Entries Tagged 'Local Law' ↓

Please come to copwatch meeting on Monday at 7pm. 2022 Blake Street * We need allies to come so we can break this into working groups and find out why a mental health call became lethal. Contact homeless services and mental health providers in the city about this.

Update: Man dies after struggle with Berkeley Police

Posted By Emilie Raguso On February 13, 2013 (3:45 pm) In Featured, News

Berkeley Police Department. Photo: Kaia Diringer

Authorities are investigating the death of a man who stopped breathing after a violent struggle with police Tuesday night, officials said.

According to a statement released by the Berkeley Police Department just after 4 p.m. today, authorities were dispatched to the 2000 block of Allston Way for a mental health evaluation at about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday.

“Upon arrival, uniformed officers spoke with the reporting party and were directed to the 41 year old male subject’s residence nearby,” according to the statement. ”During the contact, the subject became increasingly agitated and uncooperative to the officer’s verbal commands and began to scream and violently resist. After struggling with officers they were able to gain control of the subject and place him in restraints. The subject continued to kick and scream at officers.”

Police said that, due to the man’s “large stature,” officers asked the Berkeley Fire Department for a gurney to help transport him “for further evaluation.”

“While under restraint officers determined the subject was not breathing and immediately began CPR,” according to the statement. The Berkeley Fire Department took the man to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police notified the district attorney’s office, and the case is being investigated by the Detective Division, according to department policy. Also per department policy, the police officers who responded to the call have been placed on administrative leave, said officer Stephanie Polizziani of the Berkeley Police Department.

Sgt. Patricia Wilson of the coroner’s office said she did not have details on the case. Generally speaking, she said, it would be investigated in the same manner as any death in Alameda County that is considered “unnatural.”

Those types of investigations include consolidating reports from law enforcement agencies, reviewing the medical history, putting together a case file and interviewing witnesses.

“We don’t do anything specific for law enforcement-involved cases,” she said. “We investigate all deaths from the same perspective.”

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. 

URL to article: www.berkeleyside.com/2013/02/13/officials-examine-death-during-berkeley-police-response/

Despite what  Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Mary Kusmiss has said publicly, on the morning of the raid of Occupy Oakland, Berkeley police were equipped with less-lethal munitions and did assist in suppressing free speech in Oakland. They were not simply doing “traffic control”.

At approximately 5am, at least one BPD officer was videotaped by Copwatchers while holding a munitions device on Broadway near 16^th Street. Although he was carrying a crowd control device, the actual encampment of about 200 people was 2-3 blocks away and Broadway itself was almost deserted. This officer was also without benefit of a visible badge number or name plate on his uniform. After being asked to identify himself, the officer said his number was 25 and he told the observers to move further down the street.

Broadway and 16^th was not a crime scene. Even still, this officer, BPD Officer Link and finally BPD Sgt. Reece demanded that the two copwatchers leave the area. Although the copwatchers stepped back several times, Sgt. Reece forcibly pushed the videographer down the street for at least an entire city block over her objections. Witnesses to police activity were forcibly prevented from observing on October 25, 2011.

Copwatch wants to know what BPD Chief Meehan intends to do about officers who:

1) Cover badges and have no # on helmut (in violation of PC section 830.10)

2) Use crowd control devices for patrol purposes

3) Violate the department’s policy on the rights of civilians to observe police activity

In addition, we protest the use of our scarce city resources for political purposes by outside agencies. We recommend the establishment of more precise criteria for the granting of mutual aid that requires:

a) That our police will only respond where a credible/demonstrable threat to the health or safety of the people of that area exists and the resources of the host city are inadequate to manage it. Mutual aid in times of natural or other types of disasters would qualify for such assistance.

b) That Berkeley officers must abide by the policies of our department and be

accountable to the policies of BPD OVER those policies of the host city. Whatever is not permitted by Berkeley policies will not be required or permitted by our officers in a host city.

The City of Berkeley has the opportunity to send an important message to Oakland Police and any other departments that seek to mass overwhelming force to intimidate protestors. We can include these provisions in our mutual aid agreements and refuse to participate in mass violations of first amendment activity.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Berkeley Copwatch @ 510-548-0425 or berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com

• Video evidence of BPD at Occupy Oakland is available on youtube at :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIk-PIU4CHM

• Disclaimer: Although this video does not represent the de-escalation techniques that generally characterize experienced copwatchers the person taking this video had been up all night and had just witnessed the encirclement and tear gassing of the Occupy Oakland encampment while all media was denied access to the area. It was an emotional time. Generally, copwatchers are trained to de-escalate situations while asserting their rights.

Yet again, the forces of reaction and ignorance in Berkeley have
gathered their forces and are trying to make the simple act of sitting on a
sidewalk illegal. Though it has been tried many times in the past, the folks
with money and lobbyists seem determined to blame their economic woes on the
poor people of this city.

Here at Copwatch, we are determined to resist such legislation. There
is already a law which makes laying down on a sidewalk a crime, but the wording
for a new anti-sitting law has not yet been approved. Let’s stop this nonsense
where it starts. Please read and sign the on-line petition and let the City
Council know that you are watching and intend to hold politicians accountable
for scapegoating the poor.

Forward the petition. Send it to friends. These simple acts could make
a huge difference in the way police treat homeless people in our city. Thanks
so much!

Berkeley Copwatch

The link to the petition is:

www.change.org/petitions/stand-up-for-the-right-to-sit-down?share_id=NsTZiDHBoO&pe=pce>www.change.org/petitions/stand-up-for-the-right-to-sit-down?share_id=NsTZiDHBoO&pe=pce

To contact the coalition email them at: standup4righttositdown@gmail.com

“The City of Berkeley Chamber of Commerce will be considering whether to push forward as the leader in this fight at its meeting on Monday April 4 Noon to 1pm at the Chamber office located at: 1834 University Avenue–near MLK.”

Sally Hindman of Youth Spirit Artworks offers up all kinds of ways to plug in immediately to oppose these vicious laws:

berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-03-30/article/37616?headline=Quick-Action-Needed-to-Stop-Proposed-Berkeley-Anti-Sit-Ordinance-Commentary-

From the Committee on Government Affairs, Berkeley Chamber of Commerce

Tuesday March 22, 2011

“The San Francisco ordinance has sparked interest in the Berkeley community to investigate whether similar legislation in Berkeley would be appropriate and/or strategic to making the city’s commercial districts more vibrant places in which to do business.”

www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-03-23/article/37553?headline=An-Examination-of-the-Proposed-Sit-Lie-Ordinance-for-Berkeley-

From Larry at IndyBay:

“For the first time, amplified sound permits will be required for all amplification, including bullhorn use by labor unions and protest groups (13.40.030(A)).

At the present time, a written warning of a noise violation must be given and 15 minutes allowed to correct the violation before an arrest. The new ordinance requires only a verbal warning and no time period before an arrest. (13.40.030(D))

In addition to the amplified sound permit, a second permit must be obtained from the social planning department whenever any object is placed on the sidewalk during an event (13.40.100 (B 6). This could also affect homeless people who place any object on the sidewalk. “It is unlawful for any person to place….anywhere upon any sidewalk or roadway, any object…” (14.48.170)”

*****

Every credible intelligence agency on the planet (and many a non-credible agency) is expecting mass civil unrest as the current world-wide economic disaster continues to unfold.  What’s been happening at UCB may just be the tip of a massive iceberg – preparing to sink the Titanic of global capitalism.  How do the powers-that-be plan to respond?  I think the UC occupations are a testament to what we can expect.  This law just paves the way to shut down and repress popluar organizing and street protest and, of course, to brutalize and kidnap those who engage in it.