Feature Archives

On Sunday, April 24th, there was a 51st birthday celebration for U.S. political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. The event took place at 2 pm at Mission High School in San Francisco. Michael Franti performed, and speakers included New York human rights attorney and political prisoner Lynne Stewart, Robert R. Bryan, who is Mumia's lead attorney, Mel Mason, who is the president of the Monterey Peninsula Branch of the NAACP, and many more. Audio

According to the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal ("the Mobe"), at its National Convention last summer, the NAACP, which is the nation's largest civil rights organization, voted to engage its chapters across the country in the fight for justice and a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia's struggle for justice and a new trial is also supported by Amnesty International, the European Parliament, the city governments all over the world, the Episcopal Church of the U.S., many labor unions, and people in cities everywhere. Mumia's case has helped to turn the fight against the racist and classist death penalty into a national and international priority. The "legal" decisions that have been made during 22 years of litigation have, the Mobe says, "made a mockery of the criminal justice system." Read more about the event and Mumia's case

The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

On Sunday March 6th 2005, Kamal Lal, 43, of South San Francisco, was shot to death by a police officer after a chase between the Peninsula and San Francisco. According to the California Highway Patrol, the number of car chases has grown by hundreds each of the last three years for which statistics are available: 5,895 in 2001; 6,337 in 2002; 7,171 in 2003. This common feature of television news and police procedure has brought death and serious injuries to many: Fifty-one people died in 2003 as a result, or nearly one each week, and not all of them had been involved in the pursuit, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A UC Berkeley graduate student named Jie Wang recently joined the list of the seriously injured after a driver who was escpaping an Albany police officer ran a red light and crashed into Wang's car.

More deaths related to car chases occur in California than in any other state. The California Legislature is set to repeat past attempts to change the way that law enforcement officers pursue potential criminals. A bipartisan group of legislators is pushing SB718 and SB719, which would include penalties for police who recklessly pursue drivers. Law enforcement groups are pushing for SB1015. which will increase penalties for fleeing drivers. The police-sponsored bill would promote education of drivers about the stiffer criminal penalties that they — not the police officer — are liable for if anyone is injured or killed during a car chase. It would also make bystanders eligible for monetary compensation from the states victims fund.

Bill Overview:
SB1015 (introduced by Senator Romero)- This bill would declare as a crime victim anyone who suffers an "injury or death caused by any party where a peace officer is operating a motor vehicle in an effort to apprehend a suspect, and the suspect is evading, fleeing, or otherwise attempting to elude the peace officer."
SB718, (introduced by Senators Romero and Aanestad)- This bill would enact Kristie's Law and would express the intent of the Legislature to ensure that motor vehicle pursuits can be conducted in the safest and most effective approach throughout California to eliminate any unnecessary risks that evolve from these pursuits.
SB719, which was introduced by Senators Romero and Aanestad. Under existing law, a public agency employing peace officers that adopts a written policy on vehicular pursuits is immune from liability for civil damages resulting from the collision of a vehicle being operated by an actual or suspected violator of the law who believes he or she is being pursued by a police officer. This bill would "declare the intent of the Legislature to enact appropriate legislation to develop a policy governing vehicular pursuits by law enforcement to protect the public safety, lives, and property of the people of the state."

Kristie's Law Web site | PursuitWatch | Oakland Tribune Article On Car Chases

On February 22nd, the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force in San Francisco unanimously found the sheriff's department in violation of three sections of the sunshine ordinance. The Sunshine Task Force stated that "the sheriff's Department shall release all records" related to the violent cell extraction that seriously injured several people who had been arrested on June 8th during the Reclaim the Commons (RTC) biotech protests. The charges against the protesters were eventually dismissed "in the interests of justice".

In order to investigate a potential lawsuit against the SF Sheriff's Dept, Attorney Ben Rosenfeld filed a request for production and preservation of records, specifically citing video of the extraction. The Sheriff's Department had released a couple of documents but maintained a tight grip on information, stating that the video, among other documents, was not public information. The Sunshine Task Force meeting delved into several privacy and freedom of information issues, as well as legal technicalities, ultimately finding the Sheriff's position in violation of sections 67.21, 67.24b, 67.27 of the Sunshine Ordinance. The Task Force said that activists and their lawyers should have access to the videotapes and other specific documents regarding their time in jail. Read more

3/1/2005: Today the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Roper v. Simmons, a case from Missouri, that people who committed capital crimes when they were under the age of 18 may not be sentenced to death. By vote of 5-to-4, the court said that there is now a "consensus" in American society that juveniles, along with the mentally retarded, are "less culpable" for their crimes because they lack sound judgment. The justices said that the "Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed." There are over 70 people on death row in the United States who were sentenced based on crimes they committed when they were under 18 years old.

The Juvenile Law Center said in a statement, "Children are distinctly different from adults in culpability, judgment and blame-worthiness, facts that make them ineligible for the death penalty. Christopher Simmons was 17 when he committed murder, an age at which adolescents' brains are not fully developed and teens may not understand the full consequences of their actions." American Bar Association's history of Christopher Simmons

More info about the Simmons case | 2003 Missouri Supreme Court decision commuting Simmons's sentence to life | Roper v. Simmons Decision | Past Docket from the Case | AI USA's Juvenile Death Penalty Page | NCADP's Campaign to End Juvenile Executions

2/26/2005: A small march wound its way through the San Jose neighborhood where a high-speed chase one year ago ended in the death of Rudy Cardenas, at the hands of a State Narcotics Agent. Many in the hood talked with the marchers about Rudy and how to get freedom from police violence. Some joined the march.
Photos Of March And Interview With Rudy Cardenas' Nephew

Rudy Cardenas was shot and killed by State Narcotics Agent Michael Walker on Februrary 17th, 2004. He was mistaken for David Gonzales, who was a wanted parolee. Cardenas was shot in the back while pleading for his life. He was shot around 1:23pm on 4th & St. James in San Jose, CA. Rudy Cardenas then lay on the concrete bleeding while officers held back the paramedics. About a half an hour later paramedics were able to take him to the hospital. He was brought to the San Jose Medical Center with no pulse. They tried to revive him but it was too late. A mother lost her youngest son, and five children lost their father.
Past coverage of the Cardenas case: 2/4/05 | 10/26/04 | 9/25/04 | 7/17/04 | 6/26/04

Books Not Bars (BNB) is planning a series of big campaign events throughout the year as part of a campaign to close the California Youth Authority's youth prisons, and to transform juvenile justice. This month there has already been a Valentine's week meeting with legislators to share BNB's vision for a new juvenile justice system in California. Earlier in the month there was a "Leadership Academy" which was attended by parents from all over California. They held workshops on organizing and advocacy, developed campaign plans for the year, discussed the difficult issues that youth and families face, and committed to working together for lasting and meaningful change.

On Thursday, February 24th, there was a Books Not Bars Town Hall Meeting in Oakland. BNB says, "2005 has already been a head-spinning year for juvenile justice reform. (And it's only February!)... weeks ago, State Senator Gloria Romero introduced a bill that calls for closing CYA’s Chad facility and 'redesigning or rebuilding' all the facilities within 3 years...the CYA lawsuit settlement brought plans for a whole new juvenile justice model for the state. The Books Not Bars 'Alternatives for Youth' campaign invites everyone to join us for a big update and celebration of our victories so far. Find out what is happening and how you can get involved." Read more

Books Not Bars "Alternatives for Youth" Campaign Website

In the wake of the shootings earlier this year that led to the deaths of a Ceres police officer and Andres Raya, a Marine who did not want to return to duty, Ceres and Modesto Police have begun conducting an agressive campaign against perceived latino gang members. This is being done to supposedly "help latinos," and also under the pretext that gangs are "terrorists." Reports from various sources are now showing that young people are being profiled and stopped simply for being latino or wearing certain colors, being stopped at gunpoint, being verbally harassed and threatened by police, and also having lone police officers raid homes without provocation. Read reports here, here, and here. Raya flyer here.