Rita Elias: As Resistance Builds, Sheriffs Respond with Lies

Yesterday, in West Side Modesto on Paradise and MLK Jr. BLVD., about 100 people gathered in protest against the police killings of Francisco Moran in early September 2010, and the recent murder of Rita Elias by (supposedly) an off duty Stanislaus County Sheriff. Banners read, "RIP Francisco Moran, RIP Rita Elias," "DISARM MPD," and "From LA to Oakland to Modesto, Resist Police Terror, 209 RISE UP!" Family members and friends of Elias wore shirts with her image, and earlier that day they had helped fundraise for her funeral expenses and for her three children that she leaves behind. Police and Sheriffs (despite rumors) made no attempts to contain or disperse the angry and growing crowd, which protested from 6pm - 8:30pm.

Many people saw the protest and joined. "My father was killed in the Stanislaus County jail. They broke his jaw. I grew up without a father because of this," said one man. People talked on the megaphone about the need for united community action against the police, urging unity across racial barriers in the fight against out of control departments. Flyers were handed out for a larger march happening on Saturday, October 23rd. The march will meet at 10th and J Street, and then march on the jail and the Modesto Police Station. The demonstration will be held to remember and fight for all those that have been killed inside the local jail and on the street by the police. Family members and friends of loved ones killed are invited to come out and bring their stories to the public.

The crowd also took to the various intersections, marching around while chanting "Justice for Rita! Justice for Francisco Moran!," "Fuck the Police and the Modesto Bee!," "Cops! Pigs! Murderers!" The huge display of public support for the demonstration was immense. At some points, it was hard to talk due to the amount of honking passing motorists gave to the protest.

But, surprise, surprise, as people were taking to the streets of Modesto, the Sheriff's Department was quick to produce their story which they hoped would absolve them of any wrong doing, and further public outrage. According to the Sheriffs, Elias had a realistic looking BB gun in her hands and threatened the off duty officer with it.

Some media outlets that came to the protest last night, refused to run interviews with Elias family and show footage of the demonstration, yet still ran with the police side of the story, totally absolving the Sheriffs of any wrong doing. The BB gun, they claim, helped justify the murder. Of course, police are not going into detail as to why the officer got into an argument with Elias in the first place, or why she was over at her house to being with. Furthermore, just as police always do, they will be investigating the shooting themselves. Can we really expect anything resembling justice?

Of course, witnesses and family members paint a much different picture of the shooting. An investigative report on the Voice of Modesto online news site describes interviews with friends and family of Rita Elias conducted yesterday:

I talked to several people at the fund-raiser and have heard information that conflicts with what has been reported in the Modesto Bee.

The Bee has reported that Detective Kari Abby was at the home of Ms. Elias on personal business. The house Ms. Elias lived in was owned by the Abby family. There has been speculation that Detective Abby was there to evict Ms. Elias. First of all, it is inappropriate for a detective to involve themselves in the personal business of family members. Evictions are carried out by deputies, but they are on-duty and would not be involved in evictions that involve their own family members. I was also told that no eviction paperwork has been filed at the courthouse and the two men that shared the home with Rita were told there was no rent due.

A friend of Rita’s who lives four blocks away, told me that she heard gunshots at 6:00 p.m., not 6:30 as reported in the Bee. She was adamant about this, ”the shots were definitely at 6:00 PM”. She also said the first shot was “in the air” about the height of someone standing up. Then there were a few seconds before the next shots. The rest of the shots sounded “low” as if someone were leaning over to the ground. If the first shot put her on the ground, why was it necessary to lean over her and empty a gun into her body. She wasn’t going anywhere after that first shot to the face.

It’s hard to tell what really happened. I was told that a man who lives near Rita stepped outside just a few seconds before the first shot. He said that it was a man who shot Rita, not a woman. He saw the entire shooting episode. A man shot Rita, left the scene, then 15 minutes later, Sheriff Deputy Kari Abby came on the scene with two other men. Why is Detective Abby taking the fall for the man who shot Rita? A neighbor of Rita’s was in a barber shop the day after the shooting and overheard a deputy saying that the reason he was so upset about this is that the women who was shot didn’t even have a gun? Who really shot Rita Elias? Why is the Sheriff’s Office participating in yet another cover-up?

Additionally, as if it wasn’t enough that their family member was murdered, the Sheriff’s Office has refused to let Rita’s family view her body. She has not been identified by any member of her family. Does that seem cruel to anybody else? I spoke with Luis Elias, Rita’s father. While fighting back tears, he told me they have not let him see his daughter yet. While the investigation is on-going, and the family is trying to raise money for a funeral, right now this grieving father simply wants to see his daughter. If I were in his shoes, I would not believe it was my family member who was killed until I could actually see them. What possible negative affect can come about as a result of her family identifying her? It won’t affect the outcome of the autopsy. It won’t affect any information gathered from witnesses. The Coroner’s Office says it doesn’t have room for an entire family to view a body. However, there is not reason they can’t let Mr. Elias and another family member identify Rita. It is just a cruel way of controlling a grieving family. The Sheriff’s and Coroner’s Offices should be ashamed.

I was also told that the nine witnesses to the shooting each reported that Rita did not have a gun in her hand. The Sheriff’s Office is now saying that Rita had a replica gun.

While the tragedy of the murders of Francisco Moran, Rita Elias, and all others that have died at the hands of the police on the streets and in the jails continues to unfold, we must stand together. Our tasks are great. We must support each other, not only through the deaths of our loved ones, but also against attacks by the police and the media. We must raise money to help pay for funerals and help put food on their kids' table. And, we must turn our rage into action against the police themselves. We must not be afraid to raise our voice, and come together to organize against institutions that preserve their power through fear, intimidation, and the threat of violence. Together, we live, work, and go to school with hundreds of thousands of other people who like us, have a similar relationship to the police.

As we discover that we all share similar experiences, we organize ourselves and begin to act. The divisons between us based on the color of our skin and where we live in this city begin to slip away, as we understand where are true enemies are. When this happens, those in power will do everything they can do to lie, disrupt, and stop us from confronting the conditions that make our lives miserable. They have the power of the media, the government, and money on their side - but we have each other. And there will always be more of us, than them.

THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, ON CROWS LANDING RD AND HATCH, IN SOUTH SIDE MODESTO, COME OUT TO THE CAR WASH TO RAISE MONEY FOR RITA ELIAS FUNERAL. OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU.

Corporate Media pictures and video:

Pictures from the Modesto Bee here.

Modesto Bee video here.

Channel 13 video here.

STAY TUNED TO THIS SITE FOR OUR OWN PICTURES AND VIDEO!

Will the Strikes of the East hit the West Coast?

"California - where we riot not rally!"

- 2pac

Oh, really? Thousands of workers and union members across Europe went on strike, rioted, and fought police, against austerity measures that would threaten jobs, wages, and benefits. As we've covered before, even as the CEO's and rich worldwide rake in records profits, they're trying to get the poor and working classes to fit the bill for the crisis.

In Spain, a general strike is underway, and thousands of people have bravely faced off against the police, attacked Neo-Nazi bookstores, and endured massive arrests. Watch videos from the general strike here. For more information on how other people in Europe are fighting their governments, go here. Back in the United States, port workers on the East Coast launched a wildcat strike at their ports in New York and New Jersey. According to infoshop.org:

All cargo terminals were closed at the Port of New York and New Jersey on Tuesday, due to a strike by members of the International Longshoremen's Association union, a spokesman said.

"It's a picket line put up by the ILA, and port workers are not crossing the line," said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority New York and New Jersey.

"We have every single type of commodity you can imagine. Furniture, beverages, clothing, automobiles, to name a few," Coleman said.

The port is the biggest coffee port in the United States and handles large amounts of metal from commodity exchanges in London and New York.

"The job action is related to a labor issue at the Port of Philadelphia. It has nothing to do with any labor issues at our port. It's more of a solidarity strike in connection with what's going on at the Port of Philadelphia," Coleman said.

About 200 members of the ILA in Philadelphia are set to lose their jobs by October 1, and they established the picket line in New York/New Jersey in solidarity, said Jim McNamara, spokesman for the ILA.

"I think they are also going to other areas of the country, Florida and Texas," McNamara said, adding that he could not confirm whether the strike was also taking place in Philadelphia.

Union officials have called the strike a 'wildcat' strike, due to the fact that it does not have official union backing. According to libcom.org:

"We just came on our own," said Camden dock worker Ed Reiman. "They are just honoring our picket line." The dispute stems from efforts by fruit-packing giant Del Monte to move its operation from the Camden port to one in Gloucester, N.J., whose workers are represented by a different union.

The action left 12 ships sitting idle, at the cost of $50,000 each a day for the owners of their contents, port officials said.

Before the judge's ruling, the Camden union members vowed to keep up their picket until the dispute was settled.

"We are going to stand here and fight until it's over," said Kevin Ohara. "We don't have jobs to go to."

Here is a report on the situation from the workers themselves.

With numerous Del Monte plants along the west coast, will the wildcat strikes spread here? Will workers in the United States take a cue from workers in Europe? It's all up to us, to decide.

Protest Rally Thursday West Modesto, Justice for Rita Elias! Justice for Francisco Moran!

Thursday, September 30th, there will be a protest rally in West Modesto on the corner of Paradise and MLK JR Bvld at 6pm.

Justice for Francisco Moran!

Justice for Rita Elias!
No more deaths in the jail or on the street!

Bring signs, banners, noise makers, your stories, co-workers, neighbors, and friends!

Travis Kevie: When the Going Gets Tough, Open an Illegal Bar

Times are hard. Have a drink on us? Or on them...?

Politicians, developers, police, and upper middle class non-profit do-gooders often tell us that they have it all figured out. Many claim they know what will get us out the economic crisis. Problem is, the rich have already made it out. Despite the recession, corporations are making record profits. In part, this has to do with not only taking that bailout cash and making sure it stays at the top, but also through massive cuts to workers' wages and benefits. According to an article that appeared in the Washington Post in July 2010:

In the mildly halcyon days before the 2008 crash, the one economic outlier was wages. Profit, revenue and GDP all increased; only ordinary Americans' incomes lagged behind. Today, wages are still down, employment remains low and sales revenue isn't up much, either. But profits are the outlier. They're positively soaring.

Among the 175 companies in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index that have released their second-quarter reports, the New York Times reported Sunday, revenue rose by a tidy 6.9 percent, but profits soared by a stunning 42.3 percent. Profits, that is, are increasing seven times faster than revenue. The mind, as it should, boggles.

The impacts of the foreclosure and economic crisis in the Central Valley of California show no signs of ending anytime soon - in fact, by many estimates the bad times have only just begun for poor and working people.

More and more people are on government aid.

In record numbers, people in the Central Valley are turning to government assistance to help make ends meet. In Merced County alone, about 1/4 of the population is on food stamps:

It's no secret that Merced County is one of the state's poorest and hardest hit areas by the economic downturn - unemployment hovers just below 20 percent and the poverty rate is more than 20 percent.

In Stanislaus County, applications for food stamps have risen by 51% in the last two years.

Today in the Modesto Bee, Vice Mayor Brad Hawn even promoted many of the things that anarchists have been calling for over the centuries: mutual aid and community self-organization.

"Have a block party and become friends with your neighbors," Hawn suggested. "By talking to your neighbors, you'll find out what common things there are that you all care about." That may be public safety or help for senior citizens or programs for children. Hawn said public agencies no longer may be able to fill some of those needs. "We need to be able to figure out how people can do what government can't do anymore," he said.

Of course, Hawn's vision of mutual aid and communities coming together has more to do with keeping Modesto looking nice for developers and business interests, who bring in tax revenue, and surprise surprise, keep Hawn, oh so...nicely paid.



Furthermore, people have been throwing block parties in the last couple of years, bringing people together - albeit in revolutionary ways, all under the radar of the mainstream media. For instance, the large revolutionary hip hop festival, "Keep Ya Head Up," which happened in South Modesto last year (see above video), the Graffiti Festival in West Side in early summer, and the ongoing BBQs organized by Modesto Anarcho and the Revolutionary Hip Hop Report.

A closer look at Hawn himself brings out more interesting things into the open, than his empty calls for people to donate time at the local soup kitchen. Hawn is a member of the Chair of the Finance Committee and Vice Chair of the Safety and Communities Committee, which as you remember, was the group that first came up with the idea to shut down, or "privatize" Paperboy Park, due to the 'threat' of homeless people sleeping on the grass.

Prior to his election, Brad served as a founding member of the City’s Citizens Redevelopment Advisory Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment. These organizations are in part, working to 're-develope the downtown" and other areas of Modesto. And while some of their talk sounds inviting, such as the creation of more affordable housing, this has more to do with marching in step to business and developer interests, than responding to the needs of poor people.

As the Modesto Redevelopment Project Area 5 Year Implementation Plan, drafted this year stated, "[Redevelopment should p]romote the economic viability of the Redevelopment Area by attracting new development. [New development should e]nhance the visual appeal of Modesto’s public spaces by upgrading existing parks, plazas, and streets, and by creating new parks and plazas that offer public access." In short, making sure Modesto is favorable to the interests of those that can bring money in.

Within "the Plan," the group talks about some of the Modesto Redevelopment Agency's "successes," which includes the 10th Street Place, and the implementation of a large, and costly, surveillance camera system in the Downtown. In recent years, the once vibrant and youthful crowd that was attracted to the 10th and J Street spot (an area outside city hall and Brendan Theaters), brought an interesting mix of working class youths together from diverse backgrounds. However, this created problems with the local businesses, who saw the crowds of young people as a threat to the upper scale establishments. Kids saw in the 10th Street Place a well lit area to hang out in and meet other young people, and parents often were glad for a space that was also used by adults and by and large, was free from fights and drug use.

The businesses however grew wary of the youth for loitering, and worst of all, not buying anything. Political events also took place in the area, such as protests, demonstrations, and ongoing 'Anarchist Cafes,' which featured live music, free food, and free literature, which often angered the police. Cops often responded to these occurrences with harassment of young people; moving them out of the downtown.

Former Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden makes the rounds in Downtown Modesto...

For business interests, a solution in part came when the Modesto Police put in a substation in the downtown area, which they stated in part was created to drive out young people who came into the downtown on Friday and Saturday nights to hang out. In the wake of small riots that occurred on St. Patrick's Day in 2007, and the "Hyphy Melee" of 2006, the surveillance system was also placed in the downtown.

Modesto police receive training for crowd control from the DoHS.

While promoted as a way to curb crime in the downtown, the cameras had more to do with making the area more safe for businesses, give the police more power, and ward off against possible clashes between large groups of people and authority. This also helped give way to a much more militarized police force in Modesto, which now receives trainings from the Department of Homeland Security, and responds to crowds of people in the downtown in full riot gear.

So what does redevelopment plans have to do with foreclosure and economic crisis, and more importantly the police? The point in bringing all of this up is simply to address that the elites of Modesto, and the Central Valley at large, just like those the world over, have no intention of helping us out of the current crisis. If anything, they're looking to bank on the current situation, and grow rich from it, just as the owners of wealth are doing the world over as we speak. Moreover, they are looking for ways, to often preemtively, ensure that resistance to this system does not build.

So, it's important to look at what normal people are doing around us, and see where we can begin to come together, to start solving problems as they exist in the here and now. Sometimes this happens in social movements, which can be large. And sometimes in simple ways such as residents that have been foreclosed on refusing to leave their homes when ordered to leave. Who of us doesn't know someone that hasn't stayed in a foreclosed home, lied to their social worker when applying for aid to get more food stamps, or taken items home from work? All of this, in large or small ways are forms of class struggle. They are tactics that we use to fight for our interests; on the job, on the streets, and where we live.

People occupy foreclosed home in Stockton California.

For readers of this blog and Modesto Anarcho magazine, you know that we've talked at length about the occupations that have gone on around the country in workplaces, schools, and foreclosures. We see these occupations as not only a way for working people to fight back against some of the attacks launched at us (foreclosure, pay cuts, layoffs, budget cuts, fee increases), but also as a way of relating to each other in new ways, outside of capitalism, that also builds our power against it. Examples of this include the occupation of workers in Chicago, that won them benefits and pay. The occupation of universities and schools across the county, including Fresno and Davis here in the Central Valley. And the occupation of foreclosed homes, such as the Miwok tribal office in Stockton California, which halted the eviction.

In July, a 29 year old homeless man waltzes into downtown Auburn and re-opens a historic bar.

This is why an article in July of 2010, caught our eye. A young 'Rodeo cowboy,' Travis Kevie, opened up a bar in Auburn (by Sacramento) that had been previously shut down. Several newspaper articles herald the opening of the historic watering hole, and customers stream in. Several days later, the new "owner" of the bar is, behind bars! What happened? He wasn't laid off, and he wasn't foreclosed on. Oh where did our fairytale go?

Is it Miller, or squatting time?

Turns out, Kevie simply went into the abandoned bar and opened it up. That's right. He broke in, cleaned the place up, and opened up the doors. He was squatting not renting. Although he did no damage to the building, he did revamp the place. Cleaning the open neon sign and even spent a little money for a 6 pack of beer, which he then sold and used what little money he had to buy more alcohol. All without a liquor licence. Police first became suspicious when, according to the Auburn paper:

Detective Jim Hudson recognized Kevie in the Journal article Tuesday not as a new business owner but as a local transient who had come into contact numerous times with the Sheriff’s Department.

Soon, Kevie was arrested and thrown in jail, only to be released after two days on misdemeanor charges of selling alcohol without a licence - even as some people were calling for his freedom.

As one local resident wrote:

Travis Kevie, has given me hope in the future of our younger generation...The Winkle family has long been patrons of the Valencia Club. After the Shanghai closed down, I would venture to say it’s been the No. 1 venue in the Auburn area to get our drink on. It’s almost impossible for a family of seven to enjoy a full night of libations with the prices these new clubs in Auburn charge. How can anyone be expected to stretch a welfare check that far? Lincoln’s been out of work for quite a while, and one of the few things keeping him going was the knowledge he and his family could get together four or five nights a week and develop that bond families are given when closing a bar down.

Instead of putting young Travis in the county jail, we should be trying to raise funds to help the young man continue his inspirational calling. All he did was help folks out in tough times, and if he was able to pull himself up a bit while doing it, God bless him. One thing I can guarantee is that if one of the Winkle family is on a jury deciding this youngster’s fate, he walks!

Kevie gets the bar ready for customers.

In the end, Kevie was only sentenced to 15 days in jail, in large part due to the outpouring of support that he received from the surrounding community. And that support is what we find interesting. A situation like Kevie's is exciting because not only is it a great story, but also that it shows the tensions that exist within capitalism, and illustrates some possible ways forward in dealing with those tensions.

As the commenter in the local paper pointed out - where can working people with little money go now days? With the increase in development like that proposed by planners in Modesto which we talked about earlier, where can we go to get a drink with our friends and family that isn't totally over priced and taken over by yuppies? Moreover, it seems that Kevie's bar helped to create a sense of community out of his effort and gave people something to believe in. It's not always that the "little gal or guy" gets fucked over. In doing so, he bypassed the government and property owners who claim that everyday people can't run their own lives and organize their own spaces. It spat in the face of daily life in the Central Valley which is filled with boarded up homes and businesses, and thousands of homeless and evicted families.
It also gets one thinking about taking back even more space, for our needs, in the here and now. Not waiting for city planners, non-profits, or the police to do it for us. With so much vacant property around - and if threats of jail time from the authorities wasn't stopping us, imagine the types of things that we could be doing. Childcare centers, pool halls, meeting spaces, places to live, and yes...bars! What's even more hopeful, is that with the massive support and interest that's been thrown Kevie's way, his jail time was greatly reduced. See what happens when we stand up for each other? Perhaps we need not be so worried, as long as we have each other's backs. Kevie's story is a breath of fresh air because we can begin to see that our desire for community, a place to have fun, and a place to come together - is different from that of the police, the property owners, and those in power. And, when we get together and do something about it, a whole new type of being starts to come about.


So tonight. Whether you're drinking a cold one, a glass of water before bed, or a hot cup of tea - raise your glass to Travis Kevie. The greatest squatter bar keep we've come across in the Central Valley - so far.

RIP Rita Elias: Off-Duty Sheriff Kills Woman After Eviction Served, Family Disputes Incident

On Friday night, Rita Elias, 31, died after off-duty sheriff's detective Kari Abbey, shot and killed her after an hour long argument. Kari Abbey, a 6 year veteran to the force, and a detective of four years, was at an apartment complex owned by her parents. She got into an argument with Elias after the woman became (rightly so) angry after being served with an eviction notice. It appears that the Abbeys own the apartment complex in which Elias was living.

After about an hour of arguing, witnesses reported hearing several shots. According to ABC News 10, the pair even broke into a fist fight at one point. This begs the question, if a heated argument raged for an hour, why didn't the Detective call the police - being that's something that the cops themselves tells us to do in situations like these. The Sheriff's Department contends that Elias had a gun, and that Abbey shot and killed her because she feared for her life. Elias family however, "...disputed investigators' assertion that she was brandishing a gun when she was shot."

As one commenter on the Modesto Bee site wrote: "The officers father owns the property where the shooting occurred. If you rent from this man and he comes to collect the rent or post an eviction, be cautious, his daughter may shoot you if she feels her life is in danger even if she is ILLEGALLY trespassing."

Another shooting death in a city already reeling from the murder of Francisco Moran, who was killed after police lied about the 45 year old man welding a knife during a domestic call. The knife turned out to in fact be a wooden spoon. The Sheriff's Department is no stranger to blood on it's hands in recent months either. In the past year, 6 people have died in the Stanislaus County Jail, half, admittedly on the part of the Department, due to run ins with police tasers. Half of the families of those who have died in the jail are suing the Department, costing cash strapped tax payers in Stanislaus millions of dollars. Alfred Huskey also further embarrassed the Department in the past year, after he was found guilty of molesting and raping his step-daughter from an early age. Disgustingly, Huskey only received a year in jail and does not have to register as a sex offender.

Several things are for sure. The Modesto Bee and other mainstream media will continue to toe the line of the police. We'll have to go out and talk to other people if we want to know the truth. The police will, continue, to, lie. Lastly, the courts and the legal system will always favor the police. It is in our streets and communities, and the degree that we have control over them - against the government, anti-social elements, and the wealthy, that we will find justice.

Anti-Gay Bigots Again Confronted at Modesto PRIDE

A young woman swings on a dummy dressed as a Mormon at the Central Valley Queer Coalition table in Modesto.

Pride may have originally been canceled this year, but its resurrection rocked. The new organizers got San Francisco Pride out to represent. Finally.

Central Valley Queer Coalition (CVQC) had our first booth, distributed our first magazine, and put flyers out letting people know about the previous day’s hate crime in Santa Maria where a gay waiter was stabbed in the throat just for being “out” and gay. We met a lot of new people who came by to “BASH A BIGOT!” as we had a martial arts dummy dressed up like a Mormon bicycling religious salesperson a.k.a a bigot. Even a good number of children angry about how their gay parent/s are treated came to knock the bigot around and let out frustration. From the popularity of our booth’s bigot bash, we can see just how many of us still feel powerless in this struggle, and desperately need a productive outlet for our rage.

HRC and other mainstream groups sent salespeople to our event, but those groups still fight only for gay assimilationist’s right’s and mostly all they do is gather money and send out masses of emails pretending they are making progress with the (in)justice system, and the political lemmings. They protect with their money those of us clean enough and nice enough looking to pass as human beings to politicians and bigots in charge of making and enforcing discriminatory laws against us. What about everyone else though? And what about all of those queers who brag about being “totally non-violent?” Apparently they don’t realize how stupid they sound, or how lucky they are if they truly live in a world where violence doesn’t touch them- ever. But that’s too good to be true for most of us.

On the entertainment front, Modesto Pride had its first Drag King, Freddie Prinze Charming, who travelled all the way from Arizona to entertain us. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence came too and were fabulously magnificent and demanding of attention like always. Love or hate them, you’re not going to be able to ignore them and they don’t give a fuck what you think anyways. This seems to be becoming a much more popular sentiment in the queer community, as was witnessed when our usual local hatemongering circus troupe of fundamentalist bores showed up at our Pride to threaten and attempt to intimidate us.

Local community groups such as Modesto Anarcho, Modesto Copwatch, Stanislaus County Radical Mental Health and others joined us in intercepting these fascists before they even managed to get their hate signs hoisted, and their duct-taped bibles out. A banner reading, “Reclaim Pride: Bash Back!” was marched through the park in pursuit of the fascists who were attempting to remain incognito while taking pictures, and documenting all of the queers in celebration. What do they use all of this information for? It scares me to even try to imagine, though over half of it is likely for the miserable, guilt filled masturbation fantasies of these fucked up closet-cases. One organizer who had originally asked us to stop bigot bashing as we were just fueling their fire eventually broke down himself and shouted to a closet-case, “Don’t I know you? I fucked you in the park last year. Get the hell outta here hypocrite!”

Cameras were rolling on both sides as a well known bigot, 'Juaquin' (anyone know which church this fool is with?) threatened to call the cops after being “assaulted” by a queer woman. The alleged assault consisted of being touched on the shoulder and being told to “get the fuck out of the park. Bigots aren’t welcome.” The pathetic threat he made was quickly laughed off as the wimpy fascist making it didn’t even believe his own bullshit, and at least 4 pigs were already present and watching everyone carefully. We were also able to use our “Reclaim Pride” banner to block cameras and “herd” bigots away from people they were zeroed in on and trying to intimidate.

The event organizers who had been tediously continuing to insist we “let the situation go” finally joined us in fucking with the bigots. None of us can afford to ignore these people who are so ruthless in their campaign to exterminate the queer community. “We ignored the Germans and they killed at least 6 million people,” was the final point of conviction for those who were initially too hesitant and scared to stand up for themselves. We can’t make the same mistake twice. Fascists can never be tolerated.

As more and more Pride goers gathered in solidarity, we were able to join hands in a huge circle, and exclude the bigots, pushing them further and further back, out of the festival. We chanted over their rants while The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence blessed our circle with glitter and love. We followed this up by posing and taking some glamour shots with a bigot who had mistakenly, we assume, brought a big cardboard sign stating he was a “GAY PERVERT.”

The bigots were outnumbered and overpowered the entire time they were out at the park. Queers kissed, danced, and continued to have fun. Some even tried “killing them with kindness” and told the fascists, they too, might find actual love and happiness if they stopped preaching hate and violence, and believing every word out of every book they read (meaning the bible since bigots don’t seem to believe in self- education or reading books with factual information written in them). Other queers let these fascists know that it wouldn’t be their first (or last) visit to jail if they got taken in right then for kicking fascist ass. (My personal favorite). People also “fell” and “stumbled” back into bigots to knock their signs down.

We got our final frustrations out about not really being able to have a Pride without bigot presence –since they got full police protection as usual- by having a water balloon fight amongst friends. We also witnessed and got footage of parking pigs ticketing the Dykes on Bikes for parking in their official, designated area, BEFORE the festival was even over. Yet, we continue to pretend that the police are indifferent and there to protect both sides.

A local dyke I met that day while protesting against fascists kept telling me to “just ignore them.” But I can’t ignore them. “These people are the reason my partner and I get chased when riding bicycles in the evening, and that I get yelled at when I walk alone and called “dyke” as if that’s a bad thing. I’ve been lucky-SO FAR- that I’ve only experienced getting shit thrown at me from cars instead of people stopping to gaybash me. Or rape me, cuz these religious bigots have a special term for that: Corrective rape. This supposedly fixes us and forces us into liking dick.” (The reasoning and logic are about as sound as all other fascist theory).

We told this dyke stories of local queers being bashed, then left on the street by the police who found them after being told, “If you want to play the victim and go to the hospital, then you’re gonna play the criminal first and go to the station for being drunk in public” all to no effect. Her response: “I’m not afraid of them. If they beat or kill someone they get arrested and go to prison.”

Well, some of us are still very afraid and have every reason to be. This kind of apathy from a fellow queer is a major reason we can’t afford to rest for one second in showing resistance to oppressors of all kinds.

Fundamentalists are gathering and organizing and preaching to their followers about the need to rob us of more and more rights. Where are we organizing for ourselves? Too often, in little isolated cells throughout the country. They want us “cured” which is double talk for locking us up in internment camps, and doing whatever they want to our bodies and minds, all with god’s blessing.

Well fuck that and fuck them! If you want to stay as “free” as we are today it’s time to drop your non-violent, indifferent, sit-on-ur-ass talking but never acting, routine. It doesn’t work in case you haven’t noticed.
These people want to see us annihilated and destroyed and for once I’m not being dramatic!

So…
Don’t be naïve!
Join together and continue to resist bigots and the police protecting them!
Fight Back in every way you can, every chance you get!

- CVQC -
Contact us @ centralvalleyqueercoalition@gmail.com

James Rivera's Mother Launches Lawsuit Against Police

The family of James Rivera is launching a lawsuit against the Stockton police, for the shooting death of their son several months ago. Representing them in court will be the same lawyer that represented Oscar Grant, who was shot and killed by Bart Police.

According to the Stockton Record:

In court papers, the family argues Rivera "did not pose any imminent threat" while seated behind the wheel of the van after the crash. The lawsuit also accuses the officers of laughing and congratulating each other after the shooting.

In a written statement Wednesday, Burris - who also represents the family of Oscar Grant, the unarmed passenger shot and killed by Bay Area transit police in Oakland last year - claimed Rivera was unarmed at the time of the crash and that authorities have refused to release an autopsy report.

Burris said he has requested a federal investigation into the incident.

"This boy was unnecessarily killed," Burris said, "and the police are trying to get away with it by covering it up and blaming the victim when they should not have shot at him."

Stanislaus Radical Mental Health Screening & Workshop series in Modesto

Stanislaus County Radical Mental Health & Consumer Network Proudly Present…



Crooked Beauty

Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness

A two day event Oct. 8th & 9th 2010

Day 1: Crooked Beauty - Film Screening

Filmmaker and mental health activist Ken Paul Rosenthal will screen Crooked Beauty, his poetic documentary that chronicles artist-activist Jacks McNamara’s journey from psych ward patient to pioneering mental health advocate. Rosenthal will talk about his challenge to embody the film’s character with compassion and authenticity. Discussion will focus on nurturing wellness through our relationship to the natural world, and drawing new maps for ‘madness’ as a tool of insight, creativity and hope. www.crookedbeauty.com

7-8:30pm @ Stanislaus County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (BHRS) 500 North 9th Street Modesto Ca, in Jana Lynn room (room to the right when enter complex) Donations $$$ HIGHLY accepted.

Day 2: The Intertwined Threads of Madness and Creativity - Workshop

This is a highly interactive conscious dialogue circle for 10 to 15 participants who identify as artists or actively creative beings. The group will be asked to consider their most fundamentally profound experiences with creativity and mental health, then openly share and discuss their reflections. This humble yet provocative framework is remarkably transformative and inspiring as a means of personal growth and building community.



11am-12:30pm @ At Firehouse 51 (social space), 410 James Street Modesto Ca,
$5 admittance fee.

Ken Paul Rosenthal is an independent filmmaker, teacher, and a regional coordinator for the Bay Area Icarus Project.His films weave personal and political narratives into natural and urban landscapes. Ken holds an MA in Creative & Interdisciplinary Arts, an MFA in Cinema Production, and has taught film as a means of cultivating personal vision in workshops and universities nationally and internationally. He is a recipient of a Kodak Award for Cinematography. www.kenpaulrosenthal.com

Francisco Moran: Friends and Family Protest Outside MPD HQ

Also check out: Justice for Francisco Moran!

On Saturday, September 11th, a small protest was held outside of the Modesto Police Station for about two hours. About ten people held a banner reading, "Disarm MPD" as well as waving spatchulas as motorists passed.

Several of Francisco Moran's family came by, after seeing the protest from the street and came to talk to the group and offer support. After calling several more carloads of different family members, a new story about the murder of Francisco Moran that is completely different from the one that is coming from the lips of the Modesto Bee and the Modesto Police emerged.

According to family members, Moran was shot a total of six times by Modesto Police. When they arrived, Moran had another man on the floor, and after police used (or attempted to use) a taser, they opened fire on him.

Moran was shot once in the head, and once in the throat. He was shot twice in the chest and then twice in the left arm. The "knife" turned out to be a spatula that was in Moran's waistband. According to family members, Moran did not make any sudden movements towards the police, and did not take out the spatula from his waist band.

The thought process of the police seems clear. They came to the house, they did not know how to deal with the situation. They tasered, or attempted to taser Moran. It did not get him to do what they wanted, and then they shot him. When it was clear that they had made an error in shooting a father in front of his family, they tried to cover their asses by stating that Moran had "come at them with a knife." The Modesto police's media machine worked quick, and the Modesto Bee was quick to put this story out to a public on a mass level. When it became clear that it would come out that Moran did not have a knife, police then stated that they thought that he in fact had a metal spatchula, which they "thought" was a knife. But, after speaking with Moran's family, we learn that even this was not the case.

Many people simply open the daily paper and take the police on their word. When people are shot by the police many think, they must have done something wrong and they deserved to be killed and murdered. Even poor and working people that might have had less than pleasant experiences with the police are quick to take the police at their word when they have the backing of the media. Remember who sends us to jail. Who sexually assaults us because they are in power. Who deports us. Who evicts us. Remember.

However, it's a lot harder to take the police at their word when you speak to people who have had their loved ones shot dead in front of them. Who are left with a home that is empty and blood left on the carpeting. The police are an organization that can get away with murder. In the streets and in the jails. It's important that we understand this and stand behind hard working families like the Morans as they proceed forward, struggling against this atrocity.

R.I.P. Francisco Moran: Murdered by Modesto Police

Francisco Moran, a 45 year old man was shot and killed by police in North East Modesto on early Monday morning, as officers responded to a civil dispute at his home. In the newspaper on Tuesday, police claimed that Moran was "belligerent" and "intoxicated," and after being tasered, came at police with a knife that was taken from his pants. This forced them to shoot Moran dead. Seems like we've heard this story before haven't we?

In 2003, police shot and killed Eustolio Aguilar, after they claimed he was reaching for a gun. After he was dead, it turned out he was reaching for a cell phone. In 2004, police shot and killed Sammy Galvan, also after responding to a domestic dispute in which they stated that Sammy tried to throw a knife at them. Later, witnesses and family claimed that Sammy only had a can opener. In 2006, police shot Melron Johnson, again claiming that he was armed with a knife. Later, it was revealed that Johnson in fact had no knife at all when he was shot. Also in 2006, police shot out the windows of a deaf driver's car during a stop, and then tasered the man. All the while he screams over and over again, "I'm deaf! I'm deaf!" In 2007, Ceres police shot a man fleeing arrest in the back, and according to them he was "reaching for a gun." Upon his arrest, it is found that he is in fact, was unarmed.


And so, it came as no surprise today, when the Modesto Bee's front headline read that Fransisco Moran was brandishing a spatchula in fact, and not a knife. Is it any shock at all that police would lie through their teeth about the initial encounter with Moran? Now they claim that they "thought" that the spatchula was a knife, and thus had to kill Moran in order to save their lives. This, is, literally "hog wash." The police systematically kill and assault people in this city and across the country, then cover up the facts later, using the media to demonize their victims. Now, on paid leave for murdering another working person in another Modesto neighborhood, it's up to us to stand up to the police and the violence they represent.

Modesto Police Chief Mike Harden, was quick to call the officers involved in the shooting "victims," because they had to live through murdering someone. But it was the police themselves that signed up to do that very job. And it was the police who pulled the trigger on a man in front of his family, killing him in cold blood just because he was in the middle of an argument and had a kitchen utensil.


As we speak, people in LA are in the middle of an uprising, attacking police and their stations, after police killed a 37 year old Guatemalan man, Manuel Jamines. In Oakland, the city has been rocked with massive riots in the wake of the BART police's murder of Oscar Grant. Today, people involved in Modesto Copwatch and other community based groups went around speaking to people in the neighborhood where Francisco was killed. "What they did to him was wrong. Everyone gets in arguments. But they didn't have to kill him," stated one local resident. Perhaps the spatchula is in fact a fine symbol for this moment. Because in this kitchen, all chickens come home to roost.

New Updates

The new issue of the Revolutionary Hip Hop Report is out now! Check out local stores, the library, or free boxes around town for a copy. You can also read many of the articles online here.

Also, we want to give a shout out to our friends for forming a new group, the Central Valley Queer Coalition. Check them out here.

Modesto Anarcho #15 is being worked on day by day, and will hopefully hit the streets soon...