First-Hand Account of Alex Nieto Trial Protest

This week marked an important event for the #BlackLivesMatter / #BrownLivesMatter movement and the family and friends of Alex Nieto. 28-year-old Alex Nieto (pronounced “knee-eh-tow” for all you idiot newscasters) was gunned down by four San Francisco cops exactly 2 years ago in Bernal Heights. Alex was eating a burrito at the time and was wearing a taser, which he was licensed to carry because he worked as a security guard. SF Police shot 45 to 59 bullets at the unarmed man, with 14 bullets entering his body. Needless to say, this has become a very political event in the Mission and Bernal Heights area and details of the case are very well presented here:

https://justice4alexnieto.org/alex-story/

This Tuesday marked the beginning of a long-awaited civil trial for the Nieto family, who is seeking some kind of compensation (as if any amount could be enough) for their murdered son. The district attorney and local government have refused to pursue a criminal case so far, so this is the only option that they have for seeking justice within the legal system right now. Meanwhile the glorified thugs Jason Sawyer, Roger Morse, Richard Schiff, and Nathan Chew still walk the streets armed and dangerous.

But maybe I am being too hard on the police? Well corruption is nothing new to the SFPD. See here:

http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/sf-cops-found-guilty-in-corruption-case/Content?oid=2913570

The article states: “In one incident, the three officers dug up $30,000 in a 2009 search of a Newark heroin dealer's house. They then split the cash, allowing Robles to pay for an expensive Belgian road bike and Furminger to buy new skylights, according to testimony.”
At least one of the cops in this case has been involved in a manslaughter incident before. This is just a taste of how the police operate in our city by the way, where only the tiniest fraction of “bad apples” are actually caught red-handed.

Tuesday’s rally began at 8a.m. outside of the Federal building on Golden Gate Ave. The large 21-foot building is a historic protest sight and has seen the likes of the Black Panthers protesting for Huey P. Newton as well as numerous demonstrations throughout the decades. It stands as lifeless concrete monolith, blocking out the morning sun and creating a strong wind tunnel for which myself and other activist found cause to complain (we San Franciscans are “weather babies,” or so I’ve been told by numerous people from the East Coast). I was chatting with a neighbor I recognized and whining about the cold when he replied, “yeah, but look at that guy beasting it,” pointing towards the Aztec dancer wearing a tribal outfit preparing for their well choreographed ritualized performance. At this I decided I was being a bit of a wimp and resolved to find a bathroom instead.

After a detour to the building across the street (which had a bathroom search that was similar to David Bowie’s labyrinth) I returned to find a group of people dressed in black setting up a mini refreshment bar with coffee, donuts, muffins, and various pastries. This was all free, part of a delicious protest known as “Coffee Not Cops” that the anarchists (those bastards!) put on. “See, they do more than just break windows!” I jeered at the first unsuspecting person poking for a pastry like a fawn at the edge of a forest.

At this point some familiar faces started to arrive. I ran into a local poet that said, “I’ve been looking all over for you!” and was desperate to use me as a feature in some upcoming art show. I also came across an old friend that actually blurted out the ever-so-uncommon “I moved back to SF” in a somewhat bitter tone. Things have changed a lot in the past couple of years with the rampant gentrification, but it was delightful to see a reuniting of the rag-tag activists and artists who’s hearts still belong to the revolution.

The Aztec dancing began, complete with incense and vibrant costumes and imagery. There was chanting and drumming as well, which echoed down the skyscraper corridors with a wonderful resonance. Noticing this, the four motorcycle cops parked across the street gave a mini-counter demonstration by revving up their engines. I happened to be passing behind them and inhaled a lung full of nasty fumes. There was something strangely poetic about the conflict. On one side was men and women making thunderous noise with ancient drum patterns and on the other was poison gas and machinery from the overseers of “law and order.”

People also took part in some wonderful pastel chalk vandalism. The thoughtless jagged grey architecture and sidewalks were transformed ever so briefly into a wonderful mosaic of colors and messages. People drew hearts and words of love and support. One especially memorable image involved a butterfly’s wings, composed of two “B” letters back-to back, writing the words “Black” and “Brown.”

Three more people went up for a mocha fix and I said to them smiling, “This is the Black Bloc Black Bean Roast – it’s much better than regular coffee!” I then noticed a 20-something woman pointing her camera at me and felt like I was at activist zoo for a moment. I had a home-made sign, drawn up the night before, which seemed to attract some welcome attention. “In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and the Nieto Family…” one side said, “…Your courage does not go unnoticed.” I was hopeful that this message would make it somewhere to the eyeballs of a curious public, and especially to those hurting over Alex’s loss. It takes a lot of guts to fight two years to get to this point, and the Nieto family is ironclad in their determination.

After a few snaps from the City College student and a Mission Local reporter, I went on to talk with a middle aged African-American student who said his brother was a cop. “But they don’t exactly treat me the same, if you know what I mean. I’ve seen both sides of it.” I asked him what he thought of the demonstration today. “It’s beautiful, not just black or white people are here. It’s like a rainbow.” This phrase could be a tagline of the event, I thought, if there was one.

The speakers coming to the podium spoke in passionate solidarity. “Brown Lives Matter! Black and Brown Unity is what makes as strong!” One woman from the Mario Woods Coalition spoke about people that “look a little like us, but don’t fight for us” commenting that she knew “what a pig in lipstick looks like.” “We don’t listen to Beyonce.” she said, followed by laughter and applause from the crowd.

Unfortunately, many of these poignant moments will not be retold by the corporate media, which focuses its reports on “elected officials” like John Avalos and candidate for district 9, Edwin Lindo. They spoke well, to be sure, but they were not the stars of the event. The students that stormed in from Balboa High chanting with banners alongside those from groups like Youth In Power and HOMEY made a much more significant impact. “We are not the future!” one girl said with conviction, “We are the present!”

To get more involved, or to simply donate to the Nieto family’s GoFundMe for their trial, you can visit:
https://justice4alexnieto.org/

for a hilariously terrible corporate drone account of the event, check out the NBC segment here:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Jury-Selection-in-San-Francisco-Police-Civil-Trial-Protestors-Demand-Justice-for-Alex-Nieto-370689591.html