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National October 22nd Coalition Applauds Cincinnati Protest of Police Murders
by Efia Nwangaza, for the Executive Committee of the October 22nd
Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and
Criminalization of a Generation
The National Coordinating Committee of the October 22nd Coalition to
Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and
Criminalization of a Generation applauds the Cincinnati Community's
protests and resistance to the police killing of
young Timothy Thomas for traffic tickets. We also extend our deepest
sympathies to Timothy's mother, his family and
friends. We can only call this killing murder, and it is typical of
the epidemic of law enforcement murders that is
intensifying across the US. For too long cops have swaggered thru our
communities acting like they have a license to
brutalize and kill. Yet when the people stand up and resist, they are
condemned by the authorities and the media. The
people of Cincinnati were right to resist, and we in the October 22nd
coalition salute you. We express particular solidarity
and support of the youth and those organizations which have taken to
the streets in the assertion and defense of the
human right of self-defense against years of murder, repression, and
criminalization.
The October 22nd Coalition also forcefully condemns Mayor Charlie
Luken's attempt to quash dissent by declaring a
State of Emergency. He adds insult to injury by imposing a curfew on a
community already under siege in response to
allegations that a policeman was shot at. For years, Luken and other
government officials have discounted, disregarded,
and turned a blind eye to law enforcement abuses, repression,
humiliation, criminalization and brutalization of Black and
Latino youth. Lukens allowed the police to kill, with impunity, 15
young men and terrorize their communities as he and
others pursued personal power and profit. The blood of these youth and
their communities is on his hands. The brutality
inflicted on the youthful protesters in Cincinnati is part and parcel
of the way a whole generation of youth is being treated
in the US today. In Black and Latino communities being young, dressed
street style and on the street in your
neighborhood at "the wrong time" is reason enough for a cop to stop
and frisk, beat up, jail or even murder someone. At
the protests outside the Republican and Democratic conventions this
past summer, the police rationalized their brutality
by calling the protesters "rebels without a cause" and "trouble
makers" out to provoke a response. The deal is that being
young and not wanting to go along with the status quo is increasingly
being treated as a crime by the powers that be.
We are outraged that Cincinnati police, like law Enforcement attacking
the anti Globalization/Militarization
demonstrations in Seattle, DC, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Diego, and
elsewhere, have beaten and sprayed demonstrators
with "plastic" bullets, bean bags, tear gas and pepper spray.
Demonstrators have been assaulted and subjected to mass
arrest. Many of the protesters have been brutalized once in custody;
denied food, water, and medical attention. People
are being erroneously charged, disappeared by denying their arrest or
location to family and friends, bail denied or set at
astronomical levels.
This is entirely in keeping with the increased
federalization/militarization of US police departments since the
1960's.
During the 60's Southern sheriffs sicked dogs on Black people marching
for equality. While in cities like Philadelphia,
cops beat Black school children and sicked dogs on them during
protests for decent education. In 1982, Philadelphia
police and the FBI played key roles in railroading Mumia Abu Jamal
onto death row. In the 90's, we saw Rodney King and
Alicia Soltero beaten by California police on national TV. Today the
Los Angeles police department is being rocked by the
largest police scandal in US history. Cops have been caught
brutalizing and murdering people and framing innocent people
and sending them to jail. And last summer, Philly police were caught
on video tape viciously beating a Black man, and
Amtrak cops shot and killed an emotionally disturbed homeless man.
Fresh in our minds is the rising onslaught against the movement to
stop police brutality, repression, and criminalization of
a generation. In Los Angeles police fired rubber bullets at a march
protesting police brutality on October 22, 2000. Family
members of those murdered by law enforcement have been victimized 3
times. First when police murdered their loved
ones. Again, when the media portrayed these victims of the police as
criminals deserving what the cops did to them. And
again, when they are targeted by the authorities for harassment for
daring to stand up and call out what was done to their
loved ones.
Only Community resistance will end police abuses and violence. The politicians won't act to end it. The Republicans, Bush dripping with the blood of the more than 135 people executed when he was governor of Texas, including Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham) who was railroaded to death chamber based on a trial that was a travesty of justice. The Democrats bragged about putting 100,000 new cops on the street and promised to put 10,000 new prosecutors on the street to put even more of our people in jails across this country.
Many of the protesters in the streets protesting police brutality, fighting to stop the execution of Mumia Abu Jamal are calling this rising fascism. We say we are sick and tired of being treated like criminals. The October 22nd Coalition is in full support of these youthful rebels with righteous causes. We call on everyone else to support them too.
Brutalizing and suppressing those who engage in dissent and treating youth like criminals is intolerable and must be fought against. Please:
1.Join the October 22nd Coalition and demand that the curfew be lifted immediately;
2.Arrest, try, and convict Timothy Thomas's killer and those of
the other 15 youth killed by Cincinnati law enforcement;
3.Demand that All persons arrested be treated humanely, accounted for, released, and charges dropped on those arrested during the protests;
4.Plan now to form local organizing committees to join the mobilization for October 22, 2001, the 6th annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality.
On October 22, 2000, more than 12,000 people of different races and from different backgrounds stood together in more than 70 cities across the country and said in a loud clear voice: Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation! BE THERE!!!!!
Long live the spirit of rebellious youth and Timothy Thomas!
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"If there is No Struggle, There is No Progress," Frederick Douglass