Justice for Andy Lopez Cruz! [link]
David Douglass, wrongfully arrested and charged with "suspicion of resisting arrest"!Politically targeted kidnapping, they just picked him up off the streets, to teach us all a lesson in crime-fighting... it's illegal when the People do it, social injustice will be amplified, and protesters will be punished, yeah, yeah, yeah! I am more interested in building up a solidarity network.
Jail the killer cop Erick Gelhous and his partner, NOT David Douglass, BAMN Organizer and leader of the new youth led civil rights/ immigrant rights movement. Justice for Andy Lopez! Keep marching for justice for Andy By Any Means Necessary! (Photograph from "Pocho-one Fotography" [https://www.facebook.com/pocho1.fotography]):
Note from Ed. A., who was also cited at the Justice for Andy Lopez rally:
None of the Press Democrat pictures of David being arrested show the JC in the background. This means that the Press Democrat photographers were facing East when they took the pictures, which means they had to have been standing West of the arrest, which means they had to have been even more in the street (or even in the oncoming lane) than the protesters were. because David was marching right inside the yellow lines on our side.
"Man pleads not guilty to charges related to Andy Lopez protest"
2013-12-17 by Paul Payne from "Press Democrat" monopolist newspaper [www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131217/articles/131219613]:
Demonstrator David Douglass was arrested during a protest march over the shooting death of Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa on Nov. 26, 2013. (PD FILE, 2013)
Sonoma County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a second person with obstructing police officers during a protest of the killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez.
David Douglass, 24, of Santa Rosa, faces possible jail time for allegedly refusing to get off the street during a Nov. 26 march down Mendocino Avenue.
The UC Berkeley student pleaded not guilty before Judge Rene Chouteau as about two dozen supporters looked on. Chouteau asked him to try to settle the case with prosecutors before returning to court Jan. 28.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Douglass said, standing beside his mother and a lawyer after the hearing. “These are bogus charges. They are targeting political leaders.”
He was the second person to be charged in two days for conduct during recent demonstrations over the death of Lopez. The teenager was shot to death Oct. 22 by Sonoma County sheriff’s Deputy Erick Gelhaus, who told police that he mistook an airsoft BB gun Lopez was carrying for an assault rifle.
Ramon Cairo, 30, of Santa Rosa, was charged with a felony and two misdemeanors Monday in what police said was an assault on a police officer during a Dec. 10 protest at City Hall. A third man, Joseluis Godoy, 24, of Santa Rosa, will appear in court Dec. 31 to face possible misdemeanor charges stemming from the same demonstration.
Protesters said a number of others received citations for minor violations. Organizers on Tuesday accused prosecutors of trying to silence law enforcement critics by charging them with crimes.
A spokeswoman for District Attorney Jill Ravitch has said the allegations target specific behavior.
“We are going to keep fighting for justice for Andy Lopez,” Yvette Felarca, an organizer for the Oakland-based group, By Any Means Necessary, said outside of court.
Police intimidation and bogus charges won't quench the fire for justice for Andy Lopez! With David Douglass' family after David was released from jail--doubly determined to win justice for Andy, and now joined by family!
2013-11-27 update from BAMN (Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary):
UPDATE: ANDY'S FRIENDS AND SANTA ROSA YOUTH HOLD THEIR GROUND AND TURN TABLES ON THE POLICE. THE FIGHT CONTINUES!
David Douglass, an immigrant rights and civil rights organizer with BAMN was released yesterday evening! David was arrested yesterday afternoon for standing proudly with the angry, determined, and defiant students and youth of Roseland and Santa Rosa as they demand Justice for Andy Lopez and the arrest and jailing of Andy’s murderer, Santa Rosa Sheriff Erick Gelhaus.
The march of approximately 80 middle school and high school youth was not deterred or cowed by the sheriffs' attempt to intimidate and harass our movement. The students did not back down in the face of David’s arrest; they immediately re-routed the march to the DA's office and then to Sonoma County Detention facility to demand David’s release.
The sheriffs at the Detention Center were not expecting the march to come their, way and in a panic they scrambled to lock-down the whole facility. No one was allowed in or out for the 3-hour lock down.
What was abundantly clear yesterday afternoon was that the students and youth – Andy’s friends and classmates – are the leaders of this movement and that the Latina/o and immigrant communities of Roseland and Santa Rosa have the power to win. Because the students have the impassioned support of the Latina/o and immigrant communities and beyond, a group of students could force the sheriffs department to lockdown their own detention facility.
The police had hoped to use the arrest to intimidate the youth; instead, the youth turned the tables on them and marched on the jail, more spirited than ever, and it was the police who had to cower behind locked doors.
The police targeted David because of his political leadership and to send a message of continued racist intimidation. They hurt him when they arrested him and, while he was in custody, they questioned him about his citizenship status in the same way they threaten and harass Latina/o and immigrant youth in Santa Rosa all the time.
Their intimidation tactics didn't work: David and the other youth marching are committed to fighting for justice for Andy Lopez by any means necessary.
What the powers-that-be, including the so-called "community leaders" in Santa Rosa, fear most is our communities rising up. It is the policy of every politician in Santa Rosa, including District Attorney Jill Ravitch, to continue the cover-up of Andy’s murder, to protect Erick Gelhaus and his partner from any accountability whatsoever, and to make sure the sheriff, police, and ICE agents are free to continue to harass, profile, brutalize, and even kill Latina/o and immigrant youth with impunity. The politicians and the DA are counting on members of the city council, the chamber of commerce, the school board, the principals, lawyers, and self-proclaimed "community leaders" to try to shut the movement down, turn it into electoral politics, into accepting only a civil suit settlement or only a memorial park instead of criminal charges against Gelhaus and winning real justice for Andy.
The only people who aren’t prepared to accept that are Andy’s friends and classmates and the communities they represent. The fight for Justice for Andy Lopez is the fight for our futures and the futures of our families, friends, and loved ones. It is the fight to end the New Jim Crow in
Roseland and Santa Rosa; to end separate and unequal and the racist second-class treatment we’ve had to endure. We demand the full equality, respect, and dignity that we deserve. We demand the charges against David Douglass be dropped immediately. We demand the arrest of Andy’s murderer, Sheriff Gelhaus. We demand full citizenship rights for everyone who lives here, works here, and goes to school here.
Dara Rae McCuistion posted to David Douglass page at "Facebook.com", 2013-11-26:
My friends, David Douglas has been targeted and arrested by SRPD during a peaceful march for Andy Lopez. We are at the jail right now demanding his release.
They were going after people with clipboards, who were obviously organizers or activists. At this time i don't know if anyone else was arrested.
Update: there is rumor that He is being charged with misdemeanor. His bail is set at $2500.
Justin C. posted to "Andy Lopez: No Justice, No Peace" page at "Facebook.com", 2013-11-26:
BAMN Organizer David Douglass was arrested at the peaceful protest for justice for Andy today. He was the only one arrested because he was targeted for being one of the strongest fighter and leader in the movement. It is insane that the killer cop Eric Gilhaus still walking free while David who is fighting for justice got arrested. We demand that David be release and Gilhaus be jailed and charged with murder immediately. There will be NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE! with BAMN - Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary
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