On Sept. 4, over 200 people gathered for a march and rally in Syracuse, NY to demand justice for Chuniece Patterson, Raul Pinet Jr. and all victims of law enforcement brutality, neglect and abuse. In the past year, two people have died while in custody at the Onondaga County Justice Center. Currently, there are no less than six lawsuits pending against the County for deaths and injuries sustained at the Justice Center.
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Chuniece Patterson, 21, died at the jail last November from an ectopic pregnancy. She was continuously denied medical attention and, as she bled to death internally, her cries for help were ignored by the prison staff and nurses and characterized as unruly behavior.
Raul Pinet, Jr. died after being beaten down by the police and left facedown to die in the jail. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was homicide due to a heart attack, being beaten, and “cocaine-induced delirium,” a highly-contested and controversial name for something that is not recognized by medical and mental health experts.
The action was organized by the Syracuse ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), the League of United Latin American Citizens, Disabled in Action, the Lighthouse of Love Ministries, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. It was endorsed by the Syracuse Peace Council, the National Action Network, the NAACP, Syracuse United Neighbors, and the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse.
Protesters marched through the streets to demand justice for Chuniece and Raul while noting that these crimes are not isolated incidents in the United States. Sally Johnston, who spoke at the conclusion of the march, recounted a story where an inmate was refused the use of his wheelchair and forced to use crutches even though he could not walk. She also spoke of prisoners suffering from infections after being denied fresh catheters.
Marchers chanted, “Justice for Chuniece! We need jobs, not police!” and “Justice for Raul! No more jails, we need schools!” as they walked from Chuniece and Raul’s neighborhoods to the Justice Center. The march was militant and multinational in character. “Arab, Black, Latino, White, Same struggle, Same fight!” was another popular chant. One demonstrator involved with the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS) commented, “It was great to see a multiracial presence for a common cause because we don’t usually see that in Syracuse.”
Local organizers and activists spoke during a fiery rally in front of the Justice Center. Barrie Gewanter of the NYCLU said, “This facility [the Justice Center] is misnamed. Justice does not visit here.”
The U.S. legal system locks up people from poor and oppressed communities while the exploiting classes plunder the world of resources and reap immense profits from the labor of working people. Derek Ford, representing the ANSWER Coalition asked the crowd, “Who are the real criminals in this country? The real criminals here are on Wall Street, the CEO’s, and the Pentagon brass.” Explaining how the whole capitalist system is to blame for mistreatment of prisoners, Ford concluded: “These deaths stem from the racist and paramilitary nature of the police.”
When the march arrived at the Justice Center, inmates wrote signs and held them up to their windows for the demonstrators to see.
The march was vital for keeping the memories of Chuniece and Raul alive, in the hope that justice will be won. Luz “Nybia” Pinet, Raul’s sister, commented that, “If we don’t do this, no one else will for us.” She went on to point out the inherent unfairness in the fact that killer cops are allowed to live and work freely. “If it was one of us beating up a cop there would have been justice quick but because it was a cop they did nothing,” she explained.
The protest action was successful and marked an important step for the people of Syracuse in organizing against injustice. The march would not have been possible without the hard work of the ANSWER Coalition, LULAC, the NYCLU, and Disabled in Action, and the broad unity of the demonstrators.
Justice for Chuniece and Raul! End police brutality!
