Racial Profiling, Police Brutality, and Civil Liberties in San Jose

Police brutality, racial profiling, and the targeting
of political speech are at the heart of the struggle
for the Eastside Six, who addressed the press at a
conference just prior to a long-awaited pre-trial
hearing on their remaining charges. The public
gathering was held at the Santa Clara County Superior
Court at 190 West Hedding Street, San Jose, on Friday,
January 5th, 2007 at noon.

On May 5th, 2006, a community-wide Copwatch convened
to observe and record police behavior toward Mexicano
and Latino people on the streets of San Jose, California. The event was a
response to the notorious historical practice of
police brutality in the Eastside and Downtown San Jose
during Cinco de Mayo. The Copwatch was preceded by a
speak-out and hip-hop event at the intersection of Story and King.

The purpose of that event was to honor the true roots
of Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of the liberation
struggle of the Mexican and indigenous peoples of this
land who confronted and defeated a French imperial
army at Puebla, Mexico on May 5, 1862.

Initially, hip-hop, spoken word and dancing marked the
event, which was attended by approximately 200 mostly
young Mexicano and Chicano participants. Neighboring
businesses gave their permission for the event to use
the space. The police had also verbally approved the
gathering to its organizers. Small teams of Copwatch
participants had planned to fan out after the event
with video cameras to monitor police behavior.

Police terrorized the participants when they later
returned in riot gear, declared the gathering an
unlawful assembly, and advanced on the crowd with
batons. The police appeared to target the
participants who were carrying video cameras and
bullhorns.

A performer and his companion were arrested, along
with four of the Copwatch participants, who were
carrying video and still cameras. The citations
included outrageous charges, such as “lynching” and
assault on an officer with a deadly weapon (allegedly,
the arresttee/victim’s foot), which were later
dropped. The arrestees still face speech-related
charges.