Our Solidarity Is Outside of Their Jurisdiction

On Thursday, May 31st, over a 150 supporters and friends of James Rivera, Jr., Luther "Champ" Brown, Jr., and James Cooke, all from Stockton, and all killed recently by the Stockton Police and County Sheriffs, again marched in Stockton, shutting down streets, banks, and faced off against police. Although with fewer numbers than April 10th, (which happened a full 4 four days after Champ was killed by SPD and almost escalated into a near riot), the demonstration was still very militant and very angry. Many supporters and comrades made the trek from Oakland to participate, and at around 3pm, the group started marching against traffic on El Dorado St., holding banners reading, "Slave Patrols Then, Police Forces Now," and "Fuck the Police."

Chanting, "All Cops Are Bastards, A, C, A, B!," the crowd quickly blocked off the major street and proceeded to attempt to shut down several banks along the way. Demonstrators chanted in front of the buildings, beat on doors, and held the space in front of the banks until they closed. This was done with the intention of showing the connection between a system of exploitation and a police force which serves that exploitation. Members of Occupy Stockton also announced information about an ongoing campaign to support a homeowner who is resisting eviction and foreclosure, coming hot on the heals of a recent home occupation in Woodland the occupation of a foreclosed home/office of a group of Native Miwok peoples in Stockton in 2010.

Next the crowd headed to the DA's office several blocks away. Several within the crowd urged those in attendance to be "peaceful" and tone down their anger. A majority of the crowd rejected this. One man, after stating that he rejected a "peaceful solution," began singing the words to Dead Prez's song, "I Have a Dream Too," declaring:

"Backseat of the 'lac, big gat in my lap
Ready for combat, feelin' like Geronimo Pratt
We had the windows cracked, headed up the strip
Black rag in my hand, don't want no prints on the clip
Hollow tips 'cause we thugs with this shit, my nigga
This ain't no game, we bang for yo hood, my nigga
I take a left at the light, turn off the headlights and ride real slow
Now holla at me when you see the five 0
Alright Dirty, y'all boys ready?
'Bout to turn drive-bys revolutionary
Yeah, motherfucker yeah"

The San Joaquin DA's office has lead many people to believe that a 'peaceful' solution to the murders of unarmed young black men will never come from the very system which financed their deaths in the first place. James Rivera will killed in the summer of 2010, and the DA and the coroner have yet to release their reports regarding the killing.

Several months ago, demonstrations like this in the Central Valley would not have been possible. Such fighting spirit comes not only from solidarity and inspiration from comrades in the bay area involved with Occupy Oakland and ongoing actions there, but also from continued resistance by people in Manteca, Modesto, and Stockton themselves.

After facing off against a line of riot police who ended up marching right back into their paddy wagon, demonstrators at around 5pm headed to a local park to share BBQ food, watch live musicians perform, and speak on the struggle against police terror.

In the following days, local media played up heavily the participation of Occupy Oakland demonstrators, and downplayed the involvement of Central Valley participants. This spitting on the ongoing fire and rage coming out of the streets of Stockton is truly disgusting - but not at all surprising. The media will never be a tool to tell our story, and it will always help sell the lies of the cops and those that hold their leashes. Stockton and Oakland are linked. Many black people pushed out of Oakland either by gentrification, gang violence, or police violence, have moved to Stockton. Furthermore, the very real and tangible connections of solidarity that are sprung up as we support each other's struggles for freedom will always be seen as terrifying to those in power, while to us, they will always be a weapon.

VENGEANCE FOR COOKE!
KEEP IT LIT FOR CHAMP!
RIDE FOR JAMES!