Gulf Port 7

Occupy Austin protesters have discovered that 7 arrests on felony charges at the December port protests - and in Houston solidarity actions - were linked to equipment arranged for by an undercover officer, posing as a mild and likeable fellow demonstrator, and who would have known that using the equipment constituted a felony in Texas under a little-known statute.  Culture Map Houston reports 3 officers involved.  The protesters are now known as the Gulf Port 7;  the statute terms the offense, "manufacturing a criminal weapon."

Photo above, via statesman.com, shows 2 of the seven being arrested in December with the equipment, known as lockboxes, and otherwise called "dragon sleeves" or "sleeping dragons."   The equipment is made of PVC pipes and chains and is locked from the inside - clearly not a weapon - the protesters use the equipment to shackle themselves together at sit-ins.  (In the arrest photo shown, the police and/or fire department place a gargantuan inflatable tent over the demonstrators before removing the lockbox.)  In some cases (see photos below), the "sleeves" have the added feature of bearing eye-compelling protest messages.
 

Photo With Caption Courtesy of Occupy Austin.  Democracy Now! reports that the undercover officer/protester identified in the above photo as Shannon G. Dowell was known to the young people as an affable fellow protester named, "Butch."  Shown here without "disguise."  The young woman in the photo protesting the NDAA is among the seven arrested on felony charges after "Butch" arranged for their dragon sleeves.  Other demonstrators, who lay down and locked arms only, were charged with misdemeanors for "obstructing the port entrance."

In an interview with Democracy Now! - attorney Greg Gladden stated, "Basically, they’re trying to brand idealistic young people with felonies, which will have a profound impact on their lives, when they were not intending to commit any felonies, and virtually no one has [heard of the statute] — the judge had never heard of this statute when we first appeared in court. Most lawyers have not heard of this statute. And certainly these young people had never heard of this statute."

Photos of sleeping dragons used in other protests:

Courtesy of Street Spirit - A Publication of the American Friends Service Committee

Photographer: Ariel Messman-Rucker  San Francisco, Sarah Norr chained herself to other protesters with PVC pipe to shut down the bank.  Her dragon sleeve reads, "Cancel Student Debt."

Courtesy of the Billings Gazette

Uploaded by Angela Brandt, Independent Record  July, 2011 Oil Pipeline Protesters shackle themselves together with PVC pipe in the  Helena, Montana governor's office.  Their dragon sleeves read, "No Pipelines," among other oil pipeline opposition statements.

 

Below is the Democracy Now! report including the interview with attorney Greg Gladden who is also former president of the Texas ACLU.  Democracy Now! speaks, too, with Occupy Austin and Gulf Port 7 protester Ronnie Garza.  Culture Map Houston reports that Eric Marquez, the protester still not out on bail, is an Iraq War veteran.