Thirteen of us face more than 2 years in jail for a non-violent protest of stop-and-frisk, the unjust, racist policy of the NYPD, on Nov 19, 2011 at the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens. A trial for four of us, including myself, trial begins Tuesday, October 23, and we need your help to stop this unjust prosecution.
Since the NYPD killed Amadou Diallo in 1999, they have killed 219 more people, including Noel Polanco, un-armed and killed with a shot to the stomach at close range this month for “driving erratically.” Days ago, police officers were taped savagely beating a homeless man inside a shelter. The NYPD flagrantly abuses peoples’ rights, unreasonably stopping and searching hundreds of thousands. And they almost never get prosecuted.
Stop-and-frisk enmeshes thousands of people in the criminal justice system. The NYPD stopped and searched more than 1,900 people each day in 2011. More than 85% of those stopped were either Black or Latino, and 90% of those stopped were found to have done nothing wrong. Some of the 10% of those ticketed and arrested had done nothing wrong either, because cops routinely arrest people for not having an ID, or for asserting their rights against unreasonable search and seizure.
The four defendants going on trial in Queens next week are among 63 who were arrested in response to the call issued by Cornel West and I to join a non-violent campaign of civil disobedience to STOP stop-and-frisk. 20 of us were convicted of disorderly conduct in Harlem, but given no jail time. 19 of us still face trial in Queens and Brooklyn. Instead being tried and locked up, people who put their bodies on the line to fight injustice should be commended for serving the public interest. Lawsuits, marches, raucus public hearings, and mass outrage are putting Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly on the defensive about stop and frisk. “Courtroom clashes have amplified the debate," says an Associated Press story this week, citing our protest and Harlem trial.
Now the Queens District Attorney office is piling charges on us. Ten months after the protest, the DA added a charge which carries an additional year of jail time, without citing anything additional the defendants had done. Last week, the DA changed the charges again, adding "acting in concert," to make his burden of proof easier, because we protested as a group. This is the DA who was unable, or unwilling, to effectively prosecute the cops who murdered Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets in 2006.
The prosecution is pushing for those who resist injustice to pay a heavy price, to send a message to others not to protest. We intend to defeat these charges in a way that builds the fight to stop stop-and-frisk. It’s important that the prosecutors feel the political support we have in opposing stop-and-frisk. Here’s what you can do:
§ Call the District Attorney: On Monday October 22, between the hours of 9am and 5:00 pm EST, call the office of District Attorney Richard A Brown at 718 286 6000. Ask that all charges from November 19, 2011 be dropped on Carl Dix, Jamel Mims, Robert Parsons and Morgan Rhodewalt.
§ Come support us in court, Tuesday October 23. Supporters will rally outside Queens Criminal Court, 125-01 Queens Boulevard at 8:45 am. The trial begins at 9:30 and is expected to last several days. See stopmassincarceration.org for updates.
§ Contribute funds to help meet the costs ($7,000 so far) incurred in waging this court battle. Make a tax deductible donation and/or buy tickets to a fundraising party Tuesday October 30, 6:30 pm at St. Augustine’s Church on the Lower East Side.
Please help the New Freedom Fighters defeat the unjust charges, stay out of jail, and stop stop-and-frisk.
Thank you, Carl Dix
Since the NYPD killed Amadou Diallo in 1999, they have killed 219 more people, including Noel Polanco, un-armed and killed with a shot to the stomach at close range this month for “driving erratically.” Days ago, police officers were taped savagely beating a homeless man inside a shelter. The NYPD flagrantly abuses peoples’ rights, unreasonably stopping and searching hundreds of thousands. And they almost never get prosecuted.
Stop-and-frisk enmeshes thousands of people in the criminal justice system. The NYPD stopped and searched more than 1,900 people each day in 2011. More than 85% of those stopped were either Black or Latino, and 90% of those stopped were found to have done nothing wrong. Some of the 10% of those ticketed and arrested had done nothing wrong either, because cops routinely arrest people for not having an ID, or for asserting their rights against unreasonable search and seizure.
The four defendants going on trial in Queens next week are among 63 who were arrested in response to the call issued by Cornel West and I to join a non-violent campaign of civil disobedience to STOP stop-and-frisk. 20 of us were convicted of disorderly conduct in Harlem, but given no jail time. 19 of us still face trial in Queens and Brooklyn. Instead being tried and locked up, people who put their bodies on the line to fight injustice should be commended for serving the public interest. Lawsuits, marches, raucus public hearings, and mass outrage are putting Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly on the defensive about stop and frisk. “Courtroom clashes have amplified the debate," says an Associated Press story this week, citing our protest and Harlem trial.
Now the Queens District Attorney office is piling charges on us. Ten months after the protest, the DA added a charge which carries an additional year of jail time, without citing anything additional the defendants had done. Last week, the DA changed the charges again, adding "acting in concert," to make his burden of proof easier, because we protested as a group. This is the DA who was unable, or unwilling, to effectively prosecute the cops who murdered Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets in 2006.
The prosecution is pushing for those who resist injustice to pay a heavy price, to send a message to others not to protest. We intend to defeat these charges in a way that builds the fight to stop stop-and-frisk. It’s important that the prosecutors feel the political support we have in opposing stop-and-frisk. Here’s what you can do:
§ Call the District Attorney: On Monday October 22, between the hours of 9am and 5:00 pm EST, call the office of District Attorney Richard A Brown at 718 286 6000. Ask that all charges from November 19, 2011 be dropped on Carl Dix, Jamel Mims, Robert Parsons and Morgan Rhodewalt.
§ Come support us in court, Tuesday October 23. Supporters will rally outside Queens Criminal Court, 125-01 Queens Boulevard at 8:45 am. The trial begins at 9:30 and is expected to last several days. See stopmassincarceration.org for updates.
§ Contribute funds to help meet the costs ($7,000 so far) incurred in waging this court battle. Make a tax deductible donation and/or buy tickets to a fundraising party Tuesday October 30, 6:30 pm at St. Augustine’s Church on the Lower East Side.
Please help the New Freedom Fighters defeat the unjust charges, stay out of jail, and stop stop-and-frisk.
Thank you, Carl Dix
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