Copwatch
rallies against brutality
By Jack Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
Long
Beach Copwatch is dedicated to make a difference
by bringing awareness and response to the
police brutality in the community.
Campus
Progressive member Sheila Ketabian said
that Copwatch uses various mediums such
as videos and literature to raise awareness.
“Long
Beach Copwatch began about a year ago in
response to heavy harassment of the poor
and homeless in Long Beach by the police,”
Ketabian said.
Food
Not Bombs, the main organization that oversees
Copwatch meetings, began a year ago talking
to individuals who had horror stories of
police abuse, ranging from being beaten
and ticketed to being jailed for long periods
of time for no real reason.
One
of those victims of police violence involved
Long Beach resident Marcella Byrd, an elderly
woman who was shot to death after stealing
groceries.
With
incidents such as Byrd’s death, Long Beach
Copwatch member Sherman Austin said that
citizens see the dangers that some police
members express.
“We
hope that we establish something that is
strong in the community and stand up for
what is wrong,” Austin said.
Austin
said he became interested in Copwatch, due
to the abuse and wanted to bring education
and self-defense to the community.
“It’s
important for people to be independent and
stand up for their rights,” Austin said.
Although
the Long Beach Copwatch hasn’t been around
too long, there have been other Copwatch
organizations around the nation.
“There
are locations around Phoenix and also one
in Detroit,” said Sharon Cotrell, founder
of the Long Beach Justice Coalition.
Cotrell
said an organization in Oakland called Policy
Link conducts reports on police abuse communities.
“They’re
taking power where the police get to set
police citizen collaboration,” Cotrell said.
Another
area Long Beach Copwatch members are looking
out for are the mistreatment of minorities.
In
an instance of mistreatment, police arrested
Long Beach resident Hasan el Hasan, an Arab
immigrant, last April in his classroom in
Cerritos College. INS agents informed Hasan
that he was under arrest for being an illegal
immigrant.
“He
lost his job, got fired, he got arrested
on terrorist charges, but there weren’t
any causes of him being an alleged terrorist,”
Austin said.
Although
police brutality is an issue nationwide,
LBPD Public Information Officer Greg Schirner
said that it is normal for people to rise
against their wrongful actions.
“There
are checks and balances with departments,”
Schirner said. “There is nothing wrong with
organizing a program like that.”
One
of the problems Copwatch has been dealing
with is intrusion from police groups.
“Copwatch
was just beginning when it effectively died
out due to pressure from police harassment,”
Ketabian said. “There was also a lack of
participation by activists, but the mission
of Copwatch is still alive.”
One
thing that the cases do have in common is
the struggle of income and daily struggles.
“Some
people are getting 12 to 14 years because
they can’t get an attorney,” Austin said.
“There is a major class issue with people
of all color facing day-to-day struggles
in life.”
Dedicated
to the organization, Austin said that Long
Beach Copwatch stands up for any police
corruption and mistreatment of individuals.
“We
know what’s going on and we’re going to
raise awareness in the community,” Austin
said. “They can arrest anyone but the more
they hate us, the stronger we get.”
|
