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The Committee Against Police Brutality (CAPB) has been a major focus of San Diego P&F activity for the past three years. This is one of the most pressing problems in many of the working class communities that are our natural constituents. We have sponsored forums, demonstrations and educational efforts. Specific, egregious cases have taken a lot of time. Law enforcement homicides are going up all over the nation but the FBI says "San Diego and L.A. are right off the charts". The victims have always been disproportionately minorities but a rapidly increasing victim category is the mentally ill.
In June of 2001 we started focusing on National City. Terry Hanks, one of our members, drafted an initiative for the National City ballot calling for a citizen-elected review board. Peace and Freedom activists and supporters went door to door registering voters and collecting signatures for almost six months. We got signatures of 2276 registered voters in National City, registering people along the way. During the drive the N.C. police shot and killed 19 year old Emanuel Sotelo, which added more intensity to the drive. People we talked with said they wanted to sign the petition but were concerned about repercussions if they did.
The day before the deadline, Terry Hanks was arrested in front of the National City Police Department as he protested police violence (as he had done every week for almost a year). Hanks' lawyer, Michael Crowley, was able to secure his signature from jail so that the more than 2,000 signatures could be registered with the City Clerk's office before the 5:00 pm deadline.
Terry has lived in N.C. since he was 8 years old. He is 51, married, four children, nine grandchildren, always employed and believes -- really believes -- in free speech. He is very vocal about his disapproval of police methods and has actively participated in City council meetings.
The district attorney's office in National City originally charged him with three felonies, resurrected his sealed juvenile record, then demanded $250,000 bail and said they were going for three strikes in an attempt to send him to prison for 25 years to life. Months of research, community support and court appearances were able to keep Hanks out of prison and into a work furlough program. He was sentenced to 330 days of work furlough. He began his sentence in September 2002 and has just completed it.
Peace and Freedom activists continued to canvass National City, encouraging voters to cast their ballots supporting an initiative for an Independent Elected Police Review Board. A task force made up of law enforcement personnel and community activists was created by the City Council to look into the need for an Independent Elected Police Review Board. After months of meetings and poll-taking, the task force found that National City residents did in fact want to vote for a police review board representing individuals from the community as opposed to a council-appointed board. City Council members pressured by community activists and voters agreed to allow National City voters to cast their votes last November as to whether or not they want to vote on an Independent Elected Police Review Board initiative. A small victory; the work that Terry Hanks initiated was just beginning.
The City Council appealed the initiative to the courts, which ruled that because N.C. is a general law city no body other than the city council could be elected. The Council commissioned a study to see if people wanted a review board -- we attended council meetings and kept pointing out 2276 of them did etc. They spent over $50,000 on a study that said (guess what?) the people wanted a review board. So we have on the ballot a proposal for a review board appointed by the council. Labored mightily and brought forth a mouse.
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