Drop the Racist Frame-up Charges Against Larry Hales NOW!
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Shareef Aleem, Larry Hales and Melissa Kleinman
at Dec. 3 news
conference.
On Nov. 30, 2007 African-American police
brutality and anti-war activist Larry Hales was arrested after 10
cops illegally busted into his home without a warrant and without
permission, physically attacked him and handcuffed his partner to
a chair. He is facing frame-up charges of "interfering with
the police" and faces extended jail time for being the
victim of a police attack.
Hales has been a primary organizer of a number of
anti-imperialist and anti-racist events in Denver. He is a leader
of the youth group FIST--Fight Imperialism, Stand Together; a
founder of Colorado United Communities Against Police Brutality;
and an organizer with the International Action Center and the
Troops Out Now Coalition.
Hales is also a principal organizer in the Recreate 68 Committee,
which is planning protests to counter the Democratic National
Convention to be held in Denver in August.
At the time of the police attack, Hales and his partner Melissa
Kleinman were housing a survivor of police brutality who was on
parole. The man had been shot in the back by police and had filed
a civil case against the Aurora police department. Hales had
previously agreed to house visits by the man's parole
officer, but only when the man was home.
However, when Hales told the police officers at his door on Nov.
30 that the parolee wasn't home, and asked to see the
business cards that because of a city ordinance Denver police
must carry and surrender upon request, he had badges stuck in his
face and told that they didn't have to give him their cards.
Hales told them that they didn't have permission to come in,
that the parolee was not home and that he wanted their cards. One
of them scoffed and pushed the door open and him out of the
way.The cops charged into his apartment and ransacked his house.
When Hales expressed concern that his cats would escape, he was
shoved. When he asserted his rights, the police told him to shut
up and violently attacked him, twisting his arm, grabbing him by
the back of the neck, ripping out several of his dreadlocks,
throwing him against the wall, and tearing off his shirt. He was
pushed down the stairs of his apartment building, against the
wall and railings and out into the cold night with a half-ripped
shirt, socks and thin sweat pants. One officer squeezed his cuffs
and the two had an exchange, where the officer remarked that more
could be done and that Hales could end up face down on the
ground, then he was hit in the stomach and thrown into the
car.The officers rolled the front windows down, left Hales in the
car, told him he looked like he might hurt himself and that he
would be booked as a "John Doe" and have to spend 72
hours in jail before anyone could find him. He spent the night in
a freezing jail cell.Police brutality is rampant in Denver, and
this attack is part of the ongoing attacks on Black youth, from
the Jena 6 to Sean Bell and countless cases of police brutality
and repression throughout the country.In addition, the police
violence against such a well-known activist can only be seen as
part of a continuing attempt to stifle political dissent. At a
press conference in the days following the attack, Denver police
brutality activist and survivor Shareef Aleem noted that police
were attempting to neutralize activists related to the DNC
protests. He stated: "In the last couple of years many of us
involved in police accountability work have been attacked by the
police and we know that when it happens we all have to stand
up."Hales now faces a pretrial hearing on February 29 and
trial on March 12 on police "interference" charges.
During the arraignment, the states' attorney suggested that
more charges from the incident may be pending. For the City
Attorney to continue to prosecute these charges would constitute
a serious miscarriage of justice and state harassment, standing
jutice on its head by blaming the victim of police misconduct and
brutality. It could be seen as an illegal, politically motivated
abuse of process to chill political protest both against police
brutality and at the upcoming DNC.We demand that ALL charges be
dropped immediately against Larry Hales, and that there be an
immediate investigation into the police misconduct and violation
of Larry Hales’ and Melissa Kleinman’s
rights. What you
can do:
| |
City Attorney David R. Fine
|
Judge Larry Bohning |
Mayor John Hickenlooper |
| email: |
david.fine@ denvergov.org |
larry.bohning@judicial.state.co.us |
MileHighMayor@ci.denver.co.us |
| phone: |
(720) 865-8600 |
(720) 865-8610 |
(720) 865-9000 |
| fax: |
(720) 865-8796 |
(720) 865-8250 |
(720) 865-8787 |
| address: |
Office of the City Attorney
1437 Bannock, St., Room 353
Denver, CO 80202 |
Judge Larry Bohning
1437 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80202 |
Mayor John W. Hickenlooper
City and County Building
1437 Bannock Street, Suite 350
Denver, CO 80202 |
Fax letters on your organization or union's stationery or on
your official letterhead, and send a copy to the National Justice
for Larry Hales Committee at the address below. If possible, scan
the letter and email it to justice4larryhales@safewebmail.com.
We will post as many letters as possible on this site. Solicit
organizations and leaders in your community to do the same. Send
posts to contacts and listservs with links to http://troopsoutnow.org/larryhales/
urging action. If you are in the Denver area, pack the courthouse
for the pretrial motions hearing (time to be announced) and for
the trial on March 12.
Come to courtroom 151P in the Denver County Court, 1437 Bannock
St, Denver, CO 80202
Donate to the Justice for Larry Hales campaign, to help with
legal defense and support campaign costs. http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
Checks should be written to Justice for Larry Hales/IAC, and sent
to the address below.
Sign the Online Petition
Send email to the Judge, the City Attorney and elected officials
- http://www.troopsoutnow.org/larryhales/petition.html.
DONATE
NOW
to help the Justice for Larry Hales campaign
http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
Sign
up for updates
from the Troops Out Now Coalition
http://troopsoutnow.org/updatesform.shtml
National Justice for Larry Hales Committee
c/o Solidarity Center
55 W. 17th St. #5C
NY NY 10011
www.TroopsOutNow.org/larryhales
justice4larryhales@safewebmail.com
212.633-6646
