Third Night of Rioting in Brooklyn After Police Shooting

DABC Note: According to this article at CBS, there were over 40 people arrested last night, a much higher number than reported in this article from the New York Daily News.

From the New York Daily News:

Protesters enraged over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police poured into Brooklyn streets for a third straight night Wednesday, pitching bricks, bottles and garbage in furious clashes with cops.

At least 18 demonstrators were arrested along Church Ave. in East Flatbush. Police struggled to control a hostile crowd that broke away from a planned peaceful vigil for Kimani (Kiki) Gray, 16, killed by police on Saturday night.

Gray’s sister Mahnefeh was among those arrested. A police officer suffered a gash in the face when a tossed brick hit him, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said, and a window was smashed in an inspector’s car.

“They didn’t have to kill him,” Makaeo Williams, 18, said as police on motorcycles tracked alongside him. “I’m feeling mad inside. I’m angry. That’s why I’m out here.”

Many in the community contest police allegations that Gray pointed a gun at cops when he was shot during a confrontation with two plainclothes officers on E. 52nd St. Saturday night. Those suspicions on the street intensified Wednesday when an autopsy report revealed Gray was hit by seven bullets — three to the back.

It was not clear in what order the shots struck the teen or whether he had his back to the police when they opened fire.

A witness told the Daily News Tuesday that the youth did not have a gun in his hand. But a police spokesman said the witness told detectives she couldn’t see the incident clearly “from the angle I was at.”

A woman who identified herself as Gray’s cousin told news outlets Wednesday that the teen was carrying a gun for a friend and was trying to alert cops that he had a weapon when he was shot. A loaded .38-caliber revolver was recovered at the scene.

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Anaheim hit by more protests over police shooting

Police officers from Orange County in riot gear walk towards protesters attempting to occupy the corner of Anaheim Blvd. and Broadway to demonstrate against recent police shootings in Anaheim, California July 24, 2012. REUTERS-Alex Gallardo(Reuters) - Protesters broke windows of least a half-dozen storefronts in Anaheim on Tuesday and five people were arrested in the second major clash between police and demonstrators since an officer shot dead an apparently unarmed man.

Tom Tait, mayor of the southern California city, had called on Monday for a state and federal review of the shooting of the man, a suspected gang member.

Over 600 demonstrators gathered at City Hall on Tuesday, where officials were holding a regular meeting, police said.

Some threw patio chairs through the windows of a Starbucks, according to a Reuters witness. No one in the restaurant was injured, said Anaheim police spokesman Sergeant Bob Dunn.

In the same block-long strip mall, at least five other businesses also had windows smashed, according to a Reuters witness. Afterward, officers toting shotguns stood guard in front of the storefronts.

Five people were arrested in the protest and ensuing melee, and one person was injured and taken to hospital, Dunn said. Dozens of officers wielding night sticks faced off against the demonstrators, who at one point threw water bottles and rocks toward the line.

The tensions flared after police shot and killed a man on Saturday afternoon.

Two officers had tried to approach three men in an alley, who fled, Dunn said earlier this week. The officers followed on foot and one caught up to one suspect, police said.

The officer shot the man, who police said they later identified as Manuel Diaz, a known gang member. Diaz was not found to have been carrying a gun, police said.

Police fired pepper pellets at angry residents near the scene of the shooting on Saturday.

Late on Sunday Anaheim officers tried to stop a car and killed a man who police said fled and opened fire on them during a foot chase.

He was the fifth person to die in an officer-involved shooting in Anaheim this year.

Memphis Police Are Illegally Shooting Fleeing Felons, Black Activist Group Charges‏

(Memphis, Tenn.) – Memphis police officers are violating a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that outlaws shooting criminal suspects in the back, according to the organizers of a July 20 protest of the deaths of the six people killed by police or who have died in police custody so far in 2012.

Following a brief press conference, protesters will form a picket line on Friday at City Hall, 125 N. Main St., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Memphis-originated case of  Tennessee v. Garner  that the Memphis Police Department could not fatally shoot criminal suspects unless they could prove their own lives were in danger, and the court said that it was unconstitutional for the police to shoot them in the back,” said JoNina Abron-Ervin, chair of the newly-formed Black Autonomy Federation of Memphis (BAFM), sponsor of the City Hall picket. This so-called  “fleeing felon” act is still being used by Memphis police officials.

Since Feb. 10, six people have been killed by Memphis police or have died in police custody. One of them, Christian Freeman, 19, was shot to death on June 12 downtown on Beale Street. Police said Freeman threatened them with a knife. His family members said Bailey had mental health problems and that police knew this because they had encountered him in April when he was arrested for disorderly conduct.

“The Memphis Police Department has a specially trained unit of over 200 officers to handle cases involving mentally ill people,” Abron-Ervin said. “If they had been called in to talk to Christian Freeman, he might be alive today. Furthermore, if he were white, he would be with his family today.”

Freeman was black. On the same day police killed him, a white man was arrested downtown who had an open knife in his back pocket. He was also described as behaving erratically and was drunk.. The man was arrested without any use of force.

(more…)

March against police terror! March for Marvin, Oleg, and all the victims!

from Queen City Antifa:

Friday, May 6 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Sunken Garden Park
8th and Speer
Denver, Colorado

The police are at war with the people. It’s time for the people to be at war with the police.

9 months ago, jail guards in the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in Denver, murdered a homeless street preacher, Marvin Booker. Videotape of his brutal murder exists, but has never been made public. The Denver District Attorney declined to file charges against the deputies responsible.

No one has faced any justice for Marvin’s murder.
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Join Marvin Booker’s Family for a Press Conference Tomorrow!

from West Denver CopWatch:

Marvin Booker was murdered over seven months ago.  In that time period, the City has failed to discipline the culprits, disclose the video of his murder, and/or hold any of the murderers accountable.

On February 24, 2011, Marvin Booker’s family will be giving a press conference at the District Courthouse at 11am.  We request anyone available to attend the event and join the family in demanding justice for Marvin Booker.

The event is occurring immediately after the family’s attorneys file the lawsuit against the City and County of Denver.

The new courthouse is parallel to the Jail in which Marvin Booker was murdered.  The address is Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, 520 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver.

Though the city has remained silent, Denver citizenry has demonstrated there outrage on numerous occasions.   See videos here, here, and here

See past press conferences by the family here and here

PRESS RELEASE – Lawsuit Filing Marvin Booker v Denver – This is the releases for tomorrow’s press conference

Panel Discussion February 26th: Our Enemy, the Police


From Colorado Indymedia:

It has been seven months since the murder of Marvin Booker and there has been a resurgence of a movement to combat police terror. As we ask questions of where this movement can go from here, we must also come to an understanding of what it is we’re fighting against.

Join panelists from a variety of movement backgrounds and experiences in a discussion of the role of policing and imprisonment in our society and who these forms of social control benefit and why.

Facebook

Saturday, February 26th 4:00pm – 6:00pm
27 Social Centre
2727 W. 27th Ave Unit D (27th and Decatur, 2 blocks east of Federal, alley entrance to building)
Denver, CO

Racist, Homophobic Pig in Douglas County Forced to Resign

Corporate Media:

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A 13-year veteran of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department has resigned after repeatedly posting what his superior described as racist and anti-gay comments using his county computer while on duty.

Lt. Jeff Egnor resigned Tuesday after Douglas County officials confronted him about hundreds of postings on the 7NEWS website, http://www.thedenverchannel.com, and the KUSA-TV website, according to Undersheriff Tony Spurlock.

“A large portion of it was very shocking and inappropriate racial comments, homophobic comments, statements of that nature,” Spurlock said. “Our message is while you’re here we want you to do your job and serve the community the very best that you can. If you have concerns politically, what happens in the world, you have to do it in an appropriate way and not relate it to this county sheriff’s office.”

Posting under the screen name “Abu Mybutt”, Egnor commented on various stories from police shootings to the elimination of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that will let gay soldiers serve openly in the military.

“New miltary slogans: The few, the queer, the Marines! Butt Rangers lead the way! Be as gay as you can be! Aim for a high hard one, Air Force! Join the Navy, see naked men!” Egnor posted on Dec. 20, 2010, misspelling military.

Two similar posts: “Now we have a new weapon against our enemies: the sissy slap! :-P ” and “I hear the Army is forming a new division: The Rump Rangers! :-D .”

Egnor also made comments about religious figures and attacked liberals, saying Democrats are ruining the United States.

Egnor made it clear that he worked in government and when other readers of TheDenverChannel.com complained, 7NEWS filed an open records request to determine who was using the Douglas County Internet Provider address linked to the postings. After the 7NEWS request, Spurlock said superiors confronted Egnor Tuesday morning. He resigned that afternoon.

“He resigned in the middle of the investigation,” Spurlock said. “He was ashamed of what he had been doing while he was on duty.”

Egnor’s postings also attacked liberals and illegal immigrants.

“I have an immigration policy: 12 gauge shotgun!,” he posted on Dec. 18.

“Obviously this loser can’t shoot straight if this woman was able to run out of the house. What an idiot. Just shoot yourself and save the taxpayers the expense. I hope the cops don’t have to shoot him cause all you liberal bed wetters will cry ‘police brutality’! LIBERALS are the problem with this country!” he wrote the same day.

He also commented on stories about sports figures like the arrest of Parrish Cox for sex assault.

“Another member of the ‘thug’ culture that the NFL promotes. You can take the player out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the player! Hey I’ve got a great idea, let’s take a gangbanger from the hood, throw millions of dollars at him, worship him as a god, kiss his butt night and day, let the media slober all over him! Then they are all suddenly shocked when the thug acts like a thug!”

After a story on Carmelo Anthony possibly leaving Denver, Engor wrote: “Send him back to the hood in New York or Jersey. Good riddance.”

And Egnor also mocked Gov. John Hickenlooper and Democrats.

“Just wait till Chickenlooper takes over. It’ll soon be over 9%. Great job voting for democrats Colorado! You people deserve what your gonna get! Unfortunately, the rest of us get bent over too! Why don’t all you libs move back to California since that’s what your trying to turn Colorado into!”

County officials said Egnor’s conduct was a clear violation of county policy on Internet use.

“Once we found out from you and we saw the information on the blogs, we started an official investigation,” Spurlock said.

The county’s policy reads: “Employees may not post, send or transmit information or content to Internet-based social networks or web sites … (that) bring disrepute to the Sheriff’s Office, or content that would otherwise violate the On and Off-Duty Conduct provision contained in section II. U. of P&P-C-101, to wit: Members must not engage in any activity or conduct, on- or off-duty, which discredits them, the County or the Office.”

On some days, Egnor had more than a dozen posts during work hours, which Spurlock said violates the county policy that says work computers are for performance of official job duties.

“The Internet should be used for purposes directly related to the performance of the job function,” the policy said. The policy also says work computers cannot be used to “harass, insult and attack” others and that internal discipline up to termination and possible criminal and civil sanctions could happen to employees who violate the policy.

Spurlock said there were two problems with Egnor’s conduct — that he was posting on county time and the nature of his postings.

“We’re going to look into his performance and his behavior and that he was able to blog that amount was a significant concern to us,” he said.

On Tuesday, Egnor blocked the archive of his comments and changed his screen name to “The Truth Hurts.”

CALL7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski called what we believe was Egnor’s house and went to the residence, but he could not reach Egnor for comment.

Perea resigns as Denver Safety Manager

This comes right after 200 folks from the community rallied outside the new jail demanding Perea’s resignation and justice in the murder of Marvin Booker.

from the Denver Post

Denver Manager of Safety Ron Perea, who has come under fire for his decisions in two police discipline cases, has resigned his post effective Aug. 31, the city announced this afternoon.

“Ron came to Denver with all of the right credentials and experience to lead the Department of Safety,” Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a release. “He feels that the events of the past few days have limited his ability to gain community confidence. “

On Saturday The Denver Post reported Perea, who was hired earlier this year, was being criticized for a ruling in an abuse case that the city’s Independent Police Monitor and Citizen Oversight Board worried could undermine a new discipline system.

He met Friday in a closed-door session with the board and independent monitor Richard Rosenthal to defend his decision to give Officer Eric Sellers a suspension of 45 days without pay for “inappropriate force” and “commission of a deceptive act.”

The board unanimously decided to issue a report disagreeing with Perea’s discipline of Sellers. The board never publicly criticized the decisions of former Safety Manager Al LaCabe during the seven years he held the post.

Roxane White, the mayor’s chief of staff, said late Friday that Perea was “seriously reconsidering his decision.”

David Bruno, the lawyer for the Denver Police Protective Association said Sellers met with Perea earlier today and was told that the earlier decision had been rescinded. He said Sellers was not told what the new decision was.

Bruno said that in his more than 30 years representing police officers in discipline cases, he had never seen one where a decision was rescinded or reopened for investigation.

Perea earlier this month came under fire in a separate, highly publicized case in which he issued light discipline in a police beating caught on video.

Perea previously worked in the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Secret Service and was special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Denver field office, which is responsible for protective and investigative operations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. While in Denver, he was the special agent in charge during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Deputy Manager of Safety Mary Malatesta will take over as interim Manager of Safety until a new Manager can be found, the Mayor’s office said. No timeline has been created for a search process.

GJPD Exposed: A New Blog Tracking Police Brutality in Grand Junction

Grand Junction community members have recently begun the blog GJPD Exposed, which already has numerous articles and videos exposing GJ police abusing and harassing homeless folks in the city.  Visit the blog at

http://gjpdexposed.wordpress.com/

Action Alert: Police Killings in Toronto and South Dakota

STOP THE GENOCIDE OF NATIVE AMERICANS
STOP POLICE BRUTALITY

On May 2nd, in South Dakota a police officer shot to death Christopher J. Capps, a  22 year old Oglala Lakota man at close range.  Three days later Toronto police beat to death Junior Alexander Manon, an 18 year old Dominican man.

Take Action:

*From the Red Shoulder Council-

STOP THE GENOCIDE OF NATIVE AMERICANS
STOP POLICE BRUTALITY

CHRISTOPHER J. CAPPS
22 YEARS OLD – UNARMED LAKOTA MAN
SHOT TO DEATH ON MAY 2ND, 2010
RESPONSIBLE: PENNINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF DEPUTY,
DAVE OLSON
PLEASE CONTACT: DON HOLLOWAY, SHERIFF
PENNINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
300 KANSAS CITY STREET
RAPID CITY, SD 57701
(605) 394-6115
AND
GOVERNOR M. MICHAEL ROUNDS
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
500 EAST CAPITOL AVENUE
PIERRE, SD 57501
(605) 773-3212

JUNIOR ALEXANDER MANON
18 YEARS OLD – UNARMED DOMINICAN MAN
BEATEN TO DEATH ON MAY 5TH
RESPONSIBLE: 4 POLICE OFFICERS FROM TORONTO POLICE DEPARTMENT, 31ST DIVISION
PLEASE CONTACT: CHIEF OF POLICE, WILLIAM BLAIR
TORONTO POLICE SERVICE
40 COLLEGE STREET
TORONTO, ONTARIO, M5G 2J3, CANADA
(416) 808-2222
AND
MAYOR DAVID MILLER
TORONTO CITY HALL
2ND FLOOR
100 QUEEN STREET WEST
TORONTO, ONTARIO, M5H 2N2, CANADA
(416) 397-2489

THESE CRIMES CANNOT GO UNPUNISHED! PLEASE WRITE AND CALL THE ABOVE AND DEMAND THESE OFFICERS BE PUT ON TRIAL FOR MURDER. THESE 2 YOUNG GENTLEMEN WERE UNARMED AND SOBER! THESE CRIMES ARE INEXCUSABLE!

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