Feature Archives

Relatives of victims of the World Trade Center bombings gasped in horror and disgust as Condoleezza Rice testified at the 9-11 Commission's ninth public hearing that she had briefed President George Bush with an August 6, 2001 CIA-memo entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside United States". As Rice danced around the majority of the questions put to her by the 9/11 Commission, several relatives yelled, "Shame!" while she continued to deny that the White House had knowledge prior to 9-11 of a possible terrorist attack on key designations on the East Coast. Many San Franciscans will remember that Rice must have known something serious enough to warrant a personal warning call to Mayor Willie Brown a full eight hours before the attacks. Many critics feel that her political connections to the two-party controlled commission helped to dumb down her interview, which was supposed to allot ten minutes per commissioner, but was instead eaten up by Rice's long-winded replies. Her credibility only continues to be degraded when one considers the outright lies that she has spun on Saddam and Iraq.

Rice is not alone in her spin-fest, though. No team of complicit war-mongerers would be complete without a suspect Secretary of Defense, and Donald Rumsfeld has told his own share of whoppers, including the one about "imminent threat," brilliantly captured on TV. Bush and Cheney are still planning to appear before the commission, though they have made it clear that they need each other in the interview and refuse to go it alone, to the derision of many. According to White House statements, neither the pre-9/11 memo nor the Bush and Cheney joint interview will be declassified or made available to the press or public.

4/3/2004:The California Youth Authority (CYA) has long been known to be a disaster of violence and abuse of authority. Several recent events have created a public outcry that could force changes to this 63 year old institution.
In January, two 18 year olds were found hanged in their cells. The families of the two teenagers filed suit against the state for "denying mental health care and treatment and education to its wards." A state study then revealed that CYA "inmates are often locked in cages (Photo) as punishment, and those with mental problems are frequently drugged and improperly cared for."
As the news media focused long needed attention on the CYA, questions were raised and many counties took action. San Mateo County was the first county that announced it would stop sending children and teenagers to the CYA. On February 19th, Santa Clara County joined in and on the 23rd Santa Cruz County officially joined the ban. On February 24th, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution "urging the San Francisco Trial Courts, District Attorney, Juvenile Probation Department and Public Defender not to sentence or cause to be sentenced, any person to the California Youth Authority (CYA) unless a CYA commitment is required by law". But these actions paid no more than lip service to the problem with many existing wards still stuck in the system.
By March 14th, Santa Cruz District Attorney Bob Lee was already claiming that "changes have been made at CYA facilities" and calling for new teenagers to be sent into the system. On March 17th, San Mateo County also quietly rescind its moratorium on youth referrals. On March 25, supporters of Loreto Arizpe, a youth who was scheduled to be committed to the CYA, rallied in front of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to demand that Lee stop sending children into the CYA. Photos | Audio
Any hint that the CYA had changed was quickly contradicted by a video (realmedia | mpeg ) released by a state senator on April 1st showing an incident in January in which "one youthful inmate at a facility in Stockton is repeatedly pummeled by a correctional officer and another is kicked, after they were subdued and on the ground". Reports then came in that the CYA tried to cover up the beatings and dozens of prison employees have openly refused to cooperate in "probes of inmates who bled to death or were beaten as they lay prone on the floor".
4/8/2004: Activists and community members from Books Not Bars and Let's Get Free rallied on April 6th (video | 2) to demand that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer file criminal charges against the guards in the videotape. They are continuing a spring campaign calling for the closure of the CYA with an Alameda County town hall meeting on April 14th. So far, Lockyer and local prosecutors continue passing the responsibility for prosecuting anyone in this case and the teenagers beaten in the video have had to file civil rather than criminal suits against the guards that brutalized them.
Vigils are being planned statewide for April 28th against abuse in the CYA system and in remembrance of Durrell Feaster and Deon Whitfield.
Books Not Bars | Center on Jouvenile & Criminal Justice | Former Inmate: CYA Is No Mystery To Me

April Fools Day: Around sunset four peaceful singing revellers were arrested in Union Square at the “Pro America” April Fools Parade. After such festivities as a cardboard cow being cut open in front of Neiman Marcus, with fake blood and lollipops pouring out, police rushed the gathering and started grabbing people by the neck, swinging participants by the arm and throwing people to the ground. In the chaos, an elderly tourist from Spain was knocked to the ground and trampled by police. He was bleeding from the head and tried to stand but could not. As the police ran to chase parade participants his wife was left holding him screaming for assistance and asking, “I don’t understand why they did this? How can the police just leave him here?" As of 4/2, one participant is still being held on $56,000 bail. Read more: Report | Press Release | Photos | News Conference Photos |Legal Update

Community activists are demanding that the Oakland Police Department fire Lt. Mike Yoell and Officer Joseph McGuinn, both notorious for being abusive in the Black community. Lt. Yoell has a long history of abuse, excessive force and falsification of reports. He is well known in the community and in the police department as a problem officer. But, despite numerous community complaints against him, Lt. Yoell has remained a high-ranking official in OPD. Joseph McGuinn also has a long history of brutality. In 2001, he was one of six cops involved in the brutal killing of Jamil Wheatfall, a 36 year-old black man who was literally beaten to death by OPD officers.
Reportback and Photos from Oakland Police Review Commision 3/25
Update: Oakland Police Officers May Face Discipline for Walking Out of Police Review Board Hearing

Tuesday March 23rd at 9:15 pm at the Parkway Theater
1834 Park Blvd, near Lake Merritt, for directions call 510-841-2400

"These Streets are Watching" takes a fresh look at police accountability through the eyes of three communities; Denver, Cincinnati and Berkeley. Independent filmmaker, Jacob Crawford, weaves three cities' responses to police brutality into a single tale of community empowerment and direct action. Within an amazing collection of footage that portrays police conduct and misconduct, the film conveys basic legal concepts that can provide practical help to groups and individuals seeking a clearer understanding of their rights when dealing with police. The film is divided into sections that explain our basic rights, tactics for documenting police activity and ideas for further action and organizing. An excellent tool for organizing and orienting community groups and individuals interested in responding to the problem of police misconduct.
What the people are saying about ¯These Streets Are Watching˜
Berkeley Copwatch | Say No to Attack Dogs in Berkeley

No Police Brutality, No Union Busting, No War for Empire at the Oakland Docks and SSA.
Wednesday April 7th, 2004 was the anniversary of the April 7, 2003 community picket shutdown of Iraq war profiteers APL and SSA docks at the Port of Oakland. Hundreds of activists returned for a rally and march in opposition to the war and to last year's crackdown on dissent by the city of Oakland.
Read More On Indybay's Anti-War Page

The Ella Baker Center held a rally against racism and police brutality on Thursday, Februrary 26th at 4pm at Oakland's Eastmont Mall Police Substation.

On Friday, February 20th, several students from the School of Social Justice and Community Development (SSJCD) were detained, harrassed and threatened by members of the Oakland Police Taskforce during off-campus lunch. The students were illegally searched, threatened with physical violence and repeatedly called "nigger" by white officers. When SSJCD teachers questioned the officers as to why their students were being detained, an Officer Glover stated sarcastically "Under Reasonable Suspicion of Being Black." When asked for their badge numbers, the officers laughed and refused to give that information to the school staff.
For more information, contact George Galvis at 510-501-4185 and stay tuned for an Enemy Combatant Radio interview!