[Seattle-editorial] Fwd: Police accountability activists charged with trespassing

[Sheri Herndon]

>Delivered-To: Sheri at speakeasy.org
>From: Soya Jung <soya at atrfoundation.org>
>To: Soya Jung <soya at atrfoundation.org>
>Subject: Police accountability activists charged with trespassing
>Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 13:23:12 -0700
>X-Priority: 3
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>The People's Coalition for Justice has asked me to forward this alert,
>and I thought you might be interested. I was honored to be among the 23
>arrested and charged for demanding a meeting with Seattle's Mayor
>Nickels' to discuss racial profiling in July. It was a truly amazing
>delegation of activists ranging in age from 18 to 64 and led by people
>of color. If you have a minute to call the Mayor's office on Oct. 22nd,
>it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
>
>Soya Jung Harris, Grants Manager
>A Territory Resource Foundation
>603 Stewart St. #1007 / Seattle, WA 98101
>PH: 206.624.4081 x 13 / FX: 206. 382.2640
>soya at atrfoundation.org / www.atrfoundation.org
>
>A progressive foundation promoting social justice in the Northwest and
>Northern Rockies
>
>Mayor Nichols, drop the trespassing charges against
>the Seattle residents who came to meet with you!
>
>OPEN LETTER FROM THE PEOPLE'S COALITION FOR JUSTICE
>
>RE: The first degree criminal trespassing charges
>against: David Cahn, age 18; Megan Wilbert, 18;
>Charhys Baily, 18; James Litt III, 18; Mike
>Graham-Squire, 28; Marjorie Prince, 64; K.L. Shannon,
>33; Malena Fairlight Pinkham, 22; Dustin Washington,
>31; Michael Andrew, 50; Soya Jung-Harris, 33; Delila
>Leber, 26; Brady McGarry, 20; Cole Torrence, 32;
>Kamala Ellis, 23; Vanessa Lee, 26; Emily Reilly, 21;
>Sandra Herrara, 22; Bob Barnes; Rodney Camarce, 26;
>Michael "Red Bear" Mossberg; Katie Wilson, 32; Aaron
>Wood, 27.
>
>To whom it may concern;
>
>We are writing to alert you to a grave injustice
>happening in our community. On July 17, 2002, 23
>community members went to Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols
>office to demand a meeting with the Mayor about
>passing the City Council's Racial Profiling
>resolution. Racial profiling and police brutality had
>recently resulted in the deaths of Robert Thomas Sr.
>and Shawn Maxwell. Those 23 community messengers
>waited 5 hours to meet with Mayor Nichols. They
>refused to leave until they at least spoke with Mayor
>Nichols on the phone. The Mayor still refused to
>communicate with them and the police were called to
>arrest them and remove them from the premises. Because
>of the seriousness of racial profiling and the
>horrible legacy of police terrorizing communities of
>color, those 23 community members were willing to
>stand against injustice and were arrested. They were
>processed and released within an hour.
>
>Now, 2 months later the City of Seattle has decided to
>press first degree criminal trespassing charges
>against these 23 community members. The maximum
>sentence for this "crime" is one year in jail, $5000
>fine and two years probation. The City Attorney's
>current "offer" is that if they plead guilty they will
>get a deferred sentence and a $200 fine. We find it
>outrageous as taxpaying citizens of Seattle, that in
>the current economic crisis the City Attorney's office
>is wasting our money prosecuting these 23 people.
>This was a group led by people of color who went to
>the Mayor's office, not with criminal intent, but with
>the democratic purpose of meeting with their elected
>official. It is also disheartening to learn that this
>is how the City of Seattle responds to our demands
>that they eradicate racial profiling and police
>brutality within the Seattle Police Department. We
>must also ask if the City is sending a message to the
>community that they will no longer respect our first
>amendment rights and attempts to participate in the
>form of Democracy we have in this country.
>
>July 6th and 7th 2002 the People's Coalition for
>Justice conducted the People's Vote For Justice, in
>which they asked people in the 37th legislative
>district if they feel the Seattle Police Department
>serves and protects everyone equally. Of the over 3000
>people who completed ballots 88% said they felt the
>police didn't serve and protect everyone equally. The
>23 community messengers who went to Mayor Nichols
>Office on July 17, 2002 were acting with the mandate
>of the community.
>
>Please join us in demanding that the charges against
>these 23 community members be dropped immediately.
>Call Mayor Greg Nichols (206) 684-4000 and Tom Carr
>206-684-8288 to demand that the charges against the 23
>activists be dropped, an Independent Civilian Review
>Board is established and the Seattle Police Department
>end racial profiling. We would like to flood the
>office with calls on October 22nd in honor of the
>National Day against Police Brutality. For more
>information call Callie Shanafelt at (206) 261-0210 or
>the People's Coalition for Justice at (206) 632-0500
>x51.
>
>
>PCJ Steering Committee Members,
>
>Callie Shanafelt and Glenn Harris