B.L.A.C.K. addresses community after 73 protesters arrested

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Submitted by SusanGalloway on Fri, 2016-07-22 03:39

B.L.A.C.K. Press Conference Addressing Arrest of 73 Peaceful Protesters

Building Leadership And Community Knowledge, known as B.L.A.C.K., held a press conference to address the issues surrounding the arrests of 73 people during a Black Lives Matter protest demanding justice for Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, India Cummings, and “all those who have lost their lives to police brutality and misconduct.” The protest was held on July 8, 2016. Several B.L.A.C.K. members spoke at the conference delineating the organization as horizontal. According to the press release, B.L.A.C.K. is "a grassroots collective created to empower the Black community through education, awareness, leadership development, cooperative economics, social media and tactful action in an effort to combat the many disparities caused by institutionalized racism and white supremacy."

The press release describes the events of July 8^th and the arrests—some contradicting what Rochester Police Department (RPD) Chief Michael Ciminelli and Mayor Lovely Warren cited at their press conference. B.L.A.C.K.'s press release also asked questions about the use of tax payer money for police actions of this type as well as a list of demands.

The demands included:

The immediate withdrawal and dismissal of all charges against the 73 arrestees on the night of July 8^th.
The immediate retraction of the false statements regarding lack of injuries and use of force made by the Mayor & Police Chief, as well as a public apology to all the men, women, children, and gender non-conforming people who were terrorized on the night of July 8th along with 73 people who were arrested
We want officers names who assaulted protestors to be publicized and for them to be held accountable
We want an independent community civilian review board with the power to review complaints and administer disciplinary action including but not limited the suspension and firing of officers with multiple infractions
This review board should be at least 60% Black and Latino to reflect the population of the city
Demilitarization the police and the ban on use of deadly tactics on unarmed citizens
Immediate end to broken window policing and racial profiling that negatively black, brown, and poor communities
Less funds to go to the police and fund year round vocational training and employment opportunities for youth, after school programs for young adults, and support black-owned businesses
Police misconduct to be independently investigated and prosecuted
Community voice to be heard in police union contract negotiations and that union contracts hold officers accountable for misconduct

Something that struck this reporter as a conflict of interest was the fact that Michael Mazzeo, the RPD union president, reached out to B.L.A.C.K. to “confirm the peaceful nature of the rally.” Why was it that the Locust Club union president reached out to them and not the chief of police? The police union has been a huge lobbyist for rank and file police officers' privacy and protection at both city and state levels of government. His role has never been to prioritize the public interest. Mazzeo has been acrimonious toward protesters in the past when officers have committed clear abuse and violence against the public. http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/6974 The liaison often sets the tone of an event; one can speculate as to how Mazzeo's tone may have impacted events.

Chief Ciminelli and Mayor Warren at their press conference cited that there were no injuries and no chemical weapons used during the police action. This contradicts the list of injuries cited by B.L.A.C.K. The injuries included but were not limited to: blunt force trauma to the body and face, lacerations to the arms, wrists and face, bruising and swelling of the face, a person exhibiting extensive nerve damage and a person having a panic attack. The last two people required hospitalization.

Chief Ciminelli and Mayor Warren said that police had to be diverted from different areas and from outside the city causing non emergency calls to go unanswered. B.L.A.C.K. denied there was a need for all the police in riot gear. The organization stated that some bar patrons and owners were outside shouting racial slurs and throwing things at the protesters.

This reporter asked if any of the patrons or owners that had been arrested and a B.L.A.C.K. representative responded, "not to our knowledge.” B.L.A.C.K. also stated that police chased black people in the vicinity because they assumed that they were apart of the protest, even if they were not. The police also put in handcuffs and arrested two black reporters from a local news organization, although they were released shortly after. No other reporters were arrested or detained despite being in the same area as the black reporters.

At the end of B.L.A.C.K.'s press conference, they cited seven demands (see above).

Since the 73 arrests of protesters on July 8, Mayor Warren, Chief Ciminelli and a religious community organization have urged the the community to come together with the police and the city in order to dialogue. This is basically the same call made after every instance of police violence against the community. B.LAC.K.'s demands, that are not new to the leadership of the police or city of Rochester, have gone unanswered publicly. Neither Chief Ciminelli nor Mayor Warren have come out publicly to correct the false statements they made during their press conference. Nor have they admitted that substantive changes have to be made to the justice system. Police brutality and unaccountability is not a new phenomenon. Since the 1960's attempts by the Rochester community to establish a true civilian review board with subpoena and independent investigative powers have been undermined by city officials, the RPD, and the police union. When the police brutalize protesters engaging in acts of civil disobedience, the city and RPD repeat the same pattern of undermining and discrediting protest messages in order to inflate the credibility of police violence. This pattern has been documented on occasion by Rochester Indymedia. http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/5318 If you were out in the streets on July 8, you could hear protesters chanting "no justice, no peace". Denial is a very powerful way to deal with problems, just not a very effective one. It is time for Mayor Warren, Rochester City Council, and the RPD to stop denying the problems and step aside for real change to happen. The demands made by B.L.A.C.K. are a good start.

Other incidents of RPD abuse of protesters (videos and articles) and history of Mike Mazzeo, president of the police union

Video: Police Attack Peaceful Antiwar Protesters