Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFeature Archives
Tue Jan 25 2005
Oakland Brings the Curfew to Jerry Brown's Home
Critical Resistance and All of Us or None plan to cite Oakland mayor Jerry Brown at his loft apartment January 26th for harassing and scapegoating the people of Oakland. There will be a protest on Wednesday night outside of the old Sears Building at 27th Street and Telegraph in Oakland from 9:30pm to 10:30pm. Brown's latest idea is to impose a curfew on probationers and parolees -- arresting them if they leave their homes between 10pm and 6am. Brown has said that 80 percent of homicides in the city involve felons who are on probation and parole, and 70 percent of homicides occur at night. The curfew seems to be a likely effort to reign in "crime" in Oakland as the mayor prepares to run for state Attorney General. First-time curfew violations could yield a 30-day stay in jail for parolees. One in 14 adult males in Oakland are on parole or probation.
Critical Resistance is an organization that challenges the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. All of Us or None is a national organizing initiative of prisoners, former prisoners and felons, to combat the many forms of discrimination that we face as the result of felony convictions. Read more | Video | Audio
Critical Resistance is an organization that challenges the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. All of Us or None is a national organizing initiative of prisoners, former prisoners and felons, to combat the many forms of discrimination that we face as the result of felony convictions. Read more | Video | Audio
A critical hearing that was scheduled for the San Francisco Superior Court on January 28th will now take place on Friday, March 18th at 9:30am. The San Francisco Police Officers Association is trying to get officer Gregory Breslin, who is widely believed to have been the officer who fatally shot Detoy in the head, off on a technicality. In 2003 the San Francisco Police Commission decided they wanted to file charges against the officers, but things seem to be moving very slowly... Sheila Detoy's family and friends believe that the police are trying to get the Superior Court to dismiss the case against Breslin. Her supporters believe that he should be held accountable for Sheila Detoy's death. A personal account, by Shannon Altamirano
Past Indybay Coverage of the Sheila Detoy Case | Books Not Bars | Bay Area Police Watch | Stolen Lives Project
Past Indybay Coverage of the Sheila Detoy Case | Books Not Bars | Bay Area Police Watch | Stolen Lives Project
Sat Jan 15 2005
Tortured in the San Jose Main Jail
Martín Rodriguez is a San Jose citizen who was arrested last summer on questionable drug charges. He says he was tortured twice in the San Jose Main Jail, where he spent 115 days. Rodriguez's public defender demanded he plead guilty, but he is now seeking adequate representation for a plea of innocent. His cause has been taken up by the Barrio Defense Committee, an activist group dedicated to protecting the Latino community from police misconduct. Peter Maiden interviewed Rodriguez in Spanish and offers this report.
Tue Jan 4 2005
Three Men Killed by Bay Area Police in Four Days
1/6/2004: Yesterday civil rights attorney John Burris announced that he had been retained by the family of Gregory Saulsbury, Jr.
1/4/2004: The San Jose Mercury News has reported three Bay Area police officer-involved deaths in the last 3 days. Two men died in San Mateo County on January 2nd after police were called for help with mental crisis situations. Tasers were used in both fatal cases on Sunday.
Tuesday: In Santa Clara, police officers shot and killed a motorist just after midnight last night, following a car chase in which the driver allegedly refused to pull over and then rammed a patrol car. The police say that the motorist was spotted driving eratically as officers were cleaning up a scene where a pedestrian had been killed by crossing a street. Police have not yet released the dead man's name. The case will be investigated by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office
Sunday: On January 2nd Greg Saulsbury died, Pacifica police say, after being stunned with Tasers, which use darts to deliver a 50,000-volt charge. His family had called 911 to say Saulsbury, who was 30 years old, was having difficulty breathing. His sister, Laneka Saulsbury, told the Mercury News her brother thought people were "after him'' and that he might have taken some kind of controlled substance. The police said that they tased him after a struggle, but his family denied that there had been a struggle.
In Redwood City on Sunday, an unidentified man who had allegedly been holding a machete-like knife and had lasted through an eight-hour standoff died after Tasers, rubber projectiles and pepper spray were used on him to no avail. After the man allegedly broke through a window, several officers shot and killed him. Police Capt. Scott Warner said the man's family called police early in the afternoon, saying that the man was acting strangely and had assaulted his nephew. When officers arrived, the man barricaded himself in the closet of a first-floor bedroom. A total of five officers, including members of a SWAT team, used lethal or non-lethal weapons on the man, and they are now all on paid administrative leave pending an investigation in the case.
Family First Aid Kit | Amnesty International Report About Tasers
1/4/2004: The San Jose Mercury News has reported three Bay Area police officer-involved deaths in the last 3 days. Two men died in San Mateo County on January 2nd after police were called for help with mental crisis situations. Tasers were used in both fatal cases on Sunday.
Tuesday: In Santa Clara, police officers shot and killed a motorist just after midnight last night, following a car chase in which the driver allegedly refused to pull over and then rammed a patrol car. The police say that the motorist was spotted driving eratically as officers were cleaning up a scene where a pedestrian had been killed by crossing a street. Police have not yet released the dead man's name. The case will be investigated by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office
Sunday: On January 2nd Greg Saulsbury died, Pacifica police say, after being stunned with Tasers, which use darts to deliver a 50,000-volt charge. His family had called 911 to say Saulsbury, who was 30 years old, was having difficulty breathing. His sister, Laneka Saulsbury, told the Mercury News her brother thought people were "after him'' and that he might have taken some kind of controlled substance. The police said that they tased him after a struggle, but his family denied that there had been a struggle.
In Redwood City on Sunday, an unidentified man who had allegedly been holding a machete-like knife and had lasted through an eight-hour standoff died after Tasers, rubber projectiles and pepper spray were used on him to no avail. After the man allegedly broke through a window, several officers shot and killed him. Police Capt. Scott Warner said the man's family called police early in the afternoon, saying that the man was acting strangely and had assaulted his nephew. When officers arrived, the man barricaded himself in the closet of a first-floor bedroom. A total of five officers, including members of a SWAT team, used lethal or non-lethal weapons on the man, and they are now all on paid administrative leave pending an investigation in the case.
Family First Aid Kit | Amnesty International Report About Tasers
Fri Dec 31 2004
Donald Beardslee Killed by State of California
1/19/2005: Donald Beardslee was declared dead at 12:29am, nearly 24 years after the crimes he was convicted of participating in were committed. None of the other men who were involved in the murders of two San Mateo County women received a death sentence. He was the first man to be executed in Calfornia in nearly three years. On January 18th, Governor Schwarzenegger (aka "The Terminator") denied Donald Beardslee's clemency request, and the Supreme Court declined hearing the two remaining appeals in the case.
A protest against the execution took place outside of San Quentin on Tuesday night from 8pm until confirmation of Beardslee's death was received. The vigil honored people who were executed in California, as well as their victims. List of vigils statewide
1/16/2005: As the scheduled date for the execution of Donald Beardslee approaches, the the options for delaying or cancelling his death are diminishing. 1/15-16 Updates On Friday the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a challenge by Beardslee's attorneys in which they tried to claim that lethal injection would take away their client's right of free speech because he would be unable to speak or shout to indicate the level of pain that he would be experiencing as he died. There is a chance that this could be appealed to the Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit has also rejected and declined to rehear, Beardslee's claim that jurors, when rendering a death verdict, were prejudiced into voting that way. The appeals court did rule that jurors had wrongly considered that the women were killed to keep them from serving as witnesses in court against Beardslee and a co-defendant. The court said that this error did not prejudice the jury's conclusion. That challenge is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Beardslee has requested that the Supreme Court grant a Stay of Execution. Beardslee has asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency, which would commute the death sentence to life without parole. Beardslee, 61, says that the right hemisphere of his brain was inoperative when he committed the murders. The governor's decision is expected to be released on Tuesday, and many organizations are urging people to call, fax, or email the Governor, and to write letters to mainstream media editors. Some websites have set up easy ways to write to the Governor: State of California email | Governor's District Offices
Earlier this year, Beardslee's attorneys attempted to argue before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that errors in the penalty trial had affected the jury's verdict- the Court ruled that this was not the case. Articles about Beardslee's Case from Dec. 2004. A Press Conference/Rally was held on Tuesday, January 11th at the California State Building. Video: 1 | 2 The Board of Prison Terms held a requested Clemency Hearing on January 14th in the Auditorium of the Capitol East End Facility. The state parole board met in closed session after Friday's testimony to make a recommendation on whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should grant clemency. Schwarzenegger is expected to make his decision Tuesday.Read more about these events Past protests: Monday at the East Gate of San Quentin: there was a press conference at 10am, followed by a demonstration at 11am. Tuesday morning at 7am, there was a march from San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor to the gates of San Quentin.
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) urges anti-death penalty activists to "start mobilizing now and show the state of California that we oppose this and all executions." This year, the California state Senate established a commission to study the flaws of the death penalty system. (Death Penalty Focus Statement) According to CEDP, "We need to demand a moratorium on ALL executions while this study is taking place!"
Anarchist analysis of the death penalty | Beardslee Fact Sheet | Stop the Execution of Donald Beardslee! | Death Penalty Focus | Californians for a Moratorium on Executions | California Department of Correction's Webpage about Beardslee | Habeas Corpus Resource Center documents.
A protest against the execution took place outside of San Quentin on Tuesday night from 8pm until confirmation of Beardslee's death was received. The vigil honored people who were executed in California, as well as their victims. List of vigils statewide
1/16/2005: As the scheduled date for the execution of Donald Beardslee approaches, the the options for delaying or cancelling his death are diminishing. 1/15-16 Updates On Friday the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a challenge by Beardslee's attorneys in which they tried to claim that lethal injection would take away their client's right of free speech because he would be unable to speak or shout to indicate the level of pain that he would be experiencing as he died. There is a chance that this could be appealed to the Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit has also rejected and declined to rehear, Beardslee's claim that jurors, when rendering a death verdict, were prejudiced into voting that way. The appeals court did rule that jurors had wrongly considered that the women were killed to keep them from serving as witnesses in court against Beardslee and a co-defendant. The court said that this error did not prejudice the jury's conclusion. That challenge is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Beardslee has requested that the Supreme Court grant a Stay of Execution. Beardslee has asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency, which would commute the death sentence to life without parole. Beardslee, 61, says that the right hemisphere of his brain was inoperative when he committed the murders. The governor's decision is expected to be released on Tuesday, and many organizations are urging people to call, fax, or email the Governor, and to write letters to mainstream media editors. Some websites have set up easy ways to write to the Governor: State of California email | Governor's District Offices
Earlier this year, Beardslee's attorneys attempted to argue before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that errors in the penalty trial had affected the jury's verdict- the Court ruled that this was not the case. Articles about Beardslee's Case from Dec. 2004. A Press Conference/Rally was held on Tuesday, January 11th at the California State Building. Video: 1 | 2 The Board of Prison Terms held a requested Clemency Hearing on January 14th in the Auditorium of the Capitol East End Facility. The state parole board met in closed session after Friday's testimony to make a recommendation on whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should grant clemency. Schwarzenegger is expected to make his decision Tuesday.Read more about these events Past protests: Monday at the East Gate of San Quentin: there was a press conference at 10am, followed by a demonstration at 11am. Tuesday morning at 7am, there was a march from San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor to the gates of San Quentin.
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) urges anti-death penalty activists to "start mobilizing now and show the state of California that we oppose this and all executions." This year, the California state Senate established a commission to study the flaws of the death penalty system. (Death Penalty Focus Statement) According to CEDP, "We need to demand a moratorium on ALL executions while this study is taking place!"
Anarchist analysis of the death penalty | Beardslee Fact Sheet | Stop the Execution of Donald Beardslee! | Death Penalty Focus | Californians for a Moratorium on Executions | California Department of Correction's Webpage about Beardslee | Habeas Corpus Resource Center documents.
Tue Dec 7 2004
Whistleblower Exposes Conditions in San Jose Jail
Nancy Rutherford is a licensed vocational nurse who
worked dispensing medication to prisoners in the San
Jose Main Jail. As she is a naturally empathetic person, she was
criticized for not being callous enough with the
prisoners. She has said there was little oversight of
conditions for prisoners, and that mentally ill
prisoners faced extraordinary difficulties in the jail
environment. Unable to bear the brutality in the Jail
and under pressure from corrections officers, she left
her job after two months. She has now become an
activist for the rights of the mentally ill. In this
exclusive interview, Ms. Rutherford spoke with
Indymedia reporter Peter Maiden. Read more
12/02/2003: Amnesty International released a new report this week about the TASER electro-shock weapons that are used by law enforcement officers all over the US. Amnesty found that TASERs are being used on "unruly schoolchildren; mentally disturbed or intoxicated individuals; unarmed suspects fleeing minor crime scenes and people who fail to comply immediately with a command." (story about TASER use on a 6 year-old child) Amnesty International USA's executive director says that "TASERs' potential to save lives is being overshadowed by their potential to kill, their frequent use in situations where lethal force would never be an option, and the conspicuous lack of independent evidence proving that they don't kill people." A paranoid schizophrenic man died in Sacramento County after police had used TASERs on him in November 2004. The San Jose police department this week released a report about TASER use and found that suspects in more than half the cases in which the stun gun was fired from May to October were Latino. Amnesty believes that the widespread use of TASERs has dangerously expanded the boundaries of "acceptable" levels of force. Read more PDF of Report
Manual about how Air-Tasers work | Special Taser Edition of Communities United vs. Police Brutality Newsletter | ACLU-Northern California urges SFPD caution in use of TASERS | "How Do Air Tasers Work?" Manual (Pro-TASER propaganda)
Manual about how Air-Tasers work | Special Taser Edition of Communities United vs. Police Brutality Newsletter | ACLU-Northern California urges SFPD caution in use of TASERS | "How Do Air Tasers Work?" Manual (Pro-TASER propaganda)