On the heels of yet another incident of
police brutality, over 50 demonstrators converged in front of the
Onondaga County “Justice” Center, right next to city police
headquarters, to protest law enforcement brutality. The protest took
place on Aug. 6, exactly one year after Raul Pinet Jr., a 31-year-old
Puerto Rican man, was killed by Sheriff’s deputies.
The demonstration began with chants led
by ANSWER organizer and rally emcee Derek Ford and Marissa Bryant, a
close friend of Chuniece Patterson. Patterson, a 21-year-old African
American woman, was killed by medical neglect at the jail. She died
from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. She was repeatedly denied medical
care by deputies and a jail nurse, and spent the last 14 hours of her
life suffering in immense agony. New York state officials have ruled
that her death was entirely preventable.
The event was organized by the United
as One Coalition, of which the ANSEWR Coalition is an active and
founding member. One by one, community leaders and organizers took to
the microphone to raise demands for justice.
After an opening prayer by Rev. Kevin
Agee, League of United Latin American Citizens president Luz
Encarnacion spoke, accompanied by Raul Pinet Sr. Encarnacion, who
condemned the District Attorney and Sheriff for the veil of secrecy
surrounding the investigation into Pinet’s death. “We know that
policies and procedures were violated when Raul was brought into the
jail,” she said. “How have the deputies involved been punished?”
Sally Johnston, president of Disabled
in Action, spoke about the poor treatment of disabled prisoners. She
reminded the crowd that many of the people in the “Justice”
Center have not been convicted of any crime, but are awaiting trial.
Next, Preston Fagan, president of the
local NAACP chapter, spoke about a recent police shooting. On July
30, city police shot and killed Dominique Smith on the city’s
southside. Police said that Smith shot at police officers. The bullet
that killed Smith, however, entered through the back of his neck and
exited through his mouth, indicating that Smith was turned away from
the officers.
“They are committing character
assassination out there,” Fagan said. “By that, I mean they are
painting every victim of police brutality in the worst light
possible.” Indeed, the victims of police brutality, especially
those killed by police, are usually tried post-mortem in the press,
in full cooperation with police departments.
Adam C’Debaca, an organizer with the
ANSWER Coalition, closed the rally. C’Debaca told the protesters
that the police and prisons serve to protect the interests of the
ruling class. He gave an impassioned speech about the need to
organize and fight for a new society, one that “places the needs of
people before private property.”
The success of the protest was a
testament to the determination of the Syracuse community to put an
end to abuses by the police department and prison system. Over the
last year, organizations involved in the United as One Coalition have
fought against police surveillance cameras, spoken out at city common
council and county legislature hearings, held community forums and
organized “know your rights” trainings on how to handle
encounters with law enforcement.
To get involved in the campaign,
contact [email protected].
No police violence! No more deaths in
the jails!
