan & work 'activities' in their communities day to day out. at best, y'all are amateur goobers, googlers & 'protestors' playing at it.

however, as you persist with your nonsense comments, i am more & more convinced you are false flag or bogus.

[DowntownHound]

You dodge my question about whether or not you actually protested the war. You don't protest the Iraq War yourself but criticize everybody that does as not doing it right. You have failed to ask me any coherent questions about causes that are important to me, instead just opting for juvenile insults and comparing us to trekkies, and you now accuse me of being flase flag? My advice to you would be to quit while you're behind. Everything you write indicates just how out of your element you are.

[tessler6868]

this guy is caricature of tree hugging, wimpy lefty. the hard right couldn't have dreamed up a better lefty for ridicule. this presentation was pathetic. or activitists in this country really are brainless. but mostly suspect he is bogus (or false flag). has anyone verified his story??

[nigelparry]

Mr. Republican Grizzly Adams, mocker of tortured 18 year olds. Several other prisoners saw the dozen guards fall on him and beat the hell out of him. See the film Terrorizing Dissent for that testimony. I am constantly amazed that people like yourself seem unable to grasp the obvious truth that if you let authority figures get away with abuse like this, we'll most likely be next. These Ramsey County Sheriffs turned St. Paul into Abu Ghraib that week, hooding and beating a kid. Pathetic.

[tessler6868]

they weren't sheriff's officers, most of them. that's the story here. not this silly kid.

[nigelparry]

Terrorizing Dissent is on You Tube, and can/could always be downloaded free from the site. Youtube seems to disgard comments with URLs but it's at the top of a google search for that. A police woman on a bike cut in front of Elliot, he tried to miss her but winged her. He fell off and they arrested him. He wasn't targeted per say. I unintentionally deleted your comment (remove and reply links too close together) so if I missed responding, just reply again. Sorry about that.

[tessler6868]

lol. so you say. anyhow, you received. yeah, watched 1st half. didn't see much dissent or protest going on though. no posters, no organization, no PURPOSE. really disappointing. just scuzzy looking kids in down market gathering. i'd wanna clear streets of them too. will watch 2nd half later.

but don't you DARE compare this to abu ghraib. this kid shouldn't be out house without his mother. can barely keep from crying here.

[nigelparry]

Actually I will dare. I worked with a human rights organization in the Middle East for four years on the ground and his reaction/posture while recounting his torture experience is totally consistent with the hundreds of people who I had to sit and hear the same kinds of stories from. When American corrections officers are *hooding* and beating kids in their care, telling them that "God can't help you now", that's pretty much the same thing. So I will dare, from very bitter personal experience.

[tessler6868]

haven't kept up with recent protest movements but respect them from 60's. these are not activitists. these are borderline personalities & social misfits playing at hobby. i saw no organization or purpose in street videos. these people are not mentally or emotionally equipped for their hobby. do NOT compare them to true victims of disaster, violence & torture they cannot escape. this lot should all have stayed home. they are embarassing & pathetic. worse than no protestors.

[DowntownHound]

By your own admission, you haven't kept up with any of these protest movements, you obviously haven't been to any of these protests, yet you presume to know so much about them? LOL. Bullshit. You're just another punk ass brainwashed military worshipping buffoon of a reich winger looking to talk shit.

Let's see you experience what this kid went through, or what any protester at the RNC went through, and we'll see how you handle it then. Until then, you're all talk. So fuck off.

[tessler6868]

you're making my point, kid. checked out your channel: lol, teen lyin about your age. your language & profile pure 'lost kid', just like elliott here. "protesting" -- street gatherings, more like -- are loser equivalents of star trek conventions. you have no organization, no leaders and don't know jack.

btw, i WISH there was vibrant, organized protest community in this country. y'all are worse than nobody. stay home.

[DowntownHound]

Bullshit you wish there was vibrant protest movement. If you did, you'd get off your lazy ass and get out in the streets. In 2003 I used to drive more than five hours south and five hours back to and from San Francisco just to go to protests. What the hell is your lame ass excuse for why you don't do the same? And I assure you, I am 32 years old, and I've been protesting since I was 19. If you'd put your money where your mouth is you'd know that there is A LOT of vibrant protest going on.

[tessler6868]

lol. everything you said could apply to star trek conventions. but trekkies at least have subject; y'all just show up to protest. btw, got cause you know jack about, puppy? "changed" anything you've protested? or there just for happening. fyi, my first reaction was elliott (& you?) are are bogus -- or false flag. man's clueless, never interviewed or back story verified. associating w/likes of you would keep concerned, thoughtful, informed people OFF the streets.

and maybe that's the point.

[DowntownHound]

Wow dude, you write completely incoherently and have the grammar capabilities of a second grader, and yet call yourself informed and thoughtful? LOL. Have I changed anything I've ever protested? Yes. I've watched the Republican Party go down in flames. Is that all I want? No. But it's a start.

And if I understand your question correctly, I think you're asking me do I have any causes that I know anything about? Why yes, I do. Ask me anything.

[DowntownHound]

Oh, and another thing, I'm not really sure why you keep comparing anti-war protests to Star Trek conventions, but I assure you, it's a very silly comparison that only demonstrates your ignorance on what goes on at protests. Star Trek is fantasy. Protests are real. Real people, real cops, real handcuffs, real rubber bullets, real tear gas, real flash bang grenades, real pepper spray, real jail cells. Go to one sometime if you think you know so much about them.

[tessler6868]

never mentioned anti-war protests & neither did you. but protest is protest, eh? did asked if you had cause you know jack about. still waiting. btw, your down-market scuzzy protests aren't "real", they're street party meets street theater. but you think you brought down republican party. i rest my case.

btw, if i was RNC chairman, you (& elliott) are EXACTLY who i'd want protestors to be (a joke).

[DowntownHound]

Ask me about a specific cause. Your question is more than a little broad, don't you think? Do you just want me to start randomly preaching to you, or do you have a specific cause in mind. Let's see, I would say that most of the people protesting at the RNC (of which to be fair, I was not one of them, but I was at the RNC in New York in 2004) probably had issues like the war, environmental destruction, economic mismanagement, loss of civil liberties, and domesitc spying on their agenda.

[DowntownHound]

And it's really a waste of time on my part to try and convince you that protests are anything other than what you say they are. Of course, you, who have never been to a protest, are no doubt quite the expert on them, having viewed brief clips of them in the internet. LOL.

And yes, we brought down the Republican Party. Not by protest alone, but it played a part. You see, all these protests over the years have kept us empowered, given us a outlet to vent our anger out into.

[DowntownHound]

And we take that anger and energy and love and conraderie that we tapped into at protests and we turned that into the defeat of the Republicans at the polls. All of those netroots organizers that raised millions for Obama, got the vote out, got the message out, I fuarantee you that most of them have been to a protest at one time or another. So yes, protest has a definite effect, as those that protest will often do other things.

[613maccabee]

@tessler6868 Yuo dummy, activism is one of the things this country was founded on. I bet this guy has more moral courage than you ever would.

[MisterClover]

I hope he sues the city. This is horrific. Trickle down torture policy that came from the very top...dubbya

[elbowbiter1]

The world will always be hard on the l'il guy who wears his heart on his sleave. May the black heeled jack boots of his oppressors never find his nuttz. Amen.

[avisualfeel]

Police brutality does exist. Suspects are beaten up and then we are told "they slipped," etc. This is nothing new. Hopefully Elliot Hughes will not be singled out again and he will receive a fair trial rather than the police dept. officials simply dismissing his allegations. I am not a political person, but I sure am glad some people are making sure his voice is being heard. Signs of abuse of power are all around us.

[DowntownHound]

LOL. Looks like the St. Paul piggies are coming out in force for this one. Need to come out and discredit this kid before all the lawsuits start flowing in. Well St. Paul piggies, after everything else I've seen you do on these RNC vids, I have no problem believing this kid, and I hope he not only sues your Nazi asses off but gets a few of you locked up in the process. Fuck each and every one of you.

[dadisdboss]

This kid is a lying sack of crap! The time he spends in hell for lying his butt off is going to be far worse than what he actually went through at jail. Grow up kid, and while you're at it....grow a pair.

[rhinosig226]

this kid just wants to make a name for himself,

[saltypork3]

and your just another scumbag cop who won't take any responsibility for the actions of yourself or your force. you are the reason the cops aren't respected.

[rhinosig226]

bullshit

[saltypork3]

i root for more dead cops.

[XLBigRichard]

grow some balls kid!!! You will never get laid fucking faggot!

[XLBigRichard]

what a tool

[omgCoreyLynxx]

The local police are using the same kind of torture techniques that they use against terror suspects off US soil. It could be any of us at any time. That cop purposely positioned himself in front of Elliot's bike. The cops planned the whole thing out and Elliot just happened to be their victim. It is beyond disturbing that the police have become super-militarized.

[djjimi]

This kid is obviously traumatized for the rest of his life.

Our police are becoming monsters... and it's tme for a little payback.

[Creeno1]

I agree that he is traumatized.

But I think that happened waaay before this happened. There's definately something wrong with him.

[Thunderbold13]

Fucking shit !!!!

[skinnychef]

hi nigel! thanks for putting this up! this kid got totally abused, as did many people. kid's got PTSD really bad, and with good reason...

fucking pigs need a taste of their own meds-- how very un-christian of me, but i am sick of their shit, and ain't turnin the other cheek any more.