They Can't Shut Us Up! Pomona P.D. Caught Infiltrating Community Forum Against Racist Checkpoints
by Cal-Pulli Sound System
Thursday August 21, 2008 the Pomona Speaks Coalition held a community forum to address its current demands to end the racist checkpoints that plague our city of pre-dominantly so-called undocumented immigrants.
Dr. Jose Calderon of the Coalition and professor of sociology at Pitzer College welcomed the community. Here is an excerpt from the forum's flyer:
"As a result of the marches, letters to the newspapers, media coverage and presentations to the Pomona City Council, we have obtained important changes such as: No more checkpoints before 6:00 p.m. * No more four-way checkpoints * No more checkpoints in residential areas. but we have not won the battel yet! What do we want? We want DUI checkpoints to start at 9:00 p.m. as recommended by the State OTS agency. If driver is not charged with DUI, We don’t want cars to be impounded. We want people to exercise their right to call a licensed friend or relative to come and pick-up the vehicle. We want a thorough, independent investigation of the May 3rd, 2008 police action. We want the Pomona City Council to stop requesting grants to hold checkpoints until a just policy is put in place."
In addition, parents and youth from Pomona expressed their frustration and fear that has been instilled into them do to the racist checkpoints.
“Our community lives in fear because of the checkpoints. We can’t even go to get our groceries without worrying about getting our cars taken away. And every day it’s a logistical nightmare trying to find the safest way home in order to avoid the checkpoints”, said a resident of Pomona-a single mother of three.
Another young womyn also added, “Statistically you are more likely to get pulled over by a cop and get your car taken away than you are to get hit by a drunk driver. The police are not necessarily doing its job in protecting the people, instead its instilling fear. I don’t think any of us are arguing against protecting against drunk drivers, but that’s not what’s really going on in Pomona, and that’s what this is about.”
The forum was infiltrated by agitators who were quickly identified by several parents and university students as officers of the Pomona Police Department.
Sergeant O’Malley of the Pomona P.D. is the grant writer who applied for the State of California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Sobriety Checkpoint Grant.
The video below shows Sgt. O’Malley accusing Dr. Calderon for being a liar probably because he argues that “the checkpoints are first and foremost a way of ridding the city of its poor and immigrant populations.”
Sgt. O’Malley threatened to take the man sitting next to him outside with the other officers to beat him up.
“I’ve never seen them before and they knew my name and my license plate number. Probably because I’m part of the Coalition,” said the threatened community member.
There was approximately twelve Pomona Police Officers reeking of liquor and posing as civilians with anit-immigrant sentiments.
Their attempt to a provoke a violent confrontation amongst the community speaking out against both, the racist checkpoints and the police department, failed as the people pointed them out and forced them to leave.
The video below shows Pomona P.D. Officer Aleman being kicked out of the forum.
“I know Officer Aleman! He’s involved with afterschool programs at Philadelphia Elementary School where my son goes, those kids there look up to him. But now you can see Pomona P.D.’s true colors.”
The forum organizers collected proposals for future actions from the community:
· Demand that proof of attending driving schools be recognized as an alternative to alicense
· Take cars away from drunk drivers not un-licensed drivers
· The state should recognize licenses from other countries
· Protest on September 8 when the city will vote on accepting the OTS grant
· Demand an end to racial profiling
· Organize a text messaging network to spread the word when there are checkpoints
11 comments:
Hola Christopher. Try writing facts in your article if you are part of the media. Lying like Calderon makes you look like dirt too. Nice try though. Very good video of the Sarge. You made him look like a well spoken, telling the truth supervisor. Thanks.
Pomona POA
FYI...
Pomona POA = Police Officer's Association
There is no reason for Cities or the State to allow unlicensed drivers to drive on public roadways. The Coalition is totally out of line and the POA has been understanding in starting the checkpoint at 6pm and in less that 4 directions. GET A LICENSE OR DON'T DRIVE!!!
The writer of this blog must be proud that he is representing the hispanic people so well... Basically what you are doing is saying that the illegal hispanic people do not need to follow the laws of the state and that you do not need to show respect for the people of the state. In fact, those people are "Above the Law" in your eyes. I can tell just by reading this post that the writer has filled it with lies in order to try and bolster his own point of view.
If you do not like the laws of the state of california, go to sacramento and change them. Pomona does not make state law. NO LICENSE, NO CAR, NO EXCEPTIONS! --Even for hispanics.
The US Supreme Court says that checkpoints are legal infringement on our fourth amendment rights, but that states that use them (and several don't because they find the rights violation too intrusive) must follow regulations.
Our state Supreme Court set up those regulations in 1987's Ingersoll v. Palmer. They include:
*Supervisors (and not field officers) must decide when and where to hold checkpoints
“A neutral mathematical formula, such as every driver, or every third, fifth, or tenth driver should be used in determining who to stop at the roadblock.” (This is to avoid arbitrariness and profiling on the part of the officers.)
*Warning lights and signals must be highly visible, for the safety of motorists
*Locations and times of checkpoints must be reasonable
*The “officialness” of checkpoints must be clearly indicated
*Drivers should not be detained longer than necessary to determine whether they are impaired. If they show no signs of impairment, they should be released immediately.
*Advance public notice of checkpoints must be given. (This is designed to increase the deterrent effect, minimize intrusiveness, and to help establish the “officialness” of the checkpoint.)
Driver's license checkpoints are another issue. Apparently they are legal, but I haven't been able to find where either the court or the legislature has so declared. Apparently, at least one former sheriff opines that "the courts have yet to rule whether public safety gains outweigh the intrusion of individual liberty by being stopped and detained without probable cause."
However, on the OTS grant application, cities are warned that the state Attorney General requires departments to "issue press releases that mention DL’s will be checked at the DUI/DL checkpoint" and that "all DUI/DL checkpoint
operations must have signs reading 'DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint
Ahead.'"
Some cities follow this requirement and some don't. I think people that have been cited when passing through a checkpoint probably have a decent chance of getting charges dropped due to the lack of adherence to the regulations.
There is a fundamental problem, however, with attempting to apply these rulings and regulations to the checkpoints that are occurring in Pomona and elsewhere. The court's decision is predicated on the notion that the primary purpose of checkpoints is not to arrest drunk drivers, but rather to deter drunk driving. It is on these grounds that the court has found them a permissable violation.
However, what we are seeing in our streets is the use of these checkpoints to discover unlicensed drivers, most of whom are undocumented. The checkpoints, then, become de facto immigration checkpoints. Not only do we have municipal-level law enforcement agencies enforcing what is in essence federal law, which raises jurisdictional issues, but we also have the use of a tactic approved for one situation being applied in another.
That these checkpoints disproportionately affect the undocumented, in my opinion, helps build a case that they are an infringement on the civil rights of the undocumented, who should have protection as a class under the 14th amendment.
They violate our civil liberties. They violate our civil rights. They militarize our streets and normalize a police presence in our daily lives. It is for these reasons that checkpoints must go, and communities must organize to defend themselves from this abuse.
Christopher,
Thank you for posting this video. It really reinforces the message I preach and also backs my actions that night at your public forum. Thanks to you my actions are very clear and my message of supporting my association and licensed driving is also coming through loud and clear.
I would take the quotes off my statement though if you want any credibility. You know I did call Calderon a liar, because he is, but did not put down the hispanic race. I support all races, just not unlicensed drivers.
Enforce all laws, zero tolerance in Pomona, more people live and prosper.
Patrick O'Malley
Pomona Police Officers' Association
For the record:
Every single immigrant would love to get a driving license.
In fact many people advocate to grant them licenses and even the governor has expressed he's in favor of them at some point.
If they don't get them is because they aren't allowed to get them, because they are trapped in a system that forces them to come here and then leaves them with no rights.
Noone has forced anyone to enter the U.S. illegally. Noone is forcing illegals to stay here, to drive without lisences, to use stolen social security numbers, to fail to encourage their children to perform in school and avoid gangs or engage in any of the other lawless activities that are having a derogatory effect upon this society. Just because you don't know any better does not mean that you are ethically in the right or that you are being victimized. Shame on these law breakers and their enablers. Viva Pomona P.D.!
Funny, this was supposed to be a "public forum" but Pomona polce officers are part of the "public". Many are Pomona residents, and the others are employee's of Pomona, thus are part of the community. But when they show up to give teir point of view, thay are shouted down, and their 1st Admendment rights violated. Only in a liberal state such as California. Another thing, the coalition that put this meeting on calls itself "Pomona Habala/Pomona Speaks" but the meeting, and asscociated materials were in Spnish. So they should change the name to Pomona Habla. The Po0mona Speaks des not fit.
It is very interesting to see the circus of the sobriety checkpoints that the community of Pomona is having.
It is not about the Police misconduct it is a circus created by the Mayor and the city council that is divided by electect officers that their campain is not only endorced by the Police and Fire Department association, the associations practically run their campaign. Therefore both associtions know that they have Carta Blanche to do what they please, they own their bosses.
Three council members knew of the the sobriety checkpoint conducted on May 3, they knew that something was wrong. Was any motion made to stop them until furter investigation and compliance with the stablished regulations of sobriety checkpoints? No why? Because on election time the associations will not endorse them and their dreams of feeling important will deminish.
The elected officials in Pomona need a class on ethics and love for the community that they serve. Any candidate endorsed by unions becomes their puppet.
Wake Pomona it is election time do no vote for any candidate endorsed by the Police and Fire Department Associations. Those candites will not represent you, as you have seen those candidates will serve the interest of those organization not the community that elects them.
We are 68.1% of Hispanincs in Pomona. Lets take control of the city that we love, we need politcs with ethics. The only way we can solve our issues is by casting our vote for Policts with ethics in Pomona and A NO VOTE TO THOSE ENDORCED BY THE UNIONS. If you cannot vote pasa la voz a tus familiares y amigos.
By
Ethics and Love
The 2006 American Community Survey (of the U.S. Census Bureau)says that 107,703 Pomona residents were "Hispanic or Latino (of any race)" that year. That is 70.4% of Pomona's total population. I'm curious, ethics and love, what year is the 68.1 percentage for?
(see http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US0658072&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C16000US0658072&_street=&_county=pomona&_cityTown=pomona&_state=04000US06&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=)
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