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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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CAPCR And GREENS WITH OTHERS ASK FOR INVESTIGATION OF MAY 16 POLICE ABUSE |
Current rating: 0 |
by me (from St. Louis IMC via Sascha)
Email: sascha (nospam) ucimc.org (verified) |
20 Jun 2003
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COALITION AGAINST POLICE CRIMES AND REPRESSION AND GREEN PARTY WITH OTHER ENDORSERS ASK FOR INVESTIGATION OF MAY 16 POLICE ABUSE [local residents from the Urbana-Champaign area were among those arrested] |
Green Party of St. Louis/Gateway Green Alliance
P.O. Box 8094, St. Louis MO 63156
314-727-8554 E-mail: fitzdon (at) aol.com www.mogreens.org
For immediate release: June 20, 2003
Contacts: Don Fitz, 314-727-8554, Kim Jayne, 314-531-1009
GREEN PARTY ASKS FOR INVESTIGATION OF MAY 16 POLICE ABUSE
June 20, 2003. St. Louis, Missouri. On May 16 the St.
Louis Police Department misused the Building Inspector's
authority to gain entry to the office of the Green Party of
St. Louis and search it. The action violated the 4th
Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects citizens
from unwarranted search.
A month later, no investigation has been initiated other a
perfunctory self-exam by the Police Department. At 10:00 am
on June 20, the Green Party of St. Louis will present the
Board of Aldermen with a request for a serious inquiry into
the police actions of May 16 - 18, 2003.
What: Press Conference on Request for Investigation of
Police Abuse by the Board of Aldermen
When: 11:00 am, Friday, June 20, 2003
Where: 1st floor Rotunda, St. Louis City Hall, Market &
Tucker, St. Louis, Missouri
According to Don Fitz, Green Party spokesperson and
Biodevastation organizer, "The police behavior of May 16 -
18 interfered with Biodevastation 7, the first international
conference dedicated to exposing links between environmental
racism and the biotechnology industry. The St. Louis Police
gained illegal entry into multiple locations, took 27 people
to jail on contrived charges, conducted illegal seizure of
belongings, destroyed personal possessions, committed vile
acts, and caused the squandering of public and private money.
The St. Louis Police Department admitted to collaborating
with agents of the biotechnology industry to plan these
repressive acts. This smacks of criminal conspiracy by the
Police Department to deprive citizens of their 1st Amendment
rights of free speech and free assembly."
On Monday June 16, Green Party of St. Louis Co-coordinator
Kim Jayne was arrested while asking the national council on
tourism to not hold conventions in St. Louis. The Coalition
Against Police Crimes and Repression has called for this
boycott until there is a Civilian Oversight Board for the St.
Louis Police Department. Ms. Jayne maintains that "The May
16 actions showed environmental activists what Black youth
experience on a daily basis at the hands of St. Louis police.
Travel agents need to warn people coming to St. Louis what
can happen to them. They need to tell visitors that they run
the risk of being arrested for riding a bicycle or taken to
jail for not wearing a seatbelt, and, if they stay at a
private residence, their clothes could be urinated on by
Police Officers."
Barbara Chicherio, President of the Green Party USA, is a
St. Louis area resident. She will "urge the Green Party to
ask people throughout the country if they experience
harassment by the St. Louis Police Department while visiting
the City. If visitors are harassed and their travel agent
did not warn them that the Police Department has no
oversight, then the travel agent could be held accountable
for failure to disclose the information."
"There is a simple alternative," Ms. Jayne notes. "If
the St. Louis Board of Alderman investigates collaboration
between the Police Department and the biotechnology industry,
abuse like that of May 16 will be less likely to happen.
And, if the Aldermen create a Civilian Oversight Board with
subpoena power, it will rein in officers committing criminal
acts and end the need for a tourist boycott."
Addendum to June 20 Press Release follows:
REQUEST FOR ACTION BY THE ST. LOUIS BOARD OF ALDERMEN
CONCERNING POLICE BEHAVIOR OF MAY 16
On May 16-18, 2003 officers of the St. Louis Police
Department took actions which had the effect of suppressing
political dissent against the biotechnology industry. They
exceeded their legal authority, departed from Department
procedure and regulation by not wearing their name badges and
violated the First and Fourth Amendment rights, that is, the
rights of free speech, free assembly and freedom from
unwarranted search and seizure of peaceful activists at 3309
Illinois, 3022-26 Cherokee, several bicyclists near Grand and
Arsenal and a motorist who was taken to jail for not wearing
a seatbelt. Multiple announcements by Police Chief Mokwa
diverted public attention from discussing links between
environmental racism and genetic engineering to focusing on
unsubstantiated rumors concerning a demonstration planned for
May 18.
We request that the St. Louis Board of Aldermen take the
following actions:
1. Recommend that the City Attorney drop all pending
charges of city ordinance violations against the 27 victims
and that the Building Inspector immediately remove the
condemnation of 3309 Illinois;
2. Recommend reimbursement of the value of property
retained, lost or destroyed which belonged to those arrested
at 3309 Illinois, at 3022-26 Cherokee and those riding
bicycles;
3. Apologize to the 27 victims on behalf of the City of
St. Louis;
4. Conduct an inquiry into police actions which would
include:
a. An investigation of the use of the Police Department's
acting on behalf of interests of the World Agricultural Forum
by collaborating with its private police, Allied
Intelligence;
b. An investigation of the misuse of the Building
Inspectors office to gain entry to 3309 Illinois and 3022-36
Cherokee without a search warrant as required by the 4th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and an investigation of
the subsequent search and seizure (for which a search warrant
is required);
c. An investigation of the misuse of the Building
Inspector's authority to gain unwarranted entry to 3309
Illinois by posting a "condemned" sign on the door
immediately prior to arresting its residents for inhabiting a
condemned building;
d. An investigation into the attempt to intimidate a
political party (the Green Party) by police use of Building
Inspectors to enter and search its office;
e. An investigation of the alleged disgusting and vile
actions of police officers who raided 3309 Illinois,
including urinating upon and intentionally damaging private
belongings;
f. An investigation of comments made by officers on a
police computer "chat room" which included comments
indicating their intent to do sadistic bodily harm to
demonstrators on May 18;
g. An investigation of Police Officers who removed their
names and badge numbers during May 16-18 events;
h. A full audit of property (such as huge puppets intended
for political expression on May 18) seized or destroyed at
the locations raided on May 16 with the intent or consequence
of suppression of political ideas;
i. A full audit of all costs involved with police actions
of May 15 - 19, including salary costs reported as
"compensation time granted," and inclusive of costs to
government and private businesses which boarded up buildings
due to police-generated hysteria;
j. An analysis of crime rates in other parts of St. Louis
May 15 - 19 to determine if citizens experienced heightened
criminal victimization due to diversion of police resources;
5. If the inquiry finds that Police Chief Mokwa was
negligent, incompetent, or intended to violate rights
protected by the U.S. Constitution, then recommend specific
disciplinary action to the St. Louis Board of Police
Commissioners.
6. Pass Board Bill 47 in order to establish a Civilian
Oversight Board for the St. Louis Police Department which has
subpoena power, independence and some elected members.
This request is made by the following organizations and individual
victims of
police abuse:
Kimberly Jayne,
Co-coordinator, Green Party of St. Louis
David Sladky,
Co-coordinator, Green Party of St. Louis
American Civil Liberties Union
Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression
Jeff Caplan, Flying Rutabaga Cycle Circus
Tom Shaver, Flying Rutabaga Cycle Circus
Jabari S. Jones, Flying Rutabaga Cycle Circus
Erin Ruddell, Flying Rutabaga Cycle Circus
Celeste It, brew zirkus, May 16 victim
Sarah Bantz, victim of May 16 repression
Molly Dupre, victim of May 16 repression
Kelley Meister, victim of May 16 repression
Eric Carter, victim of May 16 repression
Tom Hallaran, victim of May 16 repression
Organization for Black Struggle
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (St. Louis)
The Confluence
Leonard Robertson, Coordinator,
St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Bill Ramsey, Human Rights Action Service
Washington University Amnesty International
Washington University Students for Peace
MoKaBe's Coffee House
Barbara Chicherio,
The Greens/Green Party USA
Freedom Road Socialist Organization
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