Victim's families and supporters rally
to protest police brutality
n the late afternoon
of October 22nd, voices rang out in City Hall Park in lower
Manhattan as a spirited crowd of activists, students, and concerned
citizens joined the families of victims of police brutality as part of a
National Day of Protest. Organized by the October 22nd
Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization
of a Generation in conjunction with many other
organizations,
this was the eighth year that on this date thousands of people in over
fifty cities across the country held rallies, marches, and other events
to help bring attention to what organizers describe as a "national
epidemic of official brutality."
At
times fighting back tears, parents and family members of victims of
police brutality spoke out in both English and Spanish about what had
befallen their loved ones. Jose Mateo, whose 22-year old son was killed
by police in June, told of how he had called for medical assistance, but
when the police arrived, they handcuffed and kicked his son, who died
later that night. The police put out word that the young man had been
using drugs, but a medical investigation later proved that he was
drug-free.
The
assembled crowd listened attentively as Margarita Rosario, the subject
of the very important documentary film "Justifiable Homicide," spoke of
her son, Anthony Rosario, and nephew, Hilton Vega, being brutally
murdered in 1995 by two police officers as they lay face down on the
floor. She said that when the police came to her home and told her that
her son had been in a shootout, she knew something was wrong because her
son was not a criminal. "But," she stated, "Even if my son and nephew
did do something wrong, they should have been arrested, not executed
the way they were by 2 ex-bodyguards of Giuliani."
Also
speaking was Yvonne Washington, the widow of Calvin Washington who died
of a heart attack caused by severe shock when police knocked down the
door and attacked his family in a raid on their Brooklyn apartment. With
her 7-year-old daughter Nashay at her side, Mrs. Washington commented in
an interview, "My husband died on June 28th. Everybody who
was involved in the raid on our house that day went back to normal
lives. Me and my family haven't got it together yet. We're struggling to
keep our household afloat. Without my husband, it's very hard on us."
Other friends and family members who spoke included Juanita Young,
mother of Malcolm Ferguson who was shot point blank in the temple;
Nicholas Heyward, Sr., whose son, Nicholas Jr., was a 13-year-old honor
student when he was cut down while playing with a toy gun; Jennifer
Moore who had watched helplessly as her son
Jamil
was shot in the back and killed by police a little over a year ago; and
Nina Paulino, friend of Santiago Villanueva who was killed by
Bloomfield, NJ police when he suffered an epileptic seizure at work.
Instead of being treated medically, hewas dealt with like a
criminal and brutalized. He died of asphyxiation.
Some of the other speakers included Dahoud Andre from the Haitian
Coalition for Justice; Marty Stolar, President of the New York Chapter
of the National Lawyers Guild; King Downing from the ACLU; and Araby
Carlier with Refuse & Resist! The Reverend Herbert Daughtry, Senior
Pastor of the House of the Lord Church, praised the Oct 22nd
Coalition for keeping the issue of police brutality alive. "I
particularly commend all these families who have been victimized by
police violence but who refuse to quit," he said. "They step up and step
out on the issue not only for themselves, but for their children and the
next generation."
One
of the most riveting speakers was Council Member and mayoral candidate
Charles Barron who never flags in his support on this issue. He began by
stating, "Brothers and sisters, you know that police brutality is a
symptom of a deeply rooted illness in America. America needs a
revolution! You want to stop police brutality, then stop monopoly
capitalism, stop imperialism abroad, stop the fascist state they're
moving to with the PATRIOT Act. You want to stop police brutality, get
rid of Bloomberg and vote for Charles Barron for mayor in 2005."
He also set forth some very immediate steps that can be taken now to
end police criminality. "The first thing is, we've got to pass a
residency law," he declared. "You want to police us - live with us." The
second thing was to get rid of dumb-dumb bullets, designed to tear up a
person's insides when they're hit. Third, "Patrol the police. We need
community patrols in our neighborhoods to patrol those we are paying to
protect us." Barron concluded, "We can stop police brutality with a
movement of the masses because the masses on the move can turn anything
around."
Shortly thereafter, in the fading evening light, the participants
marched to Union Square where they continued their protest.
To contact the October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police
Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, call
(866) 235-7814, email oct22ny@yahoo.com, or visit www.geocities.com/oct22ny.
n the late afternoon
of October 22nd, voices rang out in City Hall Park in lower
Manhattan as a spirited crowd of activists, students, and concerned
citizens joined the families of victims of police brutality as part of a
National Day of Protest. Organized by the October 22nd
Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization
of a Generation in conjunction with many other
organizations,
this was the eighth year that on this date thousands of people in over
fifty cities across the country held rallies, marches, and other events
to help bring attention to what organizers describe as a "national
epidemic of official brutality."
At
times fighting back tears, parents and family members of victims of
police brutality spoke out in both English and Spanish about what had
befallen their loved ones. Jose Mateo, whose 22-year old son was killed
by police in June, told of how he had called for medical assistance, but
when the police arrived, they handcuffed and kicked his son, who died
later that night. The police put out word that the young man had been
using drugs, but a medical investigation later proved that he was
drug-free.
The
assembled crowd listened attentively as Margarita Rosario, the subject
of the very important documentary film "Justifiable Homicide," spoke of
her son, Anthony Rosario, and nephew, Hilton Vega, being brutally
murdered in 1995 by two police officers as they lay face down on the
floor. She said that when the police came to her home and told her that
her son had been in a shootout, she knew something was wrong because her
son was not a criminal. "But," she stated, "Even if my son and nephew
did do something wrong, they should have been arrested, not executed
the way they were by 2 ex-bodyguards of Giuliani."
Also
speaking was Yvonne Washington, the widow of Calvin Washington who died
of a heart attack caused by severe shock when police knocked down the
door and attacked his family in a raid on their Brooklyn apartment. With
her 7-year-old daughter Nashay at her side, Mrs. Washington commented in
an interview, "My husband died on June 28th. Everybody who
was involved in the raid on our house that day went back to normal
lives. Me and my family haven't got it together yet. We're struggling to
keep our household afloat. Without my husband, it's very hard on us."
Jamil
was shot in the back and killed by police a little over a year ago; and
Nina Paulino, friend of Santiago Villanueva who was killed by
Bloomfield, NJ police when he suffered an epileptic seizure at work.
Instead of being treated medically, he was dealt with like a
criminal and brutalized. He died of asphyxiation.
One
of the most riveting speakers was Council Member and mayoral candidate
Charles Barron who never flags in his support on this issue. He began by
stating, "Brothers and sisters, you know that police brutality is a
symptom of a deeply rooted illness in America. America needs a
revolution! You want to stop police brutality, then stop monopoly
capitalism, stop imperialism abroad, stop the fascist state they're
moving to with the PATRIOT Act. You want to stop police brutality, get
rid of Bloomberg and vote for Charles Barron for mayor in 2005."
