Rally for Victims of Police Brutality in Oakland

Basic story of what happened in that last photo.

Lieutenant "DAK" (David Kozicki, motorcycle 1642) and oficer Steve Chiari, badge 743, car 10851, approached the October 22 coalition table.

A woman whose friend was recently killed by police had just been commenting on how much she wished that, in the spirit of "restorative justice" (where all parties to a situation get together and work on it openly and honestly), that the police could hear what was being said as families gave their stories of terrible loss. A group of 13 or more police were gathered together at the sidewalk over the hill from the plaza and they couldn't hear or see the speeches. Instead they were joking together, taking group photos, and miming using shotguns with great cheer. Kid you not, the Lieutenant was demonstrating with an "air shotgun".

But it was not a welcome intrusion when the police approached the table. For five minutes or so this was a low-key incident, with just officer Chiari present asking for a shirt. Then the Lt. arrived.

While I hoped they would display some sensitivity, in the end I felt they acted like classic cops: people you can't trust, who are allowed to and deliberately lie, who are looking for any way to trick people. However, some of the conversation was of interest.

Some quotes:

Lt: "We're all good cops, that's why we're still here...you should never make blanket statements." (Note the irony).

Lt: Cops go to jail...Doiug Bunker killed his landlord. Two cops doing burlaries got caught and convicted. A lot get caught and fired, and don't go to jail...maybe the level of activity doesn't rise to the level of criminality sufficient to..."

Lt: More cops have been convicted...I've never known a cop who's gone to trial in California who's been acquited.

A woman on the scene, M, asked some questions:

M: What works to stop police brutality?

Cop: Training. And auditing and performance.

M: What are community things you can do to get your aggression out?

Cop: Cocktailing.

Lt: And physical fitness, running...we're not aggressive any more than anyone else. We're just in the general population. [note, that's the term for the main group of prisoners in jail].

M: What about Civilian Review Boards?

Lt: (Disturbed, agitated over issue) I don't agree with Civilian Review of police....for policies, yes, but not for individual cases.

At this point a woman running the table came over and asked them to back away from the table, and they refused. She became upset and said that they were intimidating people from coming over and creating a scene.

Lt: We have a first amendment right too you know

Lt: ...we're not even part of this...we have a responsibility to stand by.

Two cops refusing to back away from a woman at a table, insisting to be given things, ignoring many repeated pleas to leave because they were violating the people who had suffered so much from police brutality, interfering with their first amendment expression, and intimidating people from approaching the table. M, the woman who had engaged them in dialogue, was also one of the people trying to get them to leave the table alone, asking them to step away to continue the conversation.

Lt. (about the woman running the table who was so upset): She's hostile, she clearly has issues.

Her: OF COURSE WE HAVE ISSUES! THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE!

Then Anne Wilde of the National Lawyers' Guild stepped in and calmly asked them to back off, at length, until they finally did -- it took what seemed forever.

It was so sad but typical to see them so insensitive. Two big white men with guns and leather jackets playing games to make the demonstrators feel violated. I imagine, from extensive exposure to police culture, that the Lt. went right back to brag to his troops about this, in the same spirit that he was demonstrating using his shotgun.

oh geez.. poor poor protesters, being oppressed by the evil white male cops who came to engage in dialog..
go cry about how oppressed you are by cops wanting to talk to you..


and just so you know, im not some right winger here to argue, i was at the rally in oakland, i saw the cops at the table. i thought they might be trying to arrest someone, but all they were doing was talking.

You can cry about how oppressed you are all you want, but it just makes you look like a whining liberal.

who's whining, coming and here and wailing boo hoo and taunting people? If you don't like the ideas here it's easy enough to avoid .. or do you have some weird IMC-only browser you can't uninstall? Freak

this is a city where the police are fucking a murderous thug gang occupying our streets. and yes, at our fucking rally, they should keep their stupid asses away. if this was 1966, four men with shotguns would have made those pigs get away from our shit.

Most of my own experience with police is just from watching them cruise around. I think you can tell a lot from that.

SFPD cars rarely signal right turns, and sometimes don't even signal left turns on busy streets. But I've seen Oakland cops fly right through stop signs, not even slowing down, and they'll just pause at a red light and then run it, even when there are other cars patiently waiting at the light.

I knew someone would attack my account.

Go read it again.

It includes the concept of the importance of dialogue.

It also includes the shit they did.

I really don't think they were there to listen, they were there to invade space, state their case, take what they could and go away feeling powerful and laughing at us. Believe me I was hoping it was different.

Are you so ignorant of police?

"Oakland police are arrogant traffic law-breakers"

At this demonstration some of the motorcycle officers drove back and forth along the sidewalk -- meaning that half the time they were driving into oncoming car traffic, just to make sure the march didn't step off the sidewalk. I nearly got nailed by one when I was trying to navigate around the BART station which gives you very little street-side curb room.

Case in point.

resist!
those fucking pigs have been doing this kind of shit scince the job was invented and quite frankly i think they should fucking know what it feels like to loose someone because of a "protector of the peace" some fucking protection ! look at all the lives lost because of the abuse and misconduct of the pigs. shit! little kids run up to them on the street and admire them, wanting to be just like them while their parents look on frightened. why7 wouldn't they be after all just look at the pictures of the people that were mothers, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers and sons, best friends to someone or eachother. finally the only thing left to say is ..... FUCK YOU PIGS! FUCK YOU!

I think you are overreacting. The Police probably felt violated as well. Violated by the reputation of bad cops poisioning their profession. At best, they are good cops and don't understand the hotility. Possibly they were just trying to understand the hostility and become educated to your point of view. I doubt they were trying to violate anyone. Not sure that is even a fiar accusation given you were in a public place.

I think you are overreacting. The Police probably felt violated as well. Violated by the reputation of bad cops poisioning their profession. At best, they are good cops and don't understand the hotility. Possibly they were just trying to understand the hostility and become educated to your point of view. I doubt they were trying to violate anyone. Not sure that is even a fair accusation given you were in a public place.

I live in Johnson County (kansas suburbs). FYI- completely non hardass area of town. nice houses, beautiful cars, big fancy police stations.....definetely not a poverty place. I am 17 years old and a high school student. i have never said anything about what had happened to me until now for fear of my own LIFE.
why? last year i was walking with a friend down a sidewalk not to far from my house...when a squad car turned his lights on and stopped to talk to us. I wasn't scared until he pulled out his knight stick(i know its usually spelled night). He asked us for ID and checked to see if we had a record. When all was done and said we were free to go.......when we turned to walk away he Bashed my friends head in and broke his nose with a second blow. I ran a couple feet down the street to get help when i looked back to see my friend and he was lying on the ground not moving. some people came to help and the police assurred everyone that we were drug dealers with weapons.
he drove my friend and i down the block and told me if I ever ''hear'' from you again....we may have a flashback. then dropped me and my friend off at a walking trail and drove off. now it is a year later and i have contimplated everyday to say something but never have until now. wether or not you believe me i don't really give a fuck. but for those who are oblivious to police curruption are blind. and as for my friend.....he now has permanent brain damage. what did i say happened. just wha the police told me to say. we were crossing the road at night and a car hit my friend because we didn't look both ways.

Police Punching Very Small Child in Face
http://www.thememoryhole.org/cop-girl.htm

Boy wanna talk about sensationalism in the media, you guy's take the cake.

The little girl being punched in the face? I don't see no cop. All I see is some guy's arm , could be a reporter, her father, you really don't expect me to belive this do you?

With the murder rate as high as it is in Oakland do you think I would put my well being in the hands of people like you? I think i'll take me chances with the OPD. I know you'd rather have every gun toting thug screaming for his rights instead.

Thanks for letting me vent here but I have to run down to the supermarket to pick up my latest copies of The Star, Enquirer and any other rag sheet that has Ophra's latest tell all on it.

i doubt if the police felt violated.... if they did they would of been consoling the victims or taking place in the march..... They were sitting around laughing.......i doubt if they were "violated" by the other polices actions