Free Fly Benzo! Courtroom Solidarity Needed

FREE FLY BENZO - ALL OUT TO SUPPORT FLY BENZO - Monday at 9:00 a.m., Department 12 at San Francisco hall of (in)justice, 850 Bryant.

On Tuesday afternoon one day after DeBray Carpenter who is known as Fly Benzo, a resident, activist and hip-hop artist in Bayview/Hunters Point spoke at a well attended press conference in preparation of the October 22 Day Against Police Brutality, he was talking about Yes on Prop H (school placement/desegregation proposition) when San Francisco cops started filming him, and then he started filming them filming him. The cops tried to take his camera; Fly tries to defend his camera. The police start attacking Fly, Tommy, his older brother, goes in to defend Fly, one officer fell while trying to do a ridiculous take down and he hit his head.

Both Tommy and Fly were beat up and went to the hospital before they were taken to jail. Tommy was ORd but charged with resisting arrest and battery.

Fly was charged with resisting, battery and attempting to incite a riot. The arraignment has been put over to Monday at 9:00 a.m., Department 12 at San Francisco hall of (in)justice, 850 Bryant.

Who is Fly Benzo? According to Jeremy Miller, executive director of the Idriss Stelly Foundation, “Fly is a young, articulate, charismatic man from a radical family. As a young organizer who is on the rise, I feel that the SFPD is trying to clip his wings.”

It should be noted that after SFPD chief of police Suhr got booed out of the Bayview Opera house meeting after the police killed Kenneth Harding, Fly Benzo was illegaly arrested for disrupting that meeting. He and his family have been targeted and retaliated against for standing up and speaking out against police brutality. And now he’s been arrested and assaulted for copwatching.

The Oscar Grant Committee stands in solidarity with Fly Benzo and demands all charges be dropped against him and his brother Tommy.


check out the SF Bayview piece: http://sfbayview.com/2011/threats-or-payback/