Kari Abbey Arrested: Shows Network of Corruption, Drugs, and Illegal Evictions

Kari Abbey, murderer.

On Monday, Stanislaus County Sheriff Kari Abbey was arrested and put on $300,000 bail (which was then quickly paid) and charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Abbey is charged with the murder of Rita Elias, a mother and resident of West-Side Modesto. Elias was murdered by Abbey in September of 2010 during an argument in which Abbey attempted to evict Elias from her property. Abbey's parents are landlords and according to documents released from the investigation, Kari along with other law enforcement officers have helped illegally evict people. Abbey is also charged with conducting this "family business" all while on the clock as a Sheriff. She was charged by the District Attorney's office after witnesses came forward about the shooting, although it appears that the Sheriff's Department has known of these witnesses and their testimony for a long time. According to the Modesto Bee:

In court documents, the Stanislaus County district attorney's office said Abbey abused tenants at her rental properties, used fellow deputies to serve eviction papers while they were on duty and conducted her business on county time. In addition, a March 30 search of the home and outbuildings she shared with her husband and father yielded a sophisticated marijuana growing system, several weapons, counterfeit bills, steroids and items from the Hayward Police Department. Abbey's husband, Bennie Taylor, worked for the Hayward police until last year. Investigators said Abbey and Taylor trespassed on properties they owned and managed, harassing and intimidating tenants, assaulting at least one of them.

One tenant called police after Taylor hit him, the affidavit said. Witnesses said the Modesto police officer who responded to the call seemed familiar with Abbey, hugging her and shaking Taylor's hand.

We live in a town where the Sheriff's Department has officers that are illegally evicting people as Modesto Police and the top cop brass back them up. Only until recently was Sheriff Adam Christianson calling the murder of Elias totally justified, even though he knew that witness testimony proved otherwise. It is only now, after all the dirty laundry has been cleared, that he and Mike Harden are back-pedaling in attempts to reassure the public that " this is not going to happen again." What's also clear is that both institutions back each-other up and act as a unit. When renters complained to the police about Abbey's treatment, police did nothing and made is extremely clear that Abbey was a friend. Lastly, through both the Modesto and Hayward police departments, Abbey had access to drugs, counterfeit money, steroids, and weapons. This finding comes hot on the heals of a Modesto Police officer Tony Trock getting caught taking drugs from evidence and Stockton Police officer Darrin Fagundes being caught in a steroid sting operation. Clearly, the charges leveled against Abbey are just scratching the surface, but we can begin to see the depth and widespread corruption and brutality which make up day-to-day life in the Modesto Police and Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

What we can begin to see is not a problem of 'bad-apples' but instead institutions which are completely corrupt and protected by a well-funded hierarchy and a blue-wall of silence. Just yesterday, Police Chief Harden and Sheriff Adam Christianson released a statement in the Modesto Bee stating that: 

As Chief and Sheriff, we are accountable to you, the people. We are committed to leading organizations that pride ourselves on service, sacrifice, honor, integrity and above all, honesty. We serve in open accessible roles, working tirelessly to build and strengthen your trust in us...[W]e are swift to take corrective action to protect your trust. We're responsible for the conduct, behavior and performance of those who work for us and we will hold those employees accountable when they commit misconduct.

Hail to the Chief?

Of course, none of this has ever happened, not now, not ever. The police are not accountable to the people; in no way, shape, or form. Police are accountable to their superiors, who are accountable to local politicians. The police are in fact protected by the "Police Bill of Rights," which prevents the public from finding out basic information on officers and protects police from investigations. If the police are accountable to the people then why haven't the people that murdered Fransisco Moran been held accountable? Have the guards that killed Craig Prescott or others within the Stanislaus County Jail been held accountable? Has Sheriff "Chip" Huskey been held accountable for raping and molesting his daughter? The Modesto Police for shooting Brian Reed? What about the police who use "beat and release" as a way of crowd control? Of course not. For the police, all of this murder, cover-ups, and corruption are justified because they're holding all the guns.

The words of Christianson and Harden slide out into the air like the tongues of snakes. They are worthless attempts at pacifying a population that more and more is waking up to the reality of what the police in our area really are and our need to confront the violence and corruption that they represent.

We cannot put our "faith" in stopping police terror in the hands of the police themselves, time and time again they've done nothing and they will continue to do nothing but pile up more dead bodies. Furthermore, we cannot put our faith in "investigations" by outside lawyers to bring change to organizations which funnel our tax-dollars into their pockets to buy a stamp of accreditation. The only way to change the police is to confront and destroy the power that they hold. On the streets, in our communities, and over all our lives.