Cotton Day        August 9, 2013

Siehna and her Daddy, Martin "Freddy" Cotton

COTTON DAY

August 9^th

On August 9, 2007, Eureka police officers Justin Winkle, Adam Laird, Gary Whitmer, and 5 others beat an unarmed Martin Cotton II to death. In broad daylight, officers pummeled Martin's head and body, then brought Martin to jail, never giving him medical treatment. Medical care could have saved his life. Martin died in the jail cell of blunt force head trauma, writhing in pain, within two hours.

(Read More to see photos of the Eureka Officers who beat Martin)

Just give me 45 days. I'll get rid of 'em all.” --Humboldt Sheriff's Ken Swithenbank to Chamber of Commerce about HOUSELESS PEOPLE in SoHum

CHANTS

No Justice!  No Peace! 'Til the cops are off of OUR streets!

Ain't No Power like the Power of the People 'Cause the Power of the People Don't Stop!

2-4-6-8
Stop the Violence!  Stop the Hate!
2-4-6-8
Smash the Police State!

Hey Hey! Ho Ho!
Killer Cops Have Got To GO!

(chanted at Eureka City Hall)
Rotten Cops! Rotten Law!
It all starts at City Hall

Humboldt Sheriff, EPD
Stop Police Brutality!

Tear Down the Prisons and the Police Stations!
We don't want Incarceration!

Fuck the Cops
We Don't Need 'Em
All we want is total Freedom!

L.I.V.E. against Police Brutality

Stop Police Brutality:  It HURTS!
Stop Police Brutality: It KILLS!
(call and response)

2-4-6-8
Smash [or Stop] the Police State
3-5-7-9
Cops Do the Real CRIME

See actual page10 of 2012 booklet attached or if you click on READ MORE

Traditionally American society has identified anti-social behavior by way of violent behavior. Sociable people will be willing to talk and mediate through problems with each other rather than come to blows in private meetings or on the streets.

Victory for First Amendment Rights & Free Speech Vigilers:
"The Constitution is the law of the land."

5/17/2012
Open Letter to Humboldt County Sheriff, Michael Downey:

We send you this information WITH URGENCY.

Jan 7, 2011
Open Letter to Humboldt County District Attorney, Paul Gallegos:

  Since this announcement, Gallegos' office has prosecuted many non-violent misdemeanors.  And the 48  hour law (CA Penal Code 825) is not supposed to allow "law enforcement" to jail someone for 48 hours with no expectations of charges.  It is required that an arrested person, in jail, is brought in front of a judge or magistrate AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to be charged with the crime for which they are locked up.  It is not a given that someone must be in jail for 48 hours (or more, with holidays and weekends) if the DA KNOWS he will not be charging!   ~Redwood Curtain CopWatch

Misdemeanor prosecutions may fall prey to budget ax

DA warns law enforcement funding may prevent filing of most non-felony cases

Thadeus Greenson  THE TIMES-STANDARD  May 31, 2012

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos is warning local law enforcement officials that his office may be unable to prose­cute most misdemeanor offenses if his budget doesn’t increase with the coming fiscal year.

Please phone and email the numbers & addresses below!

*Demand Return of All

Property including Signs,

Literature,Banners.*

Anne Rian, a stalwart Occupier, was arrested this morning at Occupy Eureka, supposedly for a warrant. Missing a court date would be the only reason for a warrant.  However, the District Attorney's office told us that Annie did not have court until January 5th. 

Eureka Police Officer Cress, who has stolen many of our signs in the past and used to show up daily at the Occupy, made the arrest today, December 25th.

The jail told Anne that she is going to be in solitary, even though solitary or "maximum" is supposed to be for people who have problems with other people in the jail- it is not for people to be put in simply because they were arrested during political activity.  The jail guards (Sheriff's Dept) have told her that she will be in there for up to five days (lies, intimidation) and has told her several different charges/reasons she was arrested on a warrant- so that is not clear.

May 20, 2011           Sent Via Email

RE: Mr. Brandon Dyer

To District Attorney of Humboldt County, Paul Gallegos:

This email is a follow-up the message I left on Ms. Shoshani's voice mail at
or about 2:50pm today, May 20, 2011.  I am contacting you to, once again,
inform you of the laws that require you to file charges against someone
in the custody of the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF)
within the statutory time; otherwise or that person's extended custody
due to your failure to bring them in front of a magistrate or judge and
the HCCF's failure to release them, is a misdemeanor and violation of
the person's civil liberties.

Mr. Brandon Dyer was arrested on the night of Wednesday, May 18,
2011.  He needs to be brought to court TODAY, Friday May 20, 2011, or be
released from the HCCF.  The CA Penal code section 825 (a)(2)
specifically mandates:

MEDIA UPDATE & CLARIFICATION*: September 13, 2011

Police State Continues to Expand.
If we don't confront it now, then WHEN?

August 7, 2010: Humboldt County Sheriff's Deputies Murder Robert Garth in Blue Lake

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/08/08/18655719.php?show_comments=1#18655924

http://www.youtube.com/user/RedwoodCopWatch#p/u

August 8, 1978: Philadelphia Police Try to Kill MOVE Men, Women, and Children at MOVE Home; Police Kill One of Their Own and Lock Up Nine MOVE Members "for Murder"; The MOVE 9, U.S. political prisoners, have been in prison since 1978

http://move9parole.blogspot.com/

http://www.archive.org/details/AH-MOVE

The civil trial in Oakland: Siehna Cotton et al. v. Eureka Police Dept. and Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. has been POSTPONED.  Please keep your eyes and ears out for the new date, some time after February!

A couple of us from Redwood Curtain CopWatch want to travel to the Bay Area (and points between and around here and there) to talk to groups of people about what happened to Martin Cotton, to invite people to the trial, and to help connect the conversations and struggles that our communities are engaged in regarding police brutality. [See below for links about events planned so far] We are looking for ideas, suggestions, and help in our organizing to make presentations and participate in gatherings and conversations regarding state violence, in these days leading up to the trial. Beginning on December 13th and probably running for two or three weeks, we want to have a full schedule in the Bay Area and thereabouts.  Can you help?  Perhaps, for instance, you could book us to make a presentation where you live, publicize our visit and the upcoming trial, and/or inform us of events and discussions already planned in your area.