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Indybay Feature
Candlelight Vigil for Four Police Officers Killed, Oakland, 3/24/09: photos and audio
A vigil organized by Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks (District 6) was held at the intersection of 74th Avenue and MacArthur for the four Oakland Police Department officers killed on Saturday, March 21st, in two separate incidents in the vicinity. Jayson Landeza, OPD Chaplain, MCd the event and speaks first on the audio here. Youth Uprising read a poem. Several other clergy spoke, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir sang a few songs. The new Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan spoke. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums also spoke, about 38 minutes into the audio here -- he mentioned that President Obama had called him and was in the process of calling the family members of the Oakland police officers. Jane Brunner, President of the Oakland City Council spoke. A few protesters were vocal throughout toward the back of the crowd, and can be heard here starting about 20 minutes into the audio. California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Lt. Governor John Garamendi were present. Oakland police, San Leandro police, Contra Costa deputies, and the Oakland Fire Department and Animal Control personnel were present. Candles were lit by many of the one thousand or so in attendance. Six white doves were released, one for each of the officers, one for this East Oakland neighborhood, and one for all of Oakland.
Listen now:
(audio 54:26)
Audio is incomplete but covers most of the event that ran just over an hour.
A public funeral for the officers will be held this Friday at the Oakland Arena starting at 11am. There will be formal honors for the fallen officers, including bagpipes, military cannons and helicopter flyovers. The service will be broadcast live across the nation.
Related reports posted to the Indybay newswire can be found here: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/03/22/18580641.php
Audio is incomplete but covers most of the event that ran just over an hour.
A public funeral for the officers will be held this Friday at the Oakland Arena starting at 11am. There will be formal honors for the fallen officers, including bagpipes, military cannons and helicopter flyovers. The service will be broadcast live across the nation.
Related reports posted to the Indybay newswire can be found here: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/03/22/18580641.php
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If the police and white/black/brown bourgeoisie were serious about "healing the community" they would include Mixon in there pleas, not just recite the names of the police officers.
The media has been reporting all kinds of unconfirmed allegations about Lavelle--details the public is in no position to prove or disprove--relying solely on police reports. The corporate media has not corroborated police reports before disseminating them. The media needs to report on the police officers' histories, specifically on how many officer-involved shootings they were a part of and what, if any, complaints are on their records.
For example, we know already that Sergeant Pat Gonzales, the fifth police officer shot but not seriously injured by Mixon, fired and killed Gary King Jr. (age 20), Joshua Russell (age 19), and made a quadriplegic of Ameir Rollins (age 17). How many officer-involved shootings had the now deceased officers been engaged in? Importantly, all of the officers resided in Bay Area suburbs, not in Oakland. Why has this important context that would shed light on not only the Mixon situation, but the broader tensions with OPD, not been explicitly reported?
The media has been reporting all kinds of unconfirmed allegations about Lavelle--details the public is in no position to prove or disprove--relying solely on police reports. The corporate media has not corroborated police reports before disseminating them. The media needs to report on the police officers' histories, specifically on how many officer-involved shootings they were a part of and what, if any, complaints are on their records.
For example, we know already that Sergeant Pat Gonzales, the fifth police officer shot but not seriously injured by Mixon, fired and killed Gary King Jr. (age 20), Joshua Russell (age 19), and made a quadriplegic of Ameir Rollins (age 17). How many officer-involved shootings had the now deceased officers been engaged in? Importantly, all of the officers resided in Bay Area suburbs, not in Oakland. Why has this important context that would shed light on not only the Mixon situation, but the broader tensions with OPD, not been explicitly reported?
following up on M's incredibly valid points about hidden police records and how none of them live in Oakland and therefore are not part of the community, here's a short primer on Gonzales
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/09/18560607.php?show_comments=1
Chief Tucker is gone now. the head of OPD internal affairs, Captain Ed Poulson, is on paid leave while the FBI investigates his role in the beating death of Jerry Amaro in 2000. but Gonzales remains on active duty, free to kill or maim again
also, Officer Hector Jimenez killed two people last year, Andrew Moppin and Jody Woodfox, yet he's on a permanent paid vacation now with no accountability expected
this is all proven fact. even the OPD doesn't deny these killings. they just pretend they've got it all under control internally, everything is fine, they operate with the highest integrity, of course, and the public has no right to demand accountability
and then the OPD spills all sorts of hearsay on Mixon and the media report it as absolute fact. why are the OPD pushing so hard to keep the story in Mixon's direction? when will the corporate media ever actually do their jobs and stop parroting OPD talking points?
little wonder why so many people have no trust of the OPD or corporate media
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/09/18560607.php?show_comments=1
Chief Tucker is gone now. the head of OPD internal affairs, Captain Ed Poulson, is on paid leave while the FBI investigates his role in the beating death of Jerry Amaro in 2000. but Gonzales remains on active duty, free to kill or maim again
also, Officer Hector Jimenez killed two people last year, Andrew Moppin and Jody Woodfox, yet he's on a permanent paid vacation now with no accountability expected
this is all proven fact. even the OPD doesn't deny these killings. they just pretend they've got it all under control internally, everything is fine, they operate with the highest integrity, of course, and the public has no right to demand accountability
and then the OPD spills all sorts of hearsay on Mixon and the media report it as absolute fact. why are the OPD pushing so hard to keep the story in Mixon's direction? when will the corporate media ever actually do their jobs and stop parroting OPD talking points?
little wonder why so many people have no trust of the OPD or corporate media
The list of politicians and preachers supporting the cops is a good place to start as far as who is the enemy of the working people, youth, and other supporters of civil liberties and civil rights in Oakland.
although there will be thousands of cops at the arena on friday
Why is this garbage honoring the Gestapo here? The obviously staged killing of 4 armed and armored thug agents of the ruling class whose sole purpose is to terrorize the workingclass is to build support of Johannes Mesherle, the racist murderer of Oscar Grant. The fact that any member of the workingclass shows up for this garbage demonstrates how brainwashed Americans are and how not ready they are for any serious change. How much police brutality, police killings, lack of medical care, no education, no jobs, no housing, no public transportation will this backward country tolerate before it stops honoring murderous thugs and starts fighting for all the things we need, including abolishing all police departments, abolishing prisons, abolishing the death penalty and abolishing the military? Please stop publishing the ruling class propaganda on this website.
Thanks for posting this. What you see here is the real Oakland. The Oakland that is sick of being held hostage by thugs and criminals. Most of us support the police and realize they have an incredibly dangerous job. When something tragic like this happens, we support them. That's what normal, everyday people do. We are not "brainwashed", the radicals (anarchists/communists/etc.) are. That is why your ideologies have such a lack of credibility or support in Oakland and everywhere else in the U.S. You blame it on normal, everyday folks, but you need to take a long look at yourselves and what you represent.
The huge difference between those in uniform and those not is that some of those in uniform have murdered average people who meant no harm, under circumstances not unlike the recent BART murder.
In that way, the anger on here is to be expected.
While some cops will never kill anyone, others will, and the circumstances are ignored. Some never forget all that and it's important that they never do.
I'm glad that some on here are keeping track and reposting -- if you don't, no one will know.
In that way, the anger on here is to be expected.
While some cops will never kill anyone, others will, and the circumstances are ignored. Some never forget all that and it's important that they never do.
I'm glad that some on here are keeping track and reposting -- if you don't, no one will know.
DNA evidence is not hearsay. Mixon is a child rapist linked by DNA to the rape of a 12 year old black girl and four other black women. He shot and carjacked an innocent victim. Despite police oppression anyone of any race championing this animal as a hero is blinded to truth by their rage.
No education? Don't drop out fool! No housing? Get a job, any job, then get friends together if you can't pay rent alone, and rent an apartment! Why should anyone expect anyone to give you anything. Mixon is a dead animal.
No education? Don't drop out fool! No housing? Get a job, any job, then get friends together if you can't pay rent alone, and rent an apartment! Why should anyone expect anyone to give you anything. Mixon is a dead animal.
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