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NEWS & LETTERS,
August-September 2002
Inglewood mass rallies
Los Angeles--The Black and Brown communities are up in
arms over the beating of 16-year-old Donovan Jackson, July 6, by Inglewood
police and Los Angeles County sheriffs. The beating was seen round the world
when a video camera caught his head being slammed on the hood of a police car,
and then showed him slugged in the face by an Inglewood police officer--all
while Donovan was in handcuffs. Donovan’s only “crime” was wanting to know
why the sheriffs deputies were questioning his father who was simply filling his
car with gas. Donovan is now charged with resisting arrest and
assaulting an officer. The man who videotaped the police beating of Donovan,
Mitchell Crooks, is now under arrest for hit-and-run and burglary warrants which
are over five years old. Since this incident there have been many community
rallies, marches and town hall meetings in Inglewood. There was a meeting of 700-800 at the Inglewood high
school with many young women and men very angry about the behavior of the
Inglewood police officer who beat Donovan. This officer has a history of abuse
complaints against him. Now the proof is on videotape. He has been placed on
administrative leave with pay. The young people at the meeting wanted him in
jail where they would be if they were involved in a beating caught on video. Several days later there was a rally and march of up to
1,500 at the Inglewood police station with many political and church leaders in
attendance. Some of the comments we heard from the community people were: “There
should be a two strikes law for police” and then “No, it should be a
one-strike law.” This “racial profiling has to stop. They are now doing it
to all immigrants as well.” A few days later there was a meeting of 1,200 held at
Faith United Methodist Church in Inglewood headed by Rev. Andrew Gaither. He is
the only minister who openly supported the LA 4+, the young men who were tried
after the L.A. rebellion of April 1992. He has always been in the forefront of
struggles in the African-American community for freedom and dignity, especially
that of Damian Williams who is now having to stand trial on the trumped up
charge of murder by the 77th Street police station--part of the Los Angeles
Police Department’s racist profiling. Some 2,000 attended a Town Hall meeting, a few days
later, with many in the Black and Brown communities joining the struggle. There is a prayer vigil at the Inglewood police station
every night with 300-400 people, new faces all the time. This struggle will
continue until the profiling and abuse is stopped. --Judy Tristan and Georgianna Williams |
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