Noche Diaz 2012
Originally posted on No War No Torture by Nancy Van Ness
Police can and do make errors and give orders that are not legal, sometimes accidentally like every other human being and sometimes on purpose. It is chilling that a judge, who is supposed to be impartial and not a tool of the police, would tell someone that he has to do what the police tell him. The moment that we citizens allow the police to think for us, we live in a police state and when judges back that up, we are in real trouble.
It appears from the following incident in the Bronx court today that we are in real trouble. Below is a report from that court room today:
“Josh [Norkin, attorney for Noche Diaz, activist against the Stop and Frisk police, see more here and here] went in front of the judge, who immediately started lecturing Noche that when a cop tells him something, he has to do it. She went on at length speculating that, whatever Noche had done, he didn’t want to obey the cop, or tell the court what he was doing. Josh took her on in a loud clear voice. ‘We know exactly what was going on. The police were beating a man terribly in the street, and a crowd gathered. Noche was in the crowd, observing.’ The judge said Noche had to follow the police order to move. Josh said no, he didn’t. ‘It wasn’t a lawful order.’
“The judge didn’t like this at all. ‘I suppose he wants to stand on his constitutional rights, but he doesn’t have them here.’ She asked the DA if they would offer an ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal). They did offer it. Josh told the court, “‘We will refuse an ACD’
“Hell, yeah. The whole point of defending ourselves against these unjust arrests is to establish that people have the right to observe and document police abuse. Just because the NYPD arrests you while doing it, doesn’t mean they’re right. It’s great to have attorneys on our side who see this, and who are just as outraged as we are.” See the rest of Debra Sweet’s report here.
Are you outraged at the way the NYPD treat people of color in this city? Are you outraged that the judge lectured Noche and wonder if she would lecture a Wall St criminal?
If you are, what are you doing about this? Go the Stop Mass Incareration website, learn more and sign the resoultion. Go to the fundraiser on Thursday for legal expenses for these defendentants who are standing up to police abuse in this city and to a policy that targets black and brown persons. If you can’t make the party, you can still contribute online. Link that site to your facebook page and other social media. Go to a hearing yourself if you are in NYC.
Stop Stop and Frisk protesters are making an impact. Though the corporate media don’t give this very much attention, alternative media in this city do. Maybe most importantly, the people in the courtrooms where these hearings are held, many of them from the populations being targeted, are getting to see resistance for a change. They may be gaining some hope for a better world.
WE WON’T STOP TILL WE STOP STOP AND FRISK
Police can and do make errors and give orders that are not legal, sometimes accidentally like every other human being and sometimes on purpose. It is chilling that a judge, who is supposed to be impartial and not a tool of the police, would tell someone that he has to do what the police tell him. The moment that we citizens allow the police to think for us, we live in a police state and when judges back that up, we are in real trouble.
It appears from the following incident in the Bronx court today that we are in real trouble. Below is a report from that court room today:
“Josh [Norkin, attorney for Noche Diaz, activist against the Stop and Frisk police, see more here and here] went in front of the judge, who immediately started lecturing Noche that when a cop tells him something, he has to do it. She went on at length speculating that, whatever Noche had done, he didn’t want to obey the cop, or tell the court what he was doing. Josh took her on in a loud clear voice. ‘We know exactly what was going on. The police were beating a man terribly in the street, and a crowd gathered. Noche was in the crowd, observing.’ The judge said Noche had to follow the police order to move. Josh said no, he didn’t. ‘It wasn’t a lawful order.’
“The judge didn’t like this at all. ‘I suppose he wants to stand on his constitutional rights, but he doesn’t have them here.’ She asked the DA if they would offer an ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal). They did offer it. Josh told the court, “‘We will refuse an ACD’
“Hell, yeah. The whole point of defending ourselves against these unjust arrests is to establish that people have the right to observe and document police abuse. Just because the NYPD arrests you while doing it, doesn’t mean they’re right. It’s great to have attorneys on our side who see this, and who are just as outraged as we are.” See the rest of Debra Sweet’s report here.
Are you outraged at the way the NYPD treat people of color in this city? Are you outraged that the judge lectured Noche and wonder if she would lecture a Wall St criminal?
If you are, what are you doing about this? Go the Stop Mass Incareration website, learn more and sign the resoultion. Go to the fundraiser on Thursday for legal expenses for these defendentants who are standing up to police abuse in this city and to a policy that targets black and brown persons. If you can’t make the party, you can still contribute online. Link that site to your facebook page and other social media. Go to a hearing yourself if you are in NYC.
Stop Stop and Frisk protesters are making an impact. Though the corporate media don’t give this very much attention, alternative media in this city do. Maybe most importantly, the people in the courtrooms where these hearings are held, many of them from the populations being targeted, are getting to see resistance for a change. They may be gaining some hope for a better world.
WE WON’T STOP TILL WE STOP STOP AND FRISK
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