Welcome back to the revived Community Alliance website. Not everything is quite working yet —for example,our ability to include photos with some stories remains non-functional at this hour,our Donate link is not yet revived,a lot of headlines on older stories are appearing twice,etc. —but we have saved all of our old content after our Earthlink server crashed irrecoverably nearly a month ago. We’ll continue to work on the remaining website quirks and issues…in the meantime,welcome back! By Mike Rhodes  Big Sue. Photo by Dixie Salazar This fall and winter,the City of Fresno spent more than $200,000 to destroy the shelters and property of people living in downtown homeless encampments. This was done as freezing weather arrived and city representatives told homeless advocates that they did not have enough money to open warming centers at community centers. Somehow they found money to destroy homeless people’s shelters,but they could not find any money to help keep the homeless warm. Not only did the city fail to open the warming centers,police officers extinguished the small fires on Santa Clara Street that the homeless built to keep themselves warm. This was after earlier “cleanups” in which the police stood guard as city sanitation workers took down tarps,tents and anything else the homeless used to protect themselves from the cold and rain. Homeless people have reported to the Community Alliance that city workers also took their sleeping bags,blankets and clothing. They even took their firewood in one raid. The result has been massive illness,with many homeless people coming down with pneumonia this winter. The door at the emergency room at Community Hospital has reportedly been locked on some days because so many people are seeking medical assistance. It was in this context that Sharen “Big Sue” Bobbitt died on Dec. 28,2011. Big Sue died on the sidewalk outside of the Poverello House,a homeless service center in downtown Fresno.  Jean Kennedy spoke at the funeral. A transcript of her talk is available at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/01/14/18704743.php.Photo by Simone Whalen-Rhodes Dr. Jean Kennedy,speaking at Big Sue’s funeral,said,“Her death is not going to be in vain.” Kennedy vowed to bring the situation of Big Sue’s dying on the sidewalk in front of a homeless center to the attention of the community. Kennedy said she will do everything she can “to make sure that we look at policy so that we won’t have this sort of a situation—so that people have a room,so they have a roof over their heads if they so desire.” Big Sue’s funeral went from the spot where she died on Santa Clara Street to Ray Polk’s homeless ministry on Broadway and San Benito. A memorial plaque was placed there alongside dozens of other plaques of homeless people who have died on the mean streets of Fresno. Two days after Big Sue’s funeral,homeless advocates took their concerns about how the city is treating the homeless to the annual Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.,march. There were signs and banners demanding safe and legal campsites for the homeless,a large photo of Big Sue and criticism of the “cruel and heartless” city policy on homelessness. Homeless advocates in Fresno’s progressive movement,in addition to protesting,are working to pass legislation at City Hall to allow safe and legal homeless encampments in the city. City Council Member Oliver Baines asked for the proposal and,if a version that he supports can be agreed upon,he says he will work to get it passed at City Hall. The safe and legal campsite proposal,written by progressive homeless advocates,says that the city allowed homeless encampments to exist and grow for several years but in the past couple of months has cleared out all the major encampments in the city. This dislocation has resulted in thousands of homeless people in Fresno having no safe and legal place to live. Existing shelters cannot house all of the homeless who are now sleeping on sidewalks and other locations not intended for human habitation. The cost to city and county government,if we allow the situation to continue as it currently exists,will be enormous. The price of providing emergency medical care and hospitalization would be dramatically reduced if we redirected those dollars to provide the homeless with a safe and legal place to live.  Sharen “Big Sue” Bobbitt’s death has sharpened the focus on the City of Fresno’s homeless policy,which has left homeless people with no place to go. Big Sue died on the sidewalk in front of the Poverello House (a homeless center in Fresno). The photo above,taken at the Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.,march on Jan. 16,reflects the sentiments of many in the community. Although the city’s goal of decent,affordable and permanent housing for everyone is a good goal,we all know that it cannot be achieved anytime soon. Therefore,there will be homeless people who do not make it into a shelter and have no place to sleep. It is with those people in mind,and there are currently thousands of them in Fresno,that the safe and legal campsite proposal was written. The proposal argues that the fastest and easiest way to dramatically improve life for the homeless would be to allow them to construct shelters and provide them with basic public services. With shelters like tents,the homeless can get out of the rain and stay considerably warmer than if they have no protection from the rain,wind and cold. These encampments will exist on public and private land. The city would determine which property it owns that could be used for these encampments. The city would allow encampments to be developed,through a conditional-use permit,for any owner of property who wanted to use his/her land for that purpose. The city would work with other state,federal or county governmental entities to facilitate the use of the land for encampments. Initially,Phase I of this proposal seeks to allow the establishment of encampments at existing sites,with limited development of infrastructure. A longer-term project will see some infrastructure put into place to better serve the needs of the homeless residents. These campsites will be self-governing and not overseen by any social service agency or government entity. The residents will be like any other group of people living in a small neighborhood. They will be provided with drinking water,portable toilets and trash pickup. Those services could be paid for by the city,the county,community groups,churches and/or individuals.  Minister Ray Polk with Big Sue’s daughter Suzzanne. The baby is Big Sue’s grandson. Photo by Simone Whalen-Rhodes The individuals living in these safe and legal homeless encampments will be responsible for maintaining the campsite. No illegal activity will be permitted in the camp. If there are legal problems,they will be handled in the same way as they are in any other neighborhood in Fresno. These campsites will be distributed throughout the city and consist of no more than 100 residents per encampment. The purpose of the multiple locations is an acknowledgment that homeless people live throughout the community,and the intention is to equitably distribute the encampments throughout the city as much as possible. The purpose of limiting each camp to 100 people or less is to avoid concentrating the homeless in one location and affecting any single area with a high density of homeless people. Possible campsites include vacant lots,churches,parks and unused government property. Phase I of this proposal will start immediately and utilize the areas where the homeless are already living. Phase I will allow the homeless to construct simple structures (tents and tarps) and live in them until something better is available. This will take away the stigma of living illegally and being told to “move on,” when there is nowhere better to move on to. This decriminalization of poverty is an important first step in allowing people to live with dignity and respect.  Family and friends—third from left is Suzanne,Big Sue’s daughter and two of Big Sue’s granddaughters. Photo by Simone Whalen-Rhodes Phase I will provide every group of 10 or more homeless people living together with basic public services (drinking water,toilets and trash service). Providing the homeless with these services will not only dramatically improve their lives but also clean up our community. Having access to drinking water should be a service provided to every citizen of this community,whether rich or poor. Phase II of the homeless advocates proposal,which will take a couple of months to start,will seek new locations for the homeless encampments. These new locations will have improved infrastructure and might be associated with a church or a community group,or they could be independent and located on property owned by someone who allows the encampment on his/her property. The range of shelters in Phase II might include tents,wooden buildings,modified tool sheds and other structures deemed appropriate by the residents. Although residents in the Phase II development might stay for a while,none of these encampments is intended to be permanent. The goal is to work with the homeless,address any issues they have that are holding them back and get them into decent and affordable housing as soon as possible. The primary goal of Phases I and II of this project is to improve the lives of the homeless while saving taxpayers’ money and improving public safety. By stabilizing and improving their lives,it will improve their chances of getting a job and/or getting the help they need from social service agencies. That assistance ranges from health services,mental health services,alcohol or drug addiction treatment and job training to getting a better education. Being in a stable location will help the homeless get the assistance they need.  Big Sue’s family and friends were pallbearers at the funeral. Special thanks to Reade and Sons Funeral Home,Rosie’s Flower Shop and Chef Paul. Photo by Simone Whalen-Rhodes A cost-benefit analysis of this proposal would show that it will save the taxpayers money. Our streets,businesses and residential neighborhoods will benefit by providing homeless people with basic public services. Homeless people will benefit by improved living conditions,better contact with social service agencies and,ultimately,getting into a house. In Phase III,the homeless advocates would identify location(s) suitable for the development of permanent self-sustaining communities that are being designed by architect Arthur Dyson and the nonprofit organization Eco-Village. At a location agreeable to the residents and the jurisdictions,an Eco-Village will be planned for phased development. Residents who will work on the site will establish a temporary camp onsite. Through sweat equity and volunteer labor,the shared facilities (e.g.,bathrooms,kitchen,community space) and individual dwellings will be built and occupied by the residents. The work will be guided by tradespersons and trained professionals. Alternatively,the city or county may designate an existing unused public facility that it desires to convert for use as shelter. As with the Eco-Village,a temporary camp will be located onsite and homeless individuals will work on the adaptation of the facility for shelter. In turn,they will gain skills and earn equity in the final product. Additional suggestions include a true 24/7 emergency shelter for up to 30 days,following acquiring federal funding for emergency shelter and services,and the development of transitional housing for up to two years. We also support permanent housing using existing and foreclosed homes in Fresno and the new affordable housing being developed as part of Housing First. As negotiations between the homeless advocates and elected officials move forward,the city is continuing its policy of no warming centers,threatening the homeless with arrest for sleeping on the sidewalk and closing more homeless encampments. Many of the displaced homeless,caught in the raids that took place from October to December of last year,reestablished a camp just west of Palm Avenue and H Street on a canal bank behind the large grain silos. Police have told those residents to “move on” by Feb. 1,although there is no place for them to move on to. Ray Polk,who runs the homeless ministry near Broadway and San Benito,has been told to clear out in March. Polk,who is homeless himself,was spared in the last round of “cleanups” but is again being threatened with eviction. Bill Simon,the chairperson of the Bishop John Steinbock Homeless Advocacy Committee,has spoken out against the injustice of homeless people having nowhere to go. He asks,“Where are they supposed to go?” Without a safe and legal place for the homeless to live,the city is essentially criminalizing poverty. The unsurprising result of that policy is the death of Big Sue and the hundreds of others who die and end up at the county morgue. Many of the homeless who die on the street end up cremated and dumped into a mass grave at a county cemetery. Days before this issue of the Community Alliance newspaper was on its way to the printer,City Council Member Oliver Baines informed the author that he was withdrawing from negotiations on a safe and legal campsite proposal. He cited litigation being filed by the ACLU against the City of Fresno as the reason. Homeless advocates will continue to look for an opportunity to pass this legislation,but without Baines’ participation the prospects do not look good. Some homeless advocates think street action—demonstrations,a sleep-in at City Hall or other more aggressive action—would motivate the city. Still others say that the only thing the city understands is legal action,like the lawsuit that cost it $2.3 million a few years ago for violating the civil rights of the homeless. Homeless advocates,who are working on all three of these approaches to stop the city’s cruel and heartless policy on homelessness,appear determined to keep up the pressure until the homeless are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. ***** Mike Rhodes is the editor of the Community Alliance newspaper. Contact him at editor@fresnoalliance.com.
Poetry Corner Dixie Salazar,noted local poet and artist,has also been a longtime advocate for the homeless. She offers here an elegy for Big Sue,the homeless activist who died out in the cold a few weeks ago,not long after her shelter had been destroyed by the City. Blues for Big Sue for Sharen Bobbitt,died 12/28/11 on the sidewalk in front of the Poverello House,a homeless shelter She jumped from box to box,chalked a future of striped socks and holly hocks who could know that little girl who’d grown Law come and chalked her passway with an X Captured her foot tracks—steel jaws snapped They shut down the sidewalk who could know that little girl would grow ***** Richard Stone is on the boards of the Fresno Center for Nonviolence and the Community Alliance and is a member of Citizens for Civility and Accountability in Media (CCAM). Contact him at richard2662559@yahoo.com.
By Stan Santos  The Brown Berets are strong advocates for police accountability. The Central California Criminal Justice Committee (www.cccjc.org),another active community group in this area,has long lobbied for an Independent Police Auditor. The decision was contained in three plain sheets of paper with a simple set of questions and check boxes. The questions appear straightforward but are carefully worded to satisfy precise legal requirements. Sadly,they also convey the end of life’s journey for 32-year-old Steven Vargas and the finality of his loss to his wife and five children. They are a product of his last moments and the events that took him away. There are several parts of the jury’s decision that alternately confuse and enrage those who have been involved in this struggle for justice. To Question 1,regarding whether Vargas’ Fourth Amendment rights were violated when he was shot by Fresno Police Sgt. Mike Palomino,the jury said “Yes.” This is followed by Question 1(a),“Is Sgt. Palomino liable for the violation of Steven Vargas’ right to be free of excessive or unreasonable force under the Fourth Amendment?” The jury again said “Yes.” The verdict established that Vargas died because an officer violated the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution,which establishes in part that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons,houses,papers,and effects,against unreasonable searches and seizures.” Palomino also violated California Penal Code Section 835a,which provides that “any peace officer who has reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a public offense may use reasonable force to affect the arrest,to prevent escape or to overcome resistance.” Palomino had to establish one of two criteria before he took Vargas’ life. He had to establish probable cause that he or a member of the public faced the immediate threat of great bodily harm and/or death. Or he had to establish probable cause that Vargas had committed an act of great bodily harm and/or death to another and was fleeing. Whatever did happen in those moments,it is clear that neither of those conditions existed. Palomino reacted without establishing probable cause and fired his weapon striking Vargas eight times as he sat or slumped over the steering wheel in his SUV. And Chief Dyer? Next is Question 1(b),“Is [Fresno Police] Chief [Jerry] Dyer liable for the violation of Steven Vargas’ right to be free of excessive or unreasonable force under the Fourth Amendment?” The jury said “No.” Then they answer 1(c),regarding the same question of the violation of Vargas’ Fourth Amendment rights by defendant the City of Fresno,and the answer is “Yes.” Neither Palomino nor Chief Dyer was held personally responsible in the jury’s verdict. The finding against the City of Fresno is the same as a finding against the people of Fresno,who will have to pay the consequences. “Was Sgt. Palomino negligent when he shot Steven Vargas?” The jury’s answer was “No.” Even more astonishing,“Did Sgt. Palomino’s shooting of Steven Vargas result in the wrongful death of Steven Vargas?” Again,the answer was “No.” To the questions regarding the loss of companionship and support of Vargas by his family,again,the jury holds Palomino,Chief Dyer and the city free of liability. Chief Dyer has led the Fresno Police Department for more than 10 years. During that time,he has been the ultimate decision maker in regard to recruiting,training and maintaining the fitness of Fresno’s 1,200-plus police department. Yet,he shares no responsibility for this tragic event. City Council Decision and Announcement The City Council acted furtively to vote on the $1.3 million settlement and instead of immediately announcing its decision,the members went to lunch. No sooner had the vote happened than the ink was dry and the payout approved. The vote was 5-2,with Andreas Borgeas and Larry Westerlund opposed. The process for concluding this sad chapter and the purposeful suppression of transparency deserves further study by those who support democracy in the Fresno community. Again,no City Council members came forward to address their public,to help us understand the dramatic events that had just transpired. At the press conference that afternoon,Attorney Arturo Gonzalez stated that “there are many folks who believe that low-income families,and especially Latino low-income families,can’t get justice in Fresno.” Well,despite this decision,many see the future with mixed feelings. In typical fashion,Chief Dyer was unrepentant and went before the cameras to repeat the clichés that seek to expand a kernel of truth to cover the universe. Chief Dyer,totally in character,strode to the stage and said,“I continue to believe that the job of a police officer is extremely dangerous. It’s one of the most dangerous jobs known to man today. Officers are in some cases expected to know the unknown,see the unseen and make split-second decisions with limited facts,knowing full well that they’re going to be criticized and often times second-guessed. That’s the nature of the job.” He had the audacity to finish,stating his hope that his officers will continue to use deadly force without violating anyone’s rights. The Outcome Aside from the $1.3 million settlement to be shared among legal costs,the mother,the widow and Vargas’ children,there may be some incremental changes in the Fresno Police Department’s use of deadly force. Chief Dyer had to commit to a “good-faith effort” to complete all officer-involved shooting investigations within one year. If not complete within six months,a “high ranking officer” will update the family of the shooting victim. He also said he would improve follow-up with the shooters and continue training. He wants his officers to “not underreact or overreact,but react appropriately.” But that leaves several critical issues:Who will monitor the actions of Chief Dyer and the Fresno Police Department to see that they live up to this agreement? Although Mayor Ashley Swearingen and City Manager Mark Scott voice support for a new Office of Independent Review (OIR),their treatment of the past reviewer reveals they are still juggling between transparency and mitigating legal and economic issues at the expense of justice. Eddie Aubrey,Fresno’s former police auditor,in his declaration for the Palomino trial,stated that in April 2011 he submitted to Scott his 2010 Annual Report,OIR audit activity log,a newsletter and a number of audit reports,including officer-involved shootings. In May,he submitted the preliminary results and documents from the Public Confidence Survey. He was informed on June 9 that his job was over at the end of the month. When he returned from vacation on June 20,he found his office had been closed to the public and his reports and files were boxed up. In the meantime,he was assigned to “administrative leave at home.” Also,it has been found that the Fresno Police Department has not adhered to recommended standards and processes,for example,the Early Alert System,which tracks individual shooters. Records are not kept nor is there sufficient analysis of officer-involved shootings. The District Attorney stopped doing investigative and legal analysis of incidents in February 2010. Although the head of the District Attorney’s Office suggested the OIR was capable of performing that function,the Grand Jury found that the OIR is not a substitute for the District Attorney. The report states that the preponderance of evidence supports the need for the District Attorney to again fulfill that function. At this time,Fresno has neither. The final question:Have the people of Fresno—White,Black,Asian,Latino,Native American,poor and working class—who are the victims of repeat shooters come away from this trial with a sense of vindication? This is by far one of the most difficult and complex issues to determine with certainty. What we do know is that with his statement at the post settlement press conference,Dyer swept away the chance to start over again,to regain the dignity and standing that Fresno police officers deserve and the community so badly needs. It is clear that will not happen until he is gone. ***** Stan Santos is an activist in the labor and immigrant community. Contact him at ssantos@cwa9408.org.  The Brown Berets are strong advocates for police accountability. The Central California Criminal Justice Committee (www.cccjc.org),another active community group in this area,has long lobbied for an Independent Police Auditor.
Comments by Les Kimber at the Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.,Day March on January 16:
We can’t stop now as long as there are those among us who would deny citizenship rights to people who were born in this country as provided under the constitution of the United States of America. We can’t stop now as long as there are those among us who would deny collective bargaining rights to our dedicated public servants. We can’t stop as long as there are those among us who believe that the government should protect the profits of millionaires at the expense of the poor,the middle class,the unemployed and the elderly. We can’t stop now as long as there are those among us who shirk their responsibility to provide an atmosphere of civility and harmony in our community by providing a platform for the decimation of hate and division at the rate of 120 prime-time broadcasting hours per week. No,we can’t stop now—we have come too far,we have worked too hard to turn around now. Dr. King,if he was alive today,he would remind our Christian brothers and sisters that love,not hate,is the DNA of a Christian. He would refer us to the gospel where Jesus asked,“How can you say that you love me whom you have never seen and hate your brother who you walk with daily?” We have got some rough days ahead,but we must push our way through. We must keep on marching. We must keep on fighting. We must keep on voting so that one day,in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,we will speed up the time when all of God’s children—Black men and White men,Jews and Gentiles,Catholics and Protestants—will be able to say,in the words of that old Negro spiritual,“Free at last,free at last,thank God almighty,we’re free at last.” ***** Les Kimber is a former Fresno City Council member and the publisher of the California Advocate,the Central Valley’s African-American community newspaper.  About 500 participants marched from Saint John’s Cathedral to the Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fresno today. Peace and Social Justice were major themes with many of the marchers and some speakers. Photo above shows the front of the march.
 The question arises because of the City of Fresno’s cruel and heartless policy regarding the homeless.
 The City of Fresno privatized many City Sanitation workers jobs in 2011.
Those of us in Fresno who are on the left side of the political spectrum have generated an absolutely dizzying amount of activity in recent months. The Peace and Social Justice calendar is packed with events,taking up two pages in this month’s newspaper. You could go to one or two events a day and still miss some of the fun and excitement. Last month (January),progressive activists held a meeting to build unity,hoping to amplify our voice and potentially build political power that would manifest itself into public policy changes. One of the exercises that day was to select the progressive issues that you would work on. See the photo below.  Fresno’s progressive movement is working to develop a strategic plan that will amplify our voices and build political power in this community. The exercise above was used to illustrate some of the areas of greatest unity;campaign finance reform,stopping global warming and healthcare for all rated high on the list. The group’s next meeting is Feb. 5. The areas of concern that got the most support were Campaign Finance Reform,Global Warming,Homeless Issues,Eliminating Corporate Personhood,Healthcare for All,the Distribution of Wealth,and Clean Air and Water. I enjoyed the exercise but thought the outcome was a little predictable. We all know that there are a lot of single-issue groups addressing these and many other important issues. I think that the challenge is to move beyond our focus on single issues and build a coalition of progressive groups and activists that can become more effective than the sum of all of our parts. I’m not suggesting that groups stop working on their issue of primary concern. What I’m talking about is building the political unity needed to win political power in this town. The left has been so disenfranchised in Fresno that we hardly even know where to begin to build a strategy for attaining political power. Local politics has been so totally dominated by the influence of builders,developers and agri-business interests that progressives hardly even register on the radar screen of who has political power in this town. That could change if progressive groups came together and built a coalition to elect candidates that represent our core values of peace,social and economic justice. If the hundred or so progressive groups in Fresno were to work on a united electoral campaign in 2012,we could affect the Fresno City Council,the Board of Supervisors and even the mayoral race. I know that most people think that Mayor Ashley Swearengin will win reelection in November,but I believe that if the left was united,we registered voters south of Shaw and got them out to vote,we could win the mayoral race if we had the right candidate. Henry T. Perea actually won more precincts that Swearengin in the 2008 mayoral election but lost because of the low voter turnout in south Fresno. It is a Tale of Two Cities! The next big leap forward for the progressive movement in Fresno is for community groups to unify and achieve political power. With elected representatives who share our values,we can stop the privatization of essential public services,implement a better policy on homelessness and positively affect each of the issues that we collectively care about. If you want to be a part of building this movement for social change,then come to the next progressive unity building meeting on Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church,2672 E. Alluvial Ave.,Clovis. ***** Mike Rhodes is the editor of the Community Alliance newspaper. Contact him at editor@fresnoalliance.com. City of Fresno Sends Holiday Greetings to the Homeless Great article regarding the mistreatment of homeless Fresno residents,especially during this time of the year. If you’re covering this topic again in February,I think it’d be great if you also inform readers that the city is supposed to have warming centers (specifically the Frank H. Ball) available for homeless and those in need when the temp reaches below 36 degrees,and a free ride via the FAX to the warming center. I believe the center has been open fewer than three times this winter although the weather has dropped below 36 degrees at least a dozen nights. Malik Pelle (Editor’s note:The City of Fresno discontinued the warming centers this winter. Yes,they discontinued the warming centers at the same time they destroyed all of the homeless encampments,forcing the homeless to live on the sidewalk with no protection from the freezing cold and rain.) ***** California’s Broken Prison System I would really like to receive your Community Alliance newspaper on a regular basis. Your paper is very good and knowledgeable in many aspects. I recently read an article on California’s “broken” prison system,and it really hit home. But there are so many stories here in our prisons that the people don’t know about. The wrongfully accused;the medical and dental malpractice;the discrimination;mistreatment by the officers,the captain and medical personnel. The stories you hear and the people behind them are both heartfelt and heartbreaking. Not all prisoners are hardened criminals,and not all prisoners are guilty. But every prisoner is a human being,and we all have our different stories,lives and sentences. Only people who really care about the inside of these walls and the people here are people who either have been in here or have had a loved one here at one time or another. I think,if the public knew about the truth of these prisons and the neglect that goes on behind these walls,they would actually show a little more attention to who the criminals really are! We eat cake that mice crawl over leaving their droppings behind. The ADA [monitor] here at Avenal is always denying inmates ADA [American with Disabilities Act] status with the words “Does not significantly affect his ADA.” Regardless if the person had a stroke and can’t walk right or if the person can’t see out of one eye due to blindness,he is always rejected. There is so much that goes on in here that it isn’t even funny! I’m not saying it’s supposed to be like a day at Disneyland or a walk in the park,but common decency would be nice. I also know,some people need to really be locked up,but we’re not all monsters. Anyhow,thank you for your time and understanding. Sorry for rambling on,I just got carried away with this ordeal. This is not a made-up story. It is as real as life can be! Rosalio Garcia (Editor’s note:The Community Alliance sends a free subscription to every prisoner who requests one.) *****
Fresno PD’s Misdeeds Finally Exposed In reading this story,there’s some misstatements regarding the role of Internal Affairs in officer-involved shooting (OIS) investigations. This comment is written from my perspective of serving on the subcommittee of last year’s county grand jury that looked into the issues of OIS and the independent police auditor (IPA). Internal Affairs does not conduct criminal investigations of OIS. The homicide detail does that. Internal Affairs looks into OIS only to see if department policy has been adhered to in the use of deadly force. As a matter of fact,the criminal investigation is walled off from the Internal Affairs inquiry. Officers may take the Fifth Amendment when they are questioned by homicide investigators;they may not when questioned by Internal Affairs. Officers are advised that refusing to answer Internal Affairs’ questions is insubordination and [makes them] subject to disciplinary action up to dismissal. The Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights and case law forbid the criminal investigation to use any information from the Internal Affairs inquiry. While homicide investigators do canvass the area where an OIS occurs and try to develop all material information,they can’t force people to talk with them. People quite often aren’t anxious to speak to police and resemble the three monkeys when approached. Dan Waterhouse ***** Do We Really Want to Compete with Chinese Workers? While retired and sitting around waiting for death’s knock on my door,I tend to be a really nice guy and serious researcher. I think Community Alliance should look into Obama accepting millions from Wall Street in 2008,and now doing it again,he still gives us hope. And why pay taxes? While the Republicans enabled Wall Street to borrow billions from China to finance the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and plunge us into trillions of dollars of debt,they have helped us focus on taking away Social Security and Medicare from working people and the unemployed older jerks! Why should we pay for cost-effective Medicare services when Wall Street can take our money? Speaking of jerks,Republican candidates for president want American business to be more competitive with fewer government regulations. What could be more beneficial than more jobs that compete with Chinese laborers who make 10 to 30 cents per hour? It is that awful minimum wage that prevents American business from thriving. After sleeping eight in cozy used cargo container bunk beds,Chinese work for Apple for 35 hours straight. They work,they get off,they go to sleep,and the next day they repeat the same thing again six days a week if they are lucky. Vacations? Ha-ha-ha! While the only way to stop this cycle is for Chinese workers to end their lives,some vicious apartment house managers have connected safety nets between the rooftops of adjacent apartments. Then again they have free medical care. “Oops! After 10 stories,I broke my neck,and could you stuff my brains back in I have to go to work tonight.” Makes you kind of wonder how the Communist Party bosses are doing. Hmmm. American workers have a lot to look forward to with another Republican president or Barack Obama. Decisions,decisions,decisions. Mike Starry | ||
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