On June 21st, the Israeli State Prosecutor ordered Israeli police to start an investigation of the Indymedia Israel collective and website. At the heart of the investigation is an article posted to the site with a picture of a soldier who, according to witnesses, murdered Bassam Abdallah Abu Rahma. The posting with the heading "murderer" asks for the name of that soldier so that he can face murder charges. Abu Rahma, a prominent organizer of the demonstrations against the apartheid wall in Bil'in, was shot and killed on April 17th during the weekly demonstration by a gas canister. He did not pose any threat to the soldiers, who were guarding a wall that was determined to be illegal by Israel's High Court two years ago.

Instead of investigating the murder of Abu Rahma, the Israeli prosecutor has determined (without a trial where witnesses can come and testify) that the soldier in the picture did not shot Abu Raham, and that the Indymedia Israel collective should be investigated for "insulting a public worker".

Read More | A Sniper in the Israeli Military kills Yousef Akil Srour, Naalin, West Bank | Weekly demonstration against the wall | As Tristan Anderson Fights for His Life, Protests in Ni'ilin Continue

After two small print-runs for the San Francisco and New York Anarchist Book Fairs, a magazine entitled Unfinished Acts: January Rebellions is now available on Indybay in digital format. Unfinished Acts is a collective recounting and analysis of events surrounding the shooting of the unarmed, 22-year-old Oscar Grant III by BART police officers during the first hours of 2009 on the platform of the Fruitvale station. The 32-page magazine was written collectively by a group of anarchists who were and still are actively present in the rebellion.

The authors write: "We were in the streets during the spontaneous uprising in downtown Oakland on January 7th where numerous cars were torched and businesses were smashed during militant standoffs with the Oakland Police Department. We were in the many demos since, attended countless 'community meetings' at locations ranging from Black churches to art gallery spaces to anarchist co-ops, and organized support and solidarity for those who were arrested during confrontational actions. In those free moments, which barely exist, we have put together this exposé on the events so far (as the story is still unfolding) and would like to share it with you."

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On May 5 at a San José City Council Meeting, Raj Jayadev, founder of the watchdog group Silicon Valley deBug, spoke about the deteriorating trust between the San José 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 José 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.

On June 8, two City Council members, Sam Liccardo and Ash Kalra, quickly denounced inflammatory statements as well as the video on the police union website. The Council members noted that activist Raj Jayadev's testimony was incorrectly characterized as a threat, and signed a letter stating that, "First Amendment freedoms may be chilled when dissent is characterized as threats". Community activists are calling on Police Chief Rob Davis, Mayor Chuck Reed and the rest of the city council to join in disavowing the police union's response to its critics.

Read more | Council Members Take Police to Task for Targeting Activists | Complete Text of Council Members' Letter | Silicon Valley deBug

The Fresno police department has finally identified the officers who were captured on videotape in the February beating of a homeless man. But the department has been slow in proceeding with its promised investigation of the police beating. Glen Beaty, meanwhile, remains in jail on charges of violating parole.

On February 9th, Beaty, who witnesses say was sleeping under a tree, was awakened by two Fresno Police officers. A video recording of the incident shows one officer holding him on the ground while the other officer repeatedly punches him in the face. The two officers finally have been identified as Jeff Gross, a seven year veteran and Scott Payn, who has 10 years with the police department. Their names were released in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU attorney Michael Richer said, "we're glad that the city finally, after three months of illegal delay, released the names of the officers involved in the Beaty incident. But it is unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to get the government to follow the law. It's also unfortunate that the city is still refusing to abandon its illegal policy of refusing to obey the clear deadlines of the Public Records Act. As a result, this lawsuit, which should not have been necessary in the first place, is still far from over."

Meanwhile, Beaty was recently in Fresno Superior Court for a placement hearing to determine what happens to him next. He's been in jail for over three months on charges of allegedly violating parole. Beaty's attorney Peter Kapetan said, "the jail assessment team has determined that Mr. Beaty be held in a secure facility until he is restored to competency. What the court asked is that he is voluntarily willing to take medication and Mr. Beaty will not commit to that until he knows what the medication is. So, the court has appointed a psychiatrist to advise the court as to what psychiatric medications they think Mr. Beaty should be taking."

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Previous Related Indybay Feature: Community Groups Respond to Fresno Police Beating of Homeless Man (Video)

On Saturday, June 6th, a candlelight vigil and march for Luis Gutierrez Navarro, a farm worker killed by undercover police officers, was held at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Woodland, CA. On April 30th, twenty-six-year old Luis Gutierrez was walking home from the Woodland DMV after taking a Driver's License test when he was approached by three undercover Yolo County Sheriff's deputies who shot six bullets, killing him in broad daylight.

Though Gutierrez had no police record and was not known to belong to any gang, he was stopped by the Yolo County Gang Task Force -- a unit known widely among Latinos and civil rights activists for harassing, and often violently repressing, Latino youth. The county-wide Gang Task Force includes police departments in Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and Woodland, as well as the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department.

Police involved in the shooting initially claimed that they fired four gunshots after Gutierrez charged them, brandishing a knife. A coroner's report, however, revealed that the officers fired six shots, including one through his back which killed him.

Read More | Hundreds Attend Vigil and March for Luis Gutierrez

Community Meeting Demands Justice for Luis Gutierrez | The Shooting of Luis Gutierrez and the Struggle for Justice in Yolo County | Sacramento Labor Council for Latin American Advancement - AFL-CIO

When San José police shot and killed 27-year-old Daniel Pham in his own backyard last month, many San Jose residents immediately recalled an eerily similar situation 6 years ago when another Vietnamese immigrant, Cau Bich Tran, was also killed by police in her home. In the recent incident, relatives were shouting “don’t kill him, he’s mentally ill!" Yet Daniel Pham was shot and killed within 3 minutes of police response to a call asking for assistance because the victim had brandished a knife.  In the instance 6 years ago, officers arrived at Cau Bich Tran's house in San José, responding to a domestic disturbance call. They shot her after mistaking her vegetable peeler for a cleaver.

Public outcry surrounding Tran’s killing in 2003 created a new policy requiring the city's Independent Police Auditor to review officer involved shootings. But there will be no such review in the case of last month's killing of Daniel Pham. The policy was rescinded by a controversial opinion offered by City Attorney Richard Doyle in 2007.

Today the city of San José faces a new round of public scrutiny. City officials came under criticism for trying to hire the brother of a city police officer as the city's Independent Police Auditor last month, and the police department is being legally challenged over its high rate of arresting Latinos on charges of public intoxication. City policies are being questioned and the public is demanding more input into the process as the City Council begins another effort to find a new top cop watcher. Read more

The preliminary hearing in the trial of Johannes Mehserle for the murder of Oscar Grant III on January 1st, 2009 began on Monday, May 18th at the Alameda County court house. To be decided in the preliminary hearings were such issues as if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial of Johannes Mehserle or if the murder charges should remain or be reduced, and so forth. Indybay has thorough reports from inside the court room during the entire hearing, with defense and prosecuting attorneys presenting video evidence and questioning witnesses as they established their cases. BART police officers testifying tried to show that they were in danger and fearful at the time of the shooting, but video evidence, as well as their own contradictory statements, repeatedly showed them to be lying.

Outside the court house, demonstrators gathered in the mornings and afternoons in order to press for an effective prosecution of Johannes Mehserle, for justice for Oscar Grant and other victims of police violence. Activists noted that if a conviction cannot be secured for a police officer who shoots a citizen in the back on video, then police everywhere can act with impunity and no community will be safe from police abuse. The hearing concluded on June 4th when Judge Clay declared that Mehserle will stand trial for murder. The family of Oscar Grant gratefully acknowledged community activists and supporters who rallied at the court house.

June 18th Update: Notes on the Mehserle Arraignment of 6/18/09

June 3rd-4th: Reports from Inside the Courtroom June 3rd-4th | The People vs. Johannes Mehserle: Days 6 & 7 | Family of Oscar Grant Celebrates Victory, Mehserle to Face Murder Charge, 6/4/09

May 26th-27th: Photos | Reports from Inside the Courtroom May 26th-27th | Town Hall Reports from Inside Mehserle Hearing, 5/30/09

May 18th-20th: Video | Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Reports: Reports from Inside the Courtroom May 18th-20th | Message of Thanks from the Family of Oscar Grant | Killer Cop Going To Court All Week

Previous Trial-Related Indybay Feature: BART Officer Who Shot Oscar Grant Has Bail Set At $3 Million

Also See: Town Hall on Mehserle, BART, NOBLE, Meyers-Nave, & OPD's Jimenez, Oakland, 6/20/09 | Murdering Cop to Face Murder Charges… The Struggle Continues | Town Hall for Justice for Oscar Grant, Oakland, 6/13/09 | Town Hall for Justice on Victory of Murder Charge for Mehserle, 6/6/09 | Reflections on Courtroom Conditions at the Mehserle Trial | The Murder of Oscar Grant and the Continuing Struggle for Justice | Cop faces murder trial in Oscar Grant case | Mehserle gets murder charges! | Town Hall Reports from Inside Mehserle Hearing & Orloff Recall, 5/30/09 | Town Hall for Justice on Mehserle Hearing, BART Review, & Caravan, 5/23/09 | Week One Oakland Report: Hearing for Killer Cop Mehserle! | The People Vs. Mehserle Teach-In | A badge is not a license to murder: Make sure the murderer Mehserle is charged with murder | Free the Minister of Information JR! Convict killer cop Johannes Mehserle! | Town Hall for Justice on BART Review, Mehserle Hearing, & Recall, 5/16/09

In 1991 Troy Davis was found guilty of murdering an off-duty policeman and sentenced to death in the state of Georgia, despite a total lack physical evidence. The bulk of the prosecutor’s evidence presented at Davis' trial was based primarily on that of prosecution witnesses who later recanted their testimony. Most of the witnesses have claimed repeatedly that they were pressured by police to point to Davis as the perpetrator. So far, no court has been willing to hear the new evidence. He lost his most recent appeal and his execution date is expected to be set soon.

On Tuesday May 19, activists in Fresno sang solemnly and carried placards calling out for re-consideration of the case and elimination of the death penalty. In Palo Alto, members of Amnesty International Chapter 19 gathered signatures for clemency in the city's downtown Lytton Plaza. They were encouraged by an outpouring of support from citizens of all ages in the busy city square.

Palo Alto Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Fresno Photos and Video | Amnesty International Vigil in L.A.

See also: Martina Davis-Correia, Sister of Troy Davis, Speaks at ILWU Event on Racism, Repression and Rebellion | Martina Davis-Correia Speaks at Townhall Meeting on Oscar Grant and Police Terror | Amnesty International

With Mexican flags and music, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in San José on May 3rd with the usual pride and enthusiasm. People were just trying to have some safe fun driving slowly down Santa Clara Street, the main thoroughfare from Mexican Heritage Plaza and the east side of the city into downtown. Some were showing off their lowriders and colors of Mexico. Others came by foot, bicycle, bus, and lightrail. The crowds were smaller than previous years, but that did not stop San José police from targeting Latinos.

Indybay contributor Sharat G. Lin walked along Santa Clara Street from Fourth Street to Market Street for a half hour from approximately 6:10pm to 6:40pm and again from about 7:10pm to 7:40pm. Standing well out of the way of police and the stopped vehicles, Sharat photographed each incident to document the police stop and also to let police know that they were being monitored.

During those two half-hour intervals on four blocks of Santa Clara Street, there were no fewer than 14 separate cars stopped by San José police in what appeared to be deliberate fishing expeditions. This amounts to nearly one stop every four minutes. Read more and view photos

Ciaran Dubhuidhe writes: We Americans like to think of ourselves as civilized people. Ugly things like genocide, torture, naked aggression, raping, pillaging, and scorched earth policies are things that others do, not us. Since we are so good and virginal in every sense, we reason that others hate us only because of our goodness and purity. If they knew the truth about us, we think, they would love us.

Yet, if this is so, why is it that we need to hide from the world the activities of our soldiers and intelligence agents over seas? Why cannot we, the “liberators” of Iraq, show the world the lovely photos of our soldiers at work Abu Ghraib? Why must the CIA consider destroying the records of American conduct in the prisons at Guantanamo? We are so pure, clean, honorable, and all, aren't we? What have we got to worry about?

Could it be that those baby faced soldiers we praise and pay tribute to are not as honorable as we would like to believe? According to the latest body keeping the Oval Office seat warm, release of photos showing the activities of our soldiers, activities ordered by George Bush and Dick Cheney, would make the world hate us more than they already do and would, as a consequence, endanger the lives of our soldiers.

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Public service announcement by the SF Bay Area IMC collective: While anonymous posting may seem anonymous, it is easy for the federal government to monitor web traffic even when it is said to be secure by web browsers. Posting from public computers is one way to remain anonymous, but many of those facilities can be monitored and themselves face serious risks if threats or illegal posts are traced back to them.

Indybay contributors should consider wider legal ramifications before posting photos or accounts of people engaged in illegal activities. It may be possible for the authorities to identify individuals depicted in photos, videos, and reports posted to the website, either through the posts themselves or by cross-referencing with other sources.

These warnings are not intended to discourage postings which document the results of illegal actions after the fact or of police engaged in illegal actions, such as brutality and murder. Read more

A Fresno homeless advocate has been sent a letter from Homeland Security, informing him that his attempts to help the homeless have been "brought to the attention of the Police Department's Terrorism Liaison Officers." The unwanted attention of the Homeland Security anti-terrorism group followed a City of Fresno "clean up" of a homeless encampment on the Mariposa Mall in downtown Fresno.

Several homeless advocates monitored the "clean up" and removal of homeless people's property on the morning of April 22, 2009 by City Sanitation Workers. "Clean ups" at the Mariposa Mall site, just west of Fresno City Hall, are conducted about once a month. City Sanitation puts up signs announcing the date of the clean up, most of the homeless people move out shortly before they arrive, and move back later in the day.

Phil Connelly, one of the homeless advocates, left the Mariposa Mall “clean up” and went to the City of Fresno Corporate Yard (2101 G street) in an attempt to see where the confiscated property was taken. It has been city policy to store property at that location for 90 days, or until it is reclaimed. A few days after his visit to the City of Fresno Corporate Yard, Connelly was contacted by Sgt. Ronald Grimm, Homeland Security Coordinator for the Fresno Police Department.

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Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Disrupt Free Speech of Women in Black, Threatened Them with Arrest