Local Activist Arrested After Trying to Express His Grievances to the Santa Ana City Council

An activist youth from the City of Santa Ana was arrested yesterday evening, after exiting the Santa Ana City Council meeting. There was a heavy police presence, including officers in riot gear, at this event. Their intimidating presence essentially barred the community and activists from speaking to their elected representatives about grievances they have with police conduct.

Matt Martinez, of Santa Ana, showed up to speak against the unjust police shooting of a 17 year old Mexican youth in late January. After the meeting, he attempted to leave on his bike, and was detained by police. Police stated that they arrested him for lack of identification, and because his bike was not licensed. Matt spent the night in the Santa Ana jail, even after his friends pleaded with police to allow them to drive his ID to the station.

This situation is yet another example of police repression. There is no reason why the community should be prevented (BY POLICE) from speaking to the City Council. It also appears that Mr. Martinez was targeted for his political activities and beliefs. How many times do you hear of people being arrested for walking with (NOT RIDING) an unlicensed bike? Police complaints will be filed, and updates will be provided about this situation. If you want to help confront police repression in Santa Ana, please call (714) 303-0004, or e-mail atlachinolli_front@yahoo.com Don't let the cops go unpunished!

Here is copy of the event announcement where this drama unfolded:

Speak Out Against the Unjust Shooting of a 17 year old youth in Santa Ana!

Santa Ana Police shot and killed seventeen year old Elmer Bustos late January. Police justify the killing by claiming that he shot at them, but several witnesses assert that he did not have a gun, nor did he fire at police. On Tuesday, February 18, at 6:00 PM, concerned community members will speak to Santa Ana City Council to demand police accountability and to ensure that appropriate action is taken to ensure that police shootings and harassment of youth does not continue. Do not allow police brutality to go unpunished. Let your voice be heard.

The City Council meetings take place at 22 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana, in the Council Chambers.

This is forwarded from the Green OC list:

Hi Matt:

--- Matthew Leslie <matt@ioc.net> wrote:
When is the next council meeting?

I'm told that the next meeting of the Santa Ana City
Council will be on Monday, March 3, 2003 at 6:00 P.M.
sharp.

I don't of
anyone who has
ever been charged with not having proper
registration for his
bicycle. Perhaps we ought to arrive with hundreds
of them to
demand prosecution for the same crime.

Guess what else happened that evening?

I've since learned that Santa Ana Police actually
stopped several people who were planning on attending
the City Council meeting.

They detained and questioned these persons for a
period of about 45 minutes before they decided to let
all of them go.

All of this was done basically for the purpose of
preventing people from speaking during the public
comments section.

All of this is illegal and unconstitutional.

Sincerely,

Duane J. Roberts
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com

---------------------------------

I think Matt and a few other people involved with various activist groups in OC are being recognized and targeted by the police. It happened in Long Beach; maybe it's happening in SA?

I wouldn't be surprised at all. Especially since the Santa Ana Chief of Police sent the following e-mail to our collective. There is no way he could have got a hold of this story, unless he is a regular on Indymedia, or monitoring our e-mail lists. This is his side of the story, which we believe is delusional, considering witness testimony to the contrary:

PWALTERS@ci.santa-ana.ca.us
To: atlachinolli_front@yahoo.com
Subject: Misrreoesentation
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:08:31 -0800

You know I was there for the entire meeting and all the community members that wanted to speak were allowed to do so. You should be ashamed of yourself by misrepresenting what really occurred.

In fact some of your people even took video film of the community presentations. And as far as not seeing or speaking with the council this is absolutely not what happened.

Maybe you should watch the tape of the meeting.

Paul M. Walters

Chief of Police

(end of his e-mail)

I think HE should be ashamed of himself, and his police officers that allegedly shoot down youth, bar citizens from City Council meetings, AND send unprofessional, condescending e-mails to community organizations.

The police chief responds to your story, which any fool, such as myself, can see here on Commiemedia, and you have to even think that he is reading your e mail lists? Why in the hell would he bother, you patchoulifront knucklehead? Its all right here, out in front of God and everybody. You should probably change the tinfoil when you get home, he can probably read your thoughts, too.

error

once again, santa ana pd does not go around looking for mexicans to shoot. they're not bored. santa ana has a huge population most of which are mexican. but see...most of the police officers on the pd are mexican. if you point a gun at a cop YOU WILL GET SHOT. witnesses are not credible in any legal case. Witnesses lie too. And from what i have witnessed, these activists that claim they're being targeted because they're mexican, are racist themselves. There is a such thing as reverse racism. Anytime something bad happens its easy to say "its cuz im mexican". While minorities do have to work harder than a white person, i think its ridiculous to play a race card in a city where the majority of residents are mexican. i think these activists are completely irresponsible and are trying to convince people of a problem that doesnt exist. the chief of police didnt have to respond to you. he didnt say anything offensive. he said that you should watch the tape again and that he thought these activists were being irresponsible by spewing false informatoin and trying to make opinions into facts. that was very honest. he didnt make any personal insults or threaten anyone. obviously these people are making big embellishments on a simple and short email. and that just makes them lose credibility and make me wonder why they would exaggerate such an email...dont believe everything you read is true for both sides.
this opinion is brought from a mexican that lives in santa ana.

I don't think these activist were complaining about racisim. And they were not complaing about anything that went on inside the meeting. They were complaining about what happened to the guy who was obviously targeted because of what he said to the council, and the people who were detained on their way to the meeting. This is not some paranoia, look at what happended the other day in St Louis to those protesters who were raided . Hell the cops got their building condemed just so they could go inside and arrest them without a warrant.
Its just all part of the ongoing theft of our civil liberties in the name of security. And its no suprise that the Bush administration is creating an atmosphere of police represhion twoard anyone who speaks out.

sorry but i'm much too simplemended to understand your post. i'm only a conservative.

thats funny cuz im actually very liberal. i just happen to know these so called "activists" and i do know what their real agenda is. These are dangerous people that like too take facts and twist them into a web of misinformation and biased reports. They make it sound like police officers are just driving around santa ana looking for people to kill. im sure that police officer isnt sitting all smug at home while the department investigates. He's probably going to have extreme psychological issues the rest of his life. These activists just want to feel important and make an issue out of something that doesnt exist (i.e. paul walter's email). They are embarressing to the liberal cause and are so far to the left of the policitcal spectrum that they're as toxic as any fundamental conservative.

its not the pd's fault if the council asks citizens to be refused entrance (if thats even true). they are placing the blame on the wrong people cuz its easier to target the police and blame them for everyone's problems then to look at the real problem. They live in a city that has a really screwed up government. The mayor is a political disaster waiting to happen while most of the council are too stupid to tie their own shoelaces. santa ana's budget it pinched to the point that its barely able to function. the council doesnt care. they arent going to investigate because they dont want to and if the activists feel slighted its because the council doesnt care about its citizens.

First you bitch about getting dispersed for failing to adhere to laws, and it was Police Brutality, BULLSHIT. Now it's a poor defenseless speaker getting arrested, quit spreading this tainted story of your opression. Go to France, where arrogance is cool. I'm glad he was arrested, for failing to SHUT THE HELL UP, inturrupting a meeting, and causing a distraction in executive affairs.

You know, I said it before I'll say it again, quit bitching, and distracting cops from their jobs of rooting out terrorists, I wish they would beat you and shut you up. I saw a tape of the meeting, he was disturbing the entire meeting, they let him say his peace, but after he kept talking turning it into yelling, he was asked to leave. By the way, even if you walk an unlicensed bike, it is still unregistered, and illeagal, do you know anything about the law, that you fight to protect your right to free speech. The right to free speech has no indication to impede others rights to do so. So you try following laws. We're sorry cops do their jobs, by enforcing the vow to serve and protect, as well as enforce the laws made by those you elect. You stupid shitheads.

Lets get this straight, Cops are like the military, they follow orders. You see they have to inforce the law of the land even when the law is wrong. Their basic job is to protect the rich and keep the poor in line. As long as the homies are just shooting each other in the hood they really could care a less. And they really don't care if an innocent brown person gets in the way of one of their bullets either. They just have to keep the gettho from getting out of control and make sure that whitey in Anahem Hills is safe in his mansion. And yes I am white but you see I am not racisist cause I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth and I don't blame the illegal imigrants for all our problems and I don't belive that closing the borders is the answer like so many racisist white talk show hosts are saying. I have to struggle like every other working slob to make a living.
If people ever wake up and realize the problem is that our governmet spends half of the fedral budget on the military on things like cluster bombs which are dropped in neighborhoods in Iraq. And the ones that don't blow up are then picked up by little kids and their arms are blown up. But you won't hear any of that on the coroporate news. You see sister the corporate media is
for the 10% of the rich people who have 90% of the money in the world. And do your believe these same racisist talk show hosts that tell you our military is fighting for our freedom? Please ! They are fighting cause they are filling their own pockets with contracts to Haliburton who still pays dick Cheny 1million a year and to weapons manufactures like raytheon and boeing. And the number one thing they are fighting for is , you guessed it Oil, Texas Tea, Black Gold. Do your self a favor Sister Brown go here
http://democracynow.org and free your mind if you havent
already. And if your are a brown person spread the word and tell two friends that the homies need to quit killing each other and get political
Peace Out!

People who don't follow the rules get what they deserve and so be it. Do you realize the only people who have problems with the police are people who break the law and are up to no good? Seriously if you are a good person who is not into criminal behavior you don't even know the police are around. It's only the true dirtballs that seem to have all the complaints and all the problems ya know?
Fishing licsense violations to bench warrents and yes unregistered bikes all basically show a general disrespect for the law. Stop breaking the law and the police will leave you along very simple.

"Do you realize the only people who have problems with the police are people who break the law and are up to no good?"
Unsubstantiated Allegation

"Stop breaking the law and the police will leave you along very simple."
Unsubstantiated Allegation

For more on logic at your level, try reading "Logic for Dummies."