How The Shishou Police Dispersed The Crowd (06/28/2009) (Yazhou Zhoukan)
At around noon on June 20, the size of the crowd assembled on the streets outside the Yonglong Hotel reached its peak. Participants estimated that there were at least 50,000 people at the time. Street rumors was that the upper levels of government has amassed large numbers of armed police officers and military soldiers for suppressive action.
That afternoon, a large number of procuratorate workers and plainclothes police officers joined the crowd and used mobile phone cameras and digital cameras and videocameras to gather information on members of the crowd. Some citizens recognized them and quickly stayed away from them. At around 4am on June 21, the government loudspeaker trucks traversed the city streets and claimed that a "settlement" has been reached with the family of the deceased. Therefore, the spectators should leave quickly or else face the consequences.
But because of the message from the loudspeaker trucks, many of the tired people actually returned to the scene to await further developments. The size of the crowd went back up to its peak again. An hour later at 5am on June 21, there came the thundering sound of marching footsteps. Someone shouted, "They are really coming." The crowd then saw more than 10,000 policemen and soldiers coming down three streets and applying pressure on the crowd. The policemen and soldiers were arrayed in rows and moved forward together.
After blocking off the streets, the soldiers took charge of the streets. Their formation consists four rows of soldiers in each wave, with the waves about 20 meters apart from each other. The soldiers were armed with batons and shields, and they chanted slogans at the crowd. The crowd was gradually pushed inwards. Panic caused the crowd to flee into the side streets and buildings. Whenever the soldiers take over a street segment, they set up a police line and prevented people from entering or exiting. Therefore, the crowd had to flee towards the side streets that were even further away.
At the same time, all mobile phone signals in the area were gone. Someone recognized a government signal interference truck there. At around 6am, the soldiers cleared out the streets and the government took charge of the refrigerator casket which held the body of the deceased. A member of the crowd asked the soldiers what was happening. The soldiers who came from outside Shishou said that they were ordered to suppress FLG rioters. They had never heard of anything about the death, or the body, or the injustice, etc. They were just carrying out orders. On that morning before the sun rose, the Shishou crowd was completely dispersed
