Subject: Hoser Files

Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2000 16:12:03 +1000

From: Brett Vine <lbj@comcen.com.au>

To: "'adder@lexicon.net'" <adder@lexicon.net>

Hi Ray,

You probably don't remember me but I sure remember you.

I was working in Tullamarine at the time as a forklift driver and you were

walking the streets selling your book. When you said your book was about

police corruption I told you that I had just finished reading a book about

Neddy Smith. I borrowed $20 from the boss's petty cash and bought your

book.

I planned to read it when I finished reading the book I was currently

reading. Time went past and I still didn't read it. 5 years later I decided

to pick up the book and have a quick look through.

Once I started reading I could not put the book down and I hardly slept

until the book was finished 5 days later.

I can say that I know what you say is true b/c I have been on the receiving

end of the whitewashing of police brutality but at the time I was too young

to care.

I was celebrating my end of year 12 at Strathmore Secondary College and

walking through the school grounds with 2 of my friends, out of nowhere

came about 10 police screaming "POLICE FREEZE GET DOWN ON THE FUCKING

GROUND!" one of these cops, as my friend was getting down, ran up to my

friend and kicked him ( I can't remember where) then ran up to me (I had

already given up and was sitting on the ground) and took a running kick at

my head. Luckily I saw this coming and only received a glancing blow to

the cheek with no damage. He then took out his batton and ran back to my

friend and gave him 3 hits in the lower back region then stuck his knee

into him and cuffed him. Another woman cuffed me and she wasn't too gentle

either. I asked if they could loosen the cuffs a little as my wrists were

sore and she said "It's supposed to hurt".

We had another friend who had managed to escape and was hiding just meters

behind a building.

as the police were obviously trying to scare us I just complied with them

and let them do as they felt ( you see I have had friends who have

complained and been beaten pretty badly).

We were cuffed and laying face down on the ground for about 10 minutes and

were listening to all of their bravado and radio talk trying to sound like

we were going inside, I saw all of this as bullshit but kept my mouth shut

as I didn't want to provoke anything. Some more year 12 students

celebrating end of year were also walking past on the other side of the

fence and were summoned by the cops. All but 1 ran and got away, the other

was about as naive as I was and let them apprehend him. The cops were

questioning him and he was answering their question quite sensibly then the

cop that hit me and my mate gave him an open fisted punch to the side of

the face ( I found out later that this was to minimize the chance of a

bruise being affected) he asked "what was that for?" and received a few

more for his troubles. then he asked another officer why this guy was

hitting him, he copped a few from him too.

I was blown out of my mind as I was laying on the ground only 8-10 metres

away and was watching this happening.

My friend was pleading "Please sir don't hit me" and copped another open

fisted punch for that too.

over the next few minutes the begging continued and the hitting must have

gotton a little boring for the cop as there was no resistance offered. they

eventually let him go. then they came back to us and threatened us with

some more of the same but myself and my friend knew better than to open our

mouths after seeing what we had just seen. After a few more threats to

"get the fuck out of here and don't come back or we will lock you up" they

dragged us by the handcuffs to the school gate and let us go.

The next day my friend and I approached the guy who we witnessed being

beaten and told him that we were cuffed on the ground only metres away and

he said he had seen figures there but didn't know it was us. we sat around

and decided that we should put it down to experience. WHICH WE DID.

My friend who was hit with the batton went home that night and was getting

changed when he showed his mum what the cops had done to him and she went

nuts calling the school principal, the local police and others and they all

said that they would look into it. Nothing more was done.

Last year I worked for IBM installing the new computer network for Victoria

Police mainly at VPC at the world trade centre, StKilda Road and at Moonee

Ponds and it is amazing how differently you are treated when you are on

their side. You see one morning I was late for work and decided to put the

foot down a little harder on the old Valiant ute and got pulled up doing by

my estimates about 110km/h. When the copper saw that I was wearing an IBM

shirt he just said to me "Just make sure you keep under the limit so you

don't attract our attention in future".

Also When I was working there installing computers I saw a bunch of about

20-30 cops sitting around watching a porno that they had seized from

somewhere. They were on duty and for about 20 minutes they were all

standing around and making jokes etc. needless to say i kept my mouth shut

as I needed the job to pay for my upcoming holiday.

How good it must be to be unaccountable as the police force obviously is.

in the 10 weeks that I worked there I never heard an aggressive remark from

a single officer

Keep up good work Raymond as the truth will be known in the end.

Brett Vine