Stop Police Brutality

* PRESS CONFERENCE * PRESS CONFERENCE *

Wednesday @ 5:00 p.m. Oct 18
At the Steps of City Hall

To call for Oct. 22, 2006: Eleventh Annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation

Torture, brutality, detentions, domestic spying, profiling, and other attacks on human and civil liberties have been made part of the routine of daily life that we are asked to accept without question. At airports, subways, transportation centers, and more we are asked to "welcome" bag searches, check points, invasion of privacy, stripping away of civil liberties, all in the name of "national security." Demonstrations and political protests are increasingly penned in, attacked, spied upon, videotaped, and outright denied by authorities. A former NSA intelligence agent, Russell Tice, warned that the nation was decaying into a "police state." The war abroad has its corresponding part in the war on people at home, where law enforcement agents step up their harassment and criminalization of certain neighborhoods and populations.

Here in Fresno, the City will pay $1.6m to settle lawsuit, Clovis couple alleged that a police officer used excessive force on them. The city will pay the settlement from its $2.5 million risk-management fund, which is used for liability cases, "It will drain it quite a bit," said Rhonda Jorn, the city's public information officer. Wonder how much is left to address continuing pending cases and claims against the FPD. "The magnitude of the settlement speaks for itself." Over the last 10 years, Fresno's annual police liability payments have varied wildly. In 1997, the city paid more than $1.3 million. In 2003, it paid a total of $54,920, according a city document. Fresno police continue to harass the homeless, profile Blacks, Browns and Yellow and Poor people. More than 38 people have been killed by Fresno Police since 1997.

The number doubled when Jerry Dyer became our chief of Police. In Reedley, the city tried to censor COPWATCH and learned the hard way that it's hard to violate our First Amendment Right to Observe. The attorneys offered to way their attorneys fee if the Police were order to learn about civil rights, the city refused, costing the residents of Reedley mucho dinero in attorneys fees.

For more information on the call contact:
http://www.October22.org 1-888-No-Brutality

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK
Rev. Floyd Harris Jr.: 559-803-0286 xyfloyd [at] aol.com

FRESNO COPWATCH
Gloria Hernandez (559) 268-2261 iwpagh [at] aol.com
Mai Summer Vue 579-0040 sunrisevue [at] yahoo.com


PRAYER CIRCLE -
TELLING OUR STORIES
& DREAMING FOR JUSTICE AT THE STEPS OF CITY HALL
* SATURDAY-- OCTOBER 21, 2006

4:00 p.m. PRAYER CIRCLE
Join us in a circle of prayer to raise City Hall's conscience on how their "quality of life" ordinances allows the police power to target and abuse people

5:30 p.m. RALLY
Support the homeless at the new Tent City to be located at the steps of Fresno City Hall.

7:00 p.m. TESTIFYING
Listens to people testify why they are homeless, listen to their stories of how the police abused them with the blessings of city hall

8:00 p.m. MUSIC, POETRY, AND SPOKEN WORDS
All are invited to participate! FOOD NOT BOMBS FOOD!

9:00 PM ALL NIGHT VIGIL ON THE STEPS OF CITY HALL
Candles, prayers, and dreams for justice and shelter for the homeless

ELEVENTH ANNUAL –
DAY OF PROTEST
TO STOP POLICE BRUTALITY

* SUNDAY-- OCTOBER 22, 2006
11:00 A.M. SPIRITUAL SERVICE AT TENT CITY
"G" and Monterey, Fresno : Join our brothers and sisters in prayer to stop homelessness in this land of richness.

3:00 P.M. MARCH from THE JUSTICE CORNER
Bring, noise makers, wear black, March for justice (Fresno and C Streets)

5:00 P.M. VIGIL
"N" street and Mariposa across the main library east of the Fresno Police Headquarters WEAR BLACK, BRING CANDLES, PICTURES OF ALL VICTIMS OF POLICE ABUSE, UNVIEL THE REAL FACTS ABOUT SO CALLED POLICE'S JUSTIFIED HOMICIDES

WE DEMAND INDEPENDENT POLICE OVERSIGHT, NOW!
Fighting Police and Prosecution Abuse and Misconduct
"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." William O. Douglas, Supreme Court Justice

For more information contact: http://www.October22.org

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK
Rev. Floyd Harris Jr.: 559-803-0286 xyfloyd [at] aol.com

FRESNO COPWATCH
Gloria Hernandez (559) 268-2261 iwpagh [at] aol.com or
Mai Summer Vue 579-0040 sunrisevue [at] yahoo.com
Stolen Lives in the San Joaquin Valley

1997
July3 : Juan Hector Torres, 31, Fresno police
July 11: Ramon Ramirez Gallardo 64 Dinuba police officers
July 31: Manuel Jimenez Garcia Jr., 30, Selma police
Dec. 23: Juan Cortez, 29, Tulare County sheriff

1998
Jan. 9: Alfonso Hernandez, 16, Visalia police
April 16: Sinn Sor, 42 Fresno patrol officer
May 9: Tom Neville, 36 Fresno police officers
July_: Israel Garcia by Fresno police

1999
March 23: Joe Casto Corrales 38,Fresno Police
Dec 05: Ralph Lafayette White Jr. Fresno Police

2000
Feb19: Ralph Peter Gawor 43, Fresno Police
Sept 5: Isaias Alvarez 51, Fresno police
Sept 11: Delfino Guerrero 23 Fresno Police

2001
July 16: Roderick Lee Bertolette, 33 Fresno police
July 21: Julian Celaya, 25 Fresno police
Nov. 6: Mark William Burke, 41, Fresno police
Nov. 7: Frank Soliz, 20 Corcoran police officer

2002
Jan. 3: Jose Javier Vega, 28, Fresno County Sheriff
Feb. 6: Phillip Daniel Aguilar, 24 Fresno police
March 1: Peter Contreras, 24, killed by Lemoore police
March 9: Albert Ray Owens, 42, Fresno police
May 4: Clifford Paul Maxwell, 21,Fresno police
May 16: Carlos Landois by Visalia police
May 25: Mark Charles Volpa Jr., 21 FSO, Fresno Police
June 6: Vue Xiong, 23, Fresno police
July 13: Ignacio Rangel Gonzalez, Tulare County sheriff
Aug. 15: Eric Daniel Foster, 25 Fresno police officer
Sept. 1: Lydia Rodriguez, 32 Fresno police officer
Oct. 24: Mariano Vargas Servin, 27, Tulare County sheriff
Oct. 27: Everardo Torres, 24 Madera police officer
Nov. 24: Tony Dominguez, 37, CHP officer
March 11: Angel Jimenez 31, Tulare police
March 21: Atilano Lay Doporto, 29, CHP
July 16: Oscar Curtis Tilghman, 44, Fresno police.
Sept. 4: Garland King, 59 Fresno police officers
Oct. 12: Jennifer Lynn Le Blanc, 26 Lindsay police officer
Oct. 26: Demetre Omar Hall, 23 Fresno police officers
Oct. 28: David Grajiola, 36 CHP

2004
Feb 6: David Zapata, 20 Fresno police
Feb 10: James Louis Carrel Fresno Police
April 8: Mario Perez Hanford Police
July 22: Gabriel Martinez, 25 Fresno Police
Aug 20: Michael Lewis Sanders Fresno Police
Sept 03: Reynaldo Quintero Martinez 31 Fresno Police
Dec 19: Juan Zaragoza 31 Fresno Police

2005
Feb 1: Vong Yang Her Fresno Police
June 18: Daniel Mendoza Fresno Police
July 3: Jerome Carter Fresno Police
August 21: Tou Yang Fresno Police
September 21: Katrina Campos Fresno Police
November 25 Kenneth King 24 Fresno police

2006
April 30 Arthur Sanchez 34 Fresno Police
August 3 06-069292 unidentified WMA
August 4 Joaquin Figuerora Fresno Police

END POLICE KILLINGS NOW!
SUPPORT THE FAMILIES OF VICTIMS!
SUPPORTERS:
Fresno Peace and Freedom
Comite NO NOS COMITE
Fresno Center for Non Violence
California Central Valley Journey for Justice 2007
Reedley Copwatch
Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM)
FRESNO FOOD NOT BOMBS
BRING DONATED CLOTHES TO
GIVE TO HOMELESS PEOPLE!