UPDATE: San Francisco station officer executes 22-year-old unarmed man

On Janurary 1, 2009, 27 year-old BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot and killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant as he was being detained. According to the official reports, Oscar was detained as part of 2 groups of young men who were possibly involved in an altercation with each other. Police officers at some point pushed Oscar face-down onto the train platform, Officer Mehserle stood up and fired a single round into his back as the other officers held him. The bullet pierced Oscar’s lungs after ricocheting off of the floor, effectively executing him.

Here is some citizen video of the event that was broadcast on the news  – WARNING: This video depicts the death of an unarmed civilian at the hands of overaggressive and psychopathic police officers. Some viewers may find this offensive and disturbing.

None of the authorities, including the officer himself, have given any public information as to what is being done or what might have happened in this situation. There is speculation that Officer Mehserle meant to grab his taser gun, but most of the experts that have come forward on the issue disagree with that notion.

“That’s as reflexive as you getting in on the driver’s side of the car (instead of) the passenger side if you want to drive it,” [Florida criminologist George] Kirkham said. “There’s no remote similarity to a conventional firearm. … The Taser is just like apples and oranges.”

The officer himself has been receiving death threats, forcing his family to be moved twice in the last few days. The officer has yet to be suspended, is on paid leave (Update: Officer Mehserle has resigned), and no one involved seems to want to make any statement about the issue. Due to the lack of “official” evidence or information about the event released it has been difficult to figure out the exact line of events that led to the fatal shooting. Luckily, citizen videos of the event have been cropping up all over the internet’s video-sharing sites.

Police on the scene probably had some idea of the trouble that they were in, and even tried confiscating cameras and cell-phones. They denied that there was any official video of the event from security cameras in the area – but it turns out that this too was a lie. I claim absolutely no expertise in video analysis, police affairs, or anything of that sort. But from reading the different accounts, watching numerous videos of the event, and hearing the words of the witnesses themselves it is pretty clear – this was an unjustified and obvious execution, and a complete abuse of police power.

There is a protest planned for today from 3-8 PM PST at the Fruitvale BART station, and another one being planned for Saturday. Hopefully something is done quickly to deal with this travesty, or the people will take matters into their own hands.

UPDATE: There is new, clearer footage that shows the event taking place. It is very clear that lethal force was not necessary in any way, shape, or form. This was murder – plain and simple.

UPDATE (01/08/09):  So, exactly what we thought would happen, happened. The protests turned violent, and rioters began smashing storefronts and destroying cars.

A protest over the fatal shooting by a BART police officer of an unarmed man mushroomed into several hours of violence Wednesday night as demonstrators smashed storefronts and cars, set several cars ablaze and blocked streets in downtown Oakland.

The roving mob expressed fury at police and frustration over society’s racial injustice. Yet the demonstrators were often indiscriminate, frequently targeting the businesses and prized possessions of people of color.

Unrest will only continue until this officer is punished, and severly.

UPDATE (01/08/09): More coverage of what some are now calling “The Oakland Riots”. Here is some video coverage:

UPDATE (01/14/09): Johannes Mehserle has finally been arrested on charges of suspicion of murder.

Johannes Mehserle, 27, of Lafayette was taken into custody in Douglas County, Nev., said Deputy Steve Velez of the Douglas County sheriff’s office. The arrest was also confirmed by David Chai, chief of staff to Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums.

Don't Talk To the Police

With the recent outbreak of police violence towards protesters at the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention, I’ve had a hard time deciding what I wanted to say about the whole series of events. I mean – people knew that this was coming. The conventions are not a place for the public to voice their opinions. It is a place for the policy-makers to tell us what our opinions really are.

With the horrendous treatment of Amy Goodman and her crew of Democracy Now, the police are only shooting themselves in the collective boot. With preemptive raid and detaining of political groups before and during the RNC was astounding. The police led sieges and raids on the houses and meeting places of political groups and bloggers in the area, arresting people on charges of “conspiracy to riot”. Yes – people were arrested on the charge of “planning to be in a place during a protest that may or may not turn into a riot”. Justice, indeed.

What is important to note is that many news sources are claiming that this violence has only been directed towards a group of anarchists referred to as a Black Bloc collective. While the videos taped by numerous sources at the conventions tell a completely different story.

Professor James Duane of Regent Law School produced a lecture entitled “Don’t Talk to the Police” which I found insightful and helpful. Perhaps would-be-protesters and political activists should pay attention to what James Duane has to say:

While during the time span of the protests in the US, a Spanish doctor in Madrid has discovered that young men are dying for unknown reasons while in police custody. The doctors are claiming that this is a new symptom “similar to one that kills some wild animals when they are captured”. Apparently, the extreme levels of stress experienced by people undergoing police treatment during detention are enough to trigger the body to shut down.

I’m sure it has nothing to do with the way that the police force in this country are starting to view its citizens – as cattle; meant to be herded around and owned. Just take for instance “The Peacemaker” (shown below), purchased by Richland County, South Carolina sheriff Leon Lott.

The armored personel carrier pictured was purchased for use by their local police force. He “insists that using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it’s generally reserved for use against armored vehicles) will ‘save lives.’”

DNC Detention Camps Spark Outcry

With the 2008 Democratic Nation Convention convening on the 25th, there have already been a few voices raised about security and the right to protest. Protesting that the National Conventions seems to be a historical outlet for the nation’s grievances. But it seems that the city of Denver, which is hosting the event, had already decided how and where to deal with all the protesters.

In large fenced area in a warehouse that once housed voting machines.

The police and the city were very hush-hush about the entire issue, and were not forthcoming when the even broke into the public eye. The fact that they have built the detainment centers before the event begins means that they anticipate confrontations with the protesters. Perhaps, rather than preparing for violence that hasn’t happened yet, tax dollars would be better spent on listening to the issues of the tax-payers voicing their problems.

The single best quote I’ve heard about this issue so far is was by Glenn Spagnuolo at a press conference about the detention camps:

This facility has a long history,” he told a small gathering of reporters. “The city pulled its voting machines from here because the building gets too hot. Yet now, they’ll put people in there who use those machines to vote.

“There are no toilets there. There’s no water, no fire suppression. The city should be ashamed. It needs to stop criminalizing protests.” [emphasis added]

Hopefully one day both sides will decide to meet together and discuss this rather than viewing protests of this nature as warzones to compete in. The escalation of violence in situations like this do not bode well for the future of our supposed democracy.

Full Story: City defends “secret jail” built for DNC

Feds to take DNA samples during all arrests

Apparently, all suspects who are arrested by federal agencies in the US will now have their DNA put into a database.  They will be adding an estimated 1.2 million people a year to CODIS, the national DNA database that law enforcement agencies use.

The new regulation would mean that the federal government could store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime, said Jesselyn McCurdy, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Now innocent people’s DNA will be put into this huge CODIS database, and it will be very difficult for them to get it out if they are not charged or convicted of a crime,” McCurdy said. Link

Why are people complacent about this? Creating a database with genetic profiles of any citizen arrested, regardless of innocence, is a serious threat to civil rights. Especially when it comes to protest groups or political activists. These databases might be used for good, but they can definitely be used for bad.

Statue of Control

Officer fired after brutal beating of woman

More news from the front of police brutality. Angie Garbarino of Shreveport, LA was brutally beaten by a police officer after she refused a breathalyzer test. The officer in question, Officer Wiley Wills, even turned off the security camera during the beating. When the camera was turned back on, Angie was lying in a pool of her own blood.

Angie Garbarino and her attorney, Ron Miciotto, say the investigation started with Shreveport Police Chief Henry Whitehorn.
KSLA News 12 talked to Garbarino Tuesday at her home. She didn’t want to be interviewed on camera and referred us to Miciotto.

He gave us a copy of the tape which first shows Garbarino asking Officer Wiley Willis for a phone call, then demanding a phone call.

As Garbarino tries to walk out the door, she’s put into handcuffs. The tape later shows a scuffle, then Willis appears to shut the camera off.

When the video resumes, Garbarino is lying in a pool of her own blood.

At one point she could be heard saying, “I wasn’t even hurt that bad until he threw me onto the floor. Look at me.”
When paramedics arrive, they asked one of the officers what happened, to which he replied, “she fell down.”

Sounds familiar…

Here are the before/after pictures of this wonderful encounter:

Before

After

FEMA trains are nigh

Apparently FEMA will be expanding the use of trains to evacuate citizens during hurricanes from the Gulf Coast.

FEMA official Glenn Cannon today testified before a congressional subcommittee in New Orleans.

Cannon says FEMA is looking at passenger trains as a method to get people with physical impediments out of harm’s way.

New Orleans has become something of a guinea pig for train evacuations.
…
City officials say Congress and FEMA should create a national plan to use trains in disasters. Link

Boys with toys in New Orleans! (from interdictor)

As much as I would love to take a ride on the FEMA express, I can’t help but be reminded of the terrible works that they’ve done. Not to mention the FEMA detainment camps which were used widely during the Hurricane Katrina crisis. And this is all thanks to practice with the Rex 84 readiness exercises that the government carried out to simulate the detainment of large portions of American citizens. This idea has been updated, expanded, and legalized by CONPLAN 0400 aka Operation Granite Shadow which allows the military to operate independently against citizens within the US during a national crisis.

Guess who gets to head up all these plans? FEMA – thanks to a few key presidential directives.

Sheriff's Deputies Rape Woman "Without Penetration"

WARNING: The following video contains graphic images of excessive force, rape, and brutal psychopathy. This content might be considered distasteful, grotesque, and offensive to most any human. This is weight of the police state.
FOR MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY!

 Hope Steffey’s night began with a call to police for help. It ended with her face down, completely naked and sobbing on a jail cell floor.
Steffey says Stark County sheriff’s deputies used excessive force and assaulted her during a strip search 15 months ago, according to a federal lawsuit.

Stark County Sheriff Timothy Swanson denies the allegation.

Steffey’s attorney says her clothes, including her underwear and bra, were stripped from her body by at least seven male and female sheriff’s deputies and jail workers. She lay face down in handcuffs at the time.

“Hope begged and pleaded with her … assailants to stop,” the lawsuit says. “There was no forcible penetration but Hope felt as if she was being raped.”

The sheriff denies this was a strip search.

Link

…fucking fascists.