Redwood Curtain CopWatch, based in the north coast of California, is part of a larger movement of self organized CopWatch groups throughout the US. Our local efforts seek to intervene in the drastic rise of the presence, militarization, and violence of the police, and build support networks based on self-determination, caring, and concrete needs.
police abuse
Eureka Cops Plan Raids of Houseless People's Sleeping Spots ; Raids Will VIOLATE Human & Constitutional Rights
Submitted by copwatch on Sat, 07/17/2010 - 12:22pmThe word is that raids will begin on Monday, July 19th. Cops hunt down outside-sleeping people every night, but these raids will be broad-sweeping and perhaps more orchestrated.
These raids will violate the rights of the houseless people. There are no legal, free-of-charge places to sleep in Eureka (or Arcata), so there are no options for almost all people who have no shelter except to sleep where they can find a hidden piece of ground. Then ya gotta be able to protect yourself from the rain, wind, cold, dew.
This is not a new situation. But all too often, people who are housed dismiss the reality of the situation by simply saying, "Well, there are homeless shelters for them to go to." That is completely INACCURATE.
- camping
- civil rights violation
- constituitonal rights
- eigth amendment
- Eureka Police Department
- fourth amendment
- homeless
- houseless
- human rights
- John Cassali
- John Shelter
- necessity defense
- police abuse
- raid
- sleeping
- sleeping ban
- theft
- UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- unconstitutional
- unreasonable search and seizure
Action at Humboldt DA's Office: Rotten System Reveals Itself (Again)
Submitted by copwatch on Sun, 04/11/2010 - 2:59pmWHY WE PROTESTED AT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
On Thursday, April 8, 2010, fifteen to twenty community members gathered in the reception area of the District Attorney's office, fourth floor of the courthouse, to address Paul Gallegos regarding a recent incident and the systematic injustice related to that and many other instances. As you may remember, on March 15th of this year, two people from Redwood Curtain CopWatch were arrested because Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Marsh did not want to be videotaped while he was detaining and searching a man in Eureka.
On April 6, 2010, the two of us who were arrested learned that the DA had not (yet) charged us with any crime related to our arrests. After we were arrested and in jail, we signed Agreements to Appear in court on April 6th. When signing an Agreement to Appear, the document informs the signer that if s/he does not appear on that date, s/he can be arrested again.
On April 6, we were not on the court schedule, which means the DA had not yet decided what charges or if he would charge us at all.
KILLINGS BY POLICE
Submitted by admin on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 4:23pmChristopher Arrion Burgess, 16 year-old Native American boy. He was
pepper sprayed by a probation officer who stormed into a house where
Christopher was watching a movie with friends. EPD officer Terry Liles,
who had pulled Christopher out of sleep about 3 years earlier (13 years
old) and beat him until the boy's skull was fractured, chased Christopher
on October 23, 2006, and shot him in the heart. Killed him. And this,
after years of Christopher being systematically criminalized, and still
