Blueprint for Black power- Amos Wilson
/[MORE] from brothahaneef
“The white people are running away. They don’t want to be our neighbors.”
/Ventersdorp, South Africa — On the edge of this rural town, poor blacks have been moving into a line of new tin shacks across the road from an affluent white enclave. Now, the whites are taking action. “For Sale” signs are posted on many of their large brick houses.
“The white people are running away,” said Sara Letsie, who moved into her shack two months ago. “They don’t want to be our neighbors.”
Lea Victor is one of the few whites remaining in the neighborhood. “They are afraid of the blacks on the other side,” she said, pointing one by one toward five of her neighbors’ houses. “All of them are selling. They have started to take their stuff out.”
When Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president in 1994, one of his biggest challenges was bringing his ideals of reconciliation, tolerance and forgiveness to hundreds of conservative, white-run towns. In rural areas, where 40 percent of the country’s population lives, the apartheid system of racial segregation was deeply entrenched, more so than anywhere else in the nation.
Today, blacks live in town and are free to eat and drink anywhere, and they go to school with whites. But as in most parts of the country, whites still dominate the local economy. Whites own nearly all of the most lucrative farms around Ventersdorp, with blacks working as their laborers or servants.
The white community is a meld of liberals and conservative Afrikaners, many of whom mourned the death of Mandela.
Blacks say they no longer fear attacks or evictions by white extremists. But many still don’t enjoy, or can’t afford, the same privileges as whites. A private primary school, the town’s best, is all-white because few blacks can afford the fees. Only two of the 65 members of the Golf Club are black. And blacks say whites still move to the front of the line in stores.
Blacks and whites say they never socialize with each other. At restaurants, it’s rare to see people of different races sitting together. That is true in other South African towns and cities as well. Less than 40 percent of South Africans interact socially with people of another race, according to the SA Reconciliation Barometer, a public opinion poll on race, political and social relations.
“I have no white friends,” said Tommy Lerefolo, a black municipal official.
Many blacks still depend on whites for jobs in Ventersdorp. But black residents and community leaders say many have been fired and evicted from white-owned farms since Terre’Blanche’s murder. White community leaders deny that. “We don’t employ a lot of blacks anyway. Because they steal,” De Bruin said.
ANC officials are still struggling to redress the inequalities of apartheid. In Tshing, electricity, clean water and other basic services have improved. A few thousand houses have been built, but more are needed. Officials plan to relocate more than 1,100 families to the edge of Ventersdorp, essentially joining it with Tshing.
Racism linked to infant mortality, learning disabilities
/In the long list of health disparities that vex and disproportionately affect the lives of African-Americans - diabetes, cancer and obesity among them - one of the earliest and, it turns out, most significant, may be just when a black child is born.
A pair of Emory University studies released this year have connected the large share of African-American children born before term with the biologically detectable effects of stress created in women's bodies after decades of dealing with American racism. The studies' findings don't end there.
Racism, and its ability to increase the odds that a pregnant mother will deliver her child early, can kill. There is also evidence that racism can alter the capacity for a child to learn and distorts lives in ways that can reproduce inequality, poverty and long-term disadvantage, the studies found.
White Teacher to student: “Christopher, don’t you know Santa Clause is white? Why are you wearing that?”
/A local World War II veteran responded to racist remarks made by a Rio Rancho teacher.
Friday night, KOB Eyewitness News 4 brought viewers the story of a Cleveland High School teacher who called out an African American student because he was dressed as Santa Claus.
The teacher reportedly told student Christopher Rougier “Christopher, don’t you know Santa Clause is white? Why are you wearing that?”
Veteran Ear Richards told KOB that he was incredibly moved by the story.
"It’s hard in life to put words together but sometimes you make mistakes, and I hope that you feel that you made a mistake and say you're sorry for what you said,” Richards said. “I think that very important. I have nothing against you, or nothing like that."
Over-criminalization undermines respect for legal system
/Despite some of the sharpest political divisions in memory, Congress managed to mount one noteworthy bipartisan effort this year. Since May, the Over-criminalization Task Force, comprising five Republicans and five Democrats from the House Judiciary Committee, has worked diligently to develop recommendations that will address some of the fundamental problems plaguing the federal criminal justice system. The task force has been analyzing worrisome trends such as:
• the dramatic expansion of the size and scope of the federal criminal code over the past few decades;
• the proclivity of Congress to enact offenses without a mens rea — “guilty mind” — requirement, which leaves people vulnerable to being sent to jail for doing something they had no idea was a crime;
• the tendency to pass laws that are so vaguely worded that the limit of their reach is constrained only by the charging prosecutor’s creativity;
• and the ever-increasing labyrinth of federal regulatory crimes.
The 6,000-Page Report on CIA Torture Has Now Been Suppressed for 1 Year by Team Obama
/It cost $40 million to produce, documents serious wrongdoing, and doesn't threaten national security. Team Obama won't release it.
One year ago today, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to adopt a 6,000-page report on the CIA rendition, detention, and interrogation program that led to torture. Its contents include details on each prisoner in CIA custody, the conditions of their confinement, whether they were tortured, the intelligence they provided, and the degree to which the CIA lied about its behavior to overseers. Senator Dianne Feinstein declared it one of the most significant oversight efforts in American history, noting that it contains "startling details" and raises "critical questions." But all these months later, the report is still being suppressed.
The Obama Administration has no valid reason to suppress the report. Its contents do not threaten national security, as evidenced by the fact that numerous figures who normally defer to the national-security state want it released with minor redactions. The most prominent of all is Vice President Joe Biden.
Another is Senator John McCain.
"What I have learned confirms for me what I have always believed and insisted to be true—that the cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of prisoners is not only wrong in principle and a stain on our country’s conscience, but also an ineffective and unreliable means of gathering intelligence," he said in a statement. "... It is therefore my hope that this Committee will take whatever steps necessary to finalize and declassify this report, so that all Americans can see the record for themselves, which I believe will finally close this painful chapter for our country."
They are hardly alone.
In order to mark the one-year anniversary of the report being adopted (only to be suppressed), the Center for Victims of Torture has assembled a list of 58 figures of note who insist that the public ought to be able to read the important document. It includes a total of eight U.S. senators and numerous former Obama Administration officials, including Harold Koh and Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering.
18 LA sheriff's deputies face US charges
/Federal officials on Monday unsealed five criminal cases filed against 18 current and former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies as part of an FBI investigation into allegations of civil rights abuses and corruption in the nation's largest jail system.
The charges were announced at a press conference after 16 of 18 defendants were arrested earlier in the day. They were expected to be arraigned later in U.S. District Court.
"These incidents did not take place in a vacuum - in fact, they demonstrated behavior that had become institutionalized," said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. "The pattern of activity alleged in the obstruction of justice case shows how some members of the Sheriff's Department considered themselves to be above the law."
Four grand jury indictments and a criminal complaint allege unjustified beatings of jail inmates and visitors at downtown Los Angeles jail facilities, unjustified detentions and a conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation into misconduct at the Men's Central Jail.
The FBI has been investigating allegations of excessive force and other misconduct at the county's jails since at least 2011. The official said the arrests were related to the abuse of individuals in the jail system and also allegations that sheriff's officials moved an FBI informant in the jails possibly to thwart their probe.
Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore referred calls to the FBI. He said Sheriff Lee Baca would provide a comment later Monday afternoon.
"We've cooperated fully with the FBI in their investigation and we'll continue to do so," Whitmore said.
One federal indictment filed Nov. 20 named seven deputies charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. It is unclear from the indictment whether they are currently employed by the department.
Among those charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the 18-page indictment are two lieutenants, one of whom oversaw the department's safe jails program and another who investigated allegations of local crimes committed by sheriff's personnel, two sergeants and three deputies.
All seven are accused of trying to prevent the FBI from contacting or interviewing an inmate who was helping federal agents in a corruption and civil rights probe. One of the investigations involved trying to see if a deputy would accept a bribe to provide the inmate with a cell phone, court documents show.
The indictment alleges the inmate was moved to hide him and false entries were made in the sheriff's databases to make it appear as if he had been released.
In an attempt to find out more information about the investigation, one lieutenant and the two sergeants sought a court order to compel the FBI to provide documents, prosecutors said. When a state judge denied the proposed order, the two sergeants allegedly attempted to intimidate one of the lead FBI agents outside her house and falsely told her they were going to seek a warrant for her arrest, the indictment said.
Baca has acknowledged mistakes to a county commission reviewing reports of brutality, but he has also defended his department and distanced himself personally from the allegations.
He said he's made improvements including creating a database to track inmate complaints. Baca has also hired a new head of custody and rearranged his command staff.
Retired sheriff's Cmdr. Bob Olmsted, who is challenging Baca for the voter-elected position of sheriff in 2014, said in a statement Monday that the arrests "underscore the high level of corruption that has plagued the Sheriff's Department."
He said as a commander he tried "several times" to notify the sheriff and his command staff about "ongoing abuses and misconduct" in Men's Central Jail, but his "concerns fell on deaf ears."
"I knew I had to act, and as a result, I notified the FBI of the department's culture and acceptance of excessive force, inmate abuse, sheriff's gangs, and corruption," Olmsted said.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Sheriff's Department in 2012 claiming the sheriff and his top commanders had condoned violence against inmates. The organization released a report documenting more than 70 cases of misconduct by deputies.
Last month the county announced the appointment of veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor Max Huntsman to head a new office of inspector general that will oversee the Sheriff's Department.
The county's jails held more than 18,700 inmates as of Monday.
Baltimore police brutality settlements worth $113K on agenda
/City officials are set to consider $113,000 in payments to settle two lawsuits alleging police brutality, including a case in which a well-known 77-year-old barber's arm was broken during an arrest.
Baltimore's Board of Estimates is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an award of $63,000 to Lenny Clay, the West Baltimore barber at Lenny's House of Naturals whose case sparked protests in 2009. The spending panel also has before it a $50,000 settlement with Anthony Keyes, 42, whom officers shocked with a Taser before arresting him on charges that were later dismissed.
The city's Law Department recommended the settlements because of "conflicting factual and legal concerns" and the "unpredictability of jury verdicts."
James E. Clay, who goes by the name "Lenny," was arrested Dec. 23, 2009, after he struck a parked car and continued driving, the city said. Clay, who was 73 at the time, did not hear the officers directing him to pull over and eventually stopped his vehicle near Leeds Street and Palormo Avenue, city lawyers said.
The officers, Sgt. Robert Brown and Lt. Sean Mahoney, removed Clay from the car. During the arrest, Clay suffered a broken arm, according to city documents.
Clay filed a $26 million lawsuit against the officers, alleging battery, excessive force and gross negligence. Clay, whose regular barbershop clients have included Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, repeatedly denied the officers' allegations that he resisted arrest and appeared intoxicated.
Schmoke once referred to Clay as the "Mayor of Poppleton." Friends said the barber spent countless nights on the streets trying to talk kids out of selling drugs, raised money for Pop Warner football league uniforms, and gave money to send talented students to private schools.
The Rev. C.D. Witherspoon, who was among those protesting Clay's arrest, on Monday called the incident "shameful."
"It was egregious, violent behavior," he said. "It really outraged the community. It's a shame the city has to foot the bill for police violence."
Occupy Oakland: Police Brutality Tab Reaches Nearly $2.9M
/The Oakland City Council has tentatively approved a $693,000 settlement for two of the Occupy protesters who say they were beaten and arrested by Oakland police during two separate Occupy demonstrations.
Roughly $645,000 of the payout will go to Afghanistan and Iraq war vet Kayvan Sabeghi, who claims he was beaten by Oakland police officer Frank Uu, who has since retired, on the evening of Nov. 2, 2011. The attack, which lacerated Sabeghi's spleen, was captured on video.
Desmond Tutu Snubbed: Not Invited to Mandela Funeral
/Another snag hit South Africa's long goodbye to anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela on Saturday when his longtime ally Desmond Tutu said he had not been accredited as a clergyman at the funeral by the government so would not attend.
Mac Maharaj, a spokesman for South African president Jacob Zuma, insisted that Tutu is on the guest list and that he hopes a solution will be found so Tutu is present. He said he had verified that Tutu had been invited.
The 82-year-old retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town indicated he felt he had been snubbed by the current government, with which he has clashed several times in the past.
"Much as I would have loved to attend the service to say a final farewell to someone I loved and treasured, it would have been disrespectful to Tata (Mandela) to gatecrash what was billed as a private family funeral," Tutu said in a statement. "Had I or my office been informed that I would be welcome there is no way on earth that I would have missed it."
It was the latest problem to hit the 10-day mourning period for Mandela, the former president who died on Dec. 5 at age 95. The public memorial ceremony for Mandela on Tuesday at a Soweto stadium started late, had problems with loudspeakers and featured a signing interpreter for the deaf who made incomprehensible gestures, is a self-described schizophrenic and reportedly once faced charges of murder and other serious crimes.
No Way to Integrate White Supremacy (Here, South Africa or anywhere else): Luxury Condo Caught Excluding Blacks
/Marketed as luxurious, resort-style living, South Tower CityPlace sits in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach.
Now, a federal lawsuit alleged racial discrimination against the operators of the 20-story condo building.
"It's disturbing, people who believe they have the right to lie to Americans based on the color of their skin," said Vince Larkins.
Larkins runs the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, which conducts random audit testing at housing providers throughout the area. He says out of numerous tests, South Tower CityPlace was the only location found to be discriminating on the basis of race.
Larkins says in three tests during the last year, African-Americans were not helped when they showed interest in purchasing a property.
"The black testers were told either no one was available to see them in two tests, or they couldn't be helped at the time, " said Larkins.
Larkins says white testers were helped by sales associates in further tests minutes later.
The lawsuit also states the third and final time testers went in one hour apart from each other to see units within the $150,000-$350,000 price range. The African American was told only units in the $375,000+ range were available. The white tester was shown two units within the price range.
Tequisha Myles with Legal Aid of Palm Beach County says she isn't surprised.
"A third of the places we test in a year requires some sort of follow up or a case comes out of it based on disability, familial, race or national origin discrimination," said Myles.
The owners and operators of South Tower CityPlace didn't return any of NewsChannel 5 phone calls.
Larkins hopes the lawsuit will bring a change in policy at the condominium.
off duty Black Orlando officer targeted by white co-worker cops during unlawful traffic stop
/A black Orlando police officer has filed a complaint against two white Orlando officers who he said racially profiled him during a traffic stop while he was off-duty in October, WFTV-Channel 9 is reporting.
Officer Janir Sims, a seven year veteran, said he was pulled over for no reason on Oct. 5 and two officers — Tyler Olsen and Phil McMican — pulled their guns and "ran towards my vehicle in a reckless manner not prescribed by any formal OPD training that I am aware of," according to the news station.
An internal investigation will likely be conducted to determine if the officers should be disciplined. To read the full story see WFTV.com.
The racism Mandela surmounted is alive and well in modern Ireland [white supremacy is worldwide, 24/7]
/One Dutch word in the English language is ‘apartheid’. It is one of the most socially evil systems ever devised. Mandela played a great role with countless, often nameless others, in destroying and supplanting apartheid. The greater achievement was not bringing down apartheid — it was in successfully replacing it.
South Africa of course is deeply flawed. It could hardly be other, so soon. Neither the role played by Mandela or the ANC can or should be free from criticism. History will slowly but surely winnow his lasting legacy from the Princess Diana-like lather of the past days. Mandela will emerge a somewhat chastened but far more credible figure because of it. What is in progress there and here this week is a great rush to take possession politically, and to profit by association, with an embryonic mythical Mandela.
Given his stature the excavation of any association could see an opportunist through for a generation. Look at Pearse, de Valera or Collins. People here successfully feasted from them reputationally, not for one generation but for two, and the leftovers were served as sandwiches to a third. Mandela the man is gone, now the myth-making is begun. In death he can be used, as he would never allow when alive, by people who if they followed him from a distance never imitated him very closely in life.
The Irish version of the Mandela myth is particularly cruel and corrosive. Racism is a deeply disturbing spectre. It leaves its victims living lives of fear, degradation and a greater likelihood of poverty. If like Nelson Mandela you are black and African, it is not only prevalent, it is pervasive in Ireland. Racism can also be part of your life if you are either ethnically Asian or indeed, Caucasian but foreign.
The myth-making around race in Ireland is pervasive and pernicious. It ranges from “they” get “everything” free to they get “more” than “they” are entitled to. Specifically, “they” are given houses by the local authority, “they” are given hand-outs, prams and even cars by the community welfare officer. “They” have it all for nothing. As we have learnt only too well this past week, charity begins at home.
In our Rainbow nation fully 12% of our people were born abroad. That doesn’t include those born here of non-Caucasian ethnicity and who are likely treated more as “them” than the us who are bathing ourselves in the suds rising off the lather of the Mandela allegory. To be black and Irish is to be a second-class citizen.
Black Man's Car Vandalized with Racist & Anti-Islamic Messages in Watertown (NY)
/An act of vandalism and a hateful message left on the vehicle of a black Muslim immigrant have left a Watertown man shaken and have prompted what a state agency says may be the Watertown Police Department’s first investigation of a hate crime in five years.
The vehicle of Issa Alzouma, a native of Niger who has lived in the city for about three years, was damaged at his home early Saturday.
The truck, a 2003 Chevrolet Avanlanche, sustained about $3,200 worth of damage, according to Mr. Alzouma. The truck’s windshield was shattered and the front- and back-seat windows on the driver’s side were smashed.
A note containing racial slurs written in marker was tucked under the car’s windshield wipers.
“U (expletive) (racial slur) I know where u work too!!! U better watch your back!!!” the note said, according to a transcript in a police report Mr. Alzouma showed the Times. “(Expletive) Muslim and (racial slur)! Quit your job or else.”
Since the incident, Mr. Alzouma has been on paid leave from his job with Securitas Security Systems at the Dulles State Office Building because of the nature of the threat.
On Tuesday, Watertown Police Detective Sgt. Joseph R. Donoghue said the department’s investigation was in its early stages, and part of its review is determining whether the incident is a hate crime.
[To the extent that you might be dealing with a racist fireman..] White fire chief resigns over racial posts
/The chief of a southwestern Indiana volunteer fire department has resigned after being confronted about postings on his Facebook page saying he was a racist and had joined the Ku Klux Klan.
Sean Sargent resigned Tuesday after about a year as chief of the Owensburg Fire Department in rural Greene County.
Jackson Township Trustee Paul Trampke oversees the fire department. Trampke says he was shocked by Sargent’s postings and confronted him after hearing of complaints about them to the sheriff’s department.
The Herald Times and WRTV report Sargent’s now-deactivated Facebook page included jokes with racial expletive and post inviting others to support the KKK.
Sargent says his posts were directed at people who take advantage of taxpayers and that he hasn’t discriminated against anyone because of their race.
Johns Hopkins study: Predominantly black neighborhoods have most limited access to supermarkets
/The health food disparities of predominantly black neighborhoods have been well-documented. Until recently, these disparities have been seen as the result of limited financial resources.
However, a recent study published in Preventive Medicine offers a new perspective on the health food discussion. Led by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing assistant professor Kelly Bower and colleagues from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the study suggests that when compared with other neighborhoods, without regard to income, predominantly black neighborhoods have the most limited access to supermarkets and to the healthier foods that such markets sell.
The study explored food store availability in over 65,000 rural and urban census tracts across the country, comparing the numbers of supermarkets with more than 50 employees, grocery stores, and convenience stores in communities with varied economic and racial compositions. The researchers found that the more impoverished a neighborhood, the fewer the number of independent or chain supermarkets and the less access to fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, high-fiber foods, and other healthy meal and snack options. The same finding holds true for all predominantly black neighborhoods—whatever the economic status—when compared with predominantly white or Hispanic communities.
These findings suggest that educating people in these neighborhoods on the importance of health conscious food choices is of limited value. If a person does not have access to such foods, then merely educating her won't solve the problem. The study also suggests that people in predominantly black neighborhoods need to be afforded better access to healthy eating options.
Interpreter for deaf at Mandela memorial service was a fake
/He made waves with his arms, touched his forehead and reached out with an embracing motion. And as the official interpreter for the deaf watching the Nelson Mandela memorial event Tuesday, he stood right behind the world’s most powerful leaders, including President Obama.
And he was a fake, advocates for the deaf say.
Web sites and radio shows here were flooded with condemnations of the African National Congress-led government and the organizers of the memorial at FNB Stadium in Soweto for failing to figure out whether the man was simply waving his arms around.
“Please get RID of this CLOWN interpreter, please!” Bruno Peter Druchen, head of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, tweeted during the memorial.
“ANC linked interpreter on stage is causing embarrassment amongst deaf ANC supporters. Please get him off,” added Wilma Newhoudt, a deaf member of the South African Parliament and vice president of the World Federation of the Deaf.
But the man remained on stage, and on Wednesday, his performance became the focus of a new storm of criticism. People who phoned an afternoon radio call-in show said the situation showed inept hiring, insensitivity to the deaf and a serious security lapse on the part of event organizers. And, they said, it marred the solemn event by distracting attention from Mandela and the world leaders who came to pay tribute to him.
It was not immediately clear who the man was or how he got on stage.
According to the Associated Press, Collins Chabane, one of South Africa’s two presidency ministers, said the government was investigating and “will report publicly on any information it may establish.”
White House officials directed questions about the interpreter to the South African government but gave no indication that there were concerns about Obama’s security arising from the discovery.
“I think the point is that he apparently was not translating him into anything but was enjoying the opportunity to be on the stage,” Josh Earnest, the principal deputy White House press secretary, said Wednesday at the daily briefing. “It would be a shame if a distraction about an individual who’s on stage in any way detracted from the importance of that event and the importance of President Mandela’s legacy.”
San Jose State faculty condemn racist conduct toward Black Student, criticize administration
/San Jose State faculty leaders formally apologized this week to a black student allegedly bullied for weeks by his white roommates, saying the reported abuse should have been stopped sooner.
" ... This despicable behavior may have been significantly reduced had it been addressed promptly," says a resolution passed by SJSU's Academic Senate.
The senate executive committee also begged the administration to renew its focus on diversity and to follow through on earlier suggestions for change.
Last month, four white SJSU freshmen were charged with misdemeanor crimes, accused of tormenting their black roommate for weeks. The four students -- who reportedly told police that the abuse was just a prank -- have been suspended while their criminal and campus discipline cases proceed.
The resolution also echoes broader concerns raised by faculty and students, including assertions that SJSU President Mo Qayoumi shelved a diversity master plan that was published before his arrival. The 122-page document calls for a more diverse faculty and measures to prevent "intercultural hostilities" and "cultural isolation," among other recommendations.
A former administrator who coordinated the plan said she met with Qayoumi after his appointment in 2011, but he didn't seem interested implementing its ideas.
"... It wasn't continued, and nothing replaced it," said Rona Halualani, an SJSU communications professor who was a special assistant to former SJSU President Don Kassing.
Now, she said, "No one really knows what the plan is."
ACLU: Holyoke police should be investigated regarding allegations of racial targeting of non-whites 'who look illegal'
/The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the Massachusetts attorney general to investigate Holyoke police regarding allegations of racial profiling in a Nov. 16 traffic stop and arrest.
Police in the stop at 240 Water St. denied people state and federal constitutional guarantees of equal protection, said a letter dated Tuesday from William C. Newman, director of the ACLU's Western Regional Office in Northampton, to the Boston office of Attorney General Martha M. Coakley.
"By this correspondence we seek to bring to the attention of the Massachusetts Attorney General a recent incident in which police officers in the City of Holyoke unjustifiably harassed and accosted several individuals and arrested one based on the officers' supposition that those individuals are immigrants, and request that the Attorney General take appropriate action," Newman's letter said.
According to citizen complaints about the incident filed with the Holyoke Police Department Nov. 23, Officer Patricia Alicea engaged in alleged misconduct in the arrest of Jose Loja Mayancela, 18, of Springfield. Mayancela was arrested and charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle after police responded to a report at 6:35 p.m. of a suspicious vehicle with three people inside at 240 Water St., according to police and court documents.
Myancela pleaded guilty in Holyoke District Court and was fined $100, said Bliss Requa-Trautz, an organizer with Just Communities in Springfield, a group that helps immigrants. She said Myancela lacked proper legal representation.
Holyoke police mistreated more than just Mayancela in the traffic stop, said a press release from Just Communities.
Alicea and another unidentified officer interrogated four people at the scene whom the officers assumed were immigrants, said the press release from Bliss Requa-Trautz, an organizer with Just Communities.
"The interrogations consisted of implications of criminal wrongdoing, demands for proof of immigration status, and then throwing driver's licenses back at these individuals when they produced them, improperly impounding a car and effecting an improper arrest," the Just Communities press release said.
Those at the scene told police officers they had stopped at 240 Water St. because they were lost and waiting for help, said Newman's letter to Coakley's office.
The Just Communities press release said the incident highlights the need to pass the Trust Act, a bill currently in the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security that she said would clarify the role of local law enforcement related to immigrants.
