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Police violence

Will Charges Against 6 Baltimore Police Bring Justice?

May 10, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.mintpressnews.com , , , , ,
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s announcement that the six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray were being charged brought cheers and celebratory honking of horns. On closer inspection, however, there are important questions as to whether the arresting officers who began the process that led to Gray’s death were charged with an adequately serious offense. Indeed, if it had not been for the illegal arrest and the damage they did to Gray before the van ride, Gray would not have died. Further, comparing how the police were treated with how protesters were treated shows further injustice and prompts questions about amnesty for all those arrested during the protests. If a country truly believed in freedom of speech and the right to assembly, there would be amnesty for all the protesters who were arrested. They should have their records cleansed, the arrests should never have occurred and there should be no record of them. There is a human right to resist injustice that should be respected. As for the case of Freddie Gray, State’s Attorney Mosby still has a chance to amend the charges against the officers involved in his arrest or bring the case before a grand jury and seek an additional charge of second degree murder against the three arresting officers.

Justice Department Launches Probe Of Baltimore Police

May 10, 2015 Julia Edwards, www.PopularResistance.org , , , , ,
The U.S. Justice Department on Friday launched an investigation into the Baltimore police department's use of force and whether there are patterns of discriminatory policing. The probe, announced by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, was requested by Baltimore's mayor in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who sustained fatal injuries while in police custody, and the outrage it sparked in Maryland's largest city. Though the Justice Department is already investigating Gray's death and working with the Baltimore police on reform, Lynch said last week's protests pointed to the need for an investigation. "It was clear to a number of people looking at this situation that the community's rather frayed trust - to use an understatement - was even worse and has in effect been severed in terms of the relationship with the police department," Lynch said on Friday.

Newsletter – We Have A Duty To Fight For Our Freedom

May 9, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Chelsea Manning writes this week about the lack of transparency and declining press freedom in the United States. Transparency and press freedom are fundamental to democracy. Manning also connects these issues to our right to criticize our government without fear. Assata Shakur, who is currently living in exile in Cuba, says something we've been hearing a lot lately: "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains."

Was Baltimore’s Curfew A Dress Rehearsal For Martial Law?

May 4, 2015 Staff, www.therealnews.com , , ,
Video is shown of the militarized police enforcement of a civil disobedience action to enforce a curfew by National Guard troops and Baltimore Police in full riot gear. The protesters are sitting quietly after 10 PM and are surrounded by these militarized police who aggressively arrest them. The legality and effectiveness of the curfew are discussed. The panel also discusses the charges against six Baltimore police and the death of Freddie Gray as well as the circumstances leading up to the urban revolt in Baltimore after Gray was killed. Jay discusses the likelihood that the use of the National Guard and militarized police was a dress rehearsal for the use of military force during a civil disturbance which he predicts will come in future years. Jay describes the militarized policing as not justifiable for any other reason. He also describes conversations with top enforcement officials who have described similar activities in Canada as practice for when an insurrection occurs in the future.

Newsletter: Be Devoted To Justice Not To Order

May 3, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org , , , ,
The announcement by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby that the six officers involved in the murder of Freddie Gray will be prosecuted was welcomed with cheers at City Hall and in Freddie Gray’s community, car horns were honked in celebration. The welcome announcement is a first step toward justice for the family of Freddie Gray and a hopeful beginning for the kind of accountability that has been missing in Baltimore when it comes to police violence. This would probably not have occurred without an urban revolt in Baltimore. We won't know is it was the mass protest marches of thousands of people or the anger boiling over into rage that led to property damage or both that pressured leadership to press charges. Mosby said to the protesters: “I commend your courage to stand for justice” and “I heard your call for ‘no justice, no peace.’ Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.” And, to the youth who led the protests she said: “To the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf; this is a moment, this is your moment. Let’s ensure that we have peaceful and productive rallies that will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come. You’re at the forefront of this cause, and as young people, our time is now.”

Baltimore: Arrestees Suffer Human Rights Abuses

May 1, 2015 Marci Tarrant Johnson, www.facebook.com/OccupySantaFe , , , , ,
More than 250 people have been arrested since Monday here in Baltimore. . . The small concrete booking cells were filled with hundreds of people, most with more than ten people per cell. Three of us were sent to the women's side where there were up to 15 women per holding cell. Most of them had been there since Monday afternoon/evening. With the exception of 3 or 4 women, the women who weren't there for Monday's round-ups were there for freaking curfew violations. Many had not seen a doctor or received required medication. Many had not been able to reach a family member by phone. But here is the WORST thing. Not only had these women been held for two days and two nights without any sort of formal booking, BUT ALMOST NONE OF THEM HAD ACTUALLY BEEN CHARGED WITH ANYTHING. They were brought to CBIF via police wagons (most without seat belts, btw--a real shocker after all that's happened), and taken to holding cells without ever being charged with an actual crime. No offense reports. No statements of probable cause. A few women had a vague idea what they might be charged with . . . .

#DontreDay March On One Year Anniversary Of Killing

April 30, 2015 Jenna Knapp, www.popularresistance.org , ,
Milwaukee, WI April 30th, 2015 -- -- “They wanted us to go away. They wanted us to stop. They wanted us to be satisfied. But we are not, and we wont be until Black life is valued and respected in our city,” says Nate Hamilton, brother of Dontre Hamilton. TODAY, April 30th, at3:00PM, the Coalition For Justice and Hamilton Family will march from 2727 W. Foundulac Ave to Red Arrow Park, marching to Ground Zero with the community that has supported them for the past year. The march will arrive at Red Arrow Park at 5:30PM for the memorial celebration. Today the family and Coalition for justice are declaring a city-wide day of remembrance in Dontre's name, #DontreDay. Co-Founder of The Coalition For Justice, Curtis Sails, says, “We wont be satisfied until the stigmas around mental health, and homelessness are lifted from the veils or our city officials and community members.

Baltimore Protests Surge Over Death Of Freddie Gray

April 26, 2015 Staff, www.popularresistance.org , , ,
On Saturday, April 25, more than 1,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest the lack of accountability in the death of Freddie Gray. The six police officers involved continue to be free on paid leave despite new evidence indicating their responsibility for the death of Gray. The New York Daily News reports: Batts' vow came as a top officer spearheading their investigation said that Gray should have been given medical treatment the moment he was handcuffed. "That's quite frankly where Freddie Gray should have received medical attention and he did not," Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis said. Batts added that despite Gray’s pleas for medical help, officers "failed to get him medical attention in a timely manner multiple times.”

Cop Found Not Guilty For Killing Woman, Arrests Brother

April 20, 2015 Ben Norton, www.bennorton.com , ,
US police killed at least 325 people in the 102 days from 1 January to 12 April 2015—at a rate of over three per day. The victims of these police shootings are very disproportionately people of color. Racism, and even overt, violent white supremacy, has been well documented among the US police force. In Ferguson, Missouri, Americans rose up against the constant police killings of unarmed black teens; the Black Lives Matter contemporary civil rights movement emerged out of this. Rarely are cops even indicted for killing Americans, yet alone punished. In fact, they often claim that they themselves are victims. Dante Servin, the Chicago cop who killed Rekia Boyd, an unarmed 22-year-old black woman, was one of the few cops who faced charges for murdering an innocent person.

March Tonight For Martese Johnson, Beaten By Police

March 18, 2015 Jia Tolentino, www.jezebel.com , ,
A march is being organized in Charlottesville for 8 p.m. tonight, from the main landmark on campus—the Rotunda—to the police department downtown. Reports: Black UVA Student Beaten by Police for Having Fake ID Charlottesville, VA - On Tuesday night, a third-year student at the University of Virginia named Martese Johnson was reportedly thrown to the ground by police officers and bloodied in public on the main social drag of campus—all apparently because he tried to use a fake ID. Martese Johnson is black. All reports are alleging that he did not resist the officers' use of force in any way, and the officers continued to brutalize him while onlookers pleaded with them to stop. A graphic photo taken at the scene is now circulating widely on the internet.

Organizing Against Feminicide In Mexico

March 15, 2015 Nidia Bautista, www.cipamericas.org , , ,
As the demand for justice for the 43 disappeared Ayotzinapa students continues in streets worldwide, the epidemic of violence against women grows and justice for its victims remains relegated to a labyrinth of impunity, inefficiency and government indifference. Yet the demand for justice and against feminicide has not only endured over three decades of violence, but continues to mobilize people across borders. At the end of the International Women’s Day March in Los Angeles on March 8, Carla Castañeda began a 72-hour hunger strike to demand justice for her missing daughter Cynthia Jocabeth Castañeda and all the daughters of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Carla, along with the mothers of the Ayotzinapa students and the thousands of other relatives of disappeared people, is seeking information on the whereabouts of her daughter kidnapped six years ago.

Five Months After Ayotzinapa, Resistance Remains Strong

March 2, 2015 Mackenzie McDonald, www.popularresistance.org , ,
It is clear that the massacre of these students was politically motivated, and involved both the state and federal governments. As is so often the case, the United States lurks behind the curtain of violence, having trained and equipped police in the region for decades. Since Mexico’s war on drugs began in 2006 there have been at least 40,000 people killed in the country. Many of these deaths are, contrary to police reports, unrelated to drug trafficking. Often, they are attacks on civilian protesters and indigenous peoples. Unlike other disappearances and massacres, Ayotzinapa has gained national and international attention because of the popular uprising in response, largely led by family of the dead and disappeared.

Students Vow To Attain Justice For Jeremy

March 2, 2015 Tallahassee Dream Defenders, www.popularresistance.org , ,
Tallahassee, FL - On Feb. 25, students and community members rallied at the Leon County Courthouse, demanding that Officer David Stith of the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) be fired and jailed for killing Jeremy “Jed” Lett, a young African American man. On Feb. 3, TPD Officer David Stith shot and killed Jeremy Lett outside of his apartment complex. Police claim Lett matched the description of a burglary suspect from the complex. Lett was unarmed and had no criminal record. Officer Stith is now on paid administrative leave. Outside the Leon County Courthouse, student protesters held signs, “End police brutality” and “Jail killer cops.” Regina Joseph of the Tallahassee Dream Defenders led chants, “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” and “Jeremy means we have to fight back.” During the rally, Shivaani Ehsaan from the Dream Defenders called for “an end to police terror in Tallahassee and for the implementation of a civilian review board with firing power over the police department.”

Students, Community Demand Justice For Jeremy “Jed” Lett

February 24, 2015 Tallahassee Dream Defenders, www.popularresistance.org ,
On February 25, 2015, Tallahassee community members and students will be coming together to rally against police terror and misconduct . This is part of a nationwide initiative to curb police violence happening in our own cities. On February 3rd, 2015, a young man by the name of Jeremy “Jed” Lett was killed from multiple gun shots by off duty police David Stith outside Shadow Ridge Apartments . The officer has been placed on administrative leave with pay. The officer apparently felt that Lett looked like a robbery suspect . The Tallahassee community is saddened by the loss of another one of its black youth, and outraged for the reason why an officer decided to shoot at this innocent and unarmed man .

You Are Not My Enemy. Violence Is My Enemy

December 21, 2014 Peijman Kouretchian, , ,
When protests breakout there is often an abundance of rage. Where is this anger usually directed? At people. Often towards the police, or individual officers. This results in dehumanization, seeing others as less than human. When we dehumanize others, violence is justified against them, and the system which created them remains unchanged. The way out of this cycle is two fold: 1) Attack and transform the systems that created these individuals. 2) Refuse to hate individuals and instead empathize. Empathy is the art of connecting to the real experience of another person by looking at the world from their perspective. It is at the root of all social evolution, and according to Gloria Steinem, “the most revolutionary emotion.”. When we empathize and look at other’s actions from the point of view of human needs, it becomes easier to understand why someone acts the way they do, even if the strategies they are using to meet those needs are flawed, and possibly unacceptable.
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