top
Central Valley
Central Valley
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Homeless Man Beaten by Fresno Police Officers

by Mike Rhodes (editor [at] fresnoalliance.com)
A powerful video, taken by someone who was in the right place at the right time, was shot yesterday (Monday, January 9, 2009) of a Fresno Police officer beating a homeless person.
thumbnail.jpg
A powerful video, taken by someone who was in the right place at the right time, was shot yesterday (Monday, January 9, 2009) of a Fresno Police officer beating a homeless person. Community activists are organizing a press conference for Wednesday to demand police accountability.

The original (raw) video is here:
http://www.ksee24.com/home/video/39384717.html?video=YHI&t=a

The KSEE news story is here:
http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/39403357.html?video=YHI&t=a
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by veillifter
...of Police brutality. Violence will not change the system. The people need to rise up as One.
by video here
Copy the code below to embed this movie into a web page:
Here's the first bit with the beating. If you watch the whole thing at the URL above, it looks like the cops hurt his hand punching the man so many times. Also, you can see the cop noticing the video camera and resisting his urge to keep punching the man.
by (A)
do they ever rest do they ever fucking stop beating down people,

even after the fucking cop was relesed in the oscar grant case nothing happend.. now more pigs beating the people and protecting the state. thank you to the guy who cought this on camera so we can all get anouther little spark and maybe next time we go to oakland, san francisco it wont be the poor mom and pop stores trashed it will be the police who burn maybe it will expand beond the bay

fight fire with motherfuckin fire!
by (A)
now this kind of crap needs to stop
This is just like when Officers Michael Jose Urbina, Sharnice Gartrell and Naima Reed beat up a woman at Reagan National Airport. For the last 2 years since they brutally attacked her, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police have pressed a barrage of fake charges against her to somehow justify the beating. She has permanent brain damage as a result of the concussion blow Officer Michael Urbina gave her when he slammed her head into a metal table with his forearm.

There needs to be a federal agent assigned to policing the police. The police chief's strategy of covering up or providing lame excuses condoning police brutality does us all a disservice. They are incapable of policing their own.
by crockford
Copy the code below to embed this movie into a web page:
KSEE Fresno Channel 24 newscast with interview with Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.
of course the cop in the news interview offers statements about beating victim being drunk and unwilling to answer questions and suggesting he invited this attack by the cops. they also managed to dig up a prior arrest of this guy and publicly release it to smear the victim.

none of that matters. just like with Tony Pirone, what happens prior is irrelevant (and likely an official lie anyway). when a suspect is not resisting or putting up a fight -- what we see on camera -- the cops have no reason to punch, taze, whatever people. they are supposed to be professional, not street brawlers with anger management issues

with more crap like this being caught on video, when are people going to start believing their lying eyes and stop listening to police self-justification for brutality?

by Abe
Fresno PD don't even pretend anymore. The classic "to protect and to serve" has been replaced by "professional, effective and timely" on all the cars. These guys are nothing more than mercenaries.
We need to all join together to fight these bastards and murderers so we can make our streets safe.
by anarchist
can this please be put on the front page
by d
puinch a copp back in his face
by .
k[[[ the pol..e
by an editor
Not sure what you'd want to see on the front page. We write center column stories about things that were posted to this site. The video came from a corporate news source, which might even have a problem with it being on this site (?).

The purpose of this site is to get people to "Make Media, Make Trouble," so please get out there and cover stuff!
by Mike
Another brutal engagement in the greater War on the American Citizen...

http://truthalert.net/Police%20Militarization%20and%20the%20War%20on%20the%20American%20Citizen.htm
by anarchist
well i generally would like this topic to stay on the front page because things have a way of making it into the back pages and never being seen again
by Wanting to see some action!
If this had happened in the Bay Area it would have been put on the top front page of IMC/SF but it's Fresno so I'm sure Fresno has it on every front page. There needs to be some community action over there just like there was community action over here in the Bay Area for the murder of Oscar Grant or better yet to put it, the execution of Oscar Grant!

Speaking of of Oscar Grant; where the fuck is the response to Maserly's release out of Santa Rita Jail? What, does the movement no longer care about the family? Did everybody forget? That's hella fucked up. Everytime something happens i have to always be the one to egg people on to stand up and fight an injustice to get something done. Where is the back bone? Come on sheeple?
Stand up Man up and FIGHT!

Organizations should have been on it with "Emergency Protests" in Oakland the minute we all found out of his release. I was in Oakland marching with out a permit when the executioner was released out of Santa Rita Jail. Why bail was even given granted, you all know; Favoritism and Racism!

Anyway, the only thing we can do now is to encourage one another to start up a ruckas on the same block the man was beat or killed everytime the police get caught beating and killing for no reason at all using excessive force! I hope the homeless man who's life is already in the shithole feels better soon and is also avenged and someone with decency will find a heart to represent him in court and charge the cop guilty we all know it's an open shut case and if the courts don't get him then we should and compensate the guy who obviously needs some compensation.

The fact that we are the richest country in the world but will not take care of people who are out on the street is a travisty and that's another reason why I hate this country!! This place is fucked up! The American Dream is a lie.

FUCK THE USA!

by organize Freseno now!
Yeah, I agree with anarchist, this does need to be on the front page as a headliner for Indybay. There are already 14 comments on this. Big time story to report on. I was also wondering if there are any protests being planned around this in Fresno? Things need to get rockin' and we need to tell these pigs that we won't tolerate their brutality PERIOD!

Fuck the police state!
by d.i.y. @.......
remember kids, indymedia is not about telling other people what they should do! if you value indybay, then CONTRIBUTE to indybay. Get involved. If you are already involved by publishing articles or thoughtful comments, then GET MORE INVOLVED!

Guess what, the Fresno pigs are probably abusing somebody right now! Talk with people and document stories. Talk to people about indybay, and if needed, teach them how to get their story out, in their own words, using indybay.

If you want to organize Fresno now, then take action yourself and with friends, but don't try and be a director.

You being called out, here on indybay, now what are you going to do about it?

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/12/19/17105181.php
by anarchist
im not trying to play director, just saying itd be great if it was put on the front page. if someone wants to give me admin privileges to do it i'll do it.

but i hardly think thats necessary.
by Mike Rhodes (editor [at] fresnoalliance.com)
Below are details about what we are doing to organize a response to this situation in Fresno. I will report back on Thursday and expect to move the story to the front page at that time.

*****************************************************************

URGENT!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! We need to join the groups listed below in unity. The people that are suppose to be protecting us are beating and killing us. Read the message and check out the video of the FPD viciously beating a homeless man.

CCCJC, PMP, M.E.Ch.A., MAPA, and Fresno Area ACLU are calling an emergency meeting Wednesday night, 2/11/09, to plan a united response and call for action due to recent police activity in Fresno, including Tuesday's beating of a homeless man as seen on KSEE24 News.

The meeting will take place at the PMP office, 1055 N Van Ness Ave, Suite D, just south of Olive. The time is 7:00 pm. The response will most likely include a press conference on Thursday.
by b
some people are not able to deal with police violence.some action of reciprocity must and will take place,even if it means searching for police family members and monitoring them.ENOUGH!
by 'someone else'
"if someone wants to give me admin privileges to do it i'll do it. but i hardly think thats necessary."

You hardly think that's necessary, yet you want someone else to do it (for you). Why don't YOU, anarchist, write a feature article for indybay? Seriously. No bullshit. Why don't you do something. Don't tell me that I should do it or 'someone else' should do it. Mutual aid and solidarity are more than words. Anyone can sign their name as anarchist. Less talk, more action.

Besides a couple comments telling other people what you think should be done, what have you contributed to indybay? Yes, I think it is necessary for you to do more than comment.

Publish news to the newswire. Write the text for a center column feature and propose it to indybay's web collective by emailing sfbay-web [at] lists.indymedia.org. Come to an indybay meeting. And yes, get yourself indybay admin privileges so you can help post center column features.
by anarchist
what the hell are you even talking about?

this story seems like something that is important, and i thought it would be great if it could get a place of its own on the front page.

i have submitted things to the newswire and i do do a lot of work within the larger anarchist project.

jesus christ.

i just dont see why my activist credentials or whatever come into play.

this is an important issue, that shouldnt be left to rot in the back pages.
by 'someone else'
indybay is the local IMC for a large part of central and northern CA, yet indybay only has a handful of active editorial volunteers. what you apparently take for granted, the creation of center column features, actually takes a lot of individual and group effort. you ask what the hell i'm talking about. i'm saying that if you have time to comment, then you have time to actually help. here are three simple and clear suggestions: "(1) Write the text for a center column feature and (2) propose it to indybay's web collective by emailing sfbay-web [at] lists.indymedia.org. (3) Come to an indybay meeting." Is there something here that you do not understand? You do not need to need to be a site admin for any of that.

as you say, this is an important issue that should not rot in the back pages. but we all know this incident, this issue, is systemic and it is not going anyway. if you value indybay as a resource for getting out information, etc... then sustain indybay by volunteering your time and effort. the next step to take after submitting coverage to the newswire is to help write the text for a feature. ideally, someone in Humboldt will write the text for the feature about something in Humboldt. Whereas someone in Madera or Fresno will write the text for a feature about Madera. Clarity: organize indybay in your community. write the text for features about news in the community where you currently reside.

for this feature, Mike Rhodes already commented saying, "I will report back on Thursday and expect to move the story to the front page at that time."

next time the pigs are caught punching, kicking or shooting someone, let's not repeat this discussion in the comment thread. take action now to prepare for the unwritten future. it's really not that hard to draft up some specific text and propose it as a feature. hopefully you now understand what the hell i am talking about.
by Organize Fresno now!
No one here is trying to be a director or dictator. Anarchist and myself were just suggesting that things like this story being on the front page and a protest being organized should be done. We were giving our suggestions not trying order people around or anything like that. Ideas become realities when people begin sharing their ideas and start making suggestions. That is all anarchist and myself were doing, not trying to boss anyone around, give orders or become director or dictator, or whatever! Damn, relax and let's stop the pointless bickering and start talking so we can get organized! It is important time and important work needs to be done to stand up against this brutal police state. We don't need drama, starting stupid fights and making over-critical statements like the one your's DIY.

Chill out!
by dime a dozen
suggestions are swell. how about, instead of making a suggestion in the comments, YOU WRITE A FEATURE. I'm trying to help you and other people get involved, beyond making suggestions. Bust out with the 5 Ws. Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. If you want to see something done, please, take action and do it yourself. Why is this difficult to explain to anarchists?
Mike has been courageously reporting on the attacks of the Homeless for over 6 years.
this is a link to stories that have been posted before:

http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/homelessness.htm

Read about Pam Kincaid.. I carried a poster with her name in St. Paul, MN as we where surrounded and some arrested by cops in riot gear.

One story after another and no one has investigated the (at the time) Mayor Alan Autry's office, Chief Dyer, or Sheriff. There have been lawsuits, but still the Homeless are attacked.

And the activists in Fresno have been trying to fight what has and is still being done to the Homeless. Unlike the L.A. and Bay Area they don't have as many finacial and other resources.
Failure has been the apathy from those in the Bay Area and L.A.... as long as you don't have to deal with it who cares?
In St. Paul, several years a go I went up to speak to Tom Hayden, to ask for his help in Fresno. (Like I do to many people, especially big name people) and he told me to my face when I gave him one of Mike's Community Alliance articles on the attacks of the Homeless..
Hayden said "I can't waste my time with them " (central valley). I then said: How can you say that ?, we need your help, they need your help.. they (the activists) are fighting to stop the attacks but need help from other areas" You are preaching to the choir in San Francisco, why don't you come to where the real battles are. " You are just going to leave them hanging?"
he was walking away and then said: "give it up, they are a waste of time, look what happened to Chavez".

*** So if you want to help... Call CA Attorney General and demand he send a team to investigate the Fresno P.D. and while he is at it.. release the previous AG's report of the spying of Peace Fresno.

Attorney General Gerry Brown.
Voice: (916) 322-3360 or

(Toll-free in CA)

(800) 952-5225

Attorney General's Office

California Department of Justice

Attn: Public Inquiry Unit

P.O. Box 944255

Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
by seanschmidt
We've got to get together! Police Brutality, a product of Capitalism, is my biggest pet peeve. The same thing is going on overseas with our Armed Forces, only on a larger scale! Capitalism is Fashist/Terrorist, ever wonder what early Nazie germany was like? You're seeing it Here, NOW! Who are the Shakers and Movers in our area?
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network