On Saturday, Oct. 4, the National Bar Association, the oldest and largest national association of African-American attorneys and judges in the United States, came to Sarasota, Fla., to take part in a Day of Action town hall meeting about police brutality in communities of color, particularly the shooting death of Sarasota youth Rodney Mitchell in 2012. Over 300 people attended.
The town hall, “In the Wake of the Michael Brown Shooting—Ferguson, MO: Know Your Rights, It Can Save Your Life,” took place at the Bethlehem Bible Church in the historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, where violence and harassment by law enforcement is rampant. The three-hour meeting and reception brought together ANSWER Coalition Suncoast, Isaac Anderson Bar Association, The Fortin Law Firm, Renejuste Law & Associates, Women of Action, and other organizations.
Dr. Ed James II, producer and host of Black Almanac ABC 7 Sarasota TV program, moderated the event. In his welcoming address, he spoke candidly about the racist nature of the killings.
“They believe that we have somehow violated the racial etiquette when our children say, ‘Why?'” said Dr. James. “They revert to, ‘Don’t sass me, boy.’ So our children don’t have a right to ask, ‘Why was I stopped?’ When they don’t respond to police the correct way, we read about them in the newspaper the next day. We see it in the news. It leads one to think, ‘What’s going on?'”
Sannestine Fortin, attorney for the families of murdered local youths Rodney Mitchell and Elias Guadarrama, spoke about the duty of those in the legal profession to struggle against police brutality. Accompanied by Natasha Clemons and Omega Velez, the mothers seeking justice for their sons, she announced to resounding applause that both cases would be moving forward.
“Everyone should be getting engaged. Enough is enough. And I should not have to be the only attorney who do not fear the devil,” said Fortin. “So I ask, Sarasota, for your continued support as we travel, and as you know, the Rodney Mitchell case has been filed in federal court in the Middle District. And Elias’ case also is in pending litigation. I just spoke to our independent medical examiner two weeks ago and he has confirmed that this is a homicide and not a suicide. So we continue to ask you, Sarasota, to please stand behind us, because we ain’t scared and we bringing down the house.”
Omega Velez and Natasha Clemons next spoke about the murders of their sons at the hands of Sarasota and Bradenton law enforcement. Sarasota County deputies shot Natasha’s son Rodney Mitchell in the head within 15 seconds of pulling him over for an alleged seat belt violation in 2012. In January of this year, Manatee County deputies shot Omega’s son Elias Guadarrama in the head after chasing him for selling drugs, handcuffing him behind a duplex and ordering all bystanders into their homes. They claim he committed suicide.
“My son’s name was Elias Guadarrama. He was my only son and I’m very proud of him. He was such a good kid. He never gave me a hard time going to school, he loved school, he wanted to finish college, he wanted to be a doctor, he wanted to be someone and they just snatched that from him. They didn’t give him the opportunity. Our angels… My son was 23 just like Rodney, and I found Rodney because my son had a lot in common with him. It’s like a calling, a submission, and I’m determined to do something about it,” said Velez.
“I raised my children, Rodney and Brandy, to be respectful,” said Clemons. “I also informed Rodney that he should, that he must wear his seat belt. So when I received that phone call that night, I knew he had his seat belt on. They tried to convince me that, no, he did not. Well, at that point, I didn’t want to talk to them anymore. I needed to talk to the coroner, who had to release him out of his seat belt to take him out of the car. Because I knew it was a lie. My life has forever changed; however, I am determined to stand up for what’s right. If any of you have any conscience or has any children, just know you or your kids could be next. Please don’t remain silent. You have to take a stand.”
Crystal Kim and Bryan Ellis of ANSWER Coalition emphasized the need for solidarity with the mass protests in Ferguson and a national mass movement against racism.
“The police murders of Mike Brown, Rodney Mitchell, Elias Guadarrama, Ramarley Graham, Oscar Grant, Jordan Davis, DeOnte Rawlings, and all the other murders of innocent young men of color, numbering too high to count, is outrageous, inhumane and racist,” said Crystal. “We know the system targets people of color. We know the system is driven by racism and the profit motives of a few, like private prison corporations, GEO and CCA. And no politician can singlehandedly fix the system. We know that because no politician has ever handed out rights. Every right, every freedom, and every liberty we have was won through struggle.”
Pamela J. Meanes, president of the National Bar Association, whose visit to Sarasota was an important sign of the growing movement on the Suncoast, gave a speech that ignited the church and lifted rows of people out of their seats.
“This ain’t a conversation, this is a movement,” she proclaimed. “And we need to treat it like it’s a movement. I left my four babies at home, in Missouri, to come here to Sarasota, to let you know I’m not afraid to fight police brutality. Now if y’all are being real about it, Tupac talked about it in the 90s, Snoop Doggy Dogg rapped about it in the 90s, they tried to get y’all attention, Ice-T tried to tell y’all how bad the cops were, but it was easier for us to kill the messenger than to listen to the message, so we here today in 2014. According to FBI statistics, 18 percent of Blacks killed during the last seven years were under the age of 21, compared to 8.7 percent of those who were white.”
She also spoke about the disgusting recent police executions of Eric Garner, John Crawford, Roman Drake and Jonathan Ferrell, and the shocking impunity given to their killers.
“But don’t none of them compare to the shooting death of your brother right here,” she said. “Did you see your parents come up here and say ‘help’? Because their names weren’t plastered across the national news. Nobody’s watching or paying attention. There’s no flash to the case. So big lawyers wouldn’t take the case, because they didn’t see where they could get a bump out of their ratings. All we’re asking for in the National Bar Association is a fair and just investigation. And it is impossible for the police to police themselves, so I’m asking our attorney general, before he step down, just like you went into Ferguson, come on here into little Sarasota. That’s all I’m asking him. Before you leave, come to Sarasota.”
Several other speakers gave mind-opening and powerful talks, including Ellen Heath, chairwoman of the Social Justice Committee, Women of Action, Lou Murray, past president of Manatee-Sarasota Democratic Black Caucus, and civil rights attorneys Robert V. Phillips and Janese Caruthers. The event also included a Know Your Rights panel Q&A session, musical performances by Sheldon Rhoden, prayers by Pastor Patrick A. Miller and a reception.
The family of Andrew Joseph III of Riverview, Fla., also attended the town hall. Earlier this year, Hillsborough County deputies took 14-year-old Andrew into custody while he was at the Florida State Fair. Without contacting his parents, they left him in the middle of nowhere late at night, where he was hit by an SUV as he tried to cross I-4. Like Omega Velez and Natasha Clemons, Deanna and Andrew Joseph Jr. will not rest until they have justice for their son.
