MEDIA UPDATE & CLARIFICATION*: September 13, 2011

Jury Seated and First Testimony Heard in Civil Trial About Fatal Police Beating of Martin Cotton

Oakland, CA:   On the morning of September 12, 2011 in U.S. District Court, Northern District in Oakland, CA, a seven person jury was sworn in to hear the civil trial brought by the family of Martin Frederick Cotton II, who was killed by a fatal police beating in Eureka, California four years ago.  Supporters and members of Redwood Curtain CopWatch and the Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality rallied outside the courthouse early in the morning, spreading the word about the trial about to occur, speaking out against state brutality, and holding signs "Cops Beat Martin To Death.  Justice For Martin Cotton!" 

The civil trial in Oakland: Siehna Cotton et al. v. Eureka Police Dept. and Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. has been POSTPONED.  Please keep your eyes and ears out for the new date, some time after February!

A couple of us from Redwood Curtain CopWatch want to travel to the Bay Area (and points between and around here and there) to talk to groups of people about what happened to Martin Cotton, to invite people to the trial, and to help connect the conversations and struggles that our communities are engaged in regarding police brutality. [See below for links about events planned so far] We are looking for ideas, suggestions, and help in our organizing to make presentations and participate in gatherings and conversations regarding state violence, in these days leading up to the trial. Beginning on December 13th and probably running for two or three weeks, we want to have a full schedule in the Bay Area and thereabouts.  Can you help?  Perhaps, for instance, you could book us to make a presentation where you live, publicize our visit and the upcoming trial, and/or inform us of events and discussions already planned in your area.

Humboldt County Sheriff Officers shot and killed Robert Garth in the morning of Saturday August 7, 2010. CopWatchers and friends of the Garth family went to Blue Lake, after learning of the shooting.  We took lots of video and photos. We want here to share what we learned, in brief.

First this: As we write this post (Saturday night, August 7, 2010), we anticipate two things. The first is that the media (i.e. Thadues Greenson of the Times-Standard who was in Blue Lake) will parrot, stating as fact, the police story.  That's what the media ALWAYS does.

Peter Stewart

June 4, 2007

On June 3rd, 2007 an ambulance was called to take Peter Stewart, a Hupa man,  back to Sempervirens mental hospital in Eureka. Peter had been released two days earlier and was not stabilized. An ambulance never came. Instead, police came to Hoopa, flying into the yard where Peter was; police brandishing weapons and holding a gun to his head.

Peter ran into the house. Humboldt Sheriff’s refused to let Peter’s mother close to the house or to her son. During the night, SWAT made comments on their radios about seeing Peter make a sandwich, drink juice, watch TV, and fall asleep.

On June 4th officers of the Sheriff’s Dept, Eureka Police, and SWAT began shooting tear gas in the home, 50 rounds of tear gas heard and counted by the entire Hoopa community on their scanners. Peter’s family & others also believed that officers were shooting ammunition with the tear gas. The Sheriff's, EPD, and SWAT stood and watched the house burn up- with Peter in it.