San Diego Cops Prepare for Repression as Fire Rips Across County

Several fires that started at higher elevations in East County are burning to the west towards the ocean, fueled by drought-dried fuel and driven by Santa Ana winds that are not expected to abate until late Tuesday. The Harris Fire is moving rapidly to the west toward Otay Lakes and Chula Vista. The Witch fire has crossed I-15 into Rancho Bernado, and could burn through Rancho Sante Fe (mandatory evacuation), Encinitas and Solana Beach (voluntary evacuation), as well as south through Lakeside and Santee.

With disaster looming, a public-service-oriented agency would be focusing on helping people. In contrast, the San Diego Police Department has put out a call (6:50am) for all officers to return to duty with vests, meaning kevlar ('bullet-proof') vests. Kevlar vests offer no effective, recognized protection against wildfires, and they do not assist people in evacuation or help feed or house people displaced by fire. Kevlar vests could be, however, very useful when intimidating, corralling and repressing displaced communities who might be seeking shelter or food in an unprepared city (as in New Orleans).

Although Dianne Jacobs (county supervisor) has been quoted as saying 'lives are more important in this kind of situation. Property can be replaced..', it is clear that the SDPD has something entirely different in mind.

A pep rally against the ongoing repression and murders by cops and la migra (for example, (1 | 2 | 3) will occur at 5:30pm today at 4th and Broadway, downtown.