On Aug. 6, 2010, Raul Pinet Jr. was
beaten brutally by Syracuse City police officers, thrown into a
police van and taken to the Onondaga County “Justice” Center.
There, Sheriff’s deputies stripped him naked and threw him
face-down in a holding cell. Within 15 minutes he was dead.
Not even a year earlier, on Nov. 12,
2009, Chuniece Patterson died at the jail after she was repeatedly
denied medical treatment for an ectopic pregnancy. Jail nurses and
deputies ignored her pleas for help, accused her of “faking”
sickness and left her lying in her own vomit.
Neither Chuniece nor Raul were
convicted of any crime; instead, law enforcement played judge, jury
and executioner.
Working and poor people know that
prisons and police exist to protect the capitalists—the class of
bankers, owners, landlords and bosses—not the people.
Over the last year, the Syracuse
community has been organizing a fight-back movement against police
brutality and prison terror. Members of the Party for Socialism and
Liberation have played an active role in this movement, organizing
marches, forums and demonstrations, including the Aug. 6 protest at
the “Justice” Center. The PSL extends its solidarity to the
families of Chuniece Patterson and Raul Pinet Jr. and will continue
to fight by their side until real justice is served.
