Mothers and Fathers, advocates and folk, speak the truth to the SFPD Police Commission about police brutality of children in Hunters Point
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by Kristina Shih/PoorNewsNetwork Media Intern The early evening, warm and heavy with humidity, was drawing heat out of the sidewalks and streets. I arrived at the Hall of Justice on 850 Bryant St, joining a rally gathered to support the families of Hunters Point who recently experienced an incident comparable to a terrorist attack on their children. As the sun began to set, the red hanging in the sky all day was dissolving into evening coolness, but I could sense something else growing with intensity. Hot emotions of anger, frustration, and pure rage against the San Francisco Police Department were pouring out of peopleís mouths. On January 25th, five SFPD officers held four young children (ages 12 to 14) at gunpoint without warrant, brutally abusing as well as inappropriately touching the two girls. The victimsí parents, along with members of the community, demand that the officers be put on desk duty and that an independent investigation be established. Put together by the Bay Area Police Watch, a program with the Ella Ba ker Center for Human R Fluorescent lights gleamed off the tops and sides of wooden benches. Filled with bodies brown, white, yellow and red we waited, and waited, and waited for the commissioners to come out. 5:35 pmÖ 5:40 pmÖ5:45 pmÖ A young Latina woman steps up in front of the room and announces that since the police commissioners refuse to come out on time, we all must call them out ourselves. Someone behind me shouts, "Thereís no excuse for child abuse!" Louder and louder we repeat the chant, clapping our hands while our voices resonate stronger. The policemen and corporate media stare at us in amazement and disdain - they canít believe we have the audacity to rise up as equals to the supposed powers that be. We jump from verse to verse, grabbing onto different words of protest when our throats tire of repeating the same sounds. "Stop police brutality in the Black community!" "Who got the power? We got the Power! What kind of Power? People Power!" Just as we are singing out, "Commissioner, Commissioner you canít hide, we can see your dirty side," the clock hits 6:10 pm and one by one the suit clad commissioners emerge from hiding and sit down behind a wooden panel table on the other side of the room. I think about how the architects who designed the conference room might have intentionally designed a twenty foot space between the public seating area and the panel in order to create the illusion that the People must approach the police with reservation and piety. The five police commissioner sitting before the publics were Sidney Chan, Viktor Makras, Connie Perry, Wayne Friday, and Angela Quaranta. To the amazement of the people, Commissioner Chan announces that the police officers involved in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Incident were re-assigned to another district, and that there would be a departmental investigation before any further action is taken. The first person to step up to the microphone was Samantha Liapas of Bay Area Police Watch. According to Liapas, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights has received dozens of phone calls from concerned San Francisco residents concerning the violent incident, and that many peoplesí fears of police brutality are grounded by the fact that these officers are still on the streets. "Seeing the perpetrators armed and still roaming the neighborhood adds insult to injury and further traumatizes these already shell-shocked children." Following Liapas' statement, the parents the children gave emotionally testimonials to the trauma they saw their children go through. Tanish Bishop passed around the pictures she took of the children and the bloody streets the police officers left behind. "This doesnít happen in the Marina, in Nob Hill, in Pacific Heights." She reminded the commissioners of what a police officer said to her and the parents when they asked why they were physically hurting their children. "One officer told me, "As long as you people are here, we will do this to you. It's clear that these individual officers possess are racist and should not be roaming the streets," says Bishop. "This could happen again anywhere - in the Mission, the Fillmore, the Tenderloin, in Chinatown." James Brown, the father of the child who had to be hospitalized for his wounds, gave a powerful statement expressing his great disappointment and anger at the San Francisco Police Department for letting such violence occur and stalling to take any course of action. "A badge does not give a person the right to abuse and acost our children. If the Police Commission truly cares about keeping San Francisco children safe, it will remove these dangerous officers from the streets until there is a full investigation. I taught my children to grow up trusting in policemen, but since I saw what the police did to my innocent son - shoving three teeth up into his jaw, slamming his head down on the pavement, and beating him down to the point where he did not recognize me at the hospital - Iíve rescinded that trust." "If a parent were accused of doing these things to her child, she would immdiately lose access to the child," said Susie McAllister, the mother of one of the brutalized children. "But these officers are still patrolling the neighborhood, and can harass and frighten my daughter. How do I explain to her why her attackers are still on the beat, when sheís afraid to leave the house for fear of her life?" As the parents bravely stood to describe their families' suffering and the damage done to the community of Hunterís Point, the police commissioners sat still with stoic expressions and looks of boredom. I couldnít believe how they did not show any bit of compassion or humanity towards the parents. Rachel Jackson of Books Not Bars, took the stand to point out to their faces that their behavior is, "most disgraceful. These are people, with feelings and hearts. Will you, Commissioner Chan, do something to right this wrong?" Commissioner Chan stutters and tries to avoid accountability by reestablishing his authority. "I cannot answer any questions, this is a public hearing. We are here to listen to what you have to say, and not give our opinions. There are two sides to every story, and we are here to listen to your side." Jackson proceeds to ask each commisioner, only to receive negative responses. Many more individuals from the community continue to speak at the podium, adding more voices to the swelling dissent. Ying Sun Ho of the organization Letís Get Free, responds to Commissioner Chanís statement concerning the need to underside both sides of the story. "You have already spoke to the community with your silence. There are two sides of the story. The Truth, and the Lie. Which side are you on? Are you going to do the right thing? " The meeting ended with the commissioners running out with their police escorts, while the rest of the people who came to support the parents stood united to fight the upcoming battle for justice. I spoke with James Brown, inquiring about his sonís condition and what he thought about the meeting. "Heís still in the hospital and is not okay. Iím very disappointed in the way the commissioners faced the community, and I donít expect them to do much." As I stepped outside the Hall of Justice into the black night, I look up at the gray mass looming over my head. An American flag waves on the roof to the clouds passing. I can't believe I live in a country where children can be attacked by those sworn to protect them. I think about how outrageous and insulting the meeting was to the victims of the crime. How can law abiding citizens be protected from the law itself? And as communities like Bayview are facing gentrification pressures, poor people of color are going to be facing more harassment from the police trying to make neighborhoods more "liveable" for the wealthy. Todayís meeting clearly illustrated how the San Francisco Police Department, as well as the municipal political system, is reluctant to make any systematic changes for the benefit of the community. If our society is to progress, citizens must be able to walk the streets without fear of harassment and violence from our own government. For more information, contact:Samantha Liapas at Bay Area Police Watch 415.317.3486 Po’-lice "The government department established to maintain order, enforce the law and detect and prevent crime.!!?" " The Government...." "Department..." "Established" "To Maintain..." A-BUSE - But for what? for crimes- doin my time |