Redwood Curtain CopWatch, based in the north coast of California, is part of a larger movement of self organized CopWatch groups throughout the US. Our local efforts seek to intervene in the drastic rise of the presence, militarization, and violence of the police, and build support networks based on self-determination, caring, and concrete needs.
jail
Bunk X-Mas Arrest at Occupy Eureka
Submitted by copwatch on Sun, 12/25/2011 - 12:00amAnne Rian, a stalwart Occupier, was arrested this morning at Occupy Eureka, supposedly for a warrant. Missing a court date would be the only reason for a warrant. However, the District Attorney's office told us that Annie did not have court until January 5th.
Eureka Police Officer Cress, who has stolen many of our signs in the past and used to show up daily at the Occupy, made the arrest today, December 25th.
The jail told Anne that she is going to be in solitary, even though solitary or "maximum" is supposed to be for people who have problems with other people in the jail- it is not for people to be put in simply because they were arrested during political activity. The jail guards (Sheriff's Dept) have told her that she will be in there for up to five days (lies, intimidation) and has told her several different charges/reasons she was arrested on a warrant- so that is not clear.
Humboldt County Adopts Racist "Secure Communities Program"- SECRETLY
Submitted by copwatch on Sun, 09/26/2010 - 2:58pm
Humboldt County, on August 10, 2010, signed onto the Secure Communities Program [S-Comm] with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. The public had no say in the decision to adopt the invasive, unjust, and racist program for Humboldt County; the Board of Supervisors has not elicited public opinion about adopting this program, nor has it done anything to inform the public about it.
What is the "Secure Communities" Program? If you are booked into jail, your fingerprints are taken and forwarded to ICE. The fingerprints are crosschecked with immigration and FBI databases. ICE evaluates each fingerprint scan to see what enforcement action, if any, will be taken against you. Enforcement actions can include arrest by ICE, transfer to ICE custody and/or initiation of removal proceedings (AKA deportation).
U.S.A. Locking Up Poor People In Unprecedented Numbers
Submitted by copwatch on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 10:22pmNew research shows precisely how the prison-to-poverty cycle does its damage.
Posted Friday, Oct. 8, 2010
Forty years after the United States began its experimentation with mass incarceration policies, the country is increasingly divided economically. In new research published in the review Daedalus, a group of leading criminologists coordinated by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (which paid me to consult on this project) argued that much of that growing inequality, which Slate's Timothy Noah has chronicled, is linked to the increasingly widespread use of prisons and jails.
The Most Incarcerating Nation in the World
Submitted by copwatch on Fri, 08/20/2010 - 11:07pmRough Justice [article in The Economist!]
America locks up too many people, some for acts that should not even be criminal
Jul 22nd 2010 | Spring, Texas
IN 2000 four Americans were charged with importing lobster tails in plastic bags rather than cardboard boxes, in violation of a Honduran regulation that Honduras no longer enforces. They had fallen foul of the Lacey Act, which bars Americans from breaking foreign rules when hunting or fishing. The original intent was to prevent Americans from, say, poaching elephants in Kenya. But it has been interpreted to mean that they must abide by every footling wildlife regulation on Earth. The lobstermen had no idea they were breaking the law. Yet three of them got eight years apiece. Two are still in jail.
Jails Kill Prisoners or Neglect Them To Suffer and Die; Then Blame Death on Deceased
Submitted by copwatch on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 12:50pmSonoma County D.A. says "no fault" in Jail Death
By Mary Callahan, Press Democrat: June 11, 2010
The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office has concluded that a 44-year-old Santa Rosa man found dead in his bunk at the county jail last fall succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest. Prosecutors said there was no evidence of negligence related to the Sept. 18 death of Jon Gerald Moore. “After reviewing all of the evidence in this case, it is apparent that this was a tragic death due to natural causes and did not involve criminal negligence on the part of any individual,” Assistant District Attorney Diana Gomez said in a written statement. “Therefore, no criminal charges are warranted. The District Attorney's Office routinely reviews in-custody deaths under a countywide protocol aimed at ensuring objective investigation of cases in which someone dies while in the hands of law enforcement authorities.
