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Redwood Curtain CopWatch writes: The current civil rights trial in Oakland about the Eureka police murder of Martin Frederick Cotton II resumes Wednesday, September 21st. Four years ago, Martin was 26 years old, unarmed and living on the streets when he was killed by the Eureka Police when they pummeled his body in broad daylight, in front of a homeless shelter (Eureka Rescue Mission), then brought him to the jail to die. Cotton family supporters who are deeply opposed to police violence, rallied in front of the Oakland courthouse on the first day of trial (Sept 12) and have been present in the courtroom while attorneys Vicki Sarmiento and Dale Galipo represent Martin's six year old daughter, Siehna, and her grandfather, Martin Cotton Sr. The case, Siehna Cotton et al v. City of Eureka is being heard before U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong and a seven person jury. Martin's story has spread beyond the “Redwood Curtain”.
Marty Cotton, Sr. says, “We want to expose the truth, ideally, so those cops can never wear a badge and weaponry and never do this to anyone else again.” One consistent observer of the trial said “The cops are claiming that they pepper-sprayed Martin, got on top of him and beat him repeatedly, even with a metal baton, just to get Martin's hands out from under him. It is absurd, or more accurately, obscene...and it killed him.” Also, the officers testified that they did not think Martin was hurt and did nothing to get him checked out or treated — after “exhausting” themselves beating and spraying him. A video of Martin dying in the jail cell was shown at trial.
A press conference was held September 21st, in front of the Federal Building in Oakland.  Video
On September 23rd, Martin Cotton Family Awarded Over $4.5 Million in Trial Against Eureka Police, Interview: Video
 Read More |
Short Update (9/14/11) from Martin Cotton Trial in Oakland: Eureka Cops Beat Him To Death |
First Day of Civil Rights Trial About Fatal Police Beating of Martin Cotton |
County settles wrongful death suit; claim against EPD, sheriff's office stems from 2007 |
Rally & Civil Trial Against Killer Cops |
Redwood Curtain CopWatch
Previous Related Indybay Feature:
Cops Who Beat Martin Cotton to Death in Humboldt Face Trial in Oakland
Prisoners in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California announced that they are beginning an indefinite hunger strike on July 1st to protest the conditions of their imprisonment, which they say are cruel and inhumane. An online petition has been started by supporters of the strikers. While noting that the hunger strike is being "organized by prisoners in an unusual show of racial unity," five key demands are listed by California Prison Focus:
1) Eliminate group punishments; 2) Abolish the debriefing policy and modify active/inactive gang status criteria; 3) Comply with the recommendations of the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in Prisons (2006) regarding an end to long term solitary confinement; 4) Provide adequate food; 5) Expand and provide constructive programs and privileges for indefinite SHU inmates.
The CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prides itself on Pelican Bay being "the end of the line," and is part of a continuation since the 1960s of prisons using solitary confinement as a main tactic to crush rebellion and resistance.
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity states, "As anti-authoritarians and anarchists, this is a crucial moment to show our solidarity with those on the inside who are ready to die in their fight for dignity and the most basic necessities of life that the state continues to deny. This will be the third major hunger strike in a US prison in the past year and those of us fighting on the outside need to make a visible show of support for this wave of prisoner-led organizing."
Hunger Strike Grows and CDCR Lies about Numbers |
SF and Oakland Demos: "Pelican Bay Brothers: We Hear You, We're With You!" |
Prisoners at Pelican Bay Begin Hunger Strike |
The Living Hell in Pelican Bay Prison |
 July 1st Event Announcement |
Urgent Request for Solidarity Actions |
Solitary Watch on Pelican Bay Hunger Strike, Hugo Pinell, and Torture in US Prisons |
Will Jerry Brown Close Pelican Bay Prison? |
Pelican Bay Criminalizes the Oppressed for Organizing |
 Isolation Units in U.S. Prisons panel discussion, San Francisco, 4/5/11
After six months of organizing rallies and actions behind the "redwood curtain" protesting CalTrans' plan to expand Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park, Richardson Grove Action Now (RGAN) took the fight to the state capital in Sacramento, where they carried out a flash mob action. The highway expansion plan threatens some of the last 2% remaining ancient redwoods on Earth.
RGAN activists rode on the White Rose bus to Oakland, Sacramento, and Glen Cove, Vallejo to mobilize resistance to the highway expansion, demonstrate at the Capitol, and connect with an ongoing spiritual encampment established to stave off development on a sacred indigenous burial shellmound site in Glen Cove. RGAN's Verbena Lea says, “Worldwide, people are opposed to harming or cutting ancient redwood forests, which CalTrans plans to do; ancient redwoods have all but been wiped off the face of the earth and, like the people at Glen Cove, we are saying to developers, government and corporations, 'You have already desecrated and taken too much — We're stopping you here.'”
The road widening would mutilate an ancient grove in order to facilitate trans-national corporations, nuclear materials, development, and military having greater access to the Humboldt Bay region, which has been relatively protected by forest bottlenecks and winding roads. Highways 199, 299, and 36, entering the region from the east, are next in line for highway expansion.
Read More | previous coverage: Protest as Caltrans Prepares to Widen US-101 Thru Richardson Grove
Caltrans plans to take down some 54 trees in the Richardson Grove, and pave over the roots of many old-growth trees, in order to widen and straighten US-101 in southern Humboldt County. Reported to contain the 9th largest tree of all remaining coast redwoods, local residents refer to the Richardson Grove as the edge of the "Redwood Curtain."
Studies show that removing redwoods from a grove can have adverse affects on the root systems of remaining massive old-growth redwoods, causing death to unintended trees and habitat. Local residents also say the highway expansion project will lead to unlimited commercial development in Humboldt County.
Under the banner "protect the forest and our future, resist invasion," preservation groups and community members against the project have called for a mass rally at Caltrans District 1 headquarters in Eureka on Monday, February 7th and over 200 came to demonstrate against the highway expansion. Twelve people were arrested.
Reports:
200+ Protest Road Widening Through Richardson Grove at CalTrans, 12 arrested |
Jan. 23rd report from the grove
Previous Coverage:
Groups Vow Legal Challenge Against Highway Widening Threatening Ancient Humboldt Redwoods
Photo credit: Caltrans
Martin Cotton II was living houseless and unarmed on August 9th, 2007, when he was severely abused by police, and brought to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. At the jail, he was further attacked by guards, and left to die on the floor of a cell. Eureka police brutally beat Martin in front of many people, mostly men staying at the Eureka Rescue Mission. The last part of the fatal beating occurred behind locked doors in the jail, with some of it caught on video.
On Monday, January 10th, a federal civil rights trial, brought on behalf of Martin Cotton's baby daughter, Siehna Cotton, and by Martin's father, Marty Cotton, will begin in Oakland: Siehna Cotton et al. v. Eureka Police Dept. and Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. Members of Redwood Curtain CopWatch say, "While we can have little to no faith in the court system to be an arbiter of justice, we want to fill the courtroom throughout the trial. The presence of people opposed to state violence and murder is important for a jury to see, is critical support for the Cotton family and vulnerable witnesses, and in many ways can teach us more about the system we are up against."
Read more | Presentations: Thursday, December 16th in Berkeley | Tuesday, December 21st in Oakland | August 9th is Cotton Day
See also: Sheriff's Officers Opened Fire On Robert Garth: "The cops didn't even give him a chance"
This year was the 15th National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality. Throughout Northern California marches, rallies and vigils were held on October 22nd and 23rd to mark the days of action against police brutality.
On Friday, October 22nd, in East Oakland, a speak out was held at 34th and International near Fruitvale BART at noon, and then later a march and rally starting at 4pm will begin at 71st and International.
On Saturday, October 23rd, the ILWU and other unions shut down Bay Area ports to join a Justice for Oscar Grant Rally in downtown Oakland at Frank Ogawa plaza at noon. A benefit party for the Oakland 100 begin at 8pm that night in West Oakland.
Photos:
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Video |
No Po-lice Calls.........Ever!!! |
Oakland Rally Says: Justice For Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops! |
ILWU Jack Heyman and Clarence Thomas |
Longshore To Shutdown All Bay Area Ports
In Eureka, organizers announced two days of marches and rallies for October 22nd and 23rd.
In the Central Valley, a vigil was held in Fresno on October 22nd at 5pm and a march in Modesto began at noon on October 23rd.
See also:
Oscar Grant flotilla represents at last game of Giants series in SF |
Make KPFA "Free Speech Radio"- Cover The Oscar Grant Rally For Justice Live On October 23 |
Justice 4 Oscar Grant Armada Continues in McCovey Cove |
 Oakland Says No Do-Overs for Johannes Mehserle, Press Conference, 10/6/10: PDF & video |
Lock Up Mehserle - Throw Away the Key! |
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Justice 4 Oscar Grant in McCovey Cove at Giants Playoff Game |
Justice 4 Oscar Message At Giants Playoff Game
Indybay's Past Coverage of October 22nd Events | Indybay Coverage of the Justice for Oscar Grant Movement
Early in the morning on August 17th, forest defenders set up a 60-foot high road blockade to stop the active clear-cutting operations of Green Diamond Resource Company in the redwoods near Jacoby Creek Road north of Eureka in Humboldt County. These clear-cut logging plans represent a fraction of the ongoing clear-cut logging operations in Northern California.
“We are not coming down voluntarily until the reckless logging in the Jacoby Creek watershed is stopped,” said Fly, one of the activists from atop the 60 ft. high hanging platform.
Citing concern for the local redwood ecosystem as well as global climate change, the activists scaled rope structures made to block the entrance of a logging road. The blockades were constructed so that if moved or damaged, the activists could fall from a considerable height. Several pickup trucks and a van full of workers had to turn back when they arrived. One of the workers from the van started cutting the rope before supporters on the ground could stop him.
EF! Humbolt update, 8/20/10: As of this 10:00 am today, the logging road is open and the highly destructive clear-cutting of the Redwoods within the Jacoby Creek watershed continues.
Read More |
Jacoby Creek Action Update
Redwood Curtain CopWatch writes: "Humboldt County Sheriff Officers shot and killed Robert Garth in the morning of Saturday August 7, 2010. CopWatchers and friends of the Garth family went to Blue Lake, after learning of the shooting. We took lots of video and photos. We want to share what we learned, in brief.
"First this: As we write this post (Saturday night, August 7, 2010), we anticipate two things. The first is that the media (i.e. Thadues Greenson of the Times-Standard who was in Blue Lake) will parrot, stating as fact, the police story. That's what the media ALWAYS does. Now, we know the police story will be told in defense of the cops who murdered Robert. Thus, we can anticipate words that imply that the cops were scared for their safety and lives, the safety and lives of others; that they had to make a split-moment decision and the danger resulted in the split-moment decision to shoot (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11? shots?), and that Robert had mental health problems, which made him unpredictable or dangerous (perhaps the media will even put out an anecdotal story about Robert in another time to illustrate such a problem). However the media will do it, taking direction from police statements and police press releases, the media will criminalize the victim, Robert Garth, and recite excuses for the cops- cops who just ended a life!"
Read more
More than 50 tribal nations peacefully took control of the Marine Life Protection Act’s Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in California on July 21. Among those gathered were members of the Yurok, Tolowa, Cahto, Pomo, Karuk, Hoopa Valley, Maidu, Hopi, Navajo, and other tribes. Their message to the task force: the state will no longer impose its will on indigenous people. The group of more than 300 met on Main Street in Fort Bragg, CA, and marched a half-mile to the C.V. Star Community Center, chanting, "MLPA, taking tribal rights away!" and, “No Way MLPA!”
“This is about more than a fouled-up process that attempts to prohibit tribes from doing something they have done sustainably for thousands of years,” said Frankie Joe Myers, a Yurok tribal citizen and organizer for the Coastal Justice Coalition. “It is about respect, acknowledgment and recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights. Whether it is their intention or not, what the Marine Life Protection Act does to tribes is it systematically decimates our ability to be who we are. That is the definition of cultural genocide.”
The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative is a publicly and privately funded partnership between the State of California and a few deep-pocketed foundations — chiefly the Resources Legacy Fund — to implement the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), which was signed into law in 1999. The MLPA calls for the creation of marine protected areas along the California coastline.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force is charged with making recommendations to the California Fish and Game Commission for placement of the protected areas. The task force has stated that it will view traditional tribal coastal gathers on the coast the same way it does recreational fishing. Indigenous people have gathered resources from the coast for thousands of years, making this a valuable tradition to their communities. Coastal indigenous people collect mussels, seaweed and other ocean resources for sustenance and ceremonial regalia.
Citizens from tribal nations as distant as the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma attended the meeting to stand in solidarity with northern California tribes. Dania Rose Colegrove, a Hoopa tribal citizen, states, “The Blue Ribbon Task Force had given us no indication that they were listening to North Coast Tribes’ call to respect our sovereignty. We felt that we needed show them a small symbol of what we are willing to do to pass on our culture to future generations. “
This is the second time indigenous Californians have disrupted a Marine Life Protection Act Initiative meeting. On June 29, a smaller group interrupted the MLPAI’s Science Advisory Team, which was meeting in Eureka. Members of the Coastal Justice Coalition pointed out that there is no scientific data that says tribal gathering has any negative impact on the coastal ecosystem and the act does nothing to stop pollution and off-shore drilling — the real threats to the health of the ocean and coast.
The Coastal Justice Coalition is a group of concerned tribal citizens and community members who came together to defend indigenous peoples’ right to gather on the coast.
Report and Photos
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MLPA process should address the concerns of North Coast Tribes
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Klamath Justice Coalition
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