From: harelb@MATH.CORNELL.EDU (Harel Barzilai)
Newsgroups: alt.activism,soc.culture.african.american,soc.rights.human
Subject: SF 105 -- Again No Justice for Blacks
   "the District Attorney doesn'thave to discriminate, because the
   police have already discriminated ... "
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    "When they appeared in court of their own free will for
    what they thought would be a preliminary hearing, instead they found
    themselves re-arrested and placed in jail for a second time, this time
    with a higher bond. Some young African American men are still in jail
    awaiting tri
Date: 30 Jul 92 22:21:29 GMT
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB

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...From PeaceNet's justice.comm via misc.activism.progressive...
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Topic 104       SF 105/Again No Justice for Blacks 
ggundrey        IGC Networks Headlines Digest   10:24 am  Jul 28, 1992 
From: George Gundrey <ggundrey@igc.org>
Subject: SF 105/Again No Justice for Blacks 
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/* Written  9:27 pm  Jul 26, 1992 by josefina in cdp:justice.comm */ 
/* ---------- "SF 105/Again No Justice for Blacks" ---------- */ 
From: <josefina@igc.org>
Subject: SF 105/Again No Justice for Blacks 
From lesconso Sun Jul 26 12:04:44 1992 
From: Jan Adams <lesconso@igc.org>

	      =========================================
	       N O   J U S T I C E ,   N O   P E A C E
	      =========================================

	"Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence
	of  justice."  
		-- Martin Luther King, Jr. 


	     ===========================================
	      A n   A b s e n c e   o f   J u s t i c e
	     ===========================================

The verdict in Simi Valley acquitting four Los Angeles police officers
of their assault against Rodney King simply ratified what many people
already knew: in this country, the police can illegally beat and even
kill African Americans and other people of color -- and get away with
it. For many of us, the verdict provided as little surprise as it did
justice. It should probably not surprise anyone, either, that for some
of those who demonstrated here in San Francisco against the verdict in
Simi Valley, there is still no justice.

Charges have already been dropped against thousands who took to the
streets here in the days following the verdict. Some of those arrested
for blocking Interstate 280 and the Bay Bridge do still face
infraction charges. Most of these people are white. However, of the
105 demonstrators facing felony charges for property crimes, according
to District Attorney Arlo Smith, at least 90 percent are African
American.

Over 60 percent of these people are also first-time offenders who have
had no prior contact with the criminal justice system. The actions
with which they are charged amount to first-time shoplifting. The D.A.
is initially seeking terms of 16 months to three years in the state
penitentiary for all those charged with felonies.

		=====================================
		 S e c r e t   I n d i c t m e n t s
		=====================================

The District Attorney got secret grand jury indictments against these
105 people. When they appeared in court of their own free will for
what they thought would be a preliminary hearing, instead they found
themselves re-arrested and placed in jail for a second time, this time
with a higher bond. Some young African American men are still in jail
awaiting trial today, because they could not pay this higher bond.


Is the District Attorney's office discriminating against African
Americans?

Not exactly. They're prosecuting the people the police arrested.  The
problem, of course, is that the District Attorney doesn'thave to
discriminate, because the police have already discriminated, by
choosing to target African Americans almost exclusively in their
felony arrests. The District Attorney has no control over whom the
police choose to arrest, but he has complete control over whom he
chooses to prosecute, and on what charges. This set of arrests is
obviously discriminatory, or more bluntly, racist. The Defense
Committee believes the District Attorney should drop the charges
against all 105.


  =================================================================
   H u m a n   R i g h t s   C o m m i s s i o n   r e s p o n d s
  =================================================================

The Human Rights Commission of the City and County of San  
Francisco agrees. On July 9th, the Commission adopted a motion  
requesting (in part) that the Commission Director: 

1. prepare a resolution requesting that amnesty be granted to the  
"SF 105." 

2. that in the event that amnesty not be granted, the Commission  
request that charges be reduced to misdemeanor offenses and that  
community service be considered. 

3. that the Commission request the San Francisco Police Department  
to review its arrest procedures, after reviewing the recent  
arrests and available video tapes, to ascertain if there is a  
pattern of racial discrimination. 

We hope that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will act soon,  
joining the Human Rights Commission in urging the D.A. to drop  
these charges. 
In the meantime, thereUs a great deal you can do to help get  
justice for the SF 105. 

What you can do: 

1.      CALL the District Attorney's office at (415) 553-1752 and  
demand that the charges against the SF 105 be dropped because  
these are unjust, racist prosecutions. 

2.      WRITE letters to the editors of local papers, so that other  
citizens can be informed and share your outrage. 

3.      GET INVOLVED by working with No Justice P No Peace: Bay Area  
Political Defense Committee, a group of local activists who've  
come together to defend the SF 105. 

        Call (415) 241-1551 for more information. 
Xref: sparky alt.activism:13725 soc.motss:33072 talk.politics.misc:36569 alt.individualism:4740