July 6, 2010  2:58am

Open Letter To Eureka Police Chief Garr Nielsen, Eureka City Council members, Eureka Mayor,
Eureka City Attorney, Sheryl Schaffner:

Re: EPD Sergeant Rodrigo Reyna-Sanchez punches a young man in the side of the head and threatens teenage witness if he testifies to seeing the punch

On Wednesday night, March 31, 2010, Officer Justin Winkle of the Eureka Police Department [EPD], once again, went too far and hurt someone.

Winkle was one of the cops who killed Martin Cotton II in August of 2007- beat him to death. The other night, he abused a 20 year old woman who was happily skipping down the street. He stopped her and said that he was looking for a woman in particular (a “suspect”). He demanded ID, and when the woman gave him her name, he called it in. The EPD voice on the other end of the police radio informed Winkle that she was not the one- not the person the police were looking for. Nevertheless, Winkle continued to detain the young woman. She told him that she had done nothing wrong and wanted to leave, that there is no law against skipping, and she knew that she had a right to continue on her way.

BOOBY TRAPPED ROAD TO FASCISM

Mohawk Nation News June 14 2009.  

Fascism is when the oligarchs put together enough force to enslave society in the interests of a few.  It starts with fervent nationalism.  Scapegoats are picked. Genocide is planned.  Properties, authority and resources are seized.  Territory is expanded.

THE LEADER is charismatic and backed by huge corporations.  He’s an ideologue with an uncompromising belief system.  He seizes power and directs the state to implement his ideas on how the world should operate.  He becomes the supreme commander of the armed forces and the high court until a new election is called, if ever.

Christopher 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

"My child was beaten by (a police officer) in front of Eureka High School."

Excessive force against child

Letter to the editor

My child was beaten by (a police officer) in front of Eureka High School. Before numerous witnesses, (the officer) slammed my son's head against the pavement and against the door of his patrol car. My son is recovering from retinal reattachment surgery. We don't know whether his vision will recover.

This amount of force was unnecessary,since my son's offense was trespassing, roughly a half-block from the front door of our home, at 3:30 p.m. when school let out). In addition,(the officer) outweighs my son by at least 60 pounds and already had my son in a painful hold.

I have filed a formal complaint with EPD, but is it really possible for the Eureka police to investigate themselves fairly?

Know Your Rights Training for YOUTH

* how to handle encounters with cops*

Saturday, June 14th
1:00pm -5:00pm

*FREE*
*FOOD PROVIDED/SHARED*

at the P.A.R.C. office [Peoples' Action for Rights and Community]
320 2nd Street, wooden building
between D and E, upstairs
Old Town Eureka

For more information, call: (707) 633-4493
Parents, who are older folks (not youth themselves), welcome only WITH consent from their daughters or sons!

Please feel free to email in the next couple of days if there are particular situations you want to discuss on Saturday. Post this on MYSPACE!!