Tag Archives: murder by cop

Kern County Deputies Who Beat David Silva Doxed by Anonymous

Kern County Sheriffs’ Department
Sheriff
Donny Youngblood

1350 Norris Rd
Bakersfield, California 93308
(661)391-7500
http://www.kernsheriff.com

Unarmed Father of 4 David Sal Silva Beaten to death by 9 Kern County Officers

“I took the unprecedented step of asking the FBI to conduct a parallel investigation,” Youngblood told The Times. “Our credibility is at stake here.”

The seven deputies and two California Highway Patrol officers tried to take Silva into custody early Wednesday morning after law enforcement received a report of a possibly intoxicated man outside Kern Medical Center, according to the sheriff’s department.

Silva struggled with them, deputies said. A canine was deployed, batons were used and Silva, 33, was pronounced dead at KMC less than an hour later after experiencing trouble breathing.

Witnesses have said Silva appeared to die right in front of them, minutes after officers struck him several times with batons.

The coroner’s office, which reports to Sheriff Donny Youngblood, said Friday that the cause of death hasn’t been determined and is pending toxicology and microscopic studies. Those studies could take as long as four months.

VIDEO Along with Witness Accounts

Article
Another Article

Officers Involved
Sgt. Douglas Sword On Force > 13 1/2 years
Deputy David Stephens On Force > 5 1/2 years
Deputy Brian Brock On Force > 1 1/2 years
Deputy Luis Almanza On Force > 3 years
Deputy Jeffrey Kelly On Force > 4 years
Deputy Tanner Miller On Force > 4 1/2 years
Deputy Ryan Greer On Force > 4 1/2 years

DOX Kern County Sheriff’s Department
Sheriff Donny Youngblood

On Monday May 13th, 2013 Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood requested the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) analyze the two cell phones seized pursuant to a search warrant related to the in custody death of David Silva. Specifically, Sheriff Youngblood requested the FBI conduct a forensic analysis of the contents of the cell phones. A request to the FBI was made following the preliminary results of the Bakersfield Police Department’s analysis of the phones. The analysis by the Bakersfield Police Department confirmed the existence of video footage related to this incident on one phone and no video footage on the second phone. This prompted the subsequent request for further analysis by the FBI. Sheriff Youngblood also requested the FBI conduct a parallel investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Today, Sheriff’s Office personnel transported the phones to the FBI Sacramento Office for analysis.

UPDATE : The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has decided to postpone Law Enforcement Day at the Sheriff’s Office, which had been scheduled for Saturday May 18th. The Sheriff’s Office planned the event as a day for the community to tour our facility, view demonstrations from several of our specialized units such as the Bomb Squad and K-9 unit, and talk to the men and women who work for the Sheriff’s Office protecting the citizens of Kern County every day. Unfortunately due to recent events, the Sheriff’s Office felt it would be appropriate to postpone the event. The Sheriff’s Office apologizes to those community members who had planned on attending the event. The event will be re-scheduled in the future.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Sgt. DOUGLAS SWORD

Email: SwordD@co.kern.ca.us
Sgt. Doug and his wife Mary Sword live on 2120 Jason Street Bakersfield CA.

—————————————————————————————————————–
Officer Ryan Greer lives with wife Tarrah T Greer at
6901 Hooper Ave
Bakersfield , California 93308
661-391-3175

Property Information >

Estimated Value: $261,900
Monthly Value Change: $4,000
Last Updated: 04/22/2013
Bedroom(s): 4
Bathroom(s): 2.75
Square Feet: 2,634
Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 1972
Monthly Est. Mortgage: $1,190
Monthly Est. Insurance: $76
Monthly Property Tax: $269
Price Per SqFt: $99
Last Sold Date: 05/29/2003
Last Sold Price: $220,000

We Are Anonymous
We Are Legion
We Do Not Forgive
We Do Not Forget
Expect Us

n4m3le55sKy

source

Bratton $250,000 Report

Oakland Crime Reduction Project
Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations
May 8, 2013
The Bratton Group, LCC, in conjunction with the Strategic Policy Partnership, has
been working with the Oakland Police Police Department (OPD) on improving its
Compstat crime management and command accountability system and on
reorganizing its investigative functions to respond more effectively to homicides,
shootings, robberies, and burglaries. These reforms are an important component in
the larger effort to move the OPD to a Neighborhood Policing Plan, with the city
divided into five districts, each commanded by a captain. The key to this new
district-based structure is geographic accountability for each captain – and for their
subordinate lieutenants, sergeants, and officers – for a specific area of the city with
its specific crime and disorder problems, its familiar community members, and, to a
significant degree, its specific cast of criminal characters. Under the Neighborhood
Policing Plan, the district captains will be the principal crime fighters in the
Department, each taking responsibility for crime in their respective districts and
each held accountable for designing and directing responses and strategies to
counter crime conditions. So far the OPD has established two districts in East
Oakland with three more planned for the western part of the city.
The Neighborhood Policing Plan is a long-term effort to rebuild the service delivery
and crime-fighting capabilities of the OPD after years of attrition that have reduced
OPD headcount by about 25 percent. The OPD is working to add police officers, but
the current staffing shortfalls make it all the more important that the Department
deploys and manages its resources effectively now. The management and structural
reforms recommended here are part of a blueprint for focusing the OPD’s crime
fighting efforts at the local or district level. The Compstat crime management system
is being revamped into a more effective accountability tool, providing a relentless
focus on responding to and resolving local crime and police service problems. In a
key structural reform, the recommended establishment of decentralized District
Investigation Units (DIUs), will give the district captains an investigative resource to
help them in their efforts to counter and control local crime.
The Compstat Process
The Compstat Process is a paradigm-shifting approach to police management. It is an
accountablity tool, a training tool, a motivational tool, and a crime analysis tool. Its
fundamental purpose is to keep key police managers – including chiefs, district
captains, investigative supervisors, and special unit commanders – sharply focused on
the central police responsibilites of responding to and controlling crime. The heart of
the process is a series of regularly scheduled crime strategy meetings where a police
department’s top management and its field managers engage in tough, probing
sessions about current crimes and the plans and tactics to counter them. The Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations 5/8/13
2
recommedations listed below are intended to strengthen OPD’s existing Compstat
process and have been implemented in the past two months.
Findings
• The Compstat Process as previously practiced in Oakland was more of a report
or a presentation by a captain than the system of vigorous strategic oversight.
Compstat should be an intensive and probing dialogue between the
department’s top commanders and its field managers, including patrol,
investigations and special unit commanders.
• The former Compstat presentations were too general and did not deal with
crime specifics. The exchanges at Compstat should be focused on the specifics of
crime patterns and individual crimes and the measures being taken to counter
them.
• As formerly practiced, Oakland’s Compstat did not have a true primary
questioner pressing for answers to the critical questions about specific crime
problems. The department’s primary questioner should study, and be
conversant with, the current crime picture and should be ready to ask a series of
follow-up questions to ensure that every reasonable effort is being made, that
every solid lead is being followed, and that the Department’s various
components are responding swiftly to emerging crime patterns and problems.
• The captains and other field managers at Compstat were not being held
accountable for knowledge of crime in a designated district. Captains,
investigative commanders and special unit commanders should all be expected
to come to the meeting with a thorough familiarity with the crime patterns and
crime conditions in their areas of responsibility, which is achieved by reading
the incident reports about individual crimes.
• Under the existing process there was no sense of coordination, information
sharing or support from the centralized Criminal Invesigation Division (CID).
Recommendations
• Compstat meetings should be firmly under the control of the primary questioner
who drives the process forward and keeps it focused on the specific crime
problems and the plans to counter these problems.
• The primary questioner, not the reporting captain, should control and direct the
electronic maps and screens.
• Captains will be expected to be fully conversant with their crime problems,
having accurate, timely information by reading and understanding all Part I
crime reports.
• Expanded participation and input will be expected from investigative
supervisors at every level in the Department, who should be prepared to
describe in detail the response of their investigative units to current crime
incidents and patterns, to report on the status of all but the most sensitive active
investigations, and to share information about successful strategies.
• The Compstat Report should be a succinct summary of crime and enforcement
activity, showing trends in the previous two- and four-week periods, as well as Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations 5/8/13
3
year-to-date comparisons, that can be used as a departure point for Compstat
discussions.
• Working from the Compstat Report, the primary questioner should engage the
district captain and other relevant supervisors concerning any spikes or trends
in the crime numbers, paying particular attention to spikes in killings and
shootings, and questioning them on their plans to deal with these issues, i.e., the
development of effective tactics.
• All Department chiefs and captains should be present at all Compstat meetings,
except in cases when other important business calls them away. Compstat
should be seen as one most important regular activities taking place in the
Department.
• In addition to general questioning about current crime trends, the primary
questioner should pursue a series of regular lines of questioning at the Compstat
sessions:
o Hot Spots – What is being done to correct conditions at various hot-spot
locations?
o Calls for Service – Are calls for service up or down, and if up, why are they
spiking? Consider highlighting the top five locations for repeat calls in
each district. Why are police continually called there? What is the
underlying problem? Are we wasting valuable resources?
o Enforcement – What is happening with arrests and other enforcement
activity? Why are some officers in a given district very productive while
others are not? Are we making arrests in the right places and for the right
reasons? Are officers being properly directed by their supervisors
towards areas where crime is spiking?
o Warrants – What is the progress on executing Ramey warrants and other
warrants such as bail jumping, failure to appear, and parole warrants?
The number of Ramey warrants should be broken down by district, and
this information provided to each district captain and to the CID captain.
The district captains should be questioned about what is being done to
capture these suspects.
o Measures of Evidence Gathering and Processing – When Bratton Group
recommendations concerning the tracking of crime scene work are
implemented, Compstat should include a recap of crime scene runs and
lab submissions from supervisors assigned to these functions. This would
cover the number of runs responded to, the number of locations
fingerprinted, the number of ballistics and DNA submissions, etc.
o Ceasefire – How many Ceasefire individuals called to a call-in reside in a
district? How many accepted service? How many in/out of jail? How
many have been injured? How many have been victims of crime
themselves? How many are wanted for a crime?
o Persistent Quality-of-Life issues – What are the quality-of-life issues that
are most problematic for the community? What are we doing about them?
Members of the Bratton Group team worked intensively with Assistant Chief
Eric Bershears to help prepare him for his role as the primary Compstat Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations 5/8/13
4
questioner and participated in the Compstat meetings conducted on the new
model. They also assisted in revising the Compstat Report.
District Investigation Units (DIUs)
The recommended establishment of District Investigation Units will decentralize the
investigation of most robberies, burglaries, and shootings. The DIUs will report to the
district captains, giving the captains an investigative resource that can respond swiftly
to crime victims and crime scenes and pursue investigations through to arrest.
Findings
• Centralized investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division
(CID) have not been successful in countering the growing robbery and burglary
problems in Oakland.
• Major Crimes Section 1 of CID, which investigates homicides, gun assaults,
suspicious deaths, and officer-involved shootings, has too large of a workload to
effectively investigate shootings, many of which are closed without further
investigation because of uncooperative victims.
• For a number of reasons, centralized robbery investigators working for Major
Crimes Section 2, are slow to respond to robberies and interview victims, losing
momentum on the investigation of pattern robberies.
• Effectively, burglaries are not investigated in the City of Oakland with only one
part-time investigator assigned to more than 10,000 burglaries last year.
• Increased camera monitoring of commerical areas throughout the city would
provide significantly more leads in robberies and burglaries and in some
shooting cases.
Recommendations
• Reduce the workload of Major Crimes Section 1 to homicides and grievous
assaults from which the victim is likely to die by assigning gun assaults for
investigation at the district level.
• Assign most robberies and non-gun assaults for investigation at the district level.
• Assign burglaries for investigation at the district level.
• Establish District Investigation Units (DIUs) in each of the five districts to
investigate robberies, burglaries, and assaults/shootings.
• Assign experienced investigative sergeants to manage the DIUs. These sergeants
would be responsible for all investigative activity in the districts and would
represent district investigations at Compstat.
• Assign three experienced investigators and three to four police officers to each
DIU, pairing experienced investigators with officers with less experience.
• Assign each investigator/police officer team to one of three specialties: robbery,
burglary, or assaults/shootings.
• Establish staggered schedules for DIU to ensure a working presence by
investigators in the afternoon and evening hours seven days a week. Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations 5/8/13
5
• Have DIU investigators respond to crime scenes, interview victims, canvass for
witnesses, gather evidence and identify crime patterns, modus operandi, and
repeat criminals active in the district.
• As the DIU system is established, use the DIUs as an investigator training ground
and career path, with officers moving in progression from police officer assigned
to a DIU, to a DIU lead investigator, to centralized CID and homicide
investigations.
• Establish strictly observed case management protocols to provide guidelines for
DIU investigations, including updated Investigative Action Reports (IARs) at five
days, 15 days, and 28 days for each active case. The Bratton Group team has
prepared a sample case management system for adaption for use in Oakland.
• Significantly increase the camera monitoring capabilities of the OPD in
commercial areas throughout the city to provide identifications and evidence in
robbery, burglary and some shooting cases. Cameras would be monitored and
recorded at the Domain Awareness Center that is currently under construction.
Evidence Management
For the DIUs to be optimally effective, OPD should implement reforms in the
management of evidence, changing some of the priorities and systems by which
evidence is gathered and analyzed.
Findings
• Crime scene technicians in Oakland work without direct supervision and
therefore with little systematic organization.
• The OPD’s digital photo file access, which could be a key tool in identifying
robbery suspects, is extremely slow and is rarely used in current robbery
investigations.
• Fingerprint evidence gathered at burglary scenes is not generally used in
burglary investigations or submitted for comparisons by the Automated
Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
• More extensive and timely analysis of shell casings found at the scenes of
shootings and other crimes could provide stronger evidence in assault cases,
connecting guns to both specific crimes and specific gangs.
Recommendations
• Assign a supervisor, preferably a sergeant, to manage crime scene technicians
and establish a systematic dispatch protocol that both prioritizes and tracks all
crime scene runs.
• Acquire a faster running digital photo system to access Alameda County’s
Consolidated Arrest Report System (CARs) so that photo arrays can be shown
expeditiously to robbery victims.
• Establish a new protocol for the processing of fingerprints from burglary scenes
so that prints in cases with other leads and/or in cases that have been linked a
pattern of burglaries can be submitted for expeditious AFIS comparisons. Hire
additional fingerprint analysts as needed to provide this service. Bratton Group Findings and Recommendations 5/8/13
6
• Increase the analysis of shell casings found at shooting scenes to link specific
weapons to specific crimes across geographical areas and periods of time. Hire
additional ballistic analysts as necessary to provide this service.

This report was obtained and published by Da Lin of KPIX

From the man who said “Quite frankly, I’m always in favor of more cops”

From that same article : ‘Bratton again defended stop-and-frisk, which he said all police departments do to varying degrees. He said the term should be called “stop, question and frisk,” because most police stops end with a question and never result in suspects being searched.

In this interview at 2:27, Bill Bratton reveals a past clarity he has since abandoned.

There was a belief that crime was caused by things that were beyond the influence of the police, such as poverty, demographics … lotta young people … uh, the economy, uh, race issues, ethnic issues, ah the weather, ah … and we believed them.

He seems to have had, at one time, a real grasp on the actual root causes of crime. He goes on to dismiss those as causes.

Two months ago Bratton again appeared in a video interview, grabbing the spotlight to opine about gun control, and to praise and defend the stop & frisk policy, which he does after the question is posed at 4:01. First, they joke about him calling it ‘stop, question, & frisk’ … as if questioning someone for walking while black is better than frisking them for the same ‘suspicious’ behavior. He contradicts himself all in one sentence, then bumbles on.

It is a constitutionally protected activity by police. The challenge for police is to do it legally, compassionately, consistently. Not just in poor neighborhoods, not just in minority neighborhoods. And that is the issue, unfortunately, around the country because that is where it’s most frequently because unfortunately that is where the majority of crime, both serious and minor, it is committed. That’s the reality of our lives, our society. It is an essential tool of policing. Can police be better trained, supervised and monitored, I think they can. Uhh, but those that are advocating that it be done away with or representing that it can be done away with it, I’m sorry but you do away with it and, uh, you’re going to have cities overrun with crime because it is the basic tool that every police department in Amerikkka uses.

One has to wonder, if he was hired as ‘consultant’ by the city of Oakland for $250,000 for a four month stint, why he was being interviewed via videophone from New York, in the middle of his four month assignment.

Bratton goes on to say he won’t respond to something because he hasn’t yet been to Oakland. This interview was published on 22 February 2013. If he hadn’t been to Oakland by that date, how has he managed to deliver this report in less than seven weeks?

He finishes his comments by saying, “This stuff is not rocket science.”

If that is the case, why is Oakland paying $250,000 for some weeks of his time, just after many layoffs and whilst still in the midst of budget woes?

Meanwhile :::

Frazier to Reexamine Police Misconduct
“In an unprecedented move, OPD’s new compliance director plans to reinvestigate closed misconduct cases, including ones involving Occupy Oakland.”

Howard Jordan’s response to these recent developments is to quit his job and try to call it medical retirement.

Vallejo Police Officer who Murdered Mario Romero Identified

photo of dustin joseph at his gym : solano crossfit . found by demotropolis

 

Vallejo Police Officer who Murdered Mario Romero has been Identified by Vallejo Copwatch

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Vallejo Police Officer who murdered Mario Romero has been identified

2012-09-30 “OFFICER INVOLVED IN RECENT POLICE FATALITYIDENTIFIED” press release from “Justice for Mario Romero and JosephJohnson Movement”:Vallejo, CA –

Officer involved in Romero death had a long history of unlawful and abusive behavior.

On September 2, 2012, Mario Romero was approached and gunned down while

sitting in his parked car in front of his home by a Vallejo Police Officer, identified by multiple witnesses as Officer Dustin B. Joseph (age 32).  Public and Court Records indicate a series of multiple complaints that detail a history of unlawful abusive and questionable, to say the least, behavior of Officer Dustin Joseph.  Reports detail claims that Vallejo Officer Dustin Joseph and another officer, physically assaulted Anthony Trapps in Kaiser Hospital Vallejo. Trapps said he was angry that his son had been Tased multiple times during an alleged break up of a fight at Vallejo High School. Mr. Trapps felt Officer Joseph used excessive force with a disregard for the life of his minor son, in light of a recent Taser Related Death involving Vallejo Police Department.  Trapps admitted to cursing at the officer out of frustration when Officer Joseph refused him access to his son, preventing Mr. Trapps ability to ensure the wellbeing of his hospitalized son.  Trapps had no idea what would follow … when he turned around to exit the hospital, Trapps was attacked from behind, beaten, and then arrested.

Another report states Officer Dustin Joseph deployed his pepper spray recklessly on a group of students, as well as other adults with their small children, while eating at a Jack in the Box restaurant. Officer Dustin Joseph unloaded the entire contents of his canister, an action most people believe is reserved for extreme  situations. The report describes the Restaurant having to be evacuated.  Vallejo Fire Department 911 Emergency Services were summoned for immediate use of their industrial blowers to restore safety and financial productivity .

In another report, Officer Dustin Joseph is accused of an unlawful search and arrest of a Female Minor, where a subsequent or secondary search interestingly produced 13 Ecstasy Pills. Officer Dustin Joseph claimed the minor “told” him she planned to sell the drugs.  In another similar report, a complaint of inappropriate physical contact filed at Vallejo High School on behalf of a female minor attending Vallejo High school in the 2008-2009 school year claims Officer Dustin Joseph (a male Officer) performed a physical body search on the female minor. The minor stated she asked Officer Joseph not to touch her. The minor said that the Officer immediately grabbed her arm twisted the arm turning her around placed her in handcuffs that cut into her skin, then moved his hands all over her body smiling and laughing. He then placed her in his patrol car. The minor was not charged with any crime, she dropped out of High School fearful of Officer Dustin Joseph.  She stated “He is a Bully and uses his big Size and job to violate us”.

The Murder of Mario Romero, a man sitting in his car in front of his home, unknown to the officers at the time of the shooting, suspected of nothing except being an American exercising his right to just exist, minding his own business, murdered by this non-upstanding Police Officer “on Steroids”… the once 300 pound menace lost a hundred pounds and decided to practice his new agility by spraying Mario full of bullets! Then, like a homicidal Rambo, he jumped on the hood of the car and emptied the next clip like the first into Mario Romero’s windshield at close range. Officer Dustin Joseph could not see him, the officer never used the loudspeaker nor did he identify himself. He ran up to the vehicle like a common thug,

Murder under Color of the Law.

Officer Joseph did not want the neighborhood to witness his ongoing premeditated abuse of power. His name was not released early for good reason … He has a lot to hide!

Murder, Excessive Force, brandishing firearms on people is not a new behavior for this officer, “He was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode”.

# # # #

We ask that anyone who has had an encounter with this monster to to please leave details in comment area. Thank you.

Comments:

L.B.:

Thats the same ass hole that slammed a girl on her neck 2009 at bethal

what are they waiting for they clearly have proof action must be tookn

into consideration this is straight bull shit… they sure did shit when

that officer capoot was gun down this has everything to do with race!

D.K.:

i used to get harassed daily by him at vallejo high. we called him

officer d joseph. i believe he was the one that tasered this girl when i

went there n 2007. she started havin seizures and had to go to the

hospital. it was horrible. that man loved pickin on people that wasnt

white or if u looked like u was affiliated. he tried to say i was a gang

member for wearing red. but guess what. it was Friday which was spirit

day. vhs colors. red. i got kicked out of school on the last day. i

wasnt able to go to my graduation cuz it said i was a danger to the

school and myself. omg. my mom was so mad. and they had to let me come

back. i had to do a half semester cuz i failed my last two finals for

not bein there. thank u officer fuck head. he tased hella people. i

wanna say atleaat three cuz kids kept going to the hospital. thats what

really opened my eyes to how vpd brutalizes people. he had a partner too

his name officer huff. two big white assholes.

C.M.:

Yes, D.K. this is true. I was passing through VALLEJO high when this

took place. My god son who now R.I.P Kevin Morgan was also taken from

school while attending Bethel in 2003- ? And taken to Richmond by

officer huff n his police car. For what aparent reason it is still

unclear to me.

B.B.: I went through the same thing the

young lady did at Vallejo high he used alot/too much force wen arresting

me caused me to bleed cause the cuffs were too tight, tried to brake my

arm wen putting it behind my back, searched me knowing a female officer

was suppose to made me sit in the car wit a big ass puff coat on

windows rolled up w the heater on & the list could go on . Everybody

has a damn story bout this man.. I was arrested by both D joseph &

Huff.

L.H.: man i know that dirty ass cop cus i went to

da high he dipped the fuck outtda me put his knee all up n a bitch neck

fuk him i hope they see what type of dirty ass cop he realy is so he can

b stripped of his rights as a cop n thrown n jail forever!

L.A.:

Im not sure if this is the same officer but about a year ago me and two

african american men were at the park on fair grounds minding our

business which is legal & two vallejo police men drove threw the

grass coming from fairgrounds dr going toward whitney the side of the

park we were on they got out drew there guns & demanded all three of

us to get face down on the ground mind u im 17 at the time the only

female & we are all guilty of no crime … they run our names &

pat us down while face down in the dirt If im remembering correctly male

officers are not to touch females so I remind them that I am a minor

one of the officers kneels down & whispers to me “i dont give a fuck

what you are” they handcuff one of the young men I was with but made no

arrest after they realized they had nithing they let us go about our

business …. This is harrasment & I agree that something needs to

be done about the VPD they should not be getting away with this bullshit

any longer

L.M.: I wasn’t assaulted by d Joseph N

officer huff while i attended Jesse bethel high school, I was harassed

an treated daily an one day iwas caught by these same officers off

campus and was beaten an arrested on false charges that where later

droped. I remember Joseph laughing an sayin I told yu I’d catch yu

My name I wish to withhold…

I am the uncle of the person whose Facebook this belongs to [www.facebook.com/JusticeForMarioRomero].

I lived in Vallejo but moved out because of police encounters…I too

encountered officer D. Joseph…me and the mother of my child in south

Vallejo at the motel 6 where I was brutally beaten and my pocket knife I

held in my right front pocket was pulled from my pocket and placed to

my throat by officer Joseph with him threatening to cut my throat and

using racial slurs…he and his partner whose name I can’t remember

pulled my dreadlocks and continued to kick me repeatedly in my face

because I was not wanted on the property of motel 6 by the owner…I

didn’t have a stay away…nor did I possess any drugs or weapons except

for a four inch pocket knife…he told me not to show my face in south

Vallejo any more…I obeyed…I attempted to make a police report only

to have my report discarded…I never persisted after that…I just left

Vallejo…

A.L.: D. Joseph had a Long history of

threatning My brothers life(rest in peace) hed told him repeatedly ” im

going to get you. Ur Granny wont always be able to save you”. Hes partly

responsible for my brothers reputation being tarnished & him being

killed.

S.W.: Well shit since ur talking about it dont

forget the 6 yr old child that was having a temper tantrum over crayons

that he snatched out of the moms car put him in the back of his patrol

car against his mothers will only for this child to have a panic attack,

then placed him on a 51/50 hold take him to the hospital have the

doctor give him a tranquilizer and ship him off to St. Helena mental at

6yrs old. Vallejo filed bankruptcy after the family filed a lawsuit. Oh

and dont forget the civil rights violation lawsuit filed on 2/29/12,

this lunatic is out of control

from Vallejo Copwatch

Connecting the Dots of Police Brutality : Derrick Williams

.

Derek Williams begs the police to open the windows to the squad car, and pleads that he cannot breathe…the watch him die in the backseat as he fights for his life.. Derek told the police officer that he could not breath and the officer says that he is lying. In the video, you see him grasping for air. After a while, Derek is shown taking his last breath. The police officer then proceeds to get in the back and check on him, but he is dead. Please help Derek Williams’s family get justice served! – Tynetta

from worldstarhiphop

two of these officers are under investigation

Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel published some important facts about this case.

Bringing the Ruckus in the Fight for Justice for Alan Blueford

Grief takes many forms. When young Alan Blueford was murdered by Miguel Masso in May 2012, his family, stunned by their loss, tried valiantly to follow protocol, politely asking for answers from what they would learn the hard way is one of, if not the most corrupt and violent police organizations in the country. Initial rallies, marches, and protests in reaction to this killing were tamed by pleas from the family to respect the prescribed process. Unfortunately the family learned the hard way, but in record time, about the corruption at city hall and especially within the Oakland Police organization. By now their grief is manifest in fury, and they have joined the ranks of many who have known for decades that we are governed by a process which, by definition, allows for and even actively supports the dissemination of lies and misinformation to protect police from being held accountable for their actions. While we struggle for justice, push and yell for answers, Miguel Masso is on paid vacation for having murdered Alan Blueford. They’re calling it ‘medical leave,’ as he shot himself in the foot during the shooting of young Alan.
masso-wanted-231x300

Blueford family members are suspicious that Officer Masso shot Alan in anger over having accidentally shot himself. Others are suspicious that Masso, in fact, shot himself after shooting Alan Blueford, in order to create a scenario that would excuse the murder he had just committed.

Last night at city hall, the house was packed with people come together once again to demand the truth, and demand the city hold OPD responsible for not only the heinous crime of murder, but the additional infuriating crime of lying to the public, and lying directly to Alan’s family. In the first hours after young Alan, a high school student about to graduate, was shot by Masso, the machine went into overdrive, directly informing the corporate press that Alan had shot Masso. They also claimed Alan Blueford had been brought to Highland Hospital for treatment of gunshot injuries. Never since that terrible day has the city made a public apology for having lied about that and all other details of this shooting. Evidence shows that Alan never fired a shot. Witnesses also claim he never was in possession of a weapon. The autopsy revealed that Alan Blueford had to have been lying on the ground when he was shot by Masso.

During heartfelt pleas with city officials, Jeralynn Blueford called out the city and OPD for reporting the lie that Alan had been brought to Highland Hospital for treatment immediately after the shooting. He had, they said, never been brought to Highland at all. Records at Highland Hospital show that Alan was never brought there.

At some point in the proceedings, council president and all around arrogant tool Larry Reid stood up out of his chair, walked two seats over, and began engaging in conversation with the reviled city administrator Deanna Santana WHILE A MEMBER OF ALAN’S FAMILY WAS SPEAKING. When an attendee at the meeting called both of them out on this unbelievably disrespectful and inappropriate behavior, Reid offered to have the attendee removed from the building. Of course that was a laughable threat, as the nearly two hundred other attendees wouldn’t have allowed for such implementation of police state activity, and the protestor took the moment to inform mister Reid of the likelihood of a rumble should he choose to attempt to follow through on that threat.

Eventually, Reid called for a ten minute recess to give themselves time to request the presence of the chief of police. That ten minutes became twenty, then thirty, during which time the angry crowd loudly chanted for justice for Alan Blueford, for killer cops to be jailed, and for OPD to be held accountable. Councilmembers gave the impression they were awaiting the arrival of Coward Jordan.

When councilmembers took their seats, Ignacio de la Fuente claimed that Larry Reid was ‘outside speaking with the family.’ This blatant lie was instantly and loudly called out by many in attendance, as the family was sitting in the same seats they had occupied throughout the meeting. One person called out, ‘don’t you recognize them?’

The next order of business was so out of place in the context of the problem at hand, that the crowded room erupted in outrage the moment it was announced. Item 4.2, titled ‘International City Of Peace Declaration‘ was a slap in the face to a community of people who have been literally under the gun of a police state for decades. More recently, the truth of that description of Oakland as a police state has been documented with the illegal actions taken by OPD and the Department of Homeland Security against protestors involved with Occupy Oakland.

At about 7:30pm, Larry Reid declared ‘all right, this meeting is now adjourned for two weeks.’ The response was overwhelming disgust and anger from the crowd, vowing to return with yet another chant : ‘we’ll be back.’ As Reid departed the dais and headed for the private chambers.

Where was Coward Jordan last night? After demands were made for him to appear and explain why the family of murdered teen Alan Blueford has yet to receive even the police report from the night he was shot and killed by Oakland Police Officer Miguel Masso, Jordan never appeared. When Larry Reid ran off to hide in council’s private chambers, Jordan was spotted hiding in that back room. Since nobody saw him enter, it seems he had been there quite awhile, yet never coming to face the crowd of legitimately angry people. Hence the name Coward.

Jordan earned this name long ago, when he abruptly ended a meeting at First Acts Church in which he was supposed to be informing the Blueford family the truth about the senseless police shooting of their son. At that town hall meeting, Jordan continued manipulating the delivery of information, each new rendition of the story hanging on to the invented concept that Alan Blueford somehow deserved to be murdered by police. After having shown enormous disrespect to the community that day, the people in attendance held an impromptu rally on church grounds as Jordan and his body guards, including Chris Bolton, left the premises. OPD then arrested a protestor after he left church property, for supposedly having assaulted a police officer by yelling through a megaphone. As is their normal procedure, they held this young man for the maximum number of hours possible in the notoriously abusive Santa Rita jail, then released him without charges. He had committed no crime.

This is a story about community. The loss of another young, black son is driving the community together. The people of Oakland seem to finally be ready to forego prescribed diplomacy in favor of getting results. Last night’s meeting was an exercise in getting results. If the disruption of routine city business last night is any indicator, and the city will not deliver justice for Alan Blueford, the people of Oakland will be taking justice for Alan.

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twitterfeed ::: @wiseoldsnail :::


at #oakmtg #justice4alan looking at a full house
5:43 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan reid threatening to have me removed for calling him and deanna santana out for talking while jerilyn blueford speaking
6:03 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan jerylynn blueford calling out the city for no police report, for alan never having been brought to the hospital at all
6:04 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan rowdy crowd backing the blueford family chanting JUSTICE FOR ALAN BLUEFORD
6:09 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan deanna santana says she’s in the process of getting the police report now . alan was murdered in may . it’s september
6:17 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan diop calling the problem a structural question, when people of color are being murdered by police every day
6:25 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan now larry reid is threatening again … this is a house full of people who’ve had enough
6:28 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan bakari olatunji speaks about his arrest attempting to attend a supposed open house by opd
6:31 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan cephus johnson calling out the city for not addressing the fact that miguel masso lied about the murder of alan
6:44 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan ingrid martin trying to give her time to cynthia morse, larry reid says no and calls a recess
7:17 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan that last tweet should’ve been sent out twenty or more minutes ago, and we’re still in ‘recess’
7:18 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan starting to feel like the republican congress in here : recess
7:18 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan clapping for justice
7:23 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan chanting ‘where’s howard jordan . where’s coward jordan’
7:24 PM – 18 Sep 12

de la fuente lying right now saying police are talking to alan’s family outside
7:30 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan council bringing up item 4.2 : declaring oakland an international city of peace! what a farce . crowd chanting
7:32 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan chanting ‘no justice no peace’ and now ‘jail killer cops NOW’
7:33 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan chanting ‘justice for alan blueford’ and now back to ‘where’s howard jordan’
7:35 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan they’re shutting down the meeting . followed larry to the hiding room, where i saw jordan hiding
7:39 PM – 18 Sep 12

#oakmtg #justice4alan now chanting ‘howard’s a coward’
7:40 PM – 18 Sep 12

They Treated Him Like a Statistic

August 21, 2012

Derrick Gaines, a 15-year-old of multiracial descent, was shot and killed by a South San Francisco Police Department officer on June 5, just before 9 p.m.

According to police, on the night of the shooting, an officer approached two teens who they said appeared to be “acting suspiciously.” Then, the police say, one of the teens–Derrick–ran, drew a gun from his waistband and pointed it–at which point the officer gunned him down.

Eyewitnesses tell a different story of events that night, and say that Derrick never drew a weapon and was instead shot down by an officer who brutalized and restrained him first–throwing him to the ground with such force that a shoe was knocked off his foot.

Derrick’s friends and family have staged multiple actions at the Arco gas station where the shooting happened. Despite their overwhelming grief, Derrick’s mother and great aunt, Rachel Guido-Red and Dolores Piper, are courageously demanding that the truth be heard.

They spoke with Socialist Worker’s Clayton J. Plake and Sid Patel about what happened the night of Derrick’s death, and their struggle for justice.

Derrick_Standing_with_Rose-11COULD YOU start by telling us about Derrick and how was he known in the South San Francisco community?

Dolores: He was an extremely sociable kid from the time he was an infant, and that was the way he grew up. He always wanted to be with people, with other kids, his friends, adults, and it was probably the most charming part of him.

He was really not a confronter of any sort, all through school, never with teachers, adults or other kids. He was even on conflict resolution panels in elementary school because, that was how he was. He loved sports, both basketball and football, but he was impacted by physical disabilities that made sports tough on him.

When he played these vigorous games or would even just run, for PE class, he sometimes wouldn’t be able to walk afterward. He had a lot of pain that he dealt with continually in the ankles and feet, so he was a trooper. In all the years that he was in elementary school, junior high and high school, I never had a teacher come to me and say, “Derrick swore at me,” or “He was disrespectful.”

So, anytime he had any dealings with law enforcement, he was never one of those kids who would be disrespectful or outrageous. His eighth grade Social Studies teacher wrote me a beautiful letter, and she said that she really believed that Derrick would be in some profession that would change the lives of others with his understanding of history and social justice. She said that his presence in her class elevated the level of conversation.

As part of continuing efforts to keep Derrick’s memory alive and win justice in the struggle to hold the police accountable, events are being planned in South San Francisco for September 20, the day that would have been Derrick’s 16th birthday, and September 22. More information about these and other events will be available at SocialistWorker.org as it develops.

She described him as “wise beyond his 13 years.” I’ve been carrying it [the letter] around. I actually read the entire thing at his funeral, and in it, she said that it [Derrick’s murder] was outrageous racism on the part of the South City Police Department.

WHAT FACTS do you want to put out there to challenge what the South City police are saying?

Rachel: That Derrick was murdered. They murdered my son.

Dolores: The first thing the police department told us was that they were very involved with the kids in the local schools, that they know the South City kids really well, the ones who are struggling or what have you. And I know that isn’t true.

They don’t know our kids at all. How can they? If they did, things like this wouldn’t happen. But people know us here. I’ve lived here 40 years, I raised a son here and, well, you might as well say a grandson too [referring to Derrick]. People know us here. And right after this thing happened, the first thing that his friends did, that our friends did when they heard…

Rachel: And his teachers. All of Derrick’s teachers.

Dolores: Right. His friends, teachers, everyone, all came and said that Derrick was a good kid, and would never do anything like that. He’s not the kind of kid to be threatening people with a gun, especially a cop.

THAT’S WHAT the cops are saying, isn’t it–that Derrick pulled a gun?

Rachel: Yeah, and now they’re saying he was a gang banger.

Dolores: See, and this is my whole thing: I don’t want the community to think of him in that way. The people who knew him know he wasn’t that way.

Rachel: Regardless of what they said, the proof is in the pudding anyway.

Dolores: The cops have already interviewed everybody, so they know what we know. One of the witnesses, one who saw everything, has told us that what the South City police have put out as the official story is a lie. That it absolutely didn’t happen that way.

There was never any gun visible or any attempt on Derrick’s part to reach for a gun. He simply turned his back on the cop and attempted to run away.

One of the things that really hurts is that Derrick died as an unknown. The cop who killed him didn’t know who he was, and he went with no name to San Francisco General Hospital. The staff at SF General had to give him a pseudonym. Derrick died unknown at the hospital. It’s so sad–this was our beloved kid. I wrote a letter of thanks to the hospital staff, who did everything they could for Derrick.

Rachel: But the cops at the station knew who he was from questioning his companion. They knew who he was. They murdered him. Derrick was murdered. And they had no regard for Derrick’s life. All the way to the hospital, they just treated him like a statistic. Like he wasn’t even worth a call to his family–and they knew who he was.

They never called us, never told us anything. I didn’t find anything out until I went to the station–actually the boy that was with him came to the house and told me, and then I went down to the station. See, they let the boy who was with him go right away, but another witness–they kept them there for four and a half hours, probably because they wouldn’t change their story.

FOR OUR readers who are unfamiliar with the facts surrounding the case, what happened when you went down to the police station?

Rachel: I went down to the station late at night and the front was all locked up, so I started banging on the doors and finally, they sent an officer to let me in–I knew him, Officer DeSouza. He knew me personally. He knew my family.

I asked him if it was my son who was killed, and he didn’t know how to answer me, he didn’t want to answer me. He couldn’t even look at me. He’s a father of two, and it must be hard for him to stand by a department that is killing our children at will. He eventually said yes, and a female officer came to the door and I got some more information. That’s how I know they knew who Derrick was. And then the officer came to the house to search it.

SO, YOU went down to the police station for information about your son, and they told you they have to search your house? Did they have any kind of warrant, or give you any explanation?

Rachel: No, no warrant, no explanation. And I was just in shock. But I insisted the officer who knew me be one of the people at the house when it was being searched.

Dolores: Yeah. It was him and three detectives.

Rachel: They searched Derrick’s room, and they searched the garage. They didn’t find anything, but they didn’t really say what they were looking for.

WHAT WAS your reaction to that? How did it make you feel when they insisted they search your house?

Rachel: My aunt, she’s shocked by what they did. I’ve been dealing with these people [cops] for a long time, and I know how they work, and I wasn’t shocked. And from day one, I was convinced what they were telling us was a lie. Because I drove by the scene that night not knowing that it was Derrick, and I’m going to be honest with you. When I drove by that night, it looked strange.

I saw all the police officers and I saw the yellow tape and I said, “It looks like they’re trying to get their story together,” because that’s what it looked like. They were all running around, some standing in circles, one would go over here, another over there. It looked really weird.

WHAT HAVE your interactions been like with the police, district attorney’s office or media since then?

Rachel: There isn’t any. [With the cops,] they say they don’t know, they weren’t there–when I drove by the whole department was there–and that’s it.

Dolores: Well, with the DA’s office investigating they aren’t saying anything; they can’t say anything. I kind of expected that. But they could save the taxpayers a whole lot of money if they just admitted what happened and accepted responsibility for what they did.

DO YOU know what’s happened to the cop who murdered Derrick?

Rachel: They haven’t released his name. They put Derrick’s name out right away, and they did it without asking our permission even though he’s a minor, but they didn’t release the officer’s name. And they still haven’t.

Apparently, he’s on administrative leave. I don’t know if it’s with pay or not. I’ll say this. I want to see the officer who murdered Derrick serve time. And I don’t mean what Johannes Mehserle [the officer that shot and killed Oscar Grant at an Oakland BART station in 2009] got, two years.

San Mateo County doesn’t let you break any rule – they “prosecute to the fullest extent,” and they gave me two years in prison for a $150 bad check. But Mehserle gets two years somewhere else for murder. It’ll be interesting to see if San Mateo County holds the same standards for their officers, if they hold him accountable the way they go after regular people.

I want to see the cop who killed Derrick get 25 years to life. No two years, 25 to life. If we get anything from the civil suit, I will use it all up to fight these guys to press criminal charges, that’s what I will do. It’s not about the civil case, I want to see the officer do time.

WHAT ARE your demands now–what does justice for Derrick mean to you? What do you see as the next steps?

Dolores: You know, the police have on the sides of their cars “protect and serve”–these teenagers need to be protected from the police.

Rachel: Our teenagers need protection from them.

Dolores: I want to see this department come out and admit they were wrong, own up to what they did–publicly–and apologize. I want them to say Derrick did not pull a gun. Are they going to squelch all the witnesses, contradict all of them?

Rachel: And we want to make sure this man [the officer who shot Derrick] will not be on the streets. We want his job, and I want him behind bars.

Dolores: They have to change policy. When the police set out these very aggressive policing policies, there’s going to be more of this kind of tragedy. Is there no alternative to shooting people? What about physically restraining them, or handcuffs?

HOW DO you see Derrick’s case tying in to other case in the Bay Area, like Alan Blueford, Raheim Brown and James Rivera Jr.? What do you think the prospects are for all of the families who have suffered losses like this coming together and struggling for justice?

Rachel: Well, it’s hard. There’s a lot of grief and pain, and the system is just so slow. It’s a long process fighting something like this. I was talking to one man who’s been fighting for 16 years for justice for his brother. There’s just not a lot of help for the ones who are left behind.

I believe it’s possible, but it’s going to take a lot of work. It’s going to take people saying, “Look, we all have something in common. We’ve all lost someone we really, truly love who didn’t deserve to die,” and take action from there. Whether it’s chaining yourself to the police station, a rally, a march to the White House, whatever it might be.

And it’s going to take numbers. I believe it’s possible, but it takes a lot of work. I mean, what else can we do? I still have a little one to raise, and he’s going to see his teenage years without his brother. I want to see him grow up, and not be faced with this sort of thing. Something’s got to change.

.

thanks to the family of derrick gaines, and to the socialist worker for allowing republishing of this article

Alan DeWayne Blueford Murdered by Oakland Police Department

Alan DeWayne Blueford, born December 20,was an 18 year old Senior at Skyline High School, preparing to graduate in June. He was the youngest son of Adam Blueford, Sr. and Jeralynn Brown Blueford.

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During the early morning hours of May 6, 2012 Alan was murdered by an officer [Miguel Masso] with Oakland Police Department. His family is now seeking justice for his death.

Here is what we know:

At or about midnight, May 6, 2012, Alan and 2 friends were standing on the corner of 90 th and Birch Street waiting for “some girls in a white chevy,” Alan described to his father, Alan Blueford, during a phone call. After the phone call, police officers approached Alan and his friends with guns drawn. The police officers had been called to respond to another incident, but decided to stop Alan and his friends when they saw them because they “believed the young men had a concealed weapon.”

Alan ran down Birch Street, away from the police officers.

Approximately two blocks down Birch Street on the 9200 Block the officer chasing Alan murdered him by shooting him 3 times. The officer also shot himself.

Although, Alan had his brown wallet with his ID, Oakland Police Department never called to tell his parents he was shot and killed.

Alan’s two friends were detained for over 6 hours. After their release, one of the young men had the traumatic task of calling Alan’s parents and telling them Alan was shot and killed by an Oakland Police Officer.

Initial reports put out by OPD, stated that “a suspect” (Alan) and a police officer exchanged gun fire and the officer was shot in the stomach by the suspect and the suspect was shot by the officer. Both were said to have been rushed to Highland Hospital where Alan died and the police officer was expected to recover. OPD also included in their reports witness statements who said they saw Alan shooting. OPD reported that they retrieved Alan’s firearm at the scene.

Later OPD changed their story to state that the officer was shot in the leg and an investigation was in process to determine whether the officer was wounded by “friendly fire.”

Only one of the officers chased Alan.

What we now know is that Alan Blueford never shot the police officer, at the police officer, or anyone else. OPD changed their story yet again, admitting and confirming that THE OFFICER SHOT HIMSELF.

We also know that Alan was never rushed to Highland Hospital. Only the police officer. Alan’s body lay in the streets for approximately 4 hours.

Alan was shot multiple times by the police officer.

The family has reason to believe that Alan never had a firearm.
The family has reason to believe that Alan never caused the officer to be threatened. Alan’s body can be described as a shorter stature (approximately 5 ft 6 ½ inches) and thin built (140 lbs).

When Alan’s family learned of the claimed circumstances surrounding Alan’s death, we all knew that the facts were not true! Additionally, because they never called to confirm his death, we were sadly left with hope that the unnamed “suspect” was not Alan. He was joy to many people. We are suffering from a great loss.

Now OPD claims that the “victim” (no longer suspect) was a convicted felon on probation. His family will simply respond by saying felony probation does not describe Alan’s character. To describe Alan, you have to share that he 1] was a Christian; 2] worked with the disabled children at Skyline, one of whom described “Al” as his “bestfriend”; 3] began his mornings at Skyline High School by praying with his Godmother and Supervisor; 4] passed out candy at his
grandmother’s every Halloween; and 5] was well known by his family and friends as a respectful young man. But even more important is the fact that when the police officers decided not to respond to the call, but rather to bother Alan and his friends, all they knew is that they were 3 African-American young men. That’s why Alan was murdered.

Alan’s family is seeking justice for his death. We are determined to have this “incident” thoroughly investigated and all wrongful parties prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask that all of you support us by calling the City Councilman for District 7, Larry Reid, at 510-238-7007.

As we embark upon this long journey, we rely on the Grace and Mercy of our Father God, through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. We find peace in scripture, specifically Genesis 50:20 (NIV) “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant if for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Events:

Friday, May 11, 2012 at 5pm – VIGIL

Oakland Police Department, located at 455 7th Street, Oakland, CA 94607.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 3pm – March for Justice for Alan Blueford

Beginning: 9200 Birch Street, Oakland, CA

Ending: Eastmont Mall Police Sub-Station, located at 2652 73rd Avenue, Oakland, CA.

Contact Information

alanblueford@yahoo.com

Facebook Page: Justice4AlanDBluefordandFamily

This article was prepared by the family of Alan Blueford with help from the Oscar Grant Committee