Earlier this week, Skyler Porras of the Northern California ACLU sent a letter to Mayor Reed and the entire San Jose City Council saying that, while the ACLU objects to the tone of the SJPOA's recent YouTube video, they defend our right to make it.
We're including the letter here so you can read it for yourself. (Click on the arrow in the upper right corner to go to full-screen mode.)
Have a wonderful weekend, and stay safe out there.
Friday, June 12, 2009
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Bravo to the local ACLU for being consistent with their principles. I know the national organization does this regularly.
ReplyDeleteBravo to the POA to post stuff on your site that is critical of you. Good site.
Dan Steeley
Way to go Ms Porras for supporting the POA's right to free speech!! It must have been a bitter pill for you to swallow to come out in support of them. One can only guess as to the ACLU's real reason for speaking out on behalf of the police. Let me guess?
ReplyDeleteAs painful as it must be for you to support the police on this issue, you must. By supporting the evil cops' rights to free speech, it allows you to support the free speech of groups such as the KKK,Nazi's, LaRaza and other group that promote hate. It also allows you to protect those in society who prey on our children (NAMBLA).
I find it ironic that your organization, the Murkey News and a Havard educated councilperson seem to think that Mr Jayadev's "street reponse" comment was mishcaractrized (nice word by the way) by the police. For those of us who have spent some time on the planet and in the hood, we know it is a code word for "riot". However, the ACLU and Murkey news are telling us it means something else. The next thing you know you will be telling us what the definition of "is" is.
With regards to your assessment that there is no trust between the community and the men and woman of the police department, it could not be further from the truth. One only has to look at our crime rate and our ability to solve major crimes in a short perirod of time. It is by working with the community we are able accomplish this feat.
If you are looking for a police department who violates human rights, I suggest you look at the countries I assume you admire; China, Cuba, Russia,etc.. If that is too far for you just look to the southern hemisphere.
I make these suggestions because you will not find it at SJPD. Of course, you can always fabricate it like you have been doing.
I don't know why anyone is applauding this letter. Who is the ACLU to step in and tell anyone that it is okay with them to exercise their First Amendment rights? This woman needs to get over herself. Her group walked out on the Task Force after throwing a tantrum instead of doing exactly what her letter claims she wants, building a better relationship with the Cops. The groups that stayed on worked hard and came to some decent resolutions. Didn't need her or Raj after all did we? I think Raj and the ACLU are just pissed because their bud Attard is gone. Good riddance to one useless woman!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing good about this letter is that it puts the Mayor wanna be Liccardo, and Mr. Inexperience Kalra in their place and reminds them to sit down and shut up something neither one of them knows how to do.
While it does not undo all the harm they are doing with their campaign against the police department, I am glad to see the ACLU stuck to their principles and supported the POA's right to free speech. It is the least they can do.
ReplyDeleteWhile on the surface Ms. Porras and the ACLU are defending the POA's right to freedom of speech, the political posturing she is doing is rather disturbing. She can't on the one hand say that they expect the Mayor and Council to refrain from censuring the POA, and then on the other hand claim they were wrong to do what they did. It would have been more accurate, fair, and professional for them to assert that while they disagree on the POA's stand, they would never condone stopping the POA from stating their viewpoint under any circumstances.
ReplyDeleteFurther, the ACLU has had many opportunities to work on vital issues such as the Drunken Task Force and chose to walk out after giving the Council an ultimatum. It is this kind of hypocrisy that is dividing the community and loses these well-meaning groups credibility with the public. It is also why the change they seek to create will never happen. It is only when you put the vision, the people you are fighting to protect, and its mission at the forefront that true success can be achieved.
I'm not sure we can say this is the ACLU acting out of principle. Afterall, they have to defend everyone's right to speak. That's their historic role. But Skylar uses the letter to take a direct shot at the POA. Clever.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be like the Merc News evaluating a candidate and writing that even though he's a wife beater, he has a right to seek office.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
ReplyDeleteby
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you for everything you do SJPD. I support you and defend your right to say what you want. You don't need the ACLU to support you. We tax paying, voting, law obeying citizen’s support you all the way. This video thing just finally gave us a reason, and a chance to speak out and support you publicly.
Great rally by the way. Hope you do it again next year.
Laughable. The ACLU is insignificant in this tolerant, multicultural, bay area.
ReplyDeleteMay as well ask the fashion opinion of a plumber swimming in the ocean, then publish it on a letter head to lend it credibility.
Skyler Porras is a child and a woman, fighting for control of the same face. Go Ask am African American man in South FLorida, a Caucasian man in Watts, or an American Indian in Alaska what the ACLU is doing for them, besides "publishing opinions"
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
And see what THAT man has to say.
Once again the American Criminal Liberties Union had to eat the words they so much support. In doing so they STILL had to take a shot at the Police. I wonder who they call when they are a victim. Nice to see the community step up an support our rights as members of the community. Don'T EXPECT THE CITY, MERCURY NEWS, OR ALCU TO HELP YOU.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most dangerous lies that some organizations would have the public believe is that equality is the same as equivalence. On the one hand, every person deserves to be treated as a human being, the same as any other human being, regardless of whether that person is a victim, suspect or police officer. It should also mean that a person of one ethnicity who commits a particular crime should be treated the same as a person of another ethnicity who has committed the same crime. But, it does not mean that criminalism is equally distributed across ethnic groups. Don't believe this? Check out the DOJ's statistics which examine crime distribution as a function of ethnicity. Now, take a look at the statistics on how victims of one ethnicity identify their victimizers' ethnicities. Now, let's look at some of the social and cultural issues that go along with ethnicity. What is the distribution of alcoholism in one ethnicity vs. another. What relationships exist between alcohol intoxication and other crimes (the DOJ tracks this, also). But, as informative as these facts may be, it would be disingenuous to think that they tell the whole story.
ReplyDeleteTo the detriment of everyone involved - and especially the community as a whole - these larger, more complicated, issues seem to have been largely unexplored by any of the major players. To my knowledg,e haven't heard about these issues from City leadership, from Department leadership, or from Community leadership, the media hasn't bothered to ask; and the special interest groups who should be examining these issues have apparently declined to do so as well. Most of what we've seen has been shoulder shrugs, posturing, agenda-based rhetoric,and sophmoric efforts at reason. But I don't want to be spoon-fed easy partial answers. I suspect the community doesn't want this either. Discovering the facts and finding the truth, the whole truth, would be in everyone's best interest - even if finding the truth is difficult and and the truths discovered are hard to take. But does anyone deserve less than this?
Anonymous 9:36 AM,
ReplyDeleteVery well stated. These kinds of difficult discussions need to take place if any real resolution is to take place. I hear Raj and his cohorts demanding accountability, and oversight, but I don't see them holding themselves to that same standard. What I see is a bunch of apologists making excuses for and allowing criminals of color to use the race card as an excuse for harming and violating the rights of others. What message are we as a society sending our youth when we say, you weren’t arrested for stealing that car, or getting drunk and breaking into that store, you were arrested only because of the color of their skin?
Our youth need to understand the idea of being held accountable for their actions. Too many kids are committing suicide, joining gangs, and using drugs because they’ve had things to easy, they have near zero parental oversight, and too many people make excuses for their bad behavior. Things need to change and change now. The lives of our future generation depend on it.
Anonymous 9:36 PM,
ReplyDeleteSuperbly stated.
It is amazing how individual or orgaizations with an agenda tend not to look at all the facts, or ignore facts that can refute their allegations.
SeeingRed
From this week's Metro:
ReplyDeleteFly is hooked on the San Jose Police Officer's Association website, protectsanjose.com, which continues to be entertaining. Enter a new player—the American Civil Liberties Union. Apparently, the ACLU caught wind of requests that the police union be censured for its video mocking activist Raj Jayadev. The freedom fighters sent a letter to the San Jose City Council stating that the website and video are constitutionally protected speech, and the POA's rights need to be protected. It might leave a bitter taste in the ACLU's mouth, after recently railing against the SJPD for greater transparency. In its letter, the ACLU made a point of reminding the council that this is what the ACLU does—stand up for everyone's constitutional rights, even if they don't agree with them.
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/06.17.09/fly-0924.html
Nice to see the ACLU held to a higher standard. You know the same standard they hold the Police to.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the Metro didn't post this on SJI. May be they are starting to figure out that they are losing bloggers because they are fed up with the many anti-Police articles and their defense of Raj's anti-social behavior. Funny, we haven't heard how Raj feels about the ACLU catching the POA's back on this free speech issue. Cat must have his tongue.
Looks like Pulcrano, the king of porn has decided that picking on SJPD is boring now. He is going after the sheriff’s department now. What an idiot.
ReplyDelete