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Indybay Feature

SFPD Killing - Counting the Shots

by B. Marsh (subbrian3 [at] yahoo.com)
*****
brutha_los_2.jpg



August 8th, 2001
San Francisco, CA
Justice For Idriss Stelley

Photo: SFPD Killing - Counting the Shots -

Brutha Los of the Company of Prophets made his point heard and felt in an extremely powerful indictment of the SFPD and the Police Commission. He started by counting off the number of times that Idriss Stelley was shot by the SFPD, hitting the podium with his fist for emphasis. Many others joined in counting-off the shots. It took a long time to get to 27 - a very sobering moment.

The Police Commission hearing was again standing-room-only, packed with people working to get justice for Idriss Stelley.
Only three of the five commissioners showed up.
Rumor has it – one of the five resigned yesterday.

Idriss’ family, friends, and others concerned about police brutality, are making at least three demands of the SF Police Commission - As posted inside the police commission hearing room on August 8th, 2001:

--------------------

WE DEMAND:

1.) Mandatory Police Crisis Intervention (PCI) Training for SFPD Officers!
----1 out of 4 calls to the police is about someone in mental distress.
Over the next two years, (at least) 25% of all SFPD Officers must be appropriately trained to HELP, not KILL, individuals with psychiatric illness.

2.) Stop The Cover-up!
----Release all relevant information to Idriss’ family
- including police reports and names of witnesses!

3.) Launch an Independent Criminal Investigation!
----The Police Commission must call for a REAL investigation by a special prosecutor.

--------------------

Idriss Stelley, a 23 year old African-American man who suffered from mental
illness for most of his life, was killed by SF cops on June 13th.
Police officers responded to a call from Idriss’ partner Summer Galbreath
requesting a “5150”:
(When a person, as a result of a mental disorder, is a danger to her or himself, a police officer, upon probable cause, may take the person into custody and place her or him in a Mental Health facility for 72-hour treatment and evaluation).
Idriss was killed in a close-to-empty Sony Metreon theatre and “armed” with a tiny - key chain - pocketknife.
Instead of taking the time required to deal with someone suffering an attack of manic depression, instead of backing off and requesting the help of a mental health professional, within several minutes of entering the theatre they had fired over twenty-five shots.

Idriss was killed almost two months ago.
The SFPD continues to delay the release of names - of the officers involved and of witnesses to the killing.
by Reese
"He started by counting off the number of times that Idriss Stelley was shot by the SFPD, hitting the podium with his fist for emphasis. Many others joined in counting-off the shots. It took a long time to get to 27 - a very sobering moment"

I bet it took him about thirty seconds to count... which of course conveys the subliminal impression that for thirty straight seconds the cops shot Idriss Stelley. Clever tactic -- and sneaky too. I don't think the cops should have shot this guy 27 times if at all, but that is a conniving and misleading way to demonstrate your displeasure against it.


Flame away fuckers.
by Anna
I'm sorry to hear about the shooting death of Idriss. The sudden and unexpected death of a son or daughter has to be a parent's worse nightmare. Although I don't know much about this particular situation (first heard about it tonight), it does seem that police forces all across the US need to be retrained to handle situations more appropriately than to just shoot someone as if that is the "only solution" to everything the police know.
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