Rise Up October Exposes Terror and Murder by Prison Guards and Police in San Jose, California

October 5, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

Santa Clara County Jail, October 1October 1—Santa Clara County Jail, where three recent deaths have occurred as a result of brutal attacks by police and prison guards.

From a reader:

On Thursday, October 1, a small crew from SMIN (Stop Mass Incarceration Network) held a press conference in front of the Santa Clara County Jail, which has recently been in the news after the death of a mentally ill young inmate, Michael Tyree. It has recently come to light that there were discussions recorded between the guards who beat Tyree sadistically saying they love “twisting up” inmates in this particular unit where there are no cameras.

In addition to Tyree’s death, there were two other recent deaths: one involving a brutal cell extraction of an unnamed man and a suspicious death of a woman inmate at the same pig station. AND, if this wasn’t enough, charges were dropped just the day before against the cops who killed Phillip Watkins, a young Black man who was distressed and holding a folding knife, while relatives shouted for the cops not to shoot. Authorities called it “suicide by cop” and abruptly swept the murder under the rug.

The SMIN representative exposed these blatant racist acts, mirrored nationwide by the huge stolen lives banner draped directly in front of the pig station. He pointed out the “codified racism” implicit anytime the cops are let go by claiming they “fear for their lives.” And he called for people to end this genocide and stop police terror in the “capital of America”—New York City—on October 24 in a massive march and demonstration for Rise Up October.

The press then turned their cameras on another SMIN member who had once been locked up (for traffic violations) in the same jail. In fact, he’d been beaten just like countless others. He explained to the press that the cops in there KNOW the places where they cannot be recorded; and these are the beating grounds. One other member of the community joined the crew on the spot and held the banner, as we got out palm cards and Revolution papers (this issue appropriately had on the back page BAsics 2:16 where Bob Avakian talks about the police murder of Tyisha Miller). The press conference was covered by four major TV stations in just a few hours notice.

 

 

 

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