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Police Misconduct Claim Filed By Idriss Stelley's Family

by gkt
A police misconduct claim was filed against the city of San Francisco today by the mother of Idriss Stelley, who was killed by SFPD at the Metreon in June.
\"idriss
Family and supporters gathered at City Hall for a press conference announcing the claim against the city for police misconduct and liability.
Mother of Idriss Stelley Files Police Misconduct Claim Against City,
Family and Supporters Announce Claim on Steps of City Hall

San Francisco (Sept 5) - Family and supporters of Idriss Stelley gathered on the steps of City Hall today to announce the filing of a police misconduct claim against the city of San Francisco. Eight SFPD officers killed Idriss by shooting him over 20 times at the Sony Metreon on June 12. After 3 months of stone-walling by SFPD and the Police Commission, the family has filed this claim to force the release of information about what exactly happened that night, especially the names of five civilian witnesses. Any attempt to obtain these critical details by the family, their attorney, or the media has been denied by SFPD.

In the last three months, Idriss\' family and hundreds of community residents turned out at Police Commission meetings, demanding the release of information. Local non-profit police accountability groups, including Bay Area PoliceWatch, have pressured SFPD to respond to community outrage. The French government has launched an inquiry into the case (Idriss held dual-citizenship). Supervisor Tom Ammiano has recently offered help, calling for a supervisor\'s hearing at the end of September. But SFPD and the Police Commission have continued to remain silent, uncooperative and even hostile to the community.

What is known about what happened is that Idriss and his fiancee, Summer Galbreath, went to the Sony Metreon to see a movie. Idriss, who suffered from depression, began to experience a depression-related episode. The theater was cleared, and Summer called 911 because she thought Idriss should be taken to the hospital. When SFPD arrived, Summer told them that there was no crime committed and that Idriss needed help. Idriss was reportedly holding a 2-inch pocket knife when eight police officers entered the theater and fatally shot him more than 20 times. The reckless gunfire also resulted in one police officer being shot by another officer.

\"idriss
Mesha Monge-Irizarry, Idriss\' mother, speaks to reporters during a press conference at City Hall.
The family\'s claim will force the city to respond within 45 days to charges of excessive force and police misconduct. Two civil lawsuits are planned if the city fails to act. Idriss\' mother has publicly declared that she will use any money awarded in a civil suit to found a non-profit organization for victims of police brutality.

Ms. Monge-Irizarry has also announced her intention to intensify efforts to force mental health crisis training for San Francisco police. Ironically, she has been part of a 5-year effort to get this training for police departments, an effort which has been strongly resisted by SFPD. One in four police calls involve someone in psychiatric distress, but SFPD has refused to implement crisis training for their officers. "We saw this coming for years," said Van Jones of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. "No amount of stalling is going to turn us around now."

As illustrated at the press conference by corporate media reporters who were struggling to catch up on the known details of the shooting, local corporate press has been slow to investigate, relying on official police statements and soundbites from Police Commission protests.

The next community event for Idriss Stelley will be on Thursday, September 13th, 6pm outside the Sony Metreon, where a candlelight vigil will be held. Summer Galbreath is asking that people bring flowers for a memorial to remember Idriss.
by outraged citizen
This Does not sound like accountability to me.
These police are out of control and there need to be serious, serious changes!! How do we do it!
by Clark Sullivan (freemansullivan [at] lycos.com)
The fact that police departments wield too much power is common knowledge. We have run into the same problem with the enforcenment of Proposition 215. The fact is that the cops believe they are a law unto themselves.
One small step in the right direction would be to give the cops better training in regards to dealing the mentally ill.
Another would be to get community control over them.
by angry foreigner
We can start by making it clear to politicians that this is a campaign issue. Ring their phones off the hook, stuff their email boxes with letters telling them we want accountablity

Also, calling a tourism boycott of San Francisco will wake the city politicians up.

If you witness police brutality, do something. Keep a safe distance, but see if you can note the badge number, car number and write an op ed in the local paper, and/or call the town hall and tell them what you saw.

As far as protection goes we need to figure out ways of protecting each other. We are going to have to learn to be human and not just Homo Sapien!!! If you see a woman being battered, a drunk acting out in the library, a mentaly -ill person who is not in the sam e reality as most people, we are going to have to find a way to STOP calling these police! They are NOT in the business of protecting the public! We are going to have to work in groups to protect our own citizens.

by angry foreigner
We can start by making it clear to politicians that this is a campaign issue. Ring their phones off the hook, stuff their email boxes with letters telling them we want accountablity

Also, calling a tourism boycott of San Francisco will wake the city politicians up.

If you witness police brutality, do something. Keep a safe distance, but see if you can note the badge number, car number and write an op ed in the local paper, and/or call the town hall and tell them what you saw.

As far as protection goes we need to figure out ways of protecting each other. We are going to have to learn to be human and not just Homo Sapien!!! If you see a woman being battered, a drunk acting out in the library, a mentaly -ill person who is not in the sam e reality as most people, we are going to have to find a way to STOP calling these police! They are NOT in the business of protecting the public! We are going to have to work in groups to protect our own citizens.

by Mesha Monge-Irizarry (idrissonelove [at] multimania.com)
Thank you all for your insightful responses. I would love to E-mail individually, unfortunatly the bulk of community responses no longer allow me to do so.

Hope you will be able to come at the Candlelight Vigil this coming Thursday, 6-13-01, 6pm, in front of the lovely Metreon. This can be a powerful media to pressure the city to move forward, in terms of the autopsy report and the hearing with the Board of Supervisors, that Ammiano promised to the press by the end of September.

I am expecting a call from "Canal+", supervising network of private French TV channels. A reporter from "Vrai Journal" has promised to pass Idriss's story on the air; apparently, this is a very controversial, high ratings, that will alert the international opinion. SOS Racisme E-mailed me to suggest I no longer spend time calling international media, by the time Vrai Journal does that segment, we "will be bombarded w/ calls".

On that hopeful note,
I am with you, not only in personal grief but in hope and trust that through our continued efforts we will save the lives of those at risk, in similar circumstances and profile as my baby, Mesha.
by bishop
I like your comment that there was no crime committed. I guess violently taking over an entire theatre is a right we all have. It's in the Constitution isn't it, right next to police officers not having the right to defend themselves.

Of course there was no danger to anyone, that is why everyone in the room was evacuated first. They all will fulfilling their community duty give the man a little space. Just like all those people who left the office building when the man started shooting. They weren't in danger either, they were just giving the man a little space.
by Greta Garbage
Yo bishop, rather than attacking Idriss's family, I suggest you do more research & get the facts:

• 8 or more police officers.
• 20 or more bullet wounds.
• 1 emotionally distressed young black man who did not physically attack anyone & who could have been talked down & safely 5150'd.
• nearly 3 months
• 2 jam-packed police commission hearings in which the commission refused to move the meeting to a new location to accomodate an outraged crowd of friends & supporters 2-3 times the capacity of the hearing room.
• 1 suspicious resignation by commissioner Dennis Herrera following the first hearing.
• NO witnesses names released.
• NO autopsy report.
• NO balanced coverage in the corporate media.
• NO mention of the prevalence of racial profiling or targeting youth & people with mental illness.
• NO ACCOUNTABILITY!!

Helpful hint: Damn right, there was a crime that night. You do the math, bishop. Can you spot the crime?
by Mesha Monge-Irizarry (idrissonelove [at] multimania.com)
Greta, thank you for your time and dedication in publicizing the truth.

I will not respond to the bishop who openly officiates in the Temple of Hate and Ignorance, ungodly misusing his intellectual talent... Neither will I pay attention to his peers, who are probably gathering to intensify the biases against the the Muslim community, now no longer safe since last Monday. Maybe they do not object to the fact that bigots and bushlovers are not giving arab-americans "a little space", that they are harassed and attacked at street corners with no way to run, given the immediate insinuations of US governement against Palestinians.

I am sure that my son does not mind that the focus of public attention is now rightfully going to a planetary issues, with irreversible consequences, as it is part of the global, ancestral oppression and exploitation of the 3rd world and minorities by the bishop establishment. Yes, the long standing genocide, perpetrated by the US, was bound to generate horribles consequences,(schockingly?), on our own land. Did the same horror and outcry spontaneously grow in the mainstream America's consciousness, during the repeated US attacks on the 3rd world that mindlessly legitimized the repeated loss of millions of civilian lives? May my son guide and protect us, his supporters, friends and family in our heartfelt attempt to support and respect the arab american community, and struggle for peace.

The next step in Idriss's case will be the Board of Supervisors Hearing on Thursday October 4th, time of day will be communicated in the near future.

Greta, you definitely are part of our Family at large, much love, Mesha.

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