Jamie 'Bork ' Loughner: Freedom, Use It Or Lose It : NOLA Indymedia

Jamie 'Bork' Loughner, one of the founders of the Common Ground Health Clinic, is facing a felony charge with a possible five year prison sentence, for chaining herself to a public housing building in New Orleans last December.

The next day, December 20, while protesting being locked out of City Hall with many others, she was beaten and tasered as the City Council prepared to vote unanimously to approve the demolition of over 4500 low income public housing units.

Loughner spoke Saturday, March 8, at the Gillespie Memorial Community Breakfast at the Unitarian Church at South Claiborne and Jefferson in New Orleans. The title of her talk was “Freedom of speech on the line in New Orleans.”

The felony charge against Bork is “possessing a false explosive device.” Police slapped this charge on her because she used a pipe to chain herself to the B.W. Cooper building slated for demolition last December 19, which forced work to shut down for the day.

“Even the police agree that it wasn't a violent act,” Bork said Saturday. “But even acts of civil disobedience are being looked upon as acts of terrorism now. The two people arrested with me haven't been charged.”

Elizabeth Cook and Joy Kohler, who were also arrested for occupying buildings at B.W. Cooper on December 19, after Bork's arrest, attended her talk Saturday.

“There was a distinction from the beginning,” Loughner said. “The police were polite to the other two. I was treated differently. The feds were there when I was arrested. I was subjected to physical force and mental duress, tortured. Because I'm known to do things that are done every day in countries around the world, from organizing marches to chaining themselves to buildings.

“I've seen changes in America, significant changes in how people are treated for carrying out civil disobedience. The people at the gate [at City Hall on December 20] were tasered and gassed. We need to resist this change. We need to resist violence against peaceful protest.

Bork described her evolution as a direct action activist, starting with fighting against apartheid in South Africa while in college. “I learned the techniques of protest I use now back then,” she said.

“When I got out of college, I started a family. That got derailed and I ended up homeless. I was seeing injustice right here in America. In D.C. we started Homes Not Jails, we took over abandoned buildings, most government owned, many heated so pipes wouldn't freeze. We said, 'If you're gonna heat the building we're gonna take it over and put people in it.'

“We got sucked into sheltering. Twelve people froze to death in one day, so we set up temporary havens.”

Loughner also became involved in the anti-globalization movement, which was carrying out direct actions to shut down meetings of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other global financial misery makers, starting in the US in Seattle in 1999. The movement was quickly growing stronger before 9-11.

“After 9-11, people started saying 'We're not going to allow this anymore.' The average person felt using tear gas and tasering might be Ok, freedom of speech might be breeding terrorists, tapping phones might be acceptable. Protesters were saying' We don't want to get sprayed [with tear gas], we're not going in the streets.' There was an amazing chilling effect.

“That's what's happening in your city now.”

Bork asserted that the worst repression is used “against a coalition of poor people,” like those opposing the demolition of public housing here recently.

She explained how the privatization of social services, like public housing, allows the government to deny affected people and concerned citizens participation in the decision making process. Governments may be obliged to hold pubic hearing for cuts in such services, but private companies usually are not.

In New Orleans, the demolition, planning, reconstruction and management of formerly public housing is, or is planned to be done, by private companies.

“It works against the poor,” Bork said. “It's used globally, and it's why the anti-globalization movement came to be.

“When there are protests against privatization they [the government] turns up the volume. What they're doing includes the use of a terrible arsenal. The military can't use certain chemical arsenals here, but the police can. We're now seeing its use without resistance from our everyday population. That's what I'm here to talk about.

“I had thought that after I was tortured, physically and mentally [after her December 19 arrest], that would be enough.

“Then [at City Hall on December 20] I stood in front of a gate. The gate opened. I said to the police, 'You need to talk to the people.' I was knocked down and tasered. I had to wear a neck brace for a week after because of the shock.

“I was taken to the hospital, and the police tried to arrest me, but the nurses and doctors said no vehemently, so I was unarrested.

“I was still a terrorist for chaining myself to a building. I was still a terrorist for standing in front of a building and saying, 'You're not gonna take down this building today.'

“When they arrested me the police said, “You're terrible for our city. We don't want you here. You better shut up and go away.” That's what it's about, shutting you up. They did this to shut up public housing residents and the people of New Orleans.

“Something's got to happen, someone's got to step up. I'm asking it to be you guys.

“After being tasered activists said, 'Ok, military tactics were used to beat us down. But the rest of the city will step up now.' We wondered, 'Where's the rest of you?'

“Where are you going to be, next week, next month, is the more important question. We can't be brutalized for speaking out.

“There are obstacles for public housing residents. When we were protesting at B.W. Cooper, HANO called them and said, 'There's a protest happening. If you step outside you'll be arrested.'

“It seems like the liberal left has abandoned the issue. Right after the City Hall attacks there could have been an explosion of disgust. There wasn't.

“If we don't exercise our freedoms, they go away.

“When our fellows are squashed, beaten down with wooden sticks, we need to be outraged. I need to ask, where is the outrage?

“I'm hoping action can come from this. Maybe plan one day when we can discuss freedom of speech in this city.

“If we don't defend our freedoms now when we can do it non-violently, in 50 years it'll be kids in the streets with guns...It's going to be armed revolution if our freedom of speech goes away.”

Bork announced that there would be a direct action at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, at the Lafitte public housing complex at Orleans and Galvez.

Her next court date is March 28.

To support Bork in her legal battle, call 504-520-9521, or email freeborknow@hotmail.com.

The Gillespie Memorial Community Breakfast meets on the second Saturday of each month at the Unitarian Church at South Claiborne and Jefferson in New Orleans.