Long Beach rally against police repression - 6/2

From: The Long Beach Anarchist Defense Committee
Contact: 562-434-6934
684 Redondo Ave
Long Beach CA 90814
Attorney: James DeMaegt (310) 673-4302

ATTENTION NEWS DESK; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANARCHISTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS WILL HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
CONCERNING THE CURRENT CASE OF JAILED ANARCHIST, MATTHEW LAMONT, AND THE LONG
BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF LOCAL
ACTIVISTS!




Matthew Lamont was arrested on April 20th 2002 in La Habra [Orange County]
with a juvenile, while the juvenile was driving. The car was pulled over when
La Habra officers allegedly "smelled gasoline." Both La Habra Police AND Long
Beach Detectives then searched the car on the scene.
Long Beach detectives had been monitoring and following him that day and had
been conducting surveillance for a long period of time prior to the day of
his arrest.

It is alleged that he had a "bomb" but there was in fact no bomb, it is
alleged that he used a bomb, when in fact there was no explosion, it is
alleged that he was on his way to a nazi rally to protest them, but in fact
there was no nazi rally or protest. And it is alleged that he has committed a
hate crime, when in fact, there are no crimes and no victims.

The Long Beach Police Department has been conducting surveillance on local
anarchist activists with no probable cause and they have coerced Orange
County into prosecuting Lamont due to his vocal political activism and his
exercise of First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. He was an
active participant in the group Food Not Bombs that serves free vegetarian
food to the homeless to protest poverty; and Copwatch, a community group that
monitors police conduct and documents abuses; and he helped to organize a
peaceful demonstration in Long Beach to protest the police shooting of an
elderly, mentally ill African American woman, Marcella Byrd only a few months
ago.

JOIN THE LONG BEACH ANARCHIST DEFENSE COMMITTEE IN LONG BEACH

WHERE: LINCOLN PARK (First and Pacific) In Down Town Long Beach
WHEN: This Sunday, June 2nd at 12:00 Noon

PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT MATT LAMONTâ??S CASE, THEN CONTINUE ON A MARCH TO THE
LONG BEACH POLICE STATION [AT FIRST AND LONG BEACH BLVD] TO CONTINUE TO SPEAK
ABOUT THE LONG BEACH POLICE CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE THE CIVIL LIBERTIES AND
LEGAL RIGHTS OF ACTIVISTS IN LONG BEACH. THE LONG BEACH POLICE ARE OUT OF
CONTROL AND WE EXPECT AN OVER REACTION, EVEN TO THIS PRESS CONFERENCE AND
LEGAL PEACEFULL DEMONSTRATION! SPEAK TO LAMONTâ??S SUPPORTERS, MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY, BLACK BLOC ANARCHISTS, AND ATTORNEYS ON THE CASE!