UC Student Police Brutality Resolution (UCLA case) and some helpful links

[Nikki Stone1]

Note: there have been two cases of note, one at UC Santa Cruz and one at UCLA

UCSA Police Brutality Draft Resolution

Foaad Khosmood, Doug Jorgesen, and Tina Park, Nov. 17, 2006

Whereas the University of California Student Association is seriously concerned about recent events involving police brutality against UC Students; and

Whereas during the October 18, 2006 demonstration at UC Santa Cruz the police used batons and pepper sprays indiscriminately and without warning against students; and

Whereas multiple students sustained injuries and had to be treated on the spot for eye irritation due to pepper spray use, and at least one student's head was bloodied from baton injuries; and

Whereas another student was dragged on the ground, sustaining cement burns and three individuals were grabbed and detained by the police for hours inside a school building; and

Whereas two students and an alumnus were charged with “resisting arrest,� and multiple felony assault charges were brought against a single African-American Santa Cruz student named Alette Kendrick; and

Whereas on November 14, UCLA Campus Police officers used their tasers several times against UCLA Student Mostafa Tabatabainejad at Powell Library and they continued even after he was handcuffed and displayed no acts of aggression; and

Whereas Tabatabinejad's repeated cries for mercy were ignored by the police officers who continued tasering him; and

Whereas other concerned UCLA students who were present at the scene and seeking public information from the officers were threatened with violence; and

Whereas UCLA is facing a law suit stemming from excessive police force and racial targeting; and

Whereas UCSC GSA voted on Oct. 19th to urge the city and campus authorities to "drop all charges against the Santa Cruz Three" and urge UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal "not to pursue any kind academic disciplinary action toward the students who were detained," and students at UCSC held a rally on Oct. 20th, denouncing police brutality and demanding that the charges against the Santa Cruz 3 be dropped, and on October 25, AS UCSB passed a resolution calling for an immediate investigation and expressing "solidarity with the students of UC Santa Cruz;" and

Whereas UCLA students have demanded a full investigation into the incident at the Powell Library and on Nov. 17 staged a large demonstration demanding an independent investigation, dropping of all charges and suspension of the officers involved and;

Whereas UCLA Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams has agreed to an outside investigation, however as of now there are no indications of any student involvement in such an investigation; and

Whereas the Mostafa Tabatabainejad is of Iranian ethnicity and Alette Kendrick is an African American female and circumstances in both incidents suggest racial targeting on the part of the police;

therefore be it resolved that

The UCSA demands the dropping of all legal charges and academic punishments against UC students Mostafa Tabatabinejad, Alette Kendrick, Steve Stormoen and UC alumnus Tanith Thole; and

UCSA demands the immediate suspension of all officers involved in the two incidents against whom there exists documented evidence showing use of force against students; and

UCSA demands third party investigations acceptable to and approved by student governments of the two respective campuses; and

UCSA demands that the said investigations be conducted in a professional and speedy fashion and findings be presented at the earliest available time with the final presentation not be made any later than the end of the academic year 2006-2007 and the findings of the investigation be made public and placed on the Internet; and

UCSA demands that the UC Regents authorize an additional, internal, system-wide committee be immediately formed to review Policies concerning possession and usage of weapons by University Police and Policies concerning hiring, training and performance evaluation of the conduct of University Police officers with the goal of absolutely eliminating any unnecessary use of force on campuses; and be it finally resolved that

UCSA demands that the said internal system-wide committee have guaranteed significant and meaningful student representation, including voting rights.

LINKS: UCLA case


Interview with the student's lawyer on Keith Olbermann:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhYCeO67fCs

Eyewitness Account:
http://www.blakeross.com/2006/11/17/on-the-ucla-tasering/#more-246

Student newspaper article:
http://dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=38987




OTHER LINKS for UCSC and UCLA Cases


UC Santa Cruz Incident

San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 19, 2006

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/19/SANTACRUZ.TMP

Excerpt:

Student protesters say police turned violent, used pepper spray and beat some of the students with batons, bloodying at least one.

Excerpt:

As campus police escorted some meeting participants from the hall, pushing and shoving between protesters and officers. Protesters said about 20 officers were involved. Police declined to comment.

"It was unprovoked," said Ian Markson, 21, a protest organizer who said he was pepper-sprayed during the confrontation. "They were forceful and started pushing from the beginning."

The officers swung batons, striking some of the students, protesters said. One student said he saw another student bleeding from his head.

At one point, officers grabbed three protesters and dragged them into the building, detaining them there, students said.

Excerpt:

The protesters received support from some of the faculty.

"It was very clear that this was a nonviolent group of students," said Dana Frank, a U.S. history professor who has taught at the university for 16 years. "I'm really deeply disturbed that something like pepper spray could be used in this situation.�

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From Register-Pjaronian, Oct. 19, 2006

http://www.register-pajaronian.com/main.php?story_id=5047&page=1

Within minutes, a skirmish erupted, with police striking protesters with batons and spraying them with pepper spray. Demonstrators, apparently unarmed, struck and wrestled with police as officers tried to control the crowd.

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From Register Pajaronian, Oct. 20, 2006

http://www.register-pajaronian.com/main.php?story_id=5063&page=1

Three demonstrators were arrested following the skirmish, in which police struck protesters with batons and subdued them with pepper spray. UCSC student Steven Stormoen, 20, and non-student Tanith Thole, 24, were both charged with disturbing a public meeting and resisting arrest; while student Alette Kendrick, 20, faced those charges and three additional felony counts of battering a police officer, Burns said. The two students could also be disciplined by the school.

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IndyMedia article on the incident, Oct. 20

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/20/18321742.php

Excerpt:

Police tried to shove their way through the crowd several times unsuccessfully, pushing and dragging students out of their way. The protestors mostly reacted by sitting down. On one last attempt, police used batons to beat students out of the way, grabbed two UCSC students and an alumna, and shoved them back into the building while pepper spraying anyone close.

While some students and staff helped wash out the eyes of those who'd been hit with the spray, the protestors formed a circle to discuss and vote upon what to do. Meanwhile, about 30 police officers in full riot gear assembled in the Stevenson parking lot nearby.

Excerpt:

Students held a rally at noon on Thursday in the Bay Tree Plaza in support of those arrested. There is currently a petition circulating demanding of Acting Chancellor Blumenthal that all charges and disciplinary measures be dropped, as this "police attack is the most recent effort of the University and the police to hinder the student movement from trying to democratize the University of California."

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Santa Cruz Sentinel, Oct. 19

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/October/19/local/stories/01local.htm

In a scuffle at the hall's entrance, police pulled the three into the building and used pepper spray and batons to subdue the crowd outside. The three — two students and an alumna — were arrested; one will face three felony counts of battery against a police officer, according to campus spokeswoman Liz Irwin, while the others face misdemeanor charges of disrupting a public meeting.

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Santa Cruz Sentinel, Oct. 20 http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/October/20/local/stories/02local.htm

Graduate student Foaad Khosmood, vice president of the UCSC Graduate Student Alliance, said protestors would've calmed down if a representative from the administration or regents entourage had come out and personally addressed the crowd. "Instead they decided to force their way out with batons as if people didn't exist," Khosmood said.

Smarter communication would "neutralize activist elements," he told the regents Thursday morning.

Paul Ortiz, a UCSC professor who facilitated negotiations between students and administrators, agreed, saying the situation would have better "if someone in power just said, 'Wow, I feel your pain."

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UCSC GSA letter in support of the Santa Cruz 3

UCSB Resolution in support of Stanta Cruz 3

Santa Cruz Sentinel Photo Gallery

http://www.santacruzphotogallery.com/gallery/protest

IndyMedia photographs:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/23/18322543.php

Other accounts of the SC incident:

http://indybay.orgbnewsitems/2006/10/21/18322107.php


UCLA INCIDENT

Support Material UCLA

Original video shot by Camera Phone and posted on YouTube, Nov. 15

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5g7zlJx9u2E


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Bruin Television report on YouTube, Nov. 16

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VMl4u1E2_bY


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San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 17

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/16041532.htm

Civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman announced separately that he plans to file a lawsuit charging that the American-born Tabatabainejad was singled out because of his Middle Eastern appearance.


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National Iranian-American Council statement, Nov. 18

http://www.niacouncil.org/pressreleases/press489.asp

Eyewitnesses to the incident report that Tabatabainejad was shocked by a Taser despite being handcuffed and restrained by police. During the altercation, bystanders can be heard asking the police officers for their names and identification numbers. The video shows one officer responding to a student by threatening that the student will "get Tased too."


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KCRA News Nov. 17

http://www.kcra.com/news/10348352/detail.html

“Students from civil rights groups demanded Friday an independent investigation into the Tasering of a UCLA student who claims he was discriminated against.�


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LA Times, Nov. 17

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-ucla17nov17,1,4599352.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california

Attorney Stephen Yagman said he plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the UCLA police of "brutal excessive force," as well as false arrest. The lawyer also provided the first public account of the Tuesday night incident at UCLA's Powell Library from the student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a 23-year-old senior.

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LAist Nov. 17 (includes photographs)

http://www.laist.com/archives/2006/11/17/ucla_students_demonstrate_against_ucpd_taser_use.php

Students descended upon Kerchoff Hall in droves today at 12pm chanting against excessive force, and the need to police the police. Protest leaders demanded that an independent investigation take place instead of one by the campus authorities, and also that the officers in question be suspended during the investigation.


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LA Times, Nov. 18

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-taser18nov18,1,3826691.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage

Excerpt:

Hoping to calm the furor created when UCLA police used a Taser to subdue a student studying in Powell Library, the university's acting chancellor announced Friday that a veteran Los Angeles law enforcement watchdog would head up an independent investigation of the incident.

Excerpt:

Abrams appointed Merrick Bobb, who was a staff attorney for the Christopher Commission and currently works as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' watchdog over the Sheriff's Department, to handle the probe.

Excerpt:

Wearing signs reading, "I am a student, don't Taser me" and chanting, "Tasers out of UC," the protesters said it was an inherent conflict of interest for university police to handle the investigation of their own officers.

"What was done was unnecessary," said Rahmatullah Akbar, a senior majoring in psychology. "We as students don't deserve to be Tasered."

[Balderdash]

1. Thanks for all the links!

k&r

[Nikki Stone1]

2. Thanks. The fact that there were two incidents at UC campuses is important

This is more than just one case

[Gregorian]

3. Democracy Now also had a discussion on this today.

Where one of the officers has a history of improper confrontation with students.

Psycho cops.

[Nikki Stone1]

7. One of the UCLA cops was former Long Beach PD

He lost his job with Long Beach

[StraightDope]

4. Excellent compendium...

This is a wonderful resource. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

[Nikki Stone1]

6. I edited it for clarity--put some bolds and underlines so it would be easier to read

:

[indepat]

5. When all levers of power are controlled by a cabal intent on infringing freedom and liberty, in

shredding the Bill of Rights, in characterizing lawful dissent as terrorist actions of the enemy, in using police state tactics in nonviolent situations, such implicitly encourages, if not actually sanctions, rogue elements of law enforcement in particular to use such police state tactics. A fish rots from the head. We, as a people, can be :scared: and afraid, or by our actions demonstrate that such use of police-state tactics will not be tolerated.

[Nikki Stone1]

15. I agree with you. I think the UCLA case may end up being a lightning rod for

all of those issues.

[Balderdash]

8. Sounds like some officers need

some training in how to handle peaceful protests.

[Cleita]

9. Something I know about UCLA employees. Since they

are employees of the State of California and that includes the Campus police, it's almost impossible to fire an employee who has completed six months probation without incident and then is granted permanent employee status. Also, when I worked there the police department was unionized, which means this officer has union protection as well if there is still a union.

This probably explains why he wasn't fired over the first incident and was put back on duty. When this is all done and over, he probably won't be fired from the university, but will be given another job perhaps in the post office or maintenance. If charges filed on him outside of the university get him convicted and he ends up in jail, then the university will then probably be able to severe their relationship from him because criminal activity or trouble with the law is one of the few things you can get fired for.

I also knew of one employee that the university couldn't get rid of being offered another, better job outside of the university with one of the chancellors pulling in a favor from one of his golf buddies. It wasn't long before he got fired from that job, but since he had resigned from the university, they were rid of him and he didn't have the same job protection at the new job that he had at the university.

[Nikki Stone1]

10. Excellent points.

It remains to be seen what they are going to be doing with this set of cops from both UCSC and UCLA.

[Karenina]

11. That "taser use" policy

could certainly use some serious scrutiny. Great work, Nikki!

[Nikki Stone1]

12. Maybe the entire use of tasers by law enforcement should be reexamined

The UCSC police misused their pepper spray it seems too.

[Nikki Stone1]

13. Another link: Officer in Taser case identified

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-taser21nov21,0,1459046.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Officer in Taser case identified
Terrence Duren, a 2001 UCLA officer of the year, has been the subject of two other use-of-force complaints.
By Charles Proctor and Richard Winton
Times Staff Writers

November 21, 2006

The UCLA police officer videotaped last week using a Taser gun on a student also shot a homeless man at a campus study hall room three years ago and was earlier recommended for dismissal in connection with an alleged assault on fraternity row, authorities said.

UCLA police confirmed late Monday that the officer who fired the Taser gun was Terrence Duren, who has served in the university's Police Department for 18 years. Duren, who was named officer of the year in 2001, also has been involved in several controversial incidents on campus. In an interview with The Times on Monday night, Duren, 43, defended his record as a campus police officer and urged people to withhold judgment until the review of his Taser use is completed.

"I patrol this area the same way I would want someone to patrol the neighborhoods where I live," he said. "People make allegations against cops all the time. Saying one thing and proving it are two different things."

While he would not directly talk about why he used the Taser on the student, he said a videotape of any arrest doesn't necessarily tell the whole story.

"If someone is resisting, sometimes it's not going to look pretty taking someone into custody," he said. "If you have to use some force, it's not going to look pretty. That's the nature of this job."

A student's cellphone video of the incident has been broadcast around the world and focused much criticism on the officer.

But Duren — who was back on duty at the UCLA campus Monday night — said he can roll with these punches and wants to explain himself to students critical of his actions.

"In this line of business, you have to have a thick skin," he added. "I am proud of my service as a cop."

[Nikki Stone1]

14. kick for the night

:kick:

[Nikki Stone1]

16. kick

kick