The ACLU is reporting that they filed a lawsuit on behalf of Jason Kemp. Kemp was murdered execution style in the summer of 2010 by Colorado State Patrol men. Kemp refused to allow officers to enter his Grand Junction home with out a warrant. In turn, Kemp was murdered in cold blood.
Glad to see the ballin’ ass lawyers at the ACLU are handling this case.
Our deepest condolences to the Kemp family.
Jason Kemp
Via Raim: This March 17th is the commemoration of the death of Luis Jr Martinez. On March 17 1973, the Crusade for Justice, a Chicano civil rights organization in Denver, was attacked in a police raid. In the ensuing attack Luis Jr Martinez was assassinated by a cop from the Denver police. Luis was a Chicano revolutionary who exemplified the spirit of resistance and struggle for Mexicano people in occupied land. He gave his life defending his people, and for this we observe his life.
As a youth Martinez grew up in the barrios of Denver. He put his energies into serving the community as he became more politically active and aware. Martinez eventually joined the Crusade for Justice, founded in 1966 and led by Rudolfo “Corky” Gonzalez. The Crusade for Justice was a leading Chicano nationalist organization and the Crusade and Corky became influential nationwide. With the Crusade Martinez attended the Poor Peoples Campaign in 1968 in DC.
Martinez was also a founder of a local chapter of the Black Berets, a national radical Chicano organization. They operated out of the Crusade building and assisted with security at community events. The Berets played an important role in the West High School blowouts in 1968, high school uprisings that happened all throughout Aztlan/Occupied Mexico. Junior was active in serving, educating and organizing the Chicano community in many different ways.
Martinez was also an accomplished dancer. After traveling to Mexico Martinez founded the Baile de Chicano de Aztlan, a dance troupe within the Crusade. Using culture as a tool, he helped in bringing back culture from Mexico to teach to the people to help regain their cultural knowledge. The enthusiasm Martinez brought to his dance influenced others around him.
Luis became an outspoken and increasingly militant activist. Subsequently he was constantly targeted by the police. Like many debates among the Movement in this time, an issue at hand was armed self defense, with Martinez being an advocate that oppressed people have a right to defend themselves.
On February 27 1973 the American Indian Movement took over and occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota in response to the long injustices and oppression faced by First Nation peoples. In Denver the Crusade helped organize protests in solidarity, showing unity and cooperation among oppressed nations within Amerika. Both AIM and Chicano organizations were targets of federal counterinsurgency under COINTELPRO, and the prospects of Chicano and Native unity was something they couldn’t tolerate. The Wounded Knee incident lasted 71 days, and the activity around it was a pretext to lead to a confrontation on March 17 of that year.
The police raided the Crusade headquarters at Colfax and Downing this day. A shootout happened between police and Chicanos, including Martinez. Luis was shot and killed, and another Crusade member was wounded. A subsequent explosion destroyed a Crusade apartment building. The reason for this explosion remains unknown, but was in the context of the Wounded Knee struggle, and this repressive act marked a turning point for movement activities in Denver.
Though details remain unclear, the more facts that appear, lead us to believe that Richard was killed in cold blood. Lets try and break this down point by point. Mr. Arreola was apparently, under investigation for suspicion of slanging meth to south Aurora middle schoolers. Now, if this is true, it is clearly a despicable act, however we know the police lie to justify their deadly ways. Undercover narcs went to Mr. Arreola’s business, Neviah Wireless, and apparently bought some weed off of him. Big fucking deal. They are also claiming that he led them to believe that he could get them meth. But guess what, when they executed a search warrant at Mr. Arreola’s business the day after he was murdered they seized a pound of weed and no meth.
The police are trying to spin this as an instance in which Mr. Arreola discovered the identity of the narcs and approached them with a gun(s) and were therefore placed in a position in which they had to kill him. Lets look at this from a rational angle. If someone is following you that appears suspicious, one may react. Furthermore, Mr. Arreola lived in the hood and may have had a gun for protection. I am assuming this because he did not attempt to conceal them. Rather, allegedly, he carried both a pistol and rifle in plain view. This is not a crime. In fact, maybe this is a case the NRA should jump on board with. Here we have a gun totting business owner that is shot to death by the police. Furthermore, no one is claiming that Mr. Arreola raised up on anyone. Lets be real here. Mr Arreola, may not have been an angel, nonetheless, he is allowed to have guns and to be suspicious of some creepy ass people following him. At worst, he was a drug dealer, however what the Aurora police are trying to do is justifying killing him on this basis. Even if this is true, which I lean toward doubting, in no way should this be a fucking death sentence.
Our deepest condolences.
Courtesy of Denver post via 9news handout
The Denverpost is now reporting that the victim in last nights killing was Richard Arreloa. Mr. Arreola was murdered by Aurora police officer(s). Mr. Arreola’s brother, claims that he has no idea as to why his brother was being investigated. Mr. Arreola was just arriving at his mother’s house to pick up his 3 year old daughter. As more details surface, the sketchier this incident becomes.
Again our condolences to the family
The Denver Post is reporting that a man was killed by Undercover police in Aurora last night. The article claims the man was armed and under surveillance for drug suspicions. The killing occurred on the 1400 block of Macon Street.
9news is reporting that one single officer shot the victim. That officer has been placed on paid Admin Leave pending the investigation. This is a common practice in most law enforcement agencies, except for Denver PD and Denver Sheriff’s Department. No names have yet been released. According to 9news, “Police say the vice and narcotics officers followed the man to the location and were told over their radio that the man was armed. The man started approaching the officers, for an unknown reason, and that is when shots were fired, according to police.” This reeks of suspicion. Was the man actually approaching the officers with a gun in hand, or did he just happen to be armed? We will post updates as the come in. Our condolences go out to the family of the victim.
Location here
The Denver popo killed another unarmed Denver man yesterday. At around one a.m. on July 28, near the corner of Louisiana and Federal, two po-lice gunned down a man that they claim was “armed” with a toy handgun. The details are still sketchy at best, but apparently someone called the dispatch to report a man with a gun. The po knew what they were looking for and what they would encounter. Po-lice spokesman John White claims that when the po-lice pulled up to the men, they “repeatedly gave commands” for them to get down. However, according to the Denver Post, an eyewitness named Larry Trujillo, claims that he heard no verbal exchange between the men or officers before the shooting. Trujillo claims to have seen one of the men reach for his waist and pull out what “looked like a real gun.” Well, we all know what happens next, five to seven shots and the unidentified man is dead. I’m not gonna say too much more about this incident because the details just aren’t there, but it sounds like some contradictory bullshit. We’ll keep you up.
Literally, damn near every got damn day I review the local papers something like this comes up.
“Police fired on a car in Commerce City early Thursday morning, killing a man they described as an “escaped felon” and wounding a woman who was with him.” (Denver Post).
I don’t give a fuck if he is a felon. I don’t give a fuck if he had a warrant. Now, he’s just another dead man at the hands of the police. And the woman, what’s her so called fault for getting shot by the police. Is the officer that fired on her going to face charges?
The Post reports that, “They tracked him to the trailer park based on a vehicle that was associated with the suspect.” Okay shocking, trailer park, safe to assume poor folk. You think if some white-collar, thief of the people, who lives in Highlands Ranch and has a warrant would get murdered? Shiiiiiiiieeeet.
Like always West Denver CopWatch will keep you posted
So some racist ass police murdered a Chicano man in cold blood in Walsenburg on Easter Sunday. Police arrived after a neighbor called them in response to a domestic dispute. Police said that Armando Gallegos had a knife to his girlfriends neck however the family disputes this claim. According to the Pueblo Chieftain, the pig that murdered Mr. Gallegos and the other piece of swine that was at the scene have both been put on administrative leave. The bottom line is that lethal force was not needed in the matter and once again the police have murdered a man of color. It does not matter if you are in Denver, Aurora, Pueblo, Greeley, or a small town like Walsenburg the police are wildly racist, brutal, and out of fucking control. West Denver CopWatch will keep you posted on any further news regarding this situation.
By Kieran Nicholson
The Denver Post
POSTED: 03/22/2010 10:47:48 AM MDT
UPDATED: 03/22/2010 02:06:19 PM MDT
Matthew Herrera (family photo | funeral notice)
A Weld County Grand Jury investigating the fatal shooting of a man by a Platteville police officer, who fired his service weapon “approximately” 12 times, did not issue an indictment in the case.
Matthew Lucas Herrera, 30, of Platteville, was fatally shot Jan. 27 by officer Jim Torrez, according to a media release from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
The Weld County Coroner’s Office said Herrera died of “multiple” gunshot wounds and was likely hit by “10, or a portion of 10” bullets.
Deputy Coroner Chris Robillard said Herrera was hit multiple times, in various parts of his body from various angles, making it difficult to pin down exactly how many times he was shot.
Before the shooting, Platteville police had received information about a “suspicious vehicle,” including the vehicle license plate number. The plate was registered to Herrera, investigators said. Details on why his Chevrolet Camaro was considered suspicious were not released.
Another Platteville officer, Eli Rodriguez, had tried to pull over Herrera’s car at about 6:35 a.m. the day of the shooting and pursued it for two miles, but the driver didn’t stop, according to the district attorney’s office. Rodriguez ended his pursuit.
A short time later, at about 7 a.m., Torrez, out of uniform but in his marked patrol cruiser, arrived at Herrera’s home where he saw Herrera’s car pull into a “vacant” parking lot.
Torrez positioned his patrol car across the northern access to the lot to block Herrera’s car from leaving.
The release said Herrera drove his car in reverse, bumping into Torrez’s cruiser, before driving forward.
Torrez got out of his patrol car, drew his gun and ordered Herrera to get out of the car.
Instead, Herrera tried to drive off, but his tires were unable to gain traction on the icy lot surface and the Camaro tires spun out.
“Officer Torrez stated that he believed he was in danger of being hit by Herrera’s vehicle,” the release said.
“Officer Torrez fired approximately 11 rounds at Herrera while Herrera was in his vehicle,” the district attorney’s office said.
“Herrera got out of his car without showing his hands” and Torrez “fired at least one round that hit Herrera in the back and passed through a major blood vessel causing him to die from internal hemorrhaging.”
Herrera did not have a gun and no weapon was found in or near his car.
Platteville, with a population of about 2,400, has four patrol officers.
Gilbert Herrera said the day of the shooting that his son was hit six times in the barrage.
“As a result of the Grand Jury’s investigation, the Weld County District Attorney’s Office will not file criminal charges against Officer Torrez,” the release said. “Because no indictment was issued, confidentiality rules still apply to the Grand Jury’s discussions, findings and evidence review.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_14731200#ixzz0j20UDxeg
Matt Barnes, spokesman for the Thornton Police Department, said the man returned to the home around 4 a.m., some 15 minutes after police originally received reports that the suspect broke into the home, trashed the interior and stole a van.
As the man approached two officers, he had his hand on a large knife and ignored repeated commands to “stop” and to “get on the ground.”
One of the officers fired a Taser at the man; the second officer fired his gun, according to Barnes. The suspect died a short time later at a local hospital.
Barnes said that he does not know how many shots were fired or whether the man had taken the knife out of a sheath and pointed it at the officers.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14646631#ixzz0hnIwIPqG
West Denver Copwatch 