| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"_ G O D _" |
| Date: |
16 Nov 2005 10:28:07 PM |
| Object: |
Justice Department Talks to Media on Police Brutality |
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Justice Department Talks to Media on Police Brutality...
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=26966615336fd44392340d00e8d0dc26
SAN FRANCISCO
The justice department’s top trio met with members of the
media to address topics of concerns in their communities
from police brutality to hate crimes. District Attorney Kamala
Harris, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, and Chief Juvenile
Probation Officer William P. Sifferman met with more than
two dozen editors and reporters. The meeting was organized
by New California Media at the Hall of Justice.
Ethnic media has been focused heavily on alleged police
abuse cases in the Bay Area. The latest incident involved
an African American man who choked to death while being
arrested for drug dealing by Oakland police officers.
Richard Kim, a Korean American man, and his brother in
law, Kwang Tae Lee were shot and killed by police officers
investigating a domestic disturbance call in Kim’s home.
Lee, was holding a knife and inebriated when the officers
arrived at the house. A Korean national who didn’t understand
English, Lee was shot when he didn’t comply with police
orders to put the knife down, along with Kim who was behind
a door.
Harris acknowledged there have been very few prosecutions in the past of San
Francisco police officers who showed excessive use of force but pointed to
significant changes in the police department such as the appointment of Chinese
American Chief of Police Heather Fong.
“I think there is a commitment by everybody including the majority of the police
officers on the police department to not have a corrupt police department and to have
a police department that’s respected and acts professionally,” she said.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s has also proposed a community policing initiative
to insure that the ethnic diversity of the police department staff reflect the ethnic
makeup of the city’s population.
“One of the most significant points of community policing is to create relationships
of trust between the community and police,” said Harris.
The Public Defender Adachi was reserved in his assessment of the plan. “It’s going to
take a tremendous change in [police] culture,” he explained.
Harris also encouraged people to report police abuse to the Office of Citizen
Complaints, a city government office separate from the police department that was
established for civilian concerns about police conduct.
She was emphatic that immigrants – even those without papers – enjoy the same rights
as Americans. “I don’t care how you got here. You still have a right to be free of
excessive force, to be free from brutality, or to be free from crime,” she stressed.
Adachi called on ethnic media to help the reputation of the police department by
reporting on the positive contributions of the police as they happen, as well to
honestly report on the things that are not working.
“It really is hard to separate sometimes the perception from the reality because the
perception has always been very poor,” he said about the issue of police misconduct.
Furhana Afrid from India West inquired about hate crimes against South Asian and
Middle Eastern communities. Although Harris said she had not seen a significant
increase since 9/11 of hate crimes against these communities, she believes a large
number of hate crimes go unreported.
Both public defender and district attorney exhorted people to report discrimination
offenses in order for their offices to have the ammunition to fight them.
One strategy is to write down the words used as they sounded in the epithet, said
Harris, even if you don’t know exactly what it means. This can later be submitted to
the investigator as evidence of the crime.
Amelia Ashley-Ward, publisher of the San Francisco Sun Reporter asked Sifferman if he
knew how many African Americans youth were being held in juvenile hall and what he is
doing to decrease the number. According to Mr. Sifferman, currently 60 percent of the
youth in juvenile hall are African American.
Sifferman says that he’s made an effort since his appointment as chief juvenile
probation officer earlier this year to reach out to faith-based organizations and
leaders within the community in order to address this high proportion of African
American juvenile delinquents.
“We need to be more proactive in taking youth to the natural helpers within the
community – the community leaders that these youth will be able to go to and respond
to long after the matters involving their justice system involvement have concluded.”
“Probation has a very tired index finger,” he explained, referring to the old
authoritative model of youth reform. His department’s mission instead is to build on
the strengths of the family structure of the youth in the justice system to allow
them to better equip the youth for the future.
Harris also underscored the critical role of the community in rehabilitation, and
cited “Back on Track,” a 12 to 18 month rehabilitation program her office has just
gotten off the ground to assist low-level offenders in getting the assistance they
need to re-enter their community.
“Clean Slate” is a similar program from the public defender’s office that helps
convicted felons to clear their record in order to be able to successfully integrate
themselves back into society.
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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| Title: Re: Justice Department Talks to Media on Police Brutality |
17 Nov 2005 10:27:53 AM |
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