by Sri Louise

I want to let everyone know some of the details from the Act Full Gospel Church, where family and community members congregated yesterday to ask and receive answers from the OPD regarding the murder of Alan Blueford.

From the very start of the police “presentation” it was painfully clear that this was another charade meant to quell public unrest. Unfortunately, because the City and the OPD are not very smart, the same tactic they use to quell anger only inflames it. We see this tactic at every protest where the police instigate and insure violence.

One very telling control component of the meeting was that questions would not be fielded directly from attendees. Note cards and pencils were provided, questions would only be answered if they were written down. This type of process can easily censor which questions will be presented and in the end, only 7-10 out of the 100 questions submitted were answered before Chief Jordan declared the meeting over.

During and after the meeting, Chris was exercising his first amendment right to use speech as a form of redress. There was no threat of violence, ever. The meeting dispersed into the parking lot where we watched Chief Jordan get in his car and drive away while many of us shouted, JUSTICE FOR ALLEN BLUEFORD. Instead of deescalating the situation, the police did what they do best and escalated tension. 6 or 7 police cars pulled up in the drive way of the church, officers immediately drew their batons and they did this in the presence of a community that is suffering the loss of one of their young, deeply valued members, who was brutally gunned down by the OPD.

Chief Jordan began his presentation by saying how much “reverence” the OPD has for the residents of Oakland and yet time and time again, all I see is a violent insensitivity to life, community, faith, liberty and justice.

On our walk back to the Colliseum Bart station I watched at least two patrol cars monitor our status. One car only had one officer in it, at the time I thought that was strange, but I now know that tactic was intentional, they did not want to tip us off to what was about to happen. We arrived at the Bart station and I saw two patrol cars each carrying 4-5 officers. They were on the inner ring of the Bart parking lot and within about 2 min. were on the outer curb where Sgt. Beere instructed the men to arrest Chris. I’m not sure what the other officers were aware of prior to this abduction, because many of them seemed to appear uneasy, slightly inhibited and it forced Sgt. Beere to repeatedly yell at the officers to move faster.

Sgt. Beere served in Falluja during 2004/2005, which saw some of the most notorious destruction by US forces including chemical warfare. Here is some of what he and his comrades left behind.

Note: There was plenty of time and space to arrest Chris at the Church if any of the allegations were actually true. The Police waited until Chris was out of Church view, public view, surveilled his whereabouts and launched an illegal abduction. That way, when they talk to the media, they can say whatever it is that they want to justify their actions. The arrest was an act of revenge, their personal pay-back to a young man they despise for not cowering in front of their “authority”.

I asked several times, Why is he being arrested? Why is he being arrested? Why is he being Arrested and finally the default mechanism used to justify violence against community members, was, “assault on an officer.” Isn’t that what they said about Alan Blueford to justify murdering him?

So they handcuffed Chris, who did not resist and whisked him away making him sit in the back of a patrol car with two racist OPD officers. My intuitive fear was that those officers were about to do grave bodily harm to one of our own. I am relieved to write that reports from his mother say they did not.

Even after I was “gunned” down in an anti-war demonstration by OPD in 2003, I did not have the sentiment that I do now for the OPD. Since October, I have observed the demolition of our commune by armed forces. I have viewed OPD confiscate personal property and be unwilling to account for it and therefor return it. I have watched the OPD repress this community through repeated

harrasment, continual threats of arrests and countless illegal confinements and charges. I have witnessed them use extraordinary scare tactics to intimidate people out of public dissent. I have experienced them place many of us in really dangerous, potentially life threatening situations. I have watched them lie, stumble upon their own stupidity and be willing to enforce laws they cannot cite. And I have seen them do all of this with total impunity from within and with a stamp of approval from the City administration.

Repression invariable results in radicalization. I flashed my first fuck you sign when the plaza was raided on Jan 4th. I subsequently started to attend FTP marches. Many people have warned us not to let the police be our occupation, but I don’t think we have a choice and until more people are willing to stand up to the brutal injustice of the OPD, we will not be able to prevent them from killing more black and brown men in our community.

Our rage is an indication of how much we are suffering. Many of us are under extreme duress. Let us come together tomorrow and soothe some of this madness through a renewned sense of solidarity. Do not wait until someone you love is imprisoned or murdered.

Please, by then it will be too late, for all of us…everywhere.

In Prayer & Resistance,

Sri

NOTE: Chris will be arraigned Friday, 2pm at Wiley Manual Courthouse. An emergency march has been planned to support him Friday at 7pm at 19th and Telegraph.

Download the double-sided PDF of the flier here.

by DB Scott – @OCCCavalry

I hold no reservations in saying that my view of Law Enforcement has changed drastically from my younger years. I hear time and time again from people that their experiences with Police were negative to say the least. “Cops are dicks” I think is the phrase most heard. My first thought when hearing about bad run-ins with cops is: “Ya but what did you do to provoke that kind of treatment?”. Bad treatment was never my experience even when, in my teens and twenties, I needed a “run-in”. Speeding ticket? Yeah, I was speeding. Play = pay. Be courteous and respectful, sign the ticket and be on your way. No problem. Having known cops growing up, I didn’t have any reason to fear or hate them.

“There are good cops too.” I keep hearing this from friends and family. Maybe there are but here’s the thing.; We don’t look back and say; “There were good Nazis too”. Now, I’m not comparing OPD with Nazis, I’m saying that if someone is part of an organization or agency that is way out of line, you’re obligation is to stand up to that wrong. Otherwise YOU are just as much a part. Otherwise YOU are lacking the very intestinal fortitude you and your fellows claim to have and are commended for. Soldiers are REQUIRED to refuse orders if they find them to be illegal or immoral actions. So are Police Officers. “Just following orders” is as acceptable an answer as: “The Devil made me do it.” It isn’t.

So why aren’t any standing up? Let’s take a poke at a few possible answers.

#1 They honestly believe that what they’re doing is the right thing and there are no questions of legality or moral violation.

Problem with this answer is that no matter what group of people you encounter in life, unless there’s some major control of thinking going on, you’ll never get everyone to agree. There are Republican cops, Democrat cops, Independent, Green, Tea, and I’d be willing to bet a few closeted Occupists. This in mind and the chances that every cop everywhere agrees that the actions taken against Occupy are not out of line, is impossible. Not only has Norm Stamper, the former Chief of Police from Seattle during the 1999 WTO Protests admitted their response was heavy-handed and that he “Made major mistakes,”  but Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis has been a major voice of dissent and has been arrested multiple times in support of Occupy and in protest of police brutality.  They’re both retired. There is also Occupypolice.org which highlights police support of the movement it’s self, but again, there are very few saying: “Hey, I didn’t sign up for this.”

#2 They are afraid to do or say anything because of a “Blue Code of Silence”.

The simplest and most likely answer. Let’s face it;  There’s an unspoken code of conduct among all “boys only” groups of  that basically demands the covering of one another’s ass’, even at the expense of one’s own values. (Unless of course, it IS your value.) Street gangs have it. Drug cartels have it. Prisoners have it. Heck, even the Little Rascals He-Man Woman-Haters Club had it. I needn’t connect the dots for you to see a common theme here and to be perfectly fair, we all have it at some point and on some level otherwise we’re going to go through life a very unpopular and distrusted person (If not living impaired). Even corporations have contractual obligations which suggest a “Code of Silence.” (Once again, enter theme.) Very often it comes down to: “If you know what’s good for you, keep your mouth shut.” As much as we all practice this throughout our lives, if you really look at it, it’s co-dependent and allows the screw-up to keep screwing up, the criminal to keep committing crime and the bad cop to keep ruining people’s lives and scoff the ACTUAL law. No accountability. If you agree with the conduct, hats off to you. If you don’t, it’s like a friend asking if he can do your mom while you sit in the next room and listen. It’s disrespectful, infuriating, and serves no one but the one doing the screwing.

#3 They know what’s going on is wrong and just don’t give a damn.

I’d really hate to think this is the case but given the degree of indifference in the world, I wouldn’t be surprised. But again, refer to #1. There’s no way they ALL believe that.

#4 They know what’s going on is wrong but have no problem going along with it because it’s directed towards a group of people they dislike or disrespect.

My gut points towards this to some degree. I’ve seen the look in their eyes when they line up with shields and batons. Although they’re trained to appear intimidating, there’s something deeper going on in some of them. I’ve seen it as well as confusion, empathy, humor, boredom, excitement, stoicism, duty and yes, fear (anger). Or at least it looked that way. I touch on this in a previous rant.

Once more, I assert the #1 clause.

#5 There are some serious problems in the critical thinking arena.

Maybe, and I refuse to believe this, they are just too stupid to realize what’s going on and/or psyops brainwashing to desensitize our troops to kill more easily has trickled down to our police forces. Either way, it’s a lack of critical thinking skills. Stupid or institutionally conditioned sociopaths. Not something to be horribly proud of either way.

Let’s make this clear. I’m not talking about anger towards our weekly F.T.P. marches or towards Black Bloc or any other “in your face” splinter of Occupy. I’m talking about bean bags, flash bangs and batons on non-violent people who TRULY believe their First Amendment (amount other) rights are being challenged. Your reaction and methods of handling this only serve to prove this claim. Ask yourself.

Now here’s my plea to Law Enforcement. IF you actually DO see what’s happening is wrong and over-reactive, at what point do you refuse to follow these orders? If you’re adhering to that “Blue Line of Silence” or a “Boys Club Mentality” and don’t think it’s “Bad enough yet”, what makes you think you have the balls to stand up when you’re issued automatic weapons and ordered to shoot to kill during a curfew or are ordered to start shipping “political agitators” and labor organizers off on trains to some camp in the Utah desert? You think you’ll be any safer from your “Brothers in Arms” if you wait till then?

I ask you, Officer, to be the first to refuse these orders and become a National Hero. To TRULY defend the Constitution of The United States of America and lead a turning of the tide against an attack on our rights as Americans being waged as we speak. Whether you’re conservative, liberal, moderate or other has nothing to do with this. THIS has to do with what’s right and what this nation was founded and built on. In a huge part, We The People look to you for protection. To Protect and Serve means very little when you’re no longer protecting the very fabric of our society or serving the people. Who ARE you protecting? Who ARE you serving?

I’d seriously like to hear feed back from Law Enforcement, be it anonymously or not. Help me understand here.