Police Prisons & Repression

Paramilitary repression and police brutality continue unabated on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border three years after the assassinations of Lorenzo Sampablo Cervantes in Oaxaca, Mexico and Fong Lee in Minneapolis, MN

By Steven Renderos & Sylvia González, November 1, 2009

Two different people – different stories, different places, – separated by nearly 2,000 miles, were connected three years ago when their lives were cut short by gunfire. Fong Lee and Lorenzo Sampablo Cervantes suffered a death inflicted by the gunshots of police and paramilitary officials. For Cervantes, it was one gunshot wound to the chest; for Lee, three gunshot wounds in his back, and five more to the front. Cervantes died seeking justice during the popular movement in 2006 in Oaxaca, Mexico, while Fong Lee died as a result of deeply rooted racism and police brutality in communities of color across the United States.

Please help get a Twin Cities artist and activist out of jail!

Our friend, Raymond Merchant, aka AC, father of two, Hip Hop artist, and
community organizer in Minneapolis was recently wrongly arrested in
relation to a robbery in South Minneapolis to which he was no party.
Missing for several days, friends became worried when Raymond failed to
arrive to a show he was scheduled to perform at. After contacting his
family, it was confirmed he had been abducted by police just blocks from
his home while out for a walk.

One chapter of Greelis' memoir - titled simply "Cop Book" - details his undercover work around the 2008 Republican National Convention, including attending a Northfield peace group's forum, placing a short-lived informant in the RNC Welcoming Committee, participating in Critical Mass and protests throughout the convention.

Thirty-five days into the popular occupation of 3138 Clinton, Rosemary Williams (one of five Minnesota women publicly resisting eviction - TCIMC/PPEHRC video) was inside her home when it was raided by the Minneapolis Police Department around 2:45pm Friday afternoon.  Three supporters were inside.  Police claimed they would give ample time to move out remaining belongings, and those inside did so, aided by several dozen who rallied to the scene.

But later in the afternoon, the MPD's plan for a quiet, obedient eviction was foiled.  After rallying the crowd, a handful of activists crossed the yellow tape roping off Clinton Avenue on either side of the house and were promptly assaulted by the police with kicks and pepper spray.  Other supporters crossed the now-removed yellow tape from the opposite direction to ensure the activists' safety.  Officers responded aggressively; one shoved someone to the ground with a two-handed shove to the chest. A TC Indymedia volunteer was sprayed directly in the face while on the "public" side of the police tape.

Four or five people sat down in front of the house in an act of civil disobedience.  An officer pointed to another man standing motionless with the crowd outside the police cordon, grabbed him and arrested him.  Eventually, seven were taken waiting vans in the alley and arrested.  An MPD spokesman said they were charged with obstruction of legal process, though they have not actually been formally charged as of tonight.  As of midnight, all have been released from jail.  This video (1:50) shows the police conduct during the civil disobedience.

Download video (MP4) 8.4MB | YouTube | Related: Video: Before the arrests  | Article from Fight Back News | Foreclosure Solutions Forum Sat. 9/19  | TC Daily Planet article w/ video Williams interview | Upcoming: Saturday 10am Leaflet at 7th/Hennepin outside Obama event | Sunday 2pm Press conference outside Rosemary's house

Have videos, photos, or updates?  Post them as a comment or publish to the newswire.

 Communities United Against Police Brutality 

Jesse James Forrey, 27, RNC Arrestee, was convicted of a felony charge of damage to property in the first degree on August 7th, 2009.  He maintains his innocence, and bravely continues to fight the verdict.  He faces 1 year, and up to 5 years in jail. Jesse is from Santa Cruz, CA, and has been kept from his home for a year already. This is not over yet. Jesse’s lawyer is looking into grounds for appeal. And there are things you can do right now to try and effect Jesse’s sentencing.  Here are some ways you can take immediate action before September 17th.

 1. American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in FBI agent deaths, denied parole

50-60 Minneapolis residents gathered at the Urban League on the north side's Plymouth Avenue Monday night to give testimony about brutality and harassment at the hands (and batons, tasers, guns, etc.) of the Minneapolis Police Department. Their stories showed that police misconduct against people of color and the homeless is not isolated, and nearly all present were in agreement that, as one speaker proclaimed, "they've got to be accountable. Minneapolis has one of the most brutal police departments in the U.S."

The primary aim of this public hearing and an upcoming hearing to be scheduled on the south side was to gather testimony, to be shared with federal officials, with the goal of putting the Minneapolis Police Department under federal receivership. With a decree of receivership from the Department of Justice, the MPD would be under official supervision from the federal government until it became in compliance with the law. This new strategy is being used, say its proponents, since a decade of organizing around civilian review boards, individual lawsuits, a class action suit, and federal mediation has not succeeded in stopping MPD violence and harassment.

With lawyers, activists, a representative of Keith Ellison's office, and many survivors present, the testimonies were mixed with calls for communal action. "The people receiving these brutalities," said one audience member after telling his story, "outnumber the people who are doing it."

Related: Cop Culture Series on KFAI Radio | MPLS Civil Rights Department on Chopping Block | Community Members Rally in Reponse to Fong Lee Verdict | Ofiong Sanders Imprisoned for Lurking |  July 11: Hastings Rally One Year After Police Killing | CUAPB