5/23/05 Protests were held last Saturday in Modesto and today in Fresno against from police killings and brutality. Today,members from the Fresno Hmong community protested against police violence. Susane Moua, a spokesperson for the group said Fresno Police Department (FPD) officers brutally attacked Neng May Her during a domestic dispute. Her has been charged with obstructing and resisting the officers. His trial is now taking place in the Fresno County courthouse. Moua said that the attack on Her happened in July 2004 when the family’s children got into a conflict. The FPD was called, but instead of bringing peace to the family, the officers "immediately used a loud tone of voice toward the mother and attacked the mother verbally to scare her. The officers physically attacked the father when he arrived to the home." According to Moua, Her suffered from multiple bruises and other injuries from this incident. There were photographs at today’s protest to substantiate these accusations. Security guards harassed the group and made them move the protest after stating that they did not have a permit.

In Modesto friends and family of Sammy Galvan, who was shot in August 2004 by two Modesto police, protested the death of the young man. Responding to a domestic call, police arrived at the Galvan house and shot him when he made aggressive moves towards them with a knife and they feared for their lives. Witnesses however contend that Sammy made no aggressive moves towards police, and his weapon was a cooking knife. The demonstration was the second in four months, and the family is currently engage in a lawsuit against the Modesto Police department.

Reports and pictures here, here.