March for Justice

March for Justice
By Mike Rhodes

Over 100 marchers started their journey at “Justice Corner” and ended up at the A.M.E. church in West Fresno where a new civil and human rights organization was born. The theme of the march was to support social justice. Signs supporting Health Care for All, Stopping the War in Iraq, ending Police Brutality, and calling for an end to homelessness could be seen throughout the crowd. The diversity at the march was striking and attracted significant attention as it wound its way through poor and working class neighborhoods. Horns from passing cars honked in support.

A program of speakers, on a variety of social justice issues, addressed the growing crowd at the church. Bill Simon, president of Peace Fresno, spoke passionately about ending the war and invited everyone to the Rally in the Valley which will take place on Sunday, March 18. See http://www.peacefresno.org for more information.

Gloria Hernandez spoke about the need for an Independent Police Auditor and the need to end police brutality. Gloria is a member of the Central California Criminal Justice Committee who is working to establish an Independent Police Auditor in Fresno. You can find more about that effort at http://www.cccjc.org .

Several speakers told the audience about their family’s incidents with the police. The father of Everardo Torres said his son was arrested by the Madera police (Madera is about 20 miles North of Fresno) and was in the back of a patrol car. His hands were cuffed behind his back when a Madera police officer opened the car door and shot him through the heart. The agony of his father could be seen as he pleaded for justice. The officer who shot Everardo Torres claimed she intended to use her stun gun and mistakenly upholstered her revolver. The District Attorney did not file charges.

About a week and a half ago Fresno Police chased a suspect and fired 80 - 100 rounds of ammunition into him. The suspect, 23 year old Joel Perales, was accused of shooting at the police. This is not the first time the Fresno Police Department (FPD) have played the role of judge, jury, and executioner. The FPD shot and killed a woman in a car lot because she was hitting cars with a hatchet. They shot and killed a young man suspected of stealing some beer from a liquor store. He was unarmed.

Following the stories from the victims of police abuse, awards were given to several people who have done outstanding work in the community. Those honored were James Tucker, the youth involved with the homeless cleanup, Simone Whalen-Rhodes, Jermelia X (Lady J), and Latecia Mayle (Lady Bombay). The Raging Grannies sang songs of peace, everyone sang the Black National Anthem, and black youth gave a presentation about African American history.

The introduction of the new social justice organization - the National Network in Action (NNIA) was made by pastor Bryan Jessup. Pastor Jessup introduced the Rev. Floyd D. Harris, Jr. who electrified the audience with his call for social/economic justice. A video of part of that presentation is below.