top
California
California
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

"DON'T Support the Salinas PD" Rally

photo-for-dont-support-salinas-police-rally-on-5-31-14.jpg
Date:
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Time:
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Event Type:
Protest
Organizer/Author:
Location Details:
Alisal Street and Lincoln Avenue
Salinas, CA 93901

A rally to support the Salinas Police Department has been organized for Sat. from 11am-2pm. This is a response to that rally. The Direct Action Monterey Network and our comrades in Salinas are mobilizing for a counter demonstration because a pro-cop rally in response to what's been going on is a pro-murder-of-Latino-farmworkers rally and can not be left unanswered.

This is not about specific cops or their personal attitudes and beliefs. This is about exposing the Salinas PD for being the violent, oppressive institution that it is. Their daily intimidation and harassment, as well as these recent murders, reinforces a racist, exploitative system. We are standing up to them, as well as to those members of the community who are voicing their support for such an institution.

Pro police posts will be deleted from this page*. No respect for "free speech" on this page for those who don't respect the value and dignity of those who face police violence.

* https://www.facebook.com/events/824296990931334/

--

Salinas Police Kill Three People in Last Three Months
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/22/18756145.php

Claim Filed Against City Seeks Admission Salinas Police Wrongfully Killed Carlos Mejia
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/28/18756524.php

Peace Police and Counterinsurgency in Salinas
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/29/18756555.php
Added to the calendar on Thu, May 29, 2014 5:22PM
§Paid Leave vs. Life!!
by No Justice, No Peace!
800_paid-leave-vs-life-salinas.jpg
* Photo by Claudia Meléndez, Reporter at Monterey Herald.

Comments (Hide Comments)
by tiny
prospd-rally-may242014.jpg
Rally held for Salinas police after officer-involved shooting

Published 1:59 PM PDT May 24, 2014

SALINAS, Calif. —About 20 people gathered with signs Saturday morning at the corner of West Alisal Street and Lincoln Avenue in Salinas to show their support for the Salinas Police Department.

Just a block from the police headquarters, one sign read "Keep Calm and Support the Police," a message that demonstrators said they hope will help bring peace back to the city.

"There’s been a lot of people against the police, and we're just here to show them we support them and what they do," said Jeanine Bell, a Salinas resident who helped organize the rally.

The rally comes after days of demonstrations, some violent, that followed a fatal officer-involved shooting in East Salinas on Tuesday. Residents have been divided about whether the police officer involved used excessive force in the shooting death of Carlos Mejia.

"I'm here because so many people are making this an issue of race, and bottom line if something happens, I want their support. I want the police to come and protect me," said Karena Anguiano of Soledad.

In response to Saturday's rally, a spokesman for Salinas police said the demonstration was not generated by the department. He said the department supports anyone who wants to rally peacefully, regardless of their position.
by Rally to Support SWAT Team
SARCASM: Rally to Support the Atlanta SWAT Team and Salinas PD

May 29, 2014. ATLANTA — A SWAT team raided a home in the middle of the night and seriously injured a 19-month-old baby named Bou with a stun grenade. The child is at the hospital burn unit, and is in a medically induced coma. The cops threw a grenade and it landed right in Bou's playpen and exploded on his pillow right in his face.

The family does not have insurance and have set up a fund to pay for medical expenses.

You Can Donate to Help Baby Bou
* Includes disturbing photos of Baby Bou
http://www.gofundme.com/9mih84
"Support SPD" really wants you to know that it's not about race, even though Salinas is almost 80% Latino and these supporters are mostly of European descent. Cannot find statistics on the current racial makeup of SPD, but in 1990 they were over 80% "white non-hispanic" and 11% Latino/any race. In 1997 they were 67% Euro and 21% Latino/any race.

Carlos Mejia's brother, Jose Roberto Mejia, has retained attorney John Burris to file a civil rights lawsuit over the shooting, and he seems pretty sure it's race-related. The claim filed earlier this week states that Mejia's body was left on the sidewalk for hours after the fatal shooting: "Claimant believes this was done to intimidate the surrounding Latino community."

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

Support SPD

"We are a group of people that have come together to support the City of Salinas Police Department and their efforts to keep our city safe."
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd


MAY 31
Support Salinas P.D. Rally
131 claim to be going
https://www.facebook.com/events/1436110713312939/
Come on out and show your support for the Salinas Police Dept. We'll meet up at City Hall on Lincoln and walk down to the corner of Alisal and Lincoln. Please feel free to bring signs, posters and flags. This is a peaceful show of support. No profanity, suggestive material or violence will be tolerated. Please contact gun nut Denise Dunlop for details. She is organizing the rally.


Support for Salinas Police Department petition (1,148 signatures)
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/196/928/779/support-for-salinas-police-department/


5 hours ago
When I created the rally, support the SPD, it was NEVER meant to be one group against another, it was meant to let our pd know that they had supporters, and not all of our community was against THEM. Do I think the officer used EXCESS force, YES I do, 5 shots is too much. But until you are there, you don't know how you'd react when you see a man lunge at you or your partner with 8 inch blade shears... So to make this clear, again, THIS WAS NOT CREATED TO BE ONE GROUP AGAINST ANOTHER... Thank you, -Ashley-
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd/posts/782361721787710


Come on people really? I'm hoping that we're here to show support for the Salinas Police Department, not throw jabs back and forth about someone's race or political and social choices! Keep it ABOVE the belt. I will (and have) banned people from either side of this issue. Whether you're here to support us or not we expect all parties to be at the very least respectful of one another. And if I hear "but they started it"... I will blow a gasket. I get enough of that crap from my kids! (Jeanine)
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd/posts/782194198471129


13 hours ago
That being said, it has been rumored that people will be attending the support rally this Saturday that do not support our mission of standing behind the Salinas Police Department. If in the event, there is confrontation, do NOT engage. Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you all there!!
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd/posts/782194858471063


Yesterday
Not related to this but soooo on POINT! It's not always RACE RELATED! -Ash
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd/posts/781973775159838


Yesterday
Hello everyone... Quite a few people have asked me why I came up with the idea to have the rally to support SPD... The answer is simple but long. The night I was at home and heard that part of our community was having a riot I was sick to my stomach... my daughter asleep next to me... and at that point, ashamed of the town where my entire family, dating back to my great grandfather, called home. It's so sad to me that people will stand up to the police, the people EVERYONE CALLS when they need help, but REFUSE to stand up to the gang violence we have in our town. Too many Innocent children, and innocent people have had their lives taken because of stupidity and nasty ego! The whole community should be coming together to try to stop the gang activity, not put more pressure on our police, the men who deal with these scum on a day to day basis. I do agree that some SPD have egos, BUT! Unless you know what it's like to be in their shoes, you have no right to put them down. And with that said, I'm going to bed... See you Saturday! Lol -Ashley-
https://www.facebook.com/supportspd/posts/781967145160501
by via Matt Gratz
"Are the organizers of this demonstration white people? You all must see how racist this action is. To show support for an armed group who just killed three non-white people, while the community is rising up against the killings, is extremely racist. I'm from Hollister, but have family in Salinas. I'd be very embarrassed if any of them showed support for the SPD. Ashley, this plan is a bad one. By showing opposition to your own community, you will cause conflict and I wouldn't be surprised if more violence erupted. Re-think this plan through the eyes of the oppressed, not through the eyes of white privilege."
by Real Numbers
To the FTP crew:

Over 250 homicides in Salinas in the past 12 years....95% of them hispanic on hispanic. And what noise did you make during those years? Nary a peep. How many times you come over from Hollister to support the community "Matt?". Zero is my guess. How many time have you idiots with your chalk slogans and self-masturbatory selfies of your graffiti work been to Salinas? Cero.

But now the cops have killed 3 and *boom!*..here come all our brand new friends. Come to "save" Salinas.

Save my ass. You're not going to Salinas to help it, or because you care about the people in Salinas. You're going because you hate cops and this gives you an opportunity to protest and maybe riot a bit. "Woohoo! We are anarchists! Check out our cool black bandanas and hoodies. We'll be gone next week and you'll never see us here again, cause we don't give a crap about Salinas. We just hate cops."

Anarchists, stay out of Salinas. Your not welcome here anymore than the cops you say aren't welcome here are. But at least the cops are home grown.
by No Justice, No Peace!
800_salinas-police-democratic-party.jpg
When you fill out the petition in support of SPD that's associated with the pro-police rally tomorrow, you get asked if you'd like to receive updates from the Democratic Party. There was also heavy democrat involvement with this past Sunday's heavily policed march [policed by yellow-vested organizers, not uniformed cops].

So the Democratic Party is actively involved with undermining community attempts at holding these murderous cops accountable.
by at all
''want then to protect me'' the woman says, but you saw latino being beaten by klan and cops did not search for suspects even though given description of automobile of assaulters. they , the cops, area not ''protecting'' you unless you are socially favored.
by wink
800_whiteys_for_salinas_police.jpg
Count about 15 in this photo. They say that's half because some supporters just had better things to do than stand on a street corner and cheer for police killings of Latinos. They claim that 50 turned out. They say only 4 counterdemonstrators came, but this video seems to show more, if counters were on either of the other street corners shown. At any rate, the short video shows "Whiteys for Salinas PD" screaming with joy for police murder.

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

Whiteys for Salinas PD (aka Support Salinas Police Dept.)
This is not all of us, the other half had to leave early... We had a blast showed our support even with the four people opposing us that showed up... Yeah you laugh at our 50 we can laugh at your four! thank you to everyone for your support. A very proud moment for myself... -Ashley-
salinaspd-swat-battletank.jpg
Woohoo! We are majority white pigs in a majority Latino city! Check out how we dominate with out cool military gear and vehicles. We are going to squash you, or shoot you, then handcuff you as you bleed out on the sidewalk.


Real Numbers? Hah. How many of you white pigs actually live in Salinas? If you don't, then you're just another white supremacist occupying force, no different than any other. You are certainly are not welcomed by the local people. That's why you have to arm yourselves so thoroughly. You are afraid to come to Salinas without a gun at your side.

http://www.examiner.com/article/salinas-swat-team-gets-free-arv-for-christmas

http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2013/12/police-in-salinas-acquire-heavily.html
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network