POLICE STATE ON THE MARCH

by charles amsellem
comic c 2002 all rights reserved

"Handcuff them! Handcuff them!" shouted more than 100 protesters who gestured to the police shadowing them on Tuesday July 9, 2002. The group gathered at Inglewood City Hall demanding that they wouldn't leave until they spoke to the mayor. Their outrage was about the videotaped police brutality in their city involving 3 year inglewood police dept veteran, Jeremy J. Morse, 24, and a 16 year old boy named Donovan Jackson. The already famous footage, which has many remembering the battery that Rodney King recieved in 1991 continues to galvanize the community as more videotaped beatings and assaults are surfacing in other parts of the country.

According the the police, Jackson and his father Coby Chavis Jr were investigated for expired licence tags while stopping at a local gas station. The ensuing events culminated in the 16 year old being slammed against a police cruiser and punched by Morse while he was subdued and handcuffed. The Sherriff's dept denies his father's claim that they were racially profiled.

Deputy Carlos Lopez's written report, failed to record Morse's blows or his allegations that Jackson squeezed his testicles. It did record the policemen's frustration with the teenager for not complying with their commands. Jackson's cousin, Talibah Shakir, a sixth grade teacher, says that because of his impairment, "You tell him something and he doesn't get it right then...He's slow to react." Jackson's disability makes it very difficult to process more than one statement at a time.

Jackson was arrested for interfering with a police officer, treated for injuries and subsequently released. Morse was suspended with pay since the incident and was recently brought up on charges. Najee Ali, one of the organizers of the demonstration claimed that the rally at city hall wasn't about race so much as a pattern of police abuse where they feel free to beat up anybody in minority neighborhoods.

Erin Aubry, a writer published in the LA Weekly, had this to say about the uproar surrounding the videotape: "It's become the natural order of things; in the police-abuse equasion, we always seem to end up with zero or less. I say we as an inglewood resident and black person who knows more black males with unpleasant police encounters than I can count on two hands.

Another thing this incident has in common with the Rodney King one, is Morse's attorney, John Barnett, who defended Theodore Bresino and got him a state court aquittal on charges stemming from his role in the savage King beating. Jeremy Morse's record has a history of violence. In his 3 year history at the Inglewood police dept., at least six other people accused him of misconduct. One involved Neilson Williams, who says he was beaten by Morse and other cops after attending a picnic in Ashwood Park. "They almost beat me to death," said Williams, who is a gang councilor.

Roberto Fransisco Willis and Lance Elliot Eaton were arrested by Morse and his partner on drug charges. Allegedly, they were both beaten, also while handcuffed, and Willis had his eye teeth knocked out. After reporting these incidents to the watch commander, no action was taken.

This police culture of silence is what allows crimes like the Rodney King travesty, the Rampart scandal, and now this cowardly incident involving a handcuffed kid. These crimes go on unchecked all the time until they are videotaped or uncovered when a corrupt police officer is busted and cops a plea. Examining the events surrounding the Rampart scandal illustrate this point perfectly.

Ex-Rampart cop, Raphael Perez was arrested in 1998 for stealing 8 pounds of cocaine from a police evidence locker. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Perez plead guilty and cut a deal where he alleges improper shootings, evidence planting, false arrests, witness intimidation, beatings, theft, drug dealing, and perjury were rampant at Rampart.

It was uncovered that Javier Ovando was paralyzed when Perez and his partner repeatedly shot him while he was unarmed. He was framed and convicted and a gun was planted at the scene. The resulting perjuries in court sealed his fate to 24 years in prison. Although some cops were fired, 40 others were disciplined with mere reprimands or other light sentences, and over 100 convictions were overturned, these actions were responding to only the tip of the iceberg according to police misconduct experts.

Misconduct and brutality were so routine that Rampart cops developed their own language for the activities. "Thumpings" were what they refered to beatings. If you were, "in the loop," that meant that you were willing to plant evidence and commit perjury to secure a conviction and "banana knocks" was the name for nightsticks. Mr Perez stated that most Rampart CRASH (the anti-gang unit) cops were totally in the loop.

It's ironic that former police chief Bernard Parks was widely disregarded by the police dept for being too much of a disciplinarian. Ironic, since he did a masterful job of containing the Rampart Scandal. Parks made no attempts to catch other corrupt cops in the act. Parks offered no immunity for any cops that came forward. Both of those tactics are central to any effective police corruption probe, and Parks knew it, since he came from internal affairs.

Thus, the Rampart scandal was nipped in the bud. The former chief gave the primary role for investigating the Rampart crimes to a former Rampart lieutenant who kept quiet about what was going on at the station house. Erwin Chemerinsky, USC professor of law, researched the scandal and came to the conclusion that, "Every attempt to have a better investigation, Parks thwarted." Professor Chemerinsky said that Parks and then mayor Richard Riordon couldn't have done a better job of preventing a wider investigation into the affair. As a matter of fact, prosecutors from the district attorney's office flatly accused the LAPD in court filings of withholding key documents such as arrest reports and witness statements.

Remarkably, the Police Protective League accused Parks of being too tough in disciplining cops and going overboard in investigating the Rampart scandal. In fact, his disbanding of the CRASH unit on March 3, 2000 may be the only above board thing that he did in the whole mess.

Parks was promoted to the chief of police from the internal affairs division. While dispised by much of the LAPD, internal affairs doesnt enforce as much as it should. You dont move up in the office unless you play ball up to a point. But that can also be said of the entire criminal justice system.

US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge, Alex Kozinski admits that perjury and other misconduct in the singleminded zeal to convict are, "an open secret long shared by prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges." Defense attorneys call the frequent perjury elicited by police officers 'testilying'. That's why the police can so easily get away with crimes that they are paid to stamp out with our tax dollars.

The only reason that this routine brutalization of a person of color has gotten the recent attention of the attorney general John Ashcroft, is because it was captured on video and made headlines. Where was his office when mentally impared, Samuel Rangel, was beaten to a pulp by a half dozen LA County Sherriffs while he was handcuffed? Where was our illustrious attorney general, or even our city attorney general when Rangel was suffocated to death a month later by mental hospital orderlies? Some of the orderlies were moonlighting corrections officers as well.

Ismael Jimeniz, also while handcuffed was given such a savage beating by CRASH cop Brian Hewitt, that his blood splattered on Rampart walls; his bloodied vomit soaked a piece of carpet. True to Park's administrative rather than criminal slant in dealing with felonies committed by cops, Hewitt was quietly fired in 1999 with no charges filed.

The cowardly practice of torturing subdued, and handcuffed suspects is hardly uncommon. Abner Luima was raped with a broom handle and recieved massive internal injuries while being held down, only to see most of the officers involved aquitted even after the story saw wide circulation, with only one possibly being brought up on charges of filing a false report about the incident.

While researching and composing this article and accompanying graphic, Jeremy Morse and his partner were brought up on charges and released on bail while, Mitchell Crooks, the amateur videographer that shot the footage of the misconduct, is in custody, allegedly on previous warrants. Through his attorney, he has made complaints of beatings and mistreatment while in police custody.

Check out the Los Angeles Independent Media Center for breaking news on the Donovan Jackson incident:

http://la.indymedia.org/

love to see more of this!

At least the assault on Donovan Jackson was actually covered by the local corporate media and the video was shown enough times on TV that people were shocked and at least some of the politicians (including the mayor of Inglewood) have had to make public statements deploring the incident. Here in San Diego our police did something equally heinous — they took a 54-year-old woman Latina community activist who was trying to intervene with the police and a young man who was threatening suicide. A tall, muscular police officer grabbed her from behind and tripped her, then shoved her to the ground more than once, nearly putting out her eye on the rocks on the ground.

This incident, too, was videotaped, and for sheer horror this tape is at least on a par with the police assault on Donovan Jackson. Yet just about the only place you could see that video in San Diego was on the San Diego IMC site and at a few public meetings where our members have shown it. Here in San Diego all we get are how wonderful a job the police are doing — the elected officials, including the district attorney, ALWAYS find police conduct "justified," no matter how brutal. San Diego has had 12 police shootings of unarmed civilians this year — already more than in any other year in the city's history even though it's only late July — and only a handful of dedicated community activists are doing anything about it. San Diego's police have literally been handed a license to kill.

To find out more, search the San Diego IMC site and check for links to Alejandro Jimenéz (a mentally disturbed man killed by the police his family summoned to help him), Yolanda Perez Fajardo (the 54-year-old woman mentioned above) or my name (since I have posted many of the articles on police abuses, brutalities and crimes in San Diego).

Mark Gabrish Conlan

I have recently read the article that you have placed on this website about Donovan Jackson and the "police brutality" ensued. Where do you get your information about Jeremy J. Morse? I noticed that none of your work is sited. I want to know where you got your information, because as far as it seems your article is heavily opinionated.
This is some opinions for you:
1. Jeremy J. Morse may or may not be a violent person, but he is an officer of the law. He should be respected in doing his job. If he crosses the line, there was a black officer that was standing next to him in the video that should have slowed him or restrained him if that officer felt that it was a "racial profile" case.
2.CNN says that the LAPD is now over 60% black as opposed to the number 75% white in 1993 during the Rodney King brutality. Which in my "opinion" was brutal. Is that the form of "affirmative action" that people like you are looking for?
3.Police can be brutal, black or white. If you were an Officer of the Law, knowing that your life is on the line day in and day out, constantly looking over your sholder for one of those parolee's that is out early that you put away, wouldn't you be a big bag of nerves?
If someone comes at you, retarted, slow, mentally handicapped, you are going to respond. (you don't even have to be a police officer for that)
If someone grabs your testicles are you going to remove their hand and make it hurt worse? By squeezing their hands to remove them, would it hurt you worse? Or would you damage them to let go?

Try being a police officer, then criticize, only after you get your FACTS straight.

I WAS BEATEN TORTURED AND FRAMED BY APOLICE DEPT. OUTSIDE OF L.A i did ayear in custody and for the obvious reason of being intimitated by the sherriffs dept. (L.A) who behind their above the law pratices and patterns of the destruction of this country also landed themselves anmajor law suit . I personally contacted the FBI in LA and the city next to it. both agencies said if they are investigating those involved they cant say. Iam an AMERICAN I will not be tortured by tax paid maniacs Justice is coming like a freight train. I will never quit !!!!!!

The police are mostly nazis now. It's true that there are some well meaning cops but they are just good germans; silent, deffererential and blind. Good cops like Serpico are hated and killed or left to die with no backup.

The cops are generally cowardly so ready yourself for further oppression but you are doing the right thing. If I had taken real legal action early on when the Hermosa Beach Police Department and some Manhattan Beach PD officers were cooperating with my employers to harrass me and throw me out of town, I may have been spared being tortured by police, fbi and rcmp thugs when they finally 'won' and I was fired and run out of town and even out of the country. Dont make the mistake that it is ever over! ALWAYS report every incident of abuse and sue them if you can.

Dont let them marginalize you as they did me. If they succeed in doing this, this might happen to you as it happened to me (If they didnt do this to you already when you were in custody that is):

http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=185111

They are heavy into street theater, intimidation, and manipulation. They are all liars and find great sport in ruining or destroying someone who's political beliefs or attitude they dont like. ABOVE ALL WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN and make formal complaints whenever they do anything wrong. Get your affidavit notorized and submit it to the civilian review board

Good luck with your court case. If you want any broader exposure to your case, feel free to contact me. If I cant do anything, I am aquainted with others that can bring what happened to you to light.

your report to the fbi will either be bureaucratically ignored or it will be manipulated in such a manner as to make YOU look like the bad guy or a loon. The fbi are worse criminals than the most corrupt cops.

yea fbi are the worst cop on earth i hate them just like hate myself

Yes. And thanks for all your work.

As the first person to arrive at the West Los Angeles Federal Building to protest the Rodney King verdict, a place where I basically camped out at for the next two weeks despite, what was it, 2:00 curfew?, I heard of many eye-witness reports speaking of men getting out of unmarked cars, pointing their guns into the crowd, and shooting randomly. Isn't it true that of the 50 shootings during the riot, all of them were accomplished by police officers? Buildings were burned without one person in them, fires that were set professionally, and for which no gangs took responsibility. After the riots, we got marshal law, a new police chief, and a new governor in California. Funny how things work, eh?

Our government is totally corrupt.