On November 5th, Adisa Banjoko of the Hip Hop Chess Federation hosted a panel at O'Connell High School in San Francisco's Mission District that included Immortal Technique, Cesar A. Cruz and the Watsonville Brown Berets. The panel addressed issues on US imperialism, police abuse and murder, black & brown youth repression, indigenous resistance and hood liberation.

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On November 4, 2009, an Italian judge convicted 23 CIA agents and two Italian agents over their role in the 2003 kidnapping of a Muslim cleric. Milan judge Oscar Magi sentenced former Milan CIA station chief Bob Seldon Lady to 8 years and 22 other agents to 5 years in prison for their role in the abduction of Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar. Also convicted was Air Force Colonel Joseph Romano who was responsible for the CIA kidnapping team’s flight to Egypt from a U.S. air base in Italy.

Nasr was allegedly abducted from a street in the northern Italian city of Milan and flown to Egypt where he was tortured. He was released in February, 2007, and apparently was an innocent man, never charged.

Subsequent Italian governments, including the current conservative government led by Silvio Berlusconi, have refused or ignored prosecutors’ requests to extradite the American defendants to stand trial in Italy. Nasr’s wife Ghali Nabila last month claimed 5 million euros in compensation, while lawyers acting for Nasr sought 10 million euros in compensation for the distress he and his family suffered. Robert Lady’s house in Asti has been awarded to Omar.

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On Friday, November 6th, 2009, the Fresno Brown Berets and California Prison Moratorium Project organized a march and rally in protest of what they say is “Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer's corrupt and racist administration.” They called for his resignation or termination as police chief.

There have been 9 murders by police this year, 40 since Dyer took office. Every single one has been deemed justified by Dyer. He and his force consistently resist any calls for transparency or accountability. Activists say that "No matter what Dyer says, drug use and crimes of poverty do not justify a police officer implementing the death penalty."

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See Also: Fresno Police Kill 2 Unarmed Men this Week | Justice for Lonnie Graham and all Victims of Police Brutality

On Sunday, November 8th, the SF Bay Area Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal organized an event at Centro Del Pueblo in San Francisco. The event focused on three innocent men who may soon be executed soon, depending on upcoming court rulings: Troy Davis, Kevin Cooper, and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Laura Moye, the Director of Amnesty International's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign spoke about Troy Davis. Activist Rebecca Doran spoke about Kevin Cooper.

Speaking about Mumia Abu-Jamal was Hans Bennett, co-founder of Journalists for Mumia and author of the new pamphlet published by the Mobilization to Free Mumia, entitled “The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal: Innocent Man on Death Row.” The pamphlet features the June 16, 2009 SF Bay View Newspaper article by Bennett, that cites several instances of withheld evidence and argues for a federal civil rights investigation into Mumia’s case. The pamphlet also features the diagrams and ballistics analysis presented in the new Journalists for Mumia flyer explaining why the prosecution scenario used to convict Mumia is ballistically impossible.

Read more | VIDEO: Rebecca Doran speaks about Kevin Copper

Kevin Cooper: Will California Execute An Innocent Man? | Troy Davis' Innocence To Be Considered At Long Last

A memorial mural of Gary King Jr was painted on a support column underneath the BART tracks on Martin Luther King Boulevard after Oakland police officer Patrick Gonzales shot and killed Gary King Jr at the spot in 2007. Gary passed away in handcuffs next to the pillar, while his young cousin had to watch. Just days after the two-year anniversary of Gary King Jr's murder, on September 24th, 2009, the mural was removed by BART employees.

The creators of the new memorial write: This mural also includes images of Anita Gay, Andrew Moppin, Casper Banjo, and Oscar Grant — all murdered by police. We include the Spanish word ¡PRESENTE! — meaning that these community members are with us in memory and that we will not forget their lives or how they died. This mural represents only a fraction of the people gunned down by police here in the Bay Area. This act of commemorating Gary King Jr., Anita Gay, Andrew Moppin, Casper Banjo, and Oscar Grant should be viewed as a small part of a necessary and growing movement to rid our cities of the violence of policing while building up our capacity for community self-determination.

Photos and Video | Gary King Jr Memorial Removed by BART | Oakland settles with family of Gary King

Related Indybay Features: Thursday Protests Demand Justice for Gary King, Jr. | Justice for Gary King Jr. | Ongoing Protests Against Oakland Police for Killing of Gary King, Jr. | Gary King Killed by OPD

Raj Jayadev writes: "On Oct. 24, the San Jose Mercury News released the video of a San Jose State math major getting beaten and tased by the San Jose Police Department in his home on Sept. 3, 2009. Police were called to the scene after 20-year-old Phuong Ho allegedly wielded a knife during an altercation with his roommate. All the viewer can hear, in between groaning cries of pain and calls for mercy, are the cracking sounds of the batons as they meet 20-year-old Phuong Ho’s head and body, and the torturous zapping of a Taser gun. It is, in a word, disturbing."

"Ho, who through his attorney has filed a civil rights complaint with the FBI, is also facing misdemeanor charges of exhibiting a weapon and resisting arrest. He was not armed when police arrived, and became the recipient of the beat down when he bent down to get the glasses that fell off of his head.

"As a member of a local community group that has been calling on police accountability in San Jose for years now, I have been receiving multiple emails with the subject line, “San Jose’s Rodney King.” They don’t mean the person. They mean the moment. The comparison is natural since both incidents contain the same basic patterns: unarmed men of color excessively beaten without cause by numerous police officers -- and it is all caught on video.

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Silicon Valley Debug: Vietnamese Community Association Responds to Police Beating of San Jose State Student | Raj Jayadev: "What Would Have Happened If Dr. Gates Was Arrested in San Jose?" | SiLiCoN vAlLeY dE-bUg

On Wednesday, October 21st, Ezra Nawi was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 750 Shekels fine (about 150$), 500 Shekels compensation to each of the two Israeli soldiers who accuse him of attacking them, and another 6 months in jail if he is convicted in the next three year of “illegal gathering”. Illegal gathering can be declared by any police officer, and basically means that Ezra will not be allowed to keep doing his solidarity work in occupied Palestine.

A couple of months ago, Judge Eilata Ziskind, found Ezra guilty of assaulting two border police officers and participating in a riot, during a house demolition in the West Bank, in the village of Um el-Hir in February, 2007. Ezra was convicted based solely on the the border police officers' testimonies, while the video footage from the event clearly showed that Ezra did not use violence in his protest against the injustices of the occupation.

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Ezra Nawi, a Solidarity Activist to Receive his Sentence on October 21

On October 19th, in a federal court house in Los Angeles, Alex Sanchez was once again denied bail. Sanchez, a nationally recognized activist and peacemaker, is accused of maintaining ties to his former gang and participating in a conspiracy to murder. Bail was denied after Judge Real suppressed testimony from father Greg Boyle, an expert in Los Angeles gangs.

Father Boyle believes that Alex's case is built on weak evidence and that he was targeted due to his political activism, specifically on police harassment and abuse. US Ninth Circuit Judge Manuel Real rejected Alex's bail due to assumed risk of flight. Over one-hundred supporters gathered outside the courtroom and demanded Alex's release and a fair trial. Included in the crowd of supporters was former State Senator Tom Hayden, author Luis Rodriguez, and Barrios Unidos founder Nane Alejandrez. Other vocal supporters have included UFW founder Dolores Huerta and hip-hop author Jeff Chang.

Read more with audio and photos | Photos from the Solidarity Rally | More Photos | Coverage at LA-IMC and WitnessLA.com | Previous coverage on Indybay

Otis writes:,"The rally and march against police brutality on Thursday, October 22nd, in Oakland at 14th and Broadway at 12pm, must be a powerful political expression of our anger and determination to stop a system which sets the police on the people, and then defends them from punishment. First the police murder Oscar Grant in Cold Blood! Now, the the judge has agreed with the murderer's attorney, that killer-cop Johannes Mehserle cannot get a fair trial in Oakland. A screaming irony, considering the "fair trial" that Oscar recieved at the hands of judge-jury-executioner Mehserle."

"The system looks like they're fixing to let Killer cop Johannes Mehserle walk free. We've seen this before. The cop/killers of Amadou Diallo were acqitted when the trial was moved from NY City (where Amadou was shot 41 times) to conservative and cop-friendly upstate New York. And we remember the innocent verdict that was given to the cops who mercilessly beat Rodney King, after the venue was changed from L.A. to Ronald Regan-land and cop city, Simi Valley. That one was also on video!....And, incredibly, Rains argued that so many Black people in Oakland have been brutalized by the police, that they would be incapable of rendering a "fair" judgement!

"This has to change, and it can. By building a powerful rally and march on October 22nd, encouraging people from many sections of society to step out that day, crossing the divides that separate us, standing with the people who are the targets of police violence - we can send a loud message that says: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, NO MORE STOLEN LIVES!

Read More | Arcata and Eureka: Days of Action Against Police Brutality! Oct. 22nd & 23rd | October 22nd Action in Santa Rosa

UPDATES: Over 100 March in Santa Rosa on Oct 22nd | Oakland Video: I am unarmed! Don’t shoot! | Oakland Report: I am unarmed! Don’t shoot!

2007 October 22nd Indybay Features: October 22nd Marches and Rallies Around the Country Demand Justice | Santa Rosa March to Stop Police Brutality

On October 16th, Superior Court Judge Jacobson ordered Johannes Mehserle's trial be moved outside of Alameda County. Jacobson apparently bought into defense attorney Michael Rains' arguments for venue change. Judge Jacobson attempted to distance himself from the racism in Mehserle's change of venue motion, but by granting the move, he has in effect given credence to defense attorney Michael Rains' assertions that due to news coverage and protester's actions the citizens of Alameda are not qualified to be impartial jurors.

The City of Oakland was involved in the timing of the announcement, sending city workers home early in anticipation of potential upheaval downtown, as well as other probable arrangements made by city leaders. No large protests materialized despite the fearful claims in both Mehserle's motion and the judge's order to change venue.

The California Administrative Office of the Courts in San Francisco will narrow a list of potential venues within the next two weeks and then Judge Jacobson will choose the final venue from their selections.

Read More | Justice for Oscar Grant Event Faces Venue Change Order

Related Change of Venue Court Filings and Reports: Town Hall Reports from Inside Venue Change Hearing and on Hayward Police Brutality, 10/10/09 | Notes from the Mehserle Trial's "Change of Venue" Hearing, Day One, 10/6/09 | The Murder of Oscar Grant Demands Justice in Alameda County | The Murder of Oscar Grant, the Mehserle Trial and African People's Solidarity Day | Demonstrators at Superior Court -- Justice for Oscar Grant -- Keep the trial in Alameda County | Opposition Filing Knocks Down Mehserle's Racist Change of Venue Motion Point by Point | Mehserle's Change of Venue Motion Exhibit 1: Declaration of Edward J. Bronson | Mehserle's Change of Venue Exhibits 9, 10, & 12: CA Police Killings, Oakland Murders, and Mixon Flier | Mehserle's Change of Venue Motion Exhibits 13 & 14: Local Groups Involved in Protesting | Town Hall on 74th Avenue OPD SWAT Raid and Mehserle's Change of Venue Motion, 10/3/09 | Town Hall for Justice on Mehserle's Change of Venue Motion with BAMN Presentation, 9/26/09 | NOBLE Presents Disturbing Report on BART Police Department, 10/1/09: audio and full report

Previous Related Indybay Features: Mehserle's Attorney Accuses Community Activists of Spreading "Disinformation" in Change of Venue Motion | Indybay Coverage of the Justice for Oscar Grant Movement

About 50 protesters, demanding police accountability, marched to the Fresno police department headquarters on Friday, October 9th. They were upset at the death of Lonnie Graham on September 23rd, which was the 8th officer involved shooting of the year in Fresno. Adriana Becerra, a member of the Brown Berets who organized the protest, said the account of Graham’s death is disputed. Becerra said “his family did say that he was shot without a warning, as soon as he stepped out of the house. He was called out of the house, he was on his cell phone, and the cops said they believed he had a gun. They shot him and they found out he didn’t have a gun, he had a cell phone."

Juan Avitia, a spokesperson for the Brown Berets, said “we want the police department to get their act together. We want them to look in the mirror and really look at tactics and options that are available to them. Shooting first is an option to them, but it is not the only option and that is what we’re saying. We want them to seriously look at their options... In this case specifically, judging from what The Fresno Bee wrote and Chief Dyer said - they shot this man, there was a cell phone, he had no gun, and under the circumstances, just judging what was said, that in itself raises a lot of questions."

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