The Party for Socialism and Liberation unconditionally condemns the
Long Beach Police Department for the killing of Douglas Zerby. We send
our sincere condolences to his family, neighbors and friends.
On Dec. 12, 2010, the LBPD responded to a call that ended in the LBPD
shooting Zerby multiple times. Chief Jim McDonnell openly admitted that
police did not announce themselves before firing more than a dozen
shots from handguns and shotguns, hitting Zerby 10 times.
McDonnell concluded
that the lesson to be learned from the incident was that “you are
responsible for your own actions,” blaming Zerby, who was intoxicated
and playing with a water hose when LBPD snuck up on him and ended his
life.
The cops who killed Zerby have not been named in order to “protect”
them. They were given just two days of administrative leave and are all
back endangering the streets once again. This is a slap in the face of
the Zerby family and all people in Long Beach who believe in justice.
These killer cops should be arrested and brought up on murder charges
immediately.
Mark Zerby, Douglas’s father said, “Douglas was
murdered under the color of authority. We pay these a**holes $70,000 to
80,000 a year … and this is what they do.”
The working class
of Long Beach, including Zerby and his family, pay thousands each year
into the brutal LBPD. Half of the city’s budget is used to prop up the
police, who do little but harass, intimidate, beat and kill workers and
poor people.
Under capitalism, the state and its forces act as an
instrument of repression against the working class in the interest of
the ruling capitalist class. The only way for Zerby and his family to
get justice is to unite, organize and fight back. The PSL is dedicated
to pushing forward this struggle. We will continue to work hard in Long
Beach to ensure that justice is really served.
Justice for Douglas Zerby! Jail killer cops now!
