SF Police Commission hearing 9-21-05 on Camerin Boyd's case

(From Marylon Boyd, mother of Cammerin Boyd, disabled Black youth murdered by SFPD on 5-5-04)

THE first hearing on the OCC charges in the Cammerin Boyd case was
continued again.

Now it is set for Wednesday, September 21, 2005, please join us at the
Police Commission and hear the OCC charges brought against Officers
O'Malley, Sweeney, Paine, and Dimaposoc, who killed or tried to kill
Cammerin Boyd. We will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall
at 5:00 p.m. just before the hearing.

We hope that the Community and all those who want to see change and
accountability will support us by being present at the hearing and by making
public comments demanding disciplinary charges against the officers.

Date: September 21, 2005
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: City Hall, Room 400, Polk St.
Press Conference: 5:00 p.m steps
of City Hall

Bring signs and friends.

Also, remember what happened in the Nelson hearing this last August,2005.
This is the officer that used his baton to brake Ms. Vaccarezza's arm during
an anti-war protest. Even though there was a video tape showing this man
beating her, and that she was no threat to his safety or any one else, the
Police Commission still voted to not uphold the OCC charges against this
man. The beating took place 2 years ago. The hearing just happened in
August, 2005. Commissioners Chan, Keane and Orr-Smith voted not to uphold
the OCC charges that Nelson acted unreasonably. These three Commissioners
(Chan, Keane and Orr-Smith voted in favor of the police and the POA even
though the City Attorney last year determined that Officer Nelson's conduct
was unreasonable). Commissioners Renne and Marshall voted to uphold the
charges and the City Attorney's decision. So you see, the decision not to
discipline Nelson is in essence still turning a blind eye so that the
"rubber stamping" continues.

Commissioner Keane is quoted in the chronicle as saying even though the
video tape clearly shows Ms. Vacarezza did not pose a threat to Nelson, and
Nelson continued to beat her while she was on the ground, that he would not
believe what is shown in the video over what Nelson's superior officers
believed occurred. Keane says he relied on Nelson's superivisors opinions
that Nelson's conduct was reasonable. Nelson should have been fired and
he wasn't. Maybe Keane did not really say this and he has been misquoted by
the paper, however that is exactly what occurred.

Nelson was cleared even though he has a history of beating people and
injuring them. He has numerous complaints about his conduct. SFPD does not
have a working "warning system" for notifying the Chief and its commending
officers of when an Officer has a history of abusive conduct. If they did,
then the Police Commission should be ashamed of approving Nelson's conduct.
They just gave Nelson the go ahead to continue using abusive conduct.

Commissioner Chan is assigned to the Cammerin Boyd case. He's in charge of
assembling the evidence that the Commission will review.

We can make a difference. We must continue the Campaign for
accountability. Peace Marylon