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San Jose Police Attempt To Quash Public Debate with Hostile Video
The San Jose Police Department thinks it has found a way to deal with accusations of racial profiling. They've posted on their website a doctored up video of recorded public testimony of one of their most outspoken critics.
Top photo: Raj Jayadev speaks in front of San Jose City Hall at a May 5 anti-police brutality action organized by BASTA.
Top photo: Raj Jayadev speaks in front of San Jose City Hall at a May 5 anti-police brutality action organized by BASTA.
San Jose police are sending a message to anyone who dares to voice an opinion and call for police accountability.
On May 5 at a San Jose City Council Meeting, Raj Jayadev, founder of the watchdog group Silicon Valley deBug, spoke about the deteriorating trust between the San Jose Police Department and the people of San Jose. In his testimony he called for greater citizen oversight of the San Jose Police Department.
The San Jose Police Officers Association (SJPOA) took a copy of Mr. Jayadev's official recorded testimony and had their way with it. Specifically, they turned it over to a PR firm they have hired to discredit critics of the police department. That group produced an altered version of the video for the SJPOA website. The altered video attempts to attack Raj Jayadev's credibility, making snide comments about his clothing and use of colloquial language, and adding in quotes from City Council members taken out of context. It can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SanJosePOA
George Beattie of the San Jose POA, was asked about the controversial video on June 5 by a corporate media (KTVU-TV) reporter. The reporter questioned the need to ridicule people offering testimony at City Council. Beattie said, "it just presents another side to the story". When asked by the reporter if the video wasn't, in fact, condescending, Beattie dodged the question commenting, "people can draw their own conclusion."
Raj Jayadev said police are attempting to send a clear message by posting the video on the internet: Don't talk about the police or you'll be targeted. Other community members say that the police department is discouraging free speech, showing bias, and otherwise behaving in a highly unprofessional manner.
A San Jose resident, preferring to remain anonymous, said that he would like to go in front of San Jose City Council and argue against the well-known practice of targeting Latinos for arrest (as documented in a recent series of articles in the San Jose Mercury) "but I have to live here and the police have shown that they are willing to target complainers and harass them."
The San Jose Peace and Justice Center has gone on record as saying they are appalled at the posting of such a video, the latest in the police department's efforts to discredit their critics. They have asked that San Jose City Council issue an official motion of censure against the SJPOA. They also are calling upon the council to strengthen institutions of police accountability and facilitate public participation in these initiatives without fear of reprisal by the police. They asked that the city, "pursue all means to ensure the safety of Raj Jayadev and members of minority communities who are all too often victims of a racist and hostile police force".
More specifically the San Jose Peace and Justice Center wants City Council members Pete Constant and Ash Kalra, whose comments were used by the SJPOA in the video, to explicitly disassociate themselves from the video and the actions of the SJPOA.
At the most recent San Jose City Council meeting on June 2 more than 30 community members spoke out against the latest police tactics to intimidate their critics. The public forum lasted over an hour and included representatives from the Asian Law Alliance, CHAM Deliverance Ministry, Coalition for Justice and Accountability, and San Jose Cop Watch, amongst others. Attorney Aram James called upon the protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and community activist Liz Gonzalez said that the SJPOA and the city administration appear to have abandoned their ideals of public service.
According to Jayadev, the SJPOA characterized community members who gathered on June 5 at a BASTA organized "Stop Criminalizing Latinos" rally as a “threat” and called them “thugs” who “attempt to get their way by threatening anyone who opposes them with physical violence” and engage in “criminal behavior”. In fact, the rally included a group of Catholic nuns, families with children, and peace activists. Previous indybay coverage of that rally shows a peaceful crowd...watched from a short distance away by San Jose mounted police.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/05/18592985.php
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/06/18593197.php
On May 5 at a San Jose City Council Meeting, Raj Jayadev, founder of the watchdog group Silicon Valley deBug, spoke about the deteriorating trust between the San Jose Police Department and the people of San Jose. In his testimony he called for greater citizen oversight of the San Jose Police Department.
The San Jose Police Officers Association (SJPOA) took a copy of Mr. Jayadev's official recorded testimony and had their way with it. Specifically, they turned it over to a PR firm they have hired to discredit critics of the police department. That group produced an altered version of the video for the SJPOA website. The altered video attempts to attack Raj Jayadev's credibility, making snide comments about his clothing and use of colloquial language, and adding in quotes from City Council members taken out of context. It can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SanJosePOA
George Beattie of the San Jose POA, was asked about the controversial video on June 5 by a corporate media (KTVU-TV) reporter. The reporter questioned the need to ridicule people offering testimony at City Council. Beattie said, "it just presents another side to the story". When asked by the reporter if the video wasn't, in fact, condescending, Beattie dodged the question commenting, "people can draw their own conclusion."
Raj Jayadev said police are attempting to send a clear message by posting the video on the internet: Don't talk about the police or you'll be targeted. Other community members say that the police department is discouraging free speech, showing bias, and otherwise behaving in a highly unprofessional manner.
A San Jose resident, preferring to remain anonymous, said that he would like to go in front of San Jose City Council and argue against the well-known practice of targeting Latinos for arrest (as documented in a recent series of articles in the San Jose Mercury) "but I have to live here and the police have shown that they are willing to target complainers and harass them."
The San Jose Peace and Justice Center has gone on record as saying they are appalled at the posting of such a video, the latest in the police department's efforts to discredit their critics. They have asked that San Jose City Council issue an official motion of censure against the SJPOA. They also are calling upon the council to strengthen institutions of police accountability and facilitate public participation in these initiatives without fear of reprisal by the police. They asked that the city, "pursue all means to ensure the safety of Raj Jayadev and members of minority communities who are all too often victims of a racist and hostile police force".
More specifically the San Jose Peace and Justice Center wants City Council members Pete Constant and Ash Kalra, whose comments were used by the SJPOA in the video, to explicitly disassociate themselves from the video and the actions of the SJPOA.
At the most recent San Jose City Council meeting on June 2 more than 30 community members spoke out against the latest police tactics to intimidate their critics. The public forum lasted over an hour and included representatives from the Asian Law Alliance, CHAM Deliverance Ministry, Coalition for Justice and Accountability, and San Jose Cop Watch, amongst others. Attorney Aram James called upon the protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and community activist Liz Gonzalez said that the SJPOA and the city administration appear to have abandoned their ideals of public service.
According to Jayadev, the SJPOA characterized community members who gathered on June 5 at a BASTA organized "Stop Criminalizing Latinos" rally as a “threat” and called them “thugs” who “attempt to get their way by threatening anyone who opposes them with physical violence” and engage in “criminal behavior”. In fact, the rally included a group of Catholic nuns, families with children, and peace activists. Previous indybay coverage of that rally shows a peaceful crowd...watched from a short distance away by San Jose mounted police.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/05/18592985.php
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/06/18593197.php
For more information:
http://www.sanjosepeace.org
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