PROTESTERS RELEASED JAILED ACTIVISTS SAY EXPERIENCE ONLY REINFORCES VIEWS.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer Scores of protesters arrested during street demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention were released from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County jail Tuesday. Protesters left the jail about 8:50 p.m. to cheers and hugs from a throng of supporters outside. ``I just feel, I feel extremely lucky today in lieu of all the people inside who face injustice,'' said Loren Finkelstein, 25, of Los Angeles. She said she had been in jail since Wednesday. Several inmates from the women's jail complained of inadequate care, including what they called inadequate prenatal care prenatal care, n the health care provided the mother and fetus before childbirth. for pregnant women and inadequate medication for people with health problems. Vanessa Lee, 24, of Seattle, wearing a ``Stop Police Brutality'' T-shirt, said she went to jail to protest police brutality Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. The term may also be used to apply to such behavior when used by prison officers. . ``What I found strengthened my conviction that the system is unjust and criminalizes women and people of color Noun 1. people of color - a race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks) people of colour, colour, color race - people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock; "some biologists doubt that there are important ,'' she said. The protests helped underscore the importance of ending police brutality, said Eric DeBode, 36, of Los Angeles, one of those released Tuesday. An agreement Monday by the City Attorney's Office to reduce misdemeanor charges cleared the way for Tuesday night's release. City attorney's officials agreed to reduce the charges because the demonstrators already have spent more than enough time behind bars, spokesman Mike Qualls said Monday. Before the release, about 50 supporters of the jailed activists waited outside the Twin Towers Correctional Facility The Twin Towers Correctional Facility, also referred to in the media as Twin Towers Jail, is a complex erected in Los Angeles, California to house inmates of the Los Angeles County Courts. It is the world’s largest jail. downtown, raising their fists and singing protest songs. ``The movement is people coming together who realize that the way we're going is unsustainable and that we need to create justice for everybody,'' said a woman outside, who would identify herself only as Kayzia from San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . Terry O'Bren, 37, said he was a part-time math teacher who hitchhiked out from Boston for the protests. ``We're highly educated and informed about what is going on. About 12 million children die every year from lack of good food and water, more than were killed in the entire Holocaust. If there was no starvation, sweat shops and exploitation in the world, we wouldn't have to be here at the DNC DNC Democratic National Committee DNC Democratic National Convention DNC Do Not Call DNC Delaware North Companies DNC Domain Name Commissioner DNC Direct Numerical Control DNC Do Not Change DNC Does Not Compute DNC Digital Nautical Chart ,'' said O'Bren, pointing at the jail. The American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Southern California filed a federal lawsuit Monday contending that police with targeting members of the media in their attempts to control demonstrators outside the convention. Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. has responded by saying his officers did not target reporters and photographers. Parks said many members of the media unwittingly placed themselves in harm's way by getting between police and protesters. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Democratic convention protesters greet friends and family upon their release Tuesday from the Twin Towers jail downtown. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion