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Distrubance In South Berkeley
Man screaming for fifteen minutes. Several police there standing around. They tell me that I need to back away when I try to inquire, and that I am blocking traffic. How close am I allowed to stand?
This guy is still screaming. The police are there supposedly dealing with the matter. I am trying to work, so I go out to find out what is going on. I approach the scene, prompting one officer to tell me that I need to step back. I ask how long they are going to be here. She tells me that they can't give me any information. I tell her that I am trying to work inside. I ask if they are going to take him or what. She tells me that I need to step back, then complains that I am blocking traffic when they are taking up over half of the road, raising her voice as she does so.
Another officer comes over and politely asks how he can help me. He says that they called some mental state group. I ask how long he thinks it will take. He estimates ten minutes or so. I thank him for telling me politely.
What I want to know, is the precise distance that we are allowed to stand before the police when they ask us to step back. I know that the Black Panthers knew in their day, and I see know why having that information on the top of our heads is so useful.
Any other suggestions about what to do when it is questionable whether the police are doing their job?
Another officer comes over and politely asks how he can help me. He says that they called some mental state group. I ask how long he thinks it will take. He estimates ten minutes or so. I thank him for telling me politely.
What I want to know, is the precise distance that we are allowed to stand before the police when they ask us to step back. I know that the Black Panthers knew in their day, and I see know why having that information on the top of our heads is so useful.
Any other suggestions about what to do when it is questionable whether the police are doing their job?
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What was the location?
You should call Berkeley Copwatch.
It sounds like you're describing a 5150 situation? A friend of mine who does act a bit weird, but only in that he is slightly hyperactive and talks too much actually was falsely sent to a Santa Rita mental health facility when he refused to leave when they were interviewing his sister when their landlord was found dead of a heart attack and it seemed like they were actually considering that he could have been murdered by her. So he demanded to be able to stay there as they talked to her and he was sent as a potential schizophrenic case to this place when he refused to back off.
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police
Ever since my car got stolen, I sometimes like to click through these lists of daily police incidents, and it's actually shocking how many auto related incidents there are every day. You can learn the codes pretty quickly because almost all of them fall under about 7 codes: 487 for theft 459AR for theft from autos (many per day. Within the past couple days there were a lot on my street Haste st. that I wouldn't have known about otherwise), 20002 for hit and run etc. Something like 2.5% of cars in Berkeley are stolen each year. There aren't that many violent incidents or drug arrests (although the UCPD do a lot of that), and they don't seem to list mental health detentions, but I don't know what PCVIO means. But it does seem like every week there is some sort of antisocial incident somewhere - like some guy got carjacked, and was raped by the robber near Grocery outlet last week. They found a dead body at 10th and channing. found someone bleeding from bullet wounds.
You should call Berkeley Copwatch.
It sounds like you're describing a 5150 situation? A friend of mine who does act a bit weird, but only in that he is slightly hyperactive and talks too much actually was falsely sent to a Santa Rita mental health facility when he refused to leave when they were interviewing his sister when their landlord was found dead of a heart attack and it seemed like they were actually considering that he could have been murdered by her. So he demanded to be able to stay there as they talked to her and he was sent as a potential schizophrenic case to this place when he refused to back off.
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police
Ever since my car got stolen, I sometimes like to click through these lists of daily police incidents, and it's actually shocking how many auto related incidents there are every day. You can learn the codes pretty quickly because almost all of them fall under about 7 codes: 487 for theft 459AR for theft from autos (many per day. Within the past couple days there were a lot on my street Haste st. that I wouldn't have known about otherwise), 20002 for hit and run etc. Something like 2.5% of cars in Berkeley are stolen each year. There aren't that many violent incidents or drug arrests (although the UCPD do a lot of that), and they don't seem to list mental health detentions, but I don't know what PCVIO means. But it does seem like every week there is some sort of antisocial incident somewhere - like some guy got carjacked, and was raped by the robber near Grocery outlet last week. They found a dead body at 10th and channing. found someone bleeding from bullet wounds.
Let the cops do their job. Get OUT of the way. Do not interfere. Why do you need to be there? If you want to intervene, then apply to the police academy and be a cop.
look up Berkeley Mental Health.
At certain times of the day they can send out crisis management teams.
Check out http://www.stolenlives.org - it includes a whole lot of stories about people who were killed by police who were sent to the scene when they were having mental health emergencies.
Next time call a trained professional yourself.
At certain times of the day they can send out crisis management teams.
Check out http://www.stolenlives.org - it includes a whole lot of stories about people who were killed by police who were sent to the scene when they were having mental health emergencies.
Next time call a trained professional yourself.
It is perfectly legal to observe police officers in a public place. There is no set law about how far away you have to be from the officer/incident. Many times officers will ask you to step back, etc., and how you react to that depends on each situation, (whether it really is a dangerous situation, whether the cop is just trying to push you around, etc.), The one legal concern when observing is whether or not you're perceived by the officer to be "interfering," (a.k.a. a 148). This could be talking to the person being detained or arrested while the police officer is (it's perfectly legal to do so if the cop isn't talking), being physically in the way...and well, basically interfering the officer, (which is often questionable)
If you want more info, or have more questions, come by or call the Berkeley Copwatch office. Our meetings are Mondays at 8pm, and our office hours, for people to come in or call to ask questions, get help filing complaints etc. is Wednesdays from 6pm-9pm. We're at the grassroots house: 2022 Blake St, (right down from Shattuck Ave) in Berkeley. Our number is 510-548-0425.
and our next free know your rights training, which covers what to do if you're pulled over, as well as tips and the legality of observing will be October 9, 2004 from 11am-2pm at our office.
http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org
If you want more info, or have more questions, come by or call the Berkeley Copwatch office. Our meetings are Mondays at 8pm, and our office hours, for people to come in or call to ask questions, get help filing complaints etc. is Wednesdays from 6pm-9pm. We're at the grassroots house: 2022 Blake St, (right down from Shattuck Ave) in Berkeley. Our number is 510-548-0425.
and our next free know your rights training, which covers what to do if you're pulled over, as well as tips and the legality of observing will be October 9, 2004 from 11am-2pm at our office.
http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org
>Let the cops do their job. Get OUT of the way. Do not interfere. Why do you need to be there? If you want to intervene, then apply to the police academy and be a cop.
Absolutely not. If you want to live in a country where the police are accountable to nobody except themselves, i suggest that you move to...to...well, the united states seems a good place for worshippers of militarized police ...
Absolutely not. If you want to live in a country where the police are accountable to nobody except themselves, i suggest that you move to...to...well, the united states seems a good place for worshippers of militarized police ...
they should be protested and disrupted.
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