On November 1st, the 16th annual Peace & Unity March took place in Watsonville with over 100 people in attendance, including many families of victims who have died from violence. The march was started in 1994 after the tragic deaths of two local youth; Jessica (age 9) and Jorge (age 16) Cortez. The march was started by youth who wanted to send a message of barrio unity throughout Watsonville. Photos

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

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!

Previous October 22nd Indybay Features: 2007 — Santa Rosa March to Stop Police Brutality | 2006 — 11th National Day of Protest 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."

Audio and photos

UPDATE: In a brief hearing on September 21st, Judge Jacobson revoked a stay-away order which kept Valrey away from downtown Oakland. His trial has been postponed until late October. October 2nd report: OPD, DA have no case against journalist M.O.I. JR.

J.R. Valrey will stand trial in Oakland on felony arson charges, after he was arrested while reporting on the Oscar Grant Rebellion on January 7, 2009. Valrey is a producer at KPFA radio, associate editor and multimedia director of the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, and runs the Block Report Radio website.

Valrey believes his arrest was payback for his years covering police brutality in print and on the radio. "I was covering it as a journalist," he said. "But one thing that's different about me from the rest of the rebels is that the Oakland police know me. ... I'm not a stranger to the power structure of Oakland, so I believe like many others that I was targeted politically... We were basically set up on trumped-up charges." Valrey's lawyer, Marlon Monroe, says the case against Valrey is weak and will fail.

“J.R. has really been a thorn in the police department's side,” says SF Bay View publisher Willie Ratcliff, who has published Valrey's work. “His stories are like those of Mumia Abu Jamal. He's young and really smart, and the people love him, they are really organizing, so the police are always after him. The judge even tried to get him to cop a plea to a misdemeanor, something I've never seen a judge do. But they really blew it this time because he didn't do anything except his job. The police even admitted that they didn't see him set any fire.”

The profferred plea bargain involved five years of felony probation, warrantless searches at any time of Valrey's body, car, home, and places of employment, time served, and restitution.

Supporters have been asked to attend a hearing on Sept. 21st to "[l]et the judge, OPD, the City, and whoever else needs to be aware that we stand in loving support of truth and justice and that JR is a gift and his work is valuable to the health and well being of this community. It is unacceptable that he be targeted and charged with crimes he did not commit - because he serves this community."

Court Solidarity Announcement

Related Indybay Coverage: Reporter faces felony charges for covering Oscar Grant rebellion | KPFA programmer and reporter JR Valrey of the Block Report arrested at Oakland protest over BART murder of Oscar Grant

On April 9th, No Justice No BART assumed control of BART's Board of Directors meeting. After numerous community activists spoke during the meeting takeover, Gabe Meyers independently threw a small amount of red paint onto BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger and Assistant General Manager Marcia deVaughn. He was tackled and arrested on the scene by BART police. He was originally charged with three counts of battery, vandalism, and disturbing a public meeting. On September 4th, Gabe Meyers accepted a plea bargain that was offered to him by the judge in his case, for just the disruption of a public meeting charge. In the courtroom, the judge described Gabe's action as civil disobedience in the tradition of earlier civil rights and Vietnam-era anti-war protests that shaped our society. On November 4th, Gabe is scheduled to either begin his alternate sentence of 30 days labor in the Alameda County Sheriff's Work Program or to report to jail.

Gabe Meyers speaks about throwing red paint on BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger: "I felt that a strong statement of protest was necessary and I had decided to act.... I think the only way that things are going to get done is the way in what this judge has talked about in how this society has been shaped before, the way people have done it in the 50s and 60s when they fought for civil rights, and that's in terms of protest, and that's in terms of civil disobedience, and that's in terms of saying what you do at BART, what the BART police have done, what the District Attorney's office has done, is unacceptable and we're not going to tolerate it. That was my attitude that day when I splattered the paint. It's unacceptable. I wanted to let the BART Board know in a big way.... And I was willing to go to jail."

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Related Indybay Coverage: Gary King Jr Memorial removed by BART | Gabe Meyers Sentenced to 30 Days for Throwing Red Paint on BART GM Dorothy Dugger | Gabe Meyers Arrested at BART Board Meeting: video | Gabe Meyers: Why the Paint? | Gabriel Meyers arrested, charged with battery on BART GM

Previous Indybay Reports About or By Gabe Meyers: Tristan: Gabe Meyers & Starhawk | Last time there was a big problem | The Scapegoat's Tale: An Interview with Gabe Meyers | Josh is free, but others should be in prison | Gabe Meyers is Free! | What I got to say | Opening Arguments in the Trial of Gabe Meyers | Gabe Meyers Invokes Right to a Speedy Trial Pre-trial Hearing for Gabriel Myers on July 20th | Support anti-G8 activist Gabriel Meyers | The Bay Area's G-8 Defendant, Gabe Meyers, Speaks

On September 11th, the day after the court denied Mehserle attorney Michael Rains' 995 motion to dismiss the murder case due to supposed judicial improprieties, Rains filed his long-expected motion for a change of venue. Mehserle and his defense team appear to be hoping for the murder trial to be moved out of Alameda County as their last best chance for him to avoid a conviction for the murder of Oscar Grant III on January 1st, 2009.

In the motion, Rains cites actions taken by CAPE (Citizens Against Police Executions), BAMN (By Any Means Necessary), No Justice No BART, the Town Halls for Justice for Oscar Grant, the Revolution Club, Uhuru House, and coverage on Indybay as reasons the venue should be moved. He accuses these groups of spreading "disinformation" about the case and unfairly amplifying political pressure to prosecute.

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Related Indybay Features: J.R. Valrey on Trial for Felony Charges in Oscar Grant Rebellion || BART Police Oversight Plan Dead; Community Activists Take to BART Trains Again to Inform Riders About BART's Rogue Police || Murder Charge Sticks for Johannes Mehserle

Recent Related Coverage: Demand DA Oppose Effort to Move Mehserle's Trial Out of Alameda County || Change of Venue Maneuver in Trial of Police Murderer of Oscar Grant || Johannes Mehserle's 995 Hearing: video, photos, and court documents including ruling || Murdering BART cop Mehserle's attempt to get case dismissed with 995 motion FAILS || BART reinstates 4 cops and Alameda Board of Supes appoint DA Orloff replacement Nancy O'Malley || Town Hall for Justice for Oscar Grant, Oakland, 9/5/09: audio || Reporter faces felony charges for covering Oscar Grant rebellion || Gabe Meyers Sentenced to 30 Days for Throwing Red Paint on BART GM Dorothy Dugger

Justice for Oscar Grant activists took to East Bay BART trains and stations on September 4th to inform riders about BART's intransigence toward holding anyone accountable for their police officers' behavior on New Year's Day. Besides laying out some of the basic facts about the events surrounding the murder of Oscar Grant, activists implored: Help us pressure BART to do the right thing and discipline these officers; Help us pressure the state to charge these officers with the crimes they committed. As the morning commute wound down, activists left BART to attend Mehserle's 995 hearing.

Later in the day, after the Mehserle hearing, it was learned that BART's attempt to pass AB1586 (originally named AB16) would fail in this legislative session in the California Assembly, meaning that there would be no new police oversight of any kind established before the end of the year. In April, BART had already stalled Tom Ammiano's AB312, which would have mandated civilian oversight for the BART Police Department (and potentially could have been law by now if BART had gotten behind it). BART stymied AB312 (along with California police unions) under the promise that they would create their own civilian police oversight model, but BART undercut the strength of their proposal every step of the way.

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Related Indybay Feature: No Justice No BART Takes the Truth to the Trains, July 16th

Recent Related Coverage: Johannes Mehserle's 995 Hearing: video, photos, and court documents including ruling || Murdering BART cop Mehserle's attempt to get case dismissed with 995 motion FAILS || Town Hall for Justice for Oscar Grant, Oakland, 8/29/09: audio || Community Demands Action at BART Board Meeting; BART Lies Yet Again: video and audio || Oscar Grant Protesters Interrupt Bart Board Meeting, Demand Action || BART Uses Faux "Community" at Press Conference to Attack Ammiano for BART's Own Failures: audio and photos || Town Hall on BART's Lobby of State Legislature for Their Police Oversight Plan, 8/22/09: audio || BART Releases Public Report from Meyers Nave Investigation of New Year's Day Murder, 8/18/09 || BART Police Oversight Vs. Every Cop Union in the State; Police Chief Gee Out; and a Rumor || Town Hall for Justice for Oscar Grant, Oakland, 8/15/09: audio || BART Anxious to Wrap Up Police Oversight Plan at Final Subcommittee Meeting || Town Hall on Obama, Parnell Smith, Brownie Polk, BART, & Emeryville Police Racism, 8/8/09: audio || MOI JR Interview with Rekia Jabrin on the Trial Of Johannes Mehserle || BART Public Hearing on Flawed Draft Police Oversight Plan: audio || BART Going Forward with Seriously Flawed Police Oversight Plan Created Behind Closed Doors || Town Hall on BART Police Oversight, Mehserle, Obama, Racial Disparities, 7/25/09: audio || Town Hall for Justice on Racial Profiling, OPD, BART, Justice Department, 7/18/09: audio