According to IMC, on Wednesday evening police were sweeping areas of Center City, arresting suspected protesters on sight. There were multiple reports of unjustified car and pedestrian stops, often involving intimidation, searches, and occasionally violence. Police were seen in roving arrest squads in the area around 16th, 17th, Market and Chestnut in Center City. Supporters of the jailed demonstrators, varying from dozens to hundreds at a time, have been holding a round the clock vigil at the Roundhouse despite adverse weather conditions from thunderstorms which have caused flooding. A demonstration is planned Friday to demand their release.
Supporters are under constant surveillance and frequent harassment by police.
The IMC reported that police toilet-papered one of their own squad cars at the demonstration site, photographed it with the protesters in the background, and then moved into the park as if to break up the campsite. However, the stunt seemed designed simply to intimidate the group, as no arrests were made. The arrests came on Tuesday during planned actions of civil disobedience to protest the death penalty and demand the release of jailed political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Protesters staged coordinated acts of civil disobedience by sitting down at six intersections and access ramps to city freeways. According to activists, the actions were carried out by isolated cells operating autonomously but under the coordination of a central, secretly located dispatch center, using a collection of cell phones and walkie-talkies.