[Video] 50 Years Ago Today, A Police Encounter Set Off The Watts Rebellion

[Scroll down to watch “The Fire This Time”]

From BlackPast.Org

By Nichols, Casey (University of Washington, Seattle)

Following World War II, over 500,000 African Americans migrated to West Coast cities in hopes of escaping racism and discrimination. However they found both in the west. For many black Los Angeles, California residents who lived in Watts, their isolation in that community was evidence that racial equality remained a distant goal as they experienced housing, education, employment, and political discrimination. These racial injustices caused Watts’ African American population to explode on August 11, 1965 in what would become the Watts Rebellion.

The rebellion began on August 11th when the Los Angeles Highway Patrol stopped black Watts resident Marquette Frye and his brother, alleging that they were speeding. Back-up was called from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) as a crowd of African Americans gathered to watch the scene. Since the incident was close to Frye’s home, his mother emerged to find her son resisting arrest. Fearful that his arrest may ignite a riot, one LAPD officer drew his firearm. Catching a glimpse of the gun, Mrs. Frye jumped onto the officer’s back, causing the crowd to begin cheering. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers arrested all three of the Fryes. Enraged by the family’s arrests, Watts’ residents protested as the police cars drove away. Less than an hour later, black Angelenos took to the streets.

[Video] North Charleston, SC Police Officer Filmed Murdering Fleeing Man Then Planting Evidence Near His Body

The following contains unedited, graphic footage of the April 4, 2015, shooting of Walter Scott by North Charleston Patrolman 1st Class Michael Thomas Slager taken by an anonymous bystander.

Walter Scott shooting from The Post and Courier on Vimeo.

SF Man Beaten By Plainclothes Officers For Riding Bike On Sidewalk Is Suing The City

[Scroll Down for Video]

Posted in SFisft

San Francisco, California

A man who was viciously beaten over a year ago by three plainclothes San Francisco Police Department officers for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk is now suing the city and the officers involved, reports Courthouse News Service.

Back on November 15, 2013 around 3:30 p.m., D’Prince “DJ” Williams was riding back to his Valencia Gardens apartment in the Mission District from the ‘Batkid’ event when he was accosted by three plainclothes SFPD policemen for apparently riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. At that point, Williams had already entered his home. The ensuing melee turned ugly and escalated, leading to neighbors and even more police officers joining in on the fray. The officers named in the suit are Gregory Skaug, Milen Banegas and Theodore Polovina, and the complaint alleges none of them identified themselves as policemen to Williams.

On Black Objecthood and Noodles

We were lined up zip-tied in Santa Rita, the seven of us searched, stripped and patted down. 23 was the only other person of color arrested with me that day, a young black man who spent the bus ride over heckling the California highway patrol officers to the best of his ability. I told 23 in the bus ride over, “If you think CHP are a bunch of fucking pricks, wait till you meet the correctional officers. If you talk shit to them like you just talked shit to the CHP they will drag your ass into a little room and beat the fuck out of you.”

He said, “I appreciate the advice, but you do things your way, and I’ll do things mine, if I die in here, tell them my name is 23.”

When we were marched out and lined up, 23 resisted, a cop laughed, and slammed his face into a wall, seven or so officers grabbed him and dragged him kicking and screaming into a little room. “I’m not resisting!” he screamed through the sound of beatings. Consecutive sounds of flesh smacking against bone and concrete like a round of applause, their microphones’ were on, and connected to the sound system in the hallway we were kept in. We heard everything. The screams echoed through all of the halls of the cell.

The cops were laughing, yelling to one another, “Turn your damn microphones off!”

One officer paced behind us and calmly said,
“Me, I hate violence. Honestly, I am a pacifist. But if you give us trouble, you’ll end up like him. Now if you just behave, you won’t have to end up like him. What else can I do? If me or my officers are put in danger, I’ll have my hands tied, I’ll have no choice.”

Interesting that he said “hands tied” eh? Oh yes officer. Never has the narrative of the state been so clear to me. Oh officer, I praise your honesty. Your lynchings do not go unnoticed. Black is the bottom; it is of no coincidence that you made an example of 23, just as you did of other black youths. My upward mobility as a yellow fellow depends on how far I can push black people down. Black is perpetually made example of. I am juxtaposed to black objecthood. If I decide to join them, my wretched little lot and I will end up like them. I get it now. Never has your message been so clear to me. Oh yes, my honest pig, preaches nonviolence. Maintaining order depends upon systematic black death, that is the central logic of anti-blackness, of black objecthood of black social and material death. My assigned API identity is dependent upon the example made with black death. The line is drawn.

A new political climate, the stage is set.

Yes, do you hear it? The background is moving, the stage props are shaking, they are growing feet, little beady eyes taking form, they are living now, and taking center stage, and devouring the actors alive.

Slurp their fucking intestines up like noodles.

Yours Truly,
Yellow Peril

[Video] The Murder of Eric Garner: Police Officer Cleared in Chokehold Death

Staten Island, New York

Staten Island grand jury cleares NYPD cop in chokehold death of Eric Garner [Video Below]

We Can Pretend Mexico’s War Isn’t ‘Made in the U.S.A.’, But the Numbers Don’t Lie

From #USTired2: Stop the US Government’s Deadly Plan Mexico

For too many people living in the United States, it has been easy to ignore what’s happening in Mexico. But the plain truth is that the money that’s fueling this war is coming from one place: the United States. And it’s our job to stop it.

First, of course, there is the amount of money that drug traffickers make selling narcotics, marijuana, and amphetamines here in the U.S.: even conservative estimates put this at $30 billion each year. The drug trade is so profitable that one UN official argued that during the global banking crisis in 2008, drug money was the only thing keeping the world banking system afloat. So the drug habits of people here in the U.S. are making billions of dollars for the cartels—and therefore for the big international banks—every year, providing the monetary incentives for the kind of graft and corruption that has infected the Mexican state from top to bottom. Our love of cocaine and pot is fueling the disintegration of the entire Mexican political structure.

Read the rest of the article here.

Take action here.

Join the December 3rd National Mobilization for Peace in Mexico here.

Read more about Plan Mexico here.

Anti Police-Terrorism Project: Oakland

From Needa Bee

“A new formation has started in the bay area….a multi racial, multi generational group of organizations, individuals and families coming together to dismantle police terror. No longer on just the defense reacting to every attocity by the pigs. We also going on the offensive. Come to the General meetings every third Thursday at Eastside Arts Alliance to find out what we talking about and how to get down.”

 

A Sister’s Letter: Help Me Fight for my Brother Brutalized by the Police

The Thomas Family

Antoine Thomas, my brother, and his friend were stopped in 2007 in Fairfield, CA when for a random search by the Solono County police. The police who stopped him shoved four large fingers into his rectum, in public, damaging his rectal tissue. The other officers stood there and laughed while my brother writhed in pain. While they laughed, the cop then went for his testicles-and crushed them.

Background on Antoine’s Case

Is this funny? Is this what it means to PROTECT AND SERVE? Is this what tax payers are paying these “servants” for? To literally rape citizens, laugh while doing it, then throw him in jail for several weeks with no medical care for the horrendous injuries they inflicted? This sounds more like a sexually deviant game of power and perverse gratification.

What kind of a person could rape someone and laugh? I am hurt and perplexed by the brutality and deeply saddened by what society has deemed a “worthy” character profile of those who are HIRED to serve and protect. I do not know what type of training they receive that enables them to rape, murder and torture people, but I know it must stop, NOW.

Thomas’ case is not the only one–there are many, many more. These are a few examples:

Hope Steffey

“Half of Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners in America are Black”

Jacorey Calhoun

The horror doesn’t stop there. After Antione was let go, the family filed a complaint in regards to the abuse and torture he was subjected to during the police stop. This took several years to try to seek restitution. While the complaint was underway, they were plotting and planning for a way to silence him permanently. After all, this was a small town and it’s reputation was at stake.

Two years later, in 2009, he was re-arrested and set up–framed on false charges for a robbery that he was nowhere in the vicinity of. In 2010 he was sentenced to 65 years in Vacaville. He also was given a stiff sentence on a trumped up drug charge that constitutes about 3⁄4 of his 65 year sentence.

Thus, after being publicly raped and damaged, he was then framed for a crime he didn’t commit, merely because he exercised his constitutional rights to seek justice. Antoine Thomas is currently imprisoned as a result of a “payback” for filing charges against the police who destroyed his anal cavity and  testicles in public.

It makes me wonder how many others have endured this torture, and remained silent due to fears of retribution. It makes me afraid for others who are targeted and cavity-searched with such cruelty from sexually disturbed men/women in uniform. I am especially afraid for our children.

Please stand with us for justice against this BRUTAL Regime of sexual predators and the corrupt system which frames those who complain. If we do not all unite to STOP these horrendous crimes committed by the police, we or our loved ones will all be victims at one time or another.

I am asking you, as a friend, family or community member, activist or concerned citizen: please help!

I am working with the National Legal Professional Associates for my brother’s case, but need $8,000 to pay for his full legal representation. We have substantial and concrete evidence which would exonerate him. I am reaching out to all who care about justice, truth and a creating a better judicial system– freeing loved ones, one by one. The current system is broke, as it serves to fill the pockets of those in power while people such as you and I, ordinary folks lose our loved ones, if not ourselves, in this madness. The system targets people of color, oppressed people, poor people, even middle class people, whom they choose to target. No one is immune anymore.

Please consider donating to Antoine’s cause. Donate not only for him and his family and loved ones, but for the community as a whole–especially our children, as they are most vulnerable to this cruel and punitive system. It must be stopped and justice must be restored.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Antoine’s case, as well as any references you may need before making a donation. You can donate here.

I thank you in advance for your contribution and God Bless! Free Antoine Thomas!

 

[Video] Trubute to Ezell Ford: “Fuck Tha Police”

Los Angeles , California

Police in Los Angeles are on high alert and warning of possible revenge attacks for the police murder of Ezell Ford who was shot and killed while unarmed on 65th and Broadway. Ford’s mother rushed to the scene of the murder and was brutalized by police causing more anger among local residents. Fords friends and family released this video in response (the artist is said to Ezell Fords cousin):

[Video] Oakland to Ferguson Protest FTP

Ferguson To Oakland : Get Free

Oakland, California

From Justice for [Fill in the Blank]

On Friday August 15th Oakland residents took to the streets in solidarity with those resisting police violence in Ferguson, Missouri. Here’s a short video of what took place: