Resistance to Police Heats Up: Fresno Police Cars Burned

According to a post left on indybay.org around midnight, person(s) unknown threw molotov cocktails into the South-west Fresno Police substation, burning at least two police cars. The action was carried out during a week of action against police brutality and murder and was done in solidarity with people resisting in the bay area. In San Francisco, people have taken to the streets against the BART police murder of Charles Hill, an unarmed homeless man killed earlier this summer and Oscar Grant in 2009. In response, BART has shut off cell phone communication on the BART lines in an attempt to stop the protests from becoming 'viral.' 

The action also brought attention to recent police murders in Fresno, including Carl Maggioroni who was killed in the Tower district on August 3rd. A recent protest in Fresno on August 1st demanded that Police Chief Dyer resign. Dyer has faced numerous scandals, including allegations that he had sex with a 16 year-old when he was 26 and a beat cop and accusations of racism. According to the Fresno Brown Berets, 52 (adding Carl Maggioroni) people have died under Dyers administration in the last 14 years. The full text from the communique is re-posted here:  

In Solidarity with Everyone fighting against police brutality and the police state, molotovs were thrown into the parking lot of the Fresno SW substation where police cars and pig's personal vehicles are parked. At least 2 cars burned. 

This action is done in solidarity especially with those in the East Bay standing up against the murderous BART police who most recently executed Charles Hill. BART then used fascist type methods by shutting down all cell phones in stations where they thought protestors might be showing up. WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED!  

All police are murderers. FPD recently executed Carl Maggioroni and have a reputation for executing people of color whether they are armed or not. The time to fight back is NOW! We live in a police state, this is all "business as usual" for them. We have to come together and fight back, FUCK THESE PIGS! This is war, play time is over, join the fight.  

In solidarity with Oakland, Seattle, Chile, London, Greece...everyone who is fighting back.
See you in the streets. 

Moving Community Event Remembers the Life of Ernest Duenez Jr. and Calls for Justice

On Sunday, August 14th, 75-100 people turned out to celebrate the life of Ernest Duenez Jr., who was slain by a Manteca police officer on June 8th, 2011, Ernest's birthday. The event took place in Lathrop, at a local community center. According to flyers distributed by Justice for Ernest:

Our family is requesting to see video evidence the police have that may show the incident in which an unarmed Ernest was shot multiple times while trying to exit the back seat of a vehicle where his leg was caught in the seat belt.  Witnesses reported Ernest had his hands up while exiting and was shot in the chest and head. 

Speaking at the event were representatives from Justice for Ernest and other community organizations that fight police brutality. Coming from Stockton, members of James Rivera Jr.'s family spoke, linking the two struggles together and pledging to support the fight of Ernest's family. Aside from speakers, there was also great food and games for children. A Lathrop police officer circled the parking lot and made participants take down a bounce house.

Joe Muratore's Committee Proposes a Private Police Force for Public Parks

Over a week ago, the committee set up by City Councilman Joe Muratore (currently in hot-water due to insider deals between city government and his private businesses), the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness, presented it's 'findings' to the Safety and Community Committee. The BRCH was formed to 'investigate' the ways in which homelessness could be combated in the city. However, the commission was made up of business people, those within the city power structure, and other local big-wigs. It became apparent that the committee was formed to find ways to remove homeless people from the Downtown, not help 'fight' homelessness. Of course, none of this comes as a shock, being that Joe Muratore is a member of the La Loma Neighborhood Association, which has fought the homeless at every turn and was an instrumental force in pushing for the closure of Paperboy Park in 2010.

In presenting it's report, the BRCH made several conclusions. First, they believe "at this time," they would not be able to get a city-wide ordinance passed banning the sharing of food in public. Such an ordinance would be directed at church groups and private citizens who share food with homeless and poor people in public parks. However, the laws currently on the books require people to get permits before sharing food with the public. According to those associated with Muratore, if they can kick out the church groups and good Samaritan types which share food in the parks, they believe they can drive out the homeless who (are among those which) use those services. Cut the supply, the line goes, and the homeless will leave, making the Downtown safe for investor and business interests.

So, if the current laws can allow people to get local organizations to stop providing food in local parks, the only thing needed is a repressive instrument that can keep the homeless out of public areas. According to MPD Chief Mike Harden, the police aren't up to the task of policing the parks due to a lack of resources. Thus, in place of the good-ol' MPD boys, the BRCH proposes that a private police/security force should be in charge of keeping the rabble off the grass. The funds for such a security program would hopefully come from the neighborhood associations that currently exist in the La Loma and College area. The Blue Ribbon Commission stresses that such a force will be implemented not to harass the homeless, or anyone else for that matter, but instead be there to make sure that the 'safety' of the parks is improved. However, it is clear that the main goal of the BRCH proposed security is too enforce permit laws which would chase away people serving food in public parks - and as the logic goes, the homeless as well.

With the proposal for a private security force comes questions. Who will this force be accountable to? We already know that the police are a brutal and corrupt organization onto themselves, but a private company providing security does not even have to pretend to answer questions of the public or respond to complaints of harassment, profiling, and brutality. Also, being that the money for this security force will come from the College and La Loma neighborhood associations, it follows that the security force will only police the parks that are in those areas. This means that they will drive the homeless, the poor, and the youth out of the public parks in the "nice" areas of town.

The BRCH is attempting to sell this private security operation as simply a way to make public parks safer - this is a smokescreen. If safety in public parks was the goal, then why are parks in some of the most upper-middle class parts of the city targeted first? It's because the goal of having a private security force has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with keeping undesirable people out of the parks. We have to get organized and fight back against this encroachment, revealing this development for the naked class war that it is.