Feb 24,1991
S T A T E M E N T

Earlier this evening I attended a rally and vigil in front of the White House. This statement describes the actions of the U.S. Park Police that I witnessed.

At approximately 6:40 p.m. the rally ended, and participants moved to the sidewalk on the Lafayette Park side of Pennsylvania Ave. facing the 'White House. Between us and the street was a black chain link fence. A single gate intercepts this fence. The gate is in the center of the park, directly across from the White House.

I was standing about twenty yards east of the gate, holding a candle, leaning against the fence. Numerous Park Police vehicles (vans and squad cars) were parked in the center of Pennsylvania Ave. A large group of Park Police officers, most uniformed, some in plain clothes, were standing around the cars, also in the center of Pennsylvania Ave.

Most of the demonstrators were lined up against the fence holding, candles, or were milliner about on the brick sidewalk at the south edge of Lafayette Park. A few demonstrators were beating drums or plastic buckets.

Shortly before 7:00 p.m, a Park Police squad car pulled up to the north edge of Pennsylvania Ave. Over the next ten minutes three warnings were broadcast from a loudspeaker attached to this car, to the effect that the drumming was breaking the law, and if it did nor stop the drummers would be arrested.

After the third warning I left the area where I had been standing, and walked to the east edge of the gate. From there I could see a rectangle of demonstrators with their arms linked. There may hare been twenty demonstrators in this rectangle. The drumming was comings from the center of the rectangle.

About this time a group of Park Police officers, thirty to forty in number, crossed from the center of Pennsylvania Ave. to the gate in the fence, and entered Lafayette Park. They stood in a group just inside the gate. Suddenly, without notice, they charged the drummers and the demonstrators surrounding them. Some police used their nightsticks with abandon. From my position I could not see who was being beaten, but I could see the nightsticks rise and fall. Others Park Police officers physically lifted demonstrators and threw them to the side. I literally saw demonstrators flying through the air, I can not describe the viciousness with which this attack took place, especially since the demonstrators had given no sign that they might forcibly resist arrest.

After the initial charge I could not make out many details, until the Park Police began dragging arrestees through the gate to a waiting police van. Park Police officers were extremely rough, pushing and shoving demonstrators who were offering no resistance. I saw one demonstrator who was holding his hands above his head, forcefully shoved against the fence. I saw another demonstrator (a man with long brown hair) being dragged in a choke hold. A woman, who appeared to have been handcuffed since her wrists were together behind her back, had her arms jerked violently upwards.

I could also see the arrestees who had been taken through the gate lying face down on Pennsylvania Ave. behind a police van. One demonstrator was being poked in the side with a night stick by a Park Police officer

At this point a line of Park Police officers shoved me and the other people standing near me back about thirty feet, so I saw no more details.

I have been at many demonstrations in the D C. area over the past ten years, and hare witnessed a sizable number of arrests. Never have I seen police assault peaceful demonstrators with the brutal violence that I witnessed this evening.

/s/ Michael D. Levi
Michael D. Levi
502 Ethan Allen Ave.
Takoma Park. MD 20912

Exhibit O is missing

Exhibit 11- P