I am writing to you because we are facing a real crisis in our country. The state of the relationship between "Law Enforcement" and us the community is in need of our attention. In other words all these police involved killings and the blue wall of silence is f%cked up and it would be very irresponsible for us as Americans who pride our selves in our democracy to turn a blind eye.
This is a complex issue, I'm not writing to you to deliver you solutions but to ask you questions in order for us to collectively come to new solutions.
In San Francisco/ Bay Area we are dealing with the shooting of Andy Lopez, 13 year shot by Sonoma County sheriff's deputy Erick Gelhaus on October 22, 2013, in Santa Rosa, California. Lopez was carrying an airsoft that was designed to look like an Ak-47.
For me personally I'd like to ask: If Andy was living in a predominately white neighborhood would he have been shot at first before they actually confirmed that it was a real weapon?
We are also dealing with the fact that in the case of DJ Williams and his 3 friends that stood up for him and were also beat up at Valencia Gardens, there has been no resolution of their case and the department yet to apologize to the community for disrupting their peace and bullying them.
My question: Why are police stopping a young black man while he was riding his bike on the side walk in order to enter a residence? The news reports said that they were stopping DJ for a traffic violation? When has a traffic violation warranted that much force that it would leave him with his face smashed into the side walk?San Francisco is also dealing with Alex Nieto. Again with the issue of not properly identifying the weapon. Alex was reported to have a holstered weapon on his hip. Which was true, he had a tazer he was license to carry as he was security guard. Officers from Ingleside Station were dispatched after a runner called in. The officers made an assessment that Alex was dangerous from 75 feet a way and shot him 14 time (and that was only the amount that hit him not the amount that was fired, during the town hall it was announce that 50 rounds were fired)
My questions are:On June 3rd 2014, San Mateo County Sheriffs we dispatched to Half Moon Bay after a family member called for help, because his sister was having a mental health crisis. 18 year old Yanira Serrano- Garcia was shot in front of her home.
1. If the officers were not fired at what made them feel like 50 rounds were ok to let off in a very public and peaceful place?
2.Why has there been very little effort on behalf of the police department and the city to resolve this case?
My Questions:
1. What is the state of C.I.T (Crisis Intervention Training - Mental Health Education) in San Mateo County? In SF former Police Commissioner Angela Chan has been working to get CIT training as a requirement for officers, seeing how officers are often coming into contact with citizens that are in crisis. But in SF it's still voluntary and rarely incentivized for officers. How about San Mateo is it an equal struggle in San Mateo county? And how can there be a help from the state and federal levels in order to make sure that their officers are better educated?
2. What is the mental health care plans for officers, how often is their mental health state reevaluated? Coming into contact with the communities dark times is not something to go numb from or to be completely desensitized to if officers are going numb to violence and to compassion for difficult human issues are they at all qualified for that job anymore?
On July 17th 2014 in Staten Island NY, Eric Garner died after police administered an illegal choke hold on him. The reports say that Garner was selling nontaxable cigarettes to his community. His death went viral and was seen all over the world.
My Question:
1. Why is it that in every case even when caught on video does the PD never admit wrong doing? Nobody likes dealing with people that escape accountability ALL THE TIME? Tax money goes to pay the salaries of community people that are there to serve the community, not to those that abuse power and get away with it. Why are we collectively still silent on this matter?
August 9th 2014, while I was researching the progress of the communities response to Eric Garners death out in Harlem (at the National Action Network) and in Staten Island on Little Bay St.
Micheal Brown was gunned down by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
My Question: How long and what will it take before we as a community come together and rethink the way that we want our justice system enforced?
I have to say as a human who really does care about the success and progress of brown and black communities in America and beyond I am carrying a heavy and hopeful heart. It took me a week to process out my trip to Staten Island especially because as I was out in Staten Island trying to connect with hearts about the similarities that we are dealing with in the Bay Area with their fight for justice on the East Coast, when Middle America exploded into another community out cry for people to "Take a Stand" for justice, healing and respect.
So again America I am writing to you because we need each other. For our nation to succeed we need each other to stand up for one another. There are too many cases that I didn't list here of people nation wide, mostly brown people but I know white people get harassed too. I don't want to make it into a race thing but the fact of the matter is, that our prison system which is the beast that "law enforcement" is feeding is heavily saturated with brown and black bodies. It is hard to talk about police accountability without addressing the following:
1. The Prison Industrial Complex
2. Systemic racism in schools and in neighborhoods.
3. Metal Health
4. American Core Values (what are they?)
So I ask that you join me, join me America and "take a stand" for justice, respect and healing.
We need to evolve, we need to, create a better future. It is our right and our responsibility
What can you do today, big or small that will help up move us forward in the conversation and the resolution for justice and healing in our communities. All the cases that I mentioned above are not resolved and have a long way to go before any resolution is found. So please don't just sit on the sidelines, be active, talk to the person sitting next to you, hear another persons story, work towards greater awareness and understanding.
I know we have many other issues in our country to address but this is one about accountability of "law enforcement" is one that we cannot turn a blind eye to anymore. It is not, SF problem, it's not NY's problem, it's America's Problem.
Help be apart of the solution.
With Love and Respect,
Nina Parks.
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