By Jason Gerhard

This Independence Day marks my first spent behind bars. Besides contemplating the apparent irony of such a situation, memories of the past come to mind. It is easy to get lost in thought while sitting here looking out my window to the world beyond the razor wire topped chain link fence which surrounds me these days.

Although the internet allows millions of people to view thousands of videos demonstrating the tyrannical nature of government, there is no substitute for firsthand interaction with the bureaucracy. After doing so, a common reaction is to wish it overthrown because the corruption, incompetence, and ignorance cannot be cured by conventional means. The only remedy is the removal of this ever-growing cancer that is our increasingly oppressive government.

On August 11, 2007, I drove into Manhattan with two journalists from the We The People Radio Network to join 9-11 truth group We Are Change, while they performed street actions. Other than having trouble finding a parking space, everything was going smoothly. Roughly 20 of us moved from location to location downtown, handing out fliers and answering questions. At around 2 pm, we headed down to Wall Street continuing to distribute literature along the way.

A police officer decked out in full body armor (including Kevlar helmet) holding an M-16 type weapon stood in front of a building on Wall Street watching our movements. Always one to elicit the opinions of our government employees on various issues, I asked him, very politely, what he thought of the activists. He told me in a rather gruff voice that they made him “want to throw up.” Thinking that this was an interesting response, I asked him what he meant by that, keeping a respectful and polite tone. Apparently this question was one too many because he said, “Why don't you get out of here before I arrest you?” I asked, “On what charge?” He then told me to leave him alone, and by that time, it was apparent that there was no point in talking to him any further.

Several minutes later, the same officer went to the other side of the street where he was talking to what appeared to be his superior. During my previous encounter with the 'commando cop', I noticed that he was not wearing a badge or any type of identification. I walked up to both of them and asked for the anonymous officer's badge number because I wanted to file a complaint against him. The apparent supervisor told me that I could not be given that information and that I should call the NYPD complaint line. I asked, “How can I file a complaint against someone when there is no way to identify him?” Neither officer answered, perhaps realizing the stupidity of their previous statement.

By this time, a crowd of 10-15 people gathered to see what the commotion was about, including the two journalists from WTPRN, one of whom was videotaping the encounter. Knowing both the crowd and the video camera would most likely keep the police from arresting me, I went into a mini tirade and told them, “The people are the masters and the government is the servant. You serve us!” This disturbed the secret officer because he replied, “I don't serve anyone!” That statement dumbfounded me, so I then told the crowd that such action were 'tyrannical' and 'fascist', hoping to express to the onlookers how troubling these officers' statements were.

Believe it or not, this outburst worked because the 'commando cop' finally gave me his name and badge number. To this day, I have never filed a complaint; my purpose was never to do so. Have the public see how secretive our government employees have become is more beneficial than filing a complaint that would probably never see the light of day.

Editor's Note: This article reached me via a circuitous route so it's a little dated.