Greece, Oakland...New Orleans? The Danziger Bridge Case: Murders of James Brissette & Ronald Madison

The trial for the police who murdered 2 New Orleanians and wounded 4 on the Danziger Bridge just after Hurricane Katrina has been set for next month. This trial of killer cops comes after similar trials in other cities have resulted in significant protests, rioting, and 2-sided social war.

Ferocious and inspiring rioting spearheaded by anarchists reverberated around the globe, including a Greek-solidarity anti-police march in New Orleans, after Alexandros Grigoropoulos was killed in Athens in 2008. Less than a month later, riots broke out in Oakland, CA after Oscar Grant was murdered on video while handcuffed, and the riots continued sporadically for days after the verdict gave the murderous cop a mere slap on the wrist. Anarchists were also instrumental in the Oakland riots as well.

Greeks recommend a new design for police guns following Alexandros's murder

Unlike the trials for those killer cops, which were moved to other cities, a judge has ruled the Danizger Bridge murder trial will take place in New Orleans. The trial is a significant moment to voice our rage at the police and unite a usually disparate group of people who all feel oppressed by the NOPD into a unified force to demand that they get the fuck out of our neighborhoods.

In Oakland, organizers put out a call for people to gather at a central location on the day of the verdict, and publicized it during the protests that happened while the trial was under way. This strategy was highly effective in bringing together a diverse array of people with anti-cop sentiments and catalyzing moments of rupture with the ruling order.

With the trial set for mid-June and expected to last 2 months (with regular news updates that will keep the murders fresh in people's minds throughout) it may yet turn out to be a very hot summer in the crescent city!