Aurora, CO – On January 18, despite the cold and snowy weather, the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) and community members gathered outside the Aurora Police Department headquarters to demand transparency and justice.

In the past few years, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has killed at least three unarmed Black men – Jordell Richardson, Kilyn Lewis, and Kory Dillard – and has brutalized dozens of other community members, such as Te’Erica Mosle, who was recording police harassing an unarmed Black man, only to be assaulted herself by the police.

APD has a history of racist police violence and terrorizing community members, and yet, DACAC members say, there has not been accountability or justice. The previous district attorney, John Kellner, has refused to press charges, claiming that the police have been justified in their actions. They have refused to release the full unedited footage of any of the incidents mentioned, and in some cases have demanded expensive fees for the information and footage.

DACAC and community members picketed outside of the APD headquarters shouting “Transparency, transparency! Free the footage, let us see!” and “When killer cops are on patrol, what do we need? Community control!” DACAC and members of the community demand that APD release full unedited body cam footage.

Tristen McFarland, a member of DACAC said in her speech at the picket, “We are not here with suggestions; we are here with demands, and, until our demands are met, we will be back. Over these past few years, each of the officers that have pulled the trigger has had a case brought to District Attorney John Kellner’s desk, and each case subsequently dropped. To date each of them has been put back on their full shift, gun back in their hands, their boots back onto our streets. We demand you hold the officers accountable, make all the body cam footage immediately available to the public free of charge, regardless of case status, and instate community control over the police.”

Khalid Hamu, a member of Denver Students for a Democratic Society, spoke about how, after Trump was elected in 2016, many people in the Latino community, “felt like no one cared about them, and that's really messed up. When you see ICE working with APD, they can't even follow the laws that this racist system puts on them! If they aren't even following those laws, how can we expect Latino people to not be scared?” Hamu then quoted Frank Chapman, chair of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stating “Our oppression is not our fault, but to fight back is our responsibility – It’s our responsibility to make sure those things change, and we need as many people as possible to make this change a reality! If we don't do anything, then who is going to do it?”

Paul Nelson, a member of DACAC, highlighted the Aurora Police “denying every legal request we made of them to reveal their actions, but each request we give to get the body cam footage they have is illegally denied. They claim some farcical defense of this, in that they’re ‘conducting an investigation,’ but like with the case of Elijah McClain, we see in the conclusion of all of it that they let the murderers off scot-free. So are we going to wait years while they prepare to do just that? No, we’re not going to wait, we’re holding them to account!”

Nelson added, “People can pass what's called a citizen initiative in Aurora, where it doesn't matter what our racist city council thinks; the citizens of Aurora can get together and pass the citizens’ initiative and vote on it. No more cops policing cops. No more police officers finding themselves to be innocent of all charges. This police department needs to be put in check by the people and a Civilian Police Accountability Council!”

The picket concluded with the community chanting “Power to the people!”

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #PoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice

Fullerton, CA – On March 6, Fullerton Police Department (FPD) killed Alejandro Campos Rios with bean bag projectiles and a taser. Age 50 and homeless, Rios was dancing and apparently under the influence but not posing any threat. One officer fired a taser while another shot five bean bag shotgun rounds at Rios, who collapsed bleeding and clutching his body. Rios was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital.

FPD has not released the names of the officers who killed Rios, who were put on administrative leave but returned to work later that week. A member of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) submitted a Public Records Request on March 20. In response, FPD said they would give a Community Briefing within 45 days of the incident, but that there were “numerous delay provisions” for the release of the officers’ names. Their names have still not been released.

Meanwhile, on March 25, FPD shot and killed Scott William Thompson outside a Wells Fargo bank. Thompson, age 57, allegedly demanded money from the bank and threatened to detonate a bomb if his demands weren’t met. Police killed Thompson when he left the bank. The bomb turned out to be a harmless replica and Thompson was unarmed.

These back-to-back killings and lack of accountability for the officers is unsurprising given that FPD has killed several people in the last several years with no consequences for the killer cops.

Just four years ago, on May 27, 2020 FPD killed 34 year old Hector Hernandez on his front lawn. His hands were raised and empty, and he was following officer commands when Corporal Jonathan Ferrell sicced his K9 on Hernandez. Groaning in pain, Hernandez defended himself with a knife from his pocket, and Ferrell shot Hernandez twice. The city of Fullerton paid $8.6 million to Hernandez’s family in a settlement, but OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer refused to file criminal charges against Ferrell.

On July 5th, 2011, FPD killed Kelly Thomas, who was homeless and struggling with mental illness. He was unresponsive to officers but showed no aggression. Two officers struck Thomas with batons, four officers pinning him down. He was tasered and bludgeoned by officers Jay Cicinelli, Joseph Wolfe and Manuel Ramos. Thomas died five days later at a hospital. The City of Fullerton paid $4.9 million to Thomas’s parents in settlements. While officers were charged, Ramos and Cicinelli were found not guilty on all charges, and charges against Wolfe were dropped.

The ACLU found that of the 142 police shootings in Orange County from 2010-2020, the District Attorney declined to charge officers in all cases, 24 of those cases under Spitzer.

This pattern of police killings with no accountability shows why we need community control of the police in Orange County. Chicano, African American, and other oppressed nationality lives will continue to be lost without it. We need the power to decide what happens to killer cops, the power to approve or deny policing policies that will impact their neighborhoods, the power to decide how much of their money goes to policing and more. CSO OC is a Chicana-led local grassroots organization that fights for peoples’ demands and control over killer cops. If you are interested in joining CSO OC, reach out to orangecountycso@gmail.com or @cso.oc on social media.

#FullertonCA #OCCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #KillerCops #CommunityControlOfPolice #CSOOC #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #Feature

Jacksonville, FL – A few dozen community members and activists rallied to demand an end to a proposed state legislative bill meant to end civilian review boards investigations into police misconduct.

SB 576/HB 601 is legislation designed to disband civilian oversight in Florida. Currently a few dozen cities and counties have some form of civilian oversight boards. This legislation as designed seeks to stop any civilian investigations into officer misconduct and concentrate civilian oversight appointment into the hands of police chiefs and sheriffs.

Protesters chanted, “Rep. Wyman Duggan shame on you, Black lives matter too” along with chants of “Kill the bill, kill the bill.”

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Florida Rising, Take Em Down Jax, the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, and UNF Students for a Democratic Society and Black Voters Matter all had members present at the rally.

Joe Ross of the Northside Coalition said, “This bill is Jim Crow, and they want to take power away from the people because they know the people will hold them accountable.”

Jamil Davis of the JCAC and Black Voters Matter demanded state senators vote no when the bill hits the senate. “Do you represent the 84 people killed by the police last year or do you represent the 84 cops who killed them?” Davis asked.

SB 576 is slated to be up in the state senate next week. Protesters voted to keep the pressure up to stop the bill from passing.

#JacksonvilleFL #InJusticeSystem #CommunityControlOfPolice #PoliticalRepression #JCAC #SDS #UNFSDS #BlackLivesMatter #SB576HB601

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) condemns attacks by Governor Ron DeSantis and the right wing dominated legislature in Florida. During this current legislative session, the Florida Legislature is poised to pass legislation targeting the movements for police accountability, the labor movement, the movement to end white supremacy and remove confederate monuments, attacks on the right to organize for a free Palestine, as well as continued attacks on LGBTQ students, and a continued onslaught on the immigrant community and all oppressed peoples.

NAARPR and all our branches and affiliate organizations call for national solidarity with all the progressive forces in Florida fighting back in this political climate, including the numerous NAARPR branches and affiliate organizations who are fighting on the frontlines against these repressive forces.

One especially dangerous bill for the national movement against police crimes is Senate Bill 576/ House Bill 601. This bill, the first of its kind nationally, seeks to ban all methods of civilian oversight from local cities and counties, concentrating even more power into the hands of police chiefs, sheriffs and police unions. We understand that what racist and bigoted forces are seeking to do in Florida seeks to serve as a model for their efforts nationally.

As a national mass defense organization, we pledge to stand with those in Florida fighting against these attacks on our movements and our right to organize. We call for every section of the people’s movement to do the same.

Dump DeSantis!

Stop the attacks on the people’s movements!

Kill the bill! Defeat SB 576/HB 601!

Community Oversight and Community Control of the Police Now!!

#Florida #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #CommunityControlOfPolice #HB576 #HB601 #DeSantis

Tallahassee, FL – On February 24, about a dozen community organizers and students mobilized to the Florida Historic Capitol building to rally against SB 576, as well as attacks on the pro-Palestinian movement and attacks on the LGBTQ community.

The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

SB 576 seeks to limit police oversight by restricting the ability of cities to institute police review boards as a means to provide any form of accountability for local police departments.

Joelle Nunez, president of Florida State University SDS, said, “They’re only trying to pass these bills because they’re scared of the gains we’ve made fighting for police accountability. It’s the same thing with the bills trying to scare students into not supporting Palestine – they’re only trying to pass them to scare people away from fighting back against oppression. We know that’s not going to work.”

SB576 would end the Citizens Police Review Board created in Tallahassee in 2020, and make it impossible for any other Citizens Police Review Boards to exist. This is after City Commissioners Dianne William-Cox, Curtis Richardson and John Daley voted to remove Taylor Keta, a progressive member of the board, and limit the Citizens Police Review Board’s ability to make public press statements, organize in the local community, and have its own social media.

“The Citizens Police Review Board in Tallahassee might be imperfect, but it’s one of the few review boards in Florida that gives people the power to at least discuss their complaints about policing. The deaths of Tony McDade, Wilbon Woodard, Raheem Reeder and Mychael Johnson at the hands of the Tallahassee Police Department in 2020 and 2021 shouldn’t be forgotten. Police brutality won’t end until there is real community oversight of policing,” said Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee.

Although community members gathered primarily in opposition to SB 576, organizers and speakers also highlighted other backwards bills making their way through the legislature. Florida Republicans and Democrats are attacking activists and students standing in solidarity with Palestinian liberation against the U.S.-funded genocide, as well as limiting the freedom of LGBTQ youth and adults to live as their authentic selves.

“It is so important for us to realize and recognize that our connection here in Tallahassee is so connected to the struggle in Palestine, it’s so connected to so many other liberation movements that are just trying to fight for the most basic rights,” said Regina Joseph, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“We as working-class and oppressed people are the reason why this entire country exists – we are what makes this country run,” said Joseph.

#TallahasseeFL #InJusticeSystem #CommunityControlOfPolice #SDS #NAARPR #FRSO #FSUSDS

Tallahassee, FL – On February 20, approximately 30 students and community organizers mobilized to the Florida Capitol building to hold a press conference and speak out against HB 601. This bill seeks to prevent any meaningful oversight of police misconduct by making it unlawful to form citizen police review boards or any organized body to review the conduct of police departments.

The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

Elijah Ruby of SDS opened the event, stating, “Progressive student movements are under attack in Florida. The legislation attacking civilian police review boards are a part of an agenda that is trying to reverse the small victories our movements have won since the George Floyd uprising.”

HB 601 stands to eradicate any possibility of community oversight of police conduct in the state of Florida, which would render countless communities across the state incapable of having a say in the actions of police agencies. Michael Sampson of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, a NAARPR affiliate, spoke to this in his statement at the event: “SB 576/HB 601 is a direct attack on the movement against police crimes and seeks to take away the people’s democratic right to have input in how our Black and working-class communities are policed. It is important for us to stand up against this attack, continue the fight for community control of the police and demand they kill the bill.”

Though HB 601 was the focus of the event, organizers and speakers made the connection between this bill and other reactionary bills clear. The Florida legislature seeks to attack any and all peoples’ movements, from LGBTQ freedom of self-expression and dignity, to the right of activists to stand with Palestine in the face of U.S.-backed Israeli genocide.

Robert Lee, organizer with Tallahassee Food Not Bombs, stated, “HB 601 is a direct attack on the people of Florida, and especially on the most marginalized among us such as Black, Latino, and the LGBTQ communities. This bill, as well as HB 1639, which directly attacks the trans community, and HB465 targeting pro-Palestinian student organizations are all intertwined just as our struggles are intertwined.”

After speaking with press and making speeches, attendees entered the Florida Capitol building to confront Representative Wyman Duggan, author of HB 601. Duggan is on the Ways and Means Committee, which was scheduled to meet that day at 3 p.m. Protesters were barred from entering the meeting for having signs saying, “Defend freedom of speech” and “Community oversight of police now!”.

As the meeting began and legislators made opening remarks, the crowd chanted “Duggan, Duggan, shame on you! Black lives matter, too!” and “Down with HB 601!” outside the meeting. Protesters were roughly escorted out of the building by capitol police, with some officers manhandling and shoving them into cramped elevators. The crowd reconvened outside the building to continue chanting and was eventually told by police that they were barred from entering the House building for the rest of the day.

HB 601 remains on the agenda despite the actions taken by students and community members at the capitol. However, this has not discouraged further organization around the bill. Tallahassee Community Action Committee has already planned another rally at the Historic Florida Capitol building on Saturday February 24 at 3 p.m. – seeking to continue the momentum of the week of action and see an end to the attacks on community power and community oversight.

#TallahasseeFL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #CommunityControlOfPolice #HB601 #SDS #NAARPR #Feature