Join the Occupy Beale Climate Action and Peace Camp Potluck, and Demonstration Outside the Schneider Gate. Gather at 6pm Wednesday for a Vegetarian/Vegan Potluck and Meeting. Demonstration/Vigil/Action from 6-8am Thursday.
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 The Community Oversight Task Force took a deep look at police training in our community. We were particularly interested to know what training the Sheriff’s deputies had in the months and years prior to the February 2020 incident resulting in the death of Sage Crawford. It is our opinion that anyone who listened to the dispatch audios and watched Sheriff Moon’s car cam videos of the entire incident would have had a hard time determining that Sage Crawford was in a rational state of mind. Those videos showed a distraught woman with two kids fearful that the police officers were going to take her children. She had not committed a crime. The first issues is, why wasn’t the Sheriff’s new pilot program in operation? This is the program where a County Behavioral Health expert and a Sheriff’s deputy work together in dealing with mental illness calls that has been functioning since February. We learned the answer: the deputy was sick that day so the team was not called. We also learned the program operates only 4 days/week 10 hours each day. What happens if a mental health crisis comes at midnight on a Saturday night? Does Nevada County need a 24/7 “CAHOOTS” mobile crises team program that would take these calls away from Law Enforcement? The next question was why didn’t the Sheriff’s deputies exhibit any expertise in interactions with persons with mental illness? Why was there no show of humanity or compassion? Why didn’t the Sheriff’s deputies utilize de-escalation techniques? Why didn’t they use less than lethal force against her? In our research, we learned that since 2017 the California Penal Code has mandated the “Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training” to develop and disseminate guidelines and training on:
Yet, none of these techniques were followed in the matter of Sage Crawford, or of Gabriel Strickland, also shot and killed by police officers in 2019. Then there was the matter of the Black Lives Matter Protest on August 9, 2020, in Nevada City. The “investigative report” just came out concluding, the police officers present needed more training. In our research, we learned that since July 1, 1999, all police officers in the State of California are to be trained in handling acts of civil disobedience, including (1) Reasonable use of force; (2) Dispute resolution.; (3) Nature and extent of civil disobedience, (5) Public and officer safety; (6) Documentation, report writing, and evidence collection.; and (7) Crowd control. Anyone who attended the August 9 protest would attest to the complete lack of crowd control or de-escalation methods employed by law officers that day. Is there a question in anyone’s mind that the “counter-protestors” who appeared to disrupt the peace BLM protestors expressed hate for people of color? If this was not their message, why were they there? The events of that day, that we all watched on social media depicted angry men who tore banners, signs, and cell phones from protestors’ hands; we watched as they yelled “You don’t belong here;” and we watched as they wrestled protestors to the ground. Even more disturbing, we watched as police officers appeared to side with and walk beside the counter-protestors. Penal Code section 422.6 defines hate crimes and penalties. That section states “(a) No person, whether or not acting under color of law, shall by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate, interfere with, oppress, or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or laws of this state or by the Constitution or laws of the United States….” Yet that is what we all saw that day. None of the Grass Valley Police, the Nevada City Police, or the Sheriff’s deputies who were present at the protest saw it necessary to defend the counter-protestors attacks on the first Amendment of the Constitution, nor does the Nevada City investigative report even mention this. In the Community Oversight Task Force’s work we have also learned that virtually all of our law enforcement officers’ records are considered “personnel files” and not subject to public disclosure. We can well understand the need for privacy of officer’s home addresses, medical records, even disciplinary records, but training certificates? Wouldn’t it be directly in the interest of the public to know that our officers are properly trained in crowd control, de-escalation, mental illness, homelessness issues, and civil disobedience law? The incidents described above raise serious concerns about the level of training our officers are getting and the public has no way to determine the answer to those questions. Our next Public Forum takes place Friday evening October 1, 2021, from 6-8 PM. You may attend in person at the Madelyn Helling Library Amphitheater (to the right of the Library), or via Zoom link at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7796054733? Lorraine Reich The Community Oversight Task Force will be hosting a “Town Hall” style community meeting at the Madelyn Helling Library on August 27, 2021 from 6-9 p.m. There will be a discussion over the failure of our Nevada City Police Department to properly respond to the BLM protest of 8/9/20. Nevada City citizens spend over $500 per person on this police department. Also to be discussed, should Nevada City continue to finance its own police department which takes up over 50% of the budget? We will discuss ideas for the reformation of the NCPD to a Community Resource and Safety Department which may more appropriately meet the needs of our town. We are inviting members of the City Council to attend. The first meeting takes place at the Madelyn Helling Library on August 27, 2021 from 6-9 p.m. All concerned citizens are invited to attend. Here is a letter sent to the NC City Counsel: Dear Nevada City Council, With the George Floyd uprisings last year many communities have called for police accountability and reform to ensure against police discrimination and brutality, particularly against black, brown, and indigenous People who are rampantly being targeted, oppressed, jailed and even killed in America every day. In our own Nevada City, we have seen August 9, 2020, constitutionally sanctioned Black Lives Matter protestors suffer severe brutality and attack not by police officers, but by members of local hate groups. While it was not the local police officers who assaulted or abused protestors, there was ample evidence presented that showed the complacency and complicity of the Nevada City Police officers who visibly walked with and supported the “counter-protestors.” Ample video and testimonial evidence exists that reflects our Nevada City police officers were poorly trained and poorly equipped to handle the situation that day. We are the Community Oversight Task Force of Nevada County, a group of concerned citizens who have volunteered to delve into law enforcement standards and practices. We have taken it upon ourselves to learn California law that governs police, and through the California Public Records Act we have obtained many records. We have obtained the training records of all present Nevada City police officers and what we have discovered deserves your immediate attention. We have learned, that in fact none of our current officers have received current or updated training in the following pertinent areas:
Anyone who attended the August 9 protest would attest to the complete lack of crowd control or de-escalation methods employed by law enforcement. The events of that day, that many citizens watched on social media, depicted angry men who tore banners, signs, and cell phones from protestors’ hands; we watched as they yelled “You don’t belong here;” and we watched as they wrestled protestors to the ground. Even more disturbing, we watched as police officers appeared to side with and walk beside the counter-protestors. Penal Code section 422.6 defines hate crimes and penalties. That section states “(a) No person, whether or not acting under color of law, shall by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate, interfere with, oppress, or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or laws of this state or by the Constitution or laws of the United States….” Yet that is what we all saw that day. None of the Nevada City Police (or the Sheriff’s deputies) who were present at the protest saw it necessary to defend the Black Lives Matter protestors rights under First Amendment to the Constitution. We are concerned with the clear message that was leveled at our community that day. “Nevada City doesn’t welcome Black Lives Matter protests.” In fact, there hasn’t been another Black Lives Matter protest in either Nevada City or Grass Valley since that August 9 event. This matter must be addressed. Our police officers must get the State Legislative and mandated trainings they are required to have. Our Police Chief is accountable to ensure the officers are trained, and you, the Nevada City Council are accountable for hiring a police chief that makes sure the officers are properly trained. In addition, you should also be aware that since 2018 there have been five new hires on the NCPD – doubling the Police Officer staff – one in 2018, two in 2019, one in 2020, and one in early 2021. Of those five new hires four had no prior experience, and all had no more education than the basic law enforcement modules. Some were hired the same month they completed their education. It is part of our mission and mandate to expose these significant findings to our community, and they will be made public at the appropriate time. Meantime, we wish to see that changes are made, and that local police are well trained to serve the community. Some of us who are Nevada City residents wish to be present at the Town Hall you have promised, on improvements to Nevada City Police Department, and whether Nevada City should continue to maintain and pay for its own police force. Lorraine Reich, Attorney Nevada County Progressive Alliance Mar./Apr. Newsletter. Progressive Alliance March 2021 alerts and info. It all started after Netanyahu and Trump announced their illegal Annexation Plan. We initiated “Teen against the Annexation”, a petition which collected more than 400 signatures of young activists from all over Israel. The statement was widely shared on social media, discussed by youth online and reported in the Israeli press. We swarmed social media with stories about the occupation to educate Israeli teens about the atrocities their government send soldiers to commit and to mobilize them against the annexation and in resistance to militarism.  In the following weeks we organized a direct protest in front of the house of Benny Gantz, Minister of Defense and Netanyahu’s vital coalition partner. Under the radar, Gantz ordered a special enlistment of reserve army troops, as Israel was preparing for resistance in the annexed territories. The ongoing pressure led Netanyahu to back down from his promise for the settlers and revoke his policy of an immediate annexation in July. Washington and Dubai are stealing the credit of the achievement of left wing activists, as the Israeli halted all preparations for the annexation of Palestine! Now, we directed our efforts toward the ongoing mass demonstrations in Jerusalem. For the past month, a permanent protest zone occupies the area around Prime Minister Netanyahu’s official residence. Thousands of Israelis are coming weekly to protest the political corruption, police violence and destruction of democratic norms by the government.We chose to join these protests as part of a progressive block with a unique message: End the occupation and liberate the Palestinians people. We hold banners calling for democracy for all and murals of Iyad al Hallak who was murdered by Israeli police. We face police violence and many of us were unlawfully arrested in every demonstration, while others were assaulted by organized groups of pro-government hooligans. Our message is that true freedom cannot coexist with military oppression, and that each one of us has a personal obligation to depart from evil and do good. We need your help! Please forward this update – to groups and networks you are part of, to friends and to family – and ask them to subscribe to our updates in this link: In solidarity,  In continued support of the Black Lives Matter movement that has swept the USA, for our Fourth Friday Film Forum this month, the Peace and Justice Center presents a film discussion on the film “Selma” (2014). It is important that all Americans know and understand the history of racism in the U.S. Selma gives us an important piece of that history, because of the nonviolent resistance efforts of Martin Luther King, John Lewis and others that the Civil Rights Act, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were enacted. Selma is directed by black activist, Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, Selma, Alabama became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated with President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Due to COVID-19 we cannot show the film at our usual venue, the Helling Library, so everyone is asked to independently watch the film (available on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix) and then join us for a Zoom discussion. Members of the Peace Center will host and moderate a ZOOM ROOM discussion on Friday evening, August 28, 2020 at 7:00 pm. You must email your request to join the Zoom discussion to ncpeaceandjustice@gmail.com. On that day and before 6:00 you will be sent a Zoom invitation link to join us at 7:00 p.m. on the 28th We look forward to seeing you in the Zoom Room!  We stood up on the streets by the hundreds in solidarity with black lives. Now we will fight, from home, to save the endangered votes of people of color and students from a vicious voter suppression scam. How to stop the planned fix on the 2020 Election before it happens: 1-Buy and read Greg Palast’s new book, How Trump Stole 2020 online at www.gregpalast.com. Palast is the country’s leading journalist exposing election cheating. 17 million voters of color have already been purged from registration rolls and will not be able to cast their votes. Millions more will not receive a requested vote-by-mail ballot, or have it disqualified. Voters of color and students will be forced to wait in line for many hours during the pandemic, while suburban voters vote in ten minutes. Like the presidential elections of 2000, 2004 and 2016, this one will be stolen as well, along with critical down-ballot races. The polls are wrong because they do not take these factors into account. While you are on www.gregpalast.com, make a tax-deductible contribution to help them support lawsuits against voter suppression in many states. Urge friends to buy the book, and give it as a gift. We are trying to make it a bestseller so the mainstream media can’t ignore it. 2-Visit the Peace and Justice Center of Nevada City website, www.ncpeace.org, to see the options for volunteering to re-register disenfranchised purged voters, and register new voters, especially in “swing states”. You can write postcards and letters to these voters, or text or call them. Here are three great organizations that are coordinating for us to do this work. Choose one and start saving democracy: -Reclaim Our Vote (non-partisan)https://actionnetwork.org/forms/reclaim-our-vote-signup -Vote Forward/Swing Left (non-partisan) https://votefwd.org/ There is a local Nevada County campaign organized out of the Unitarian fellowship in Grass Valley that meets Thursdays at 4 on line. To join, email Reine Thibeault at rthibeault.uucm@yahoo.com -Stand Up America (partisan) https://www.standupamerica.com/ Jeffrey Gottesman KVMR 89.5 FM Thursday 6PM-7:30PM  In support of the Black Lives Matter movement that has swept the USA, the Peace and Justice Center presents “I Am Not Your Ne-ro” (2018). Some of you may object to the use of the much discouraged word “Ne-ro” for referring to African Americans, but you are asked to understand the context of those times. In 1979, Author, James Baldwin (Black Like Me), wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race and racial injustice in America, using Baldwin’s original words and a flood of rich archival material. “I Am Not Your Ne-ro” is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present #BlackLivesMatter movement. Using Baldwin’s words, Peck has produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. Due to the COVID-19 we cannot meet in person, so everyone is asked to independently watch the film (available on Netflix), and also available on YouTube (free). Members of the Peace Center will host and moderate a ZOOM ROOM discussion on Friday evening, July 24, 2020 at 7:00 pm. Hey, all you organizers and protestors of the Nevada County BLM movement, please join us and tell us what you think! You must request to join the Zoom discussion by emailing us at ncpeaceandjustice@gmail.com. You will be sent an invitation to join us and the link to your email account, no later than noon on July 24th. Looking forward to seeing you in the Zoom Room! |
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