— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
Photographer Travis Jensen reports that 21 20-year-old D'Paris Williams, a.k.a. “DJ,” a City College student, was assaulted by SFPD officers Friday afternoon for what appears to be no reason:
Yesterday afternoon, while riding his bicycle home from the Make A Wish Foundation's “Bat Kid” happenings, DJ was confronted by two undercover police officers in an unmarked vehicle at the Valencia Gardens Apartments in the City's Mission District. Apparently, the officers said something to DJ about riding his bicycle on the sidewalk as he was pulling up to his home in the complex. It is unclear whether the officers identified themselves or not, but did proceed to get out of their car, grab DJ from behind as he was entering the home and beat him for no apparent reason. A police search uncovered a cupcake and juice that DJ had just purchased from the corner store. Nobody has spoken to DJ since the incident occurred as he was immediately taken to S.F. General Hospital for treatment, and then to the 850 Bryant police station. So far, it appears no charges have been made against DJ either. There is building video surveillance footage of DJ's confrontation w/ police, but it that has yet to be released by housing authority. Furthermore, three residents came to DJ's aid when they saw officers beating him up, only to find themselves also under attack by officers. By this time, uniformed backup had arrived on the scene. Including DJ, a total of four individuals were beaten and arrested by officers.
As mentioned, after DJ was allegedly assaulted and taken to SF General, the Valencia Garden community spilled out into the street in protest of the violence. Residents began filming and soon captured footage of officers attacking protesters. Around 1:30, an officer can be seen punching a detained man on the ground:
That man, who can also be seen earlier in the video trying to pull an aggravated man away from officers and then being attacked, was later seen with his face bloodied:
We'll update as this story develops.
UPDATE 2:00pm: We're now getting more information about the incident.
We're told that the scene unfolded right as DJ was entering his house. As he was questioned by undercover narcotic agents plainclothes officers from the Violence Reduction Team, the officer in the black baseball hat (pictured above) grabbed DJ and shoved his head into his front door. DJ's sister, who was holding a newborn baby, was witness to the entire scene. When she approached the door where DJ was being assaulted, a second officer pushed her.
They then dragged DJ into the street and punched him in the head until he was knocked out. Others in lock-up with DJ report that he blacked out and has no recollection of what happened. DJ is still in custody and not being allowed to speak to anyone; however, criminal charges are yet to be filed.
Currently two of the other three men who were arrested have been released.
We're told the man seen holding the cane in the video is a gay, HIV-positive man who needs his cane because of medical complications. The police are continuing to hold him in custody, allegedly because his cane is being considered a “deadly weapon.”
Orlando (last name unknown), who had his face bloodied after pulling the man with the cane away from officers, was released “a few hours ago,” according to Travis Jensen.
UPDATE 7:45pm: We are still yet to receive a comment from SFPD about the incident. We'll continue trying to reach someone from their Media Relations Department.
UPDATE 9:00am: SFPD just released this statement:
At approximately 3:41 PM Friday, officers from the Violence Reduction Team, working a plainclothes assignment attempted to stop a bicyclist in the area of Maxell and Rosa Parks for a California vehicle code infraction. The suspect fled from the officers after they identified themselves as police. The suspect attempted to flee into a residence. The officers confronted the suspect near the doorway and requested additional units for assistance. The suspect failed to comply with lawful orders from the officers and continued to resist the officers. Reasonable force was used by the officers to effect the arrest. During this incident, multiple subjects came from the rear of the residence and formed a hostile crowd around the officers. One subject attempted to strike an officer with a cane, while another suspect bit an officer. Two officers suffered non-life threatening injuries. In total, 4 suspects were arrested. 2 felony and 1 misdemeanor arrests resulted in bookings. One misdemeanor arrest resulted in a cite.
We have requested surveillance footage recorded by the SF Housing Authority and for comment on the officer who charged at a bystander. We'll update if we receive more word.
UPDATE 10:30am: SFPD denied our request for surveillance footage, saying:
The video surveillance is evidence for the assault and battery on the officers.
The officers have not been suspended. There is a criminal investigation into the suspects that assaulted and battered the officers and resisted arrest.
Persons wishing to file a complaint may do so with the Office of Citizen's Complaints (OCC).
Williams is in court today facing four felony charges and one misdemeanor charge. Orlando, who has been released, has reportedly claimed Williams has been in the infirmary most of the weekend and “looks like he was in a bad car accident.”
UPDATE 4:45pm: At Williams' arraignment at SF Superior Court this afternoon, his bail was set at $143k. Read on.
UPDATE 6:15pm: A new video showing Williams screaming in pain and unable to walk following the beating has been released.
UPDATE 9:30pm: KTVU is now reporting that the District Attorney has “discharged the case against Mr. Williams and another man pending further investigation.”
Comments (173)
wow. that’s messed up. that one guy was clearly trying to keep someone from attacking the cops and stoking the fire, and HE gets the crap kicked outta him?
so much for the goodwill from Friday, I guess.
THANKS batkid
Well THAT’S fucked up.
What with the bad boxing cop?
Lol as you seem he attack 1st and he is also the one that attack Dj
Clearly he is aggro, probably on roids or meth or both.
people need to relax about bicycles on the sidewalk. that law is designed to give the cops a reason to fuck with you, more than it is in the interest of preserving public safety.
Are you fucking kidding me? Have you tried pushing a stroller on the sidewalk with a bunch of idiots on bicycles? How about backing out of a driveway?
Have you tried to bike in the streets with a bunch of idiots in cars?
If you’re an adult and you can’t ride a bike on the street like a grown up, you shouldn’t ride a bike. I’ve been riding for 6 years, 3 in SF. It’s not hard.
not all streets are the same. some sidewalks are as wide as the lanes of traffic next to them. forcing cyclists to share the road with cars at all times without protective infrastructure is ludicrous & dangerous. situational sharing of the wider walkways between experienced cyclists & pedestrians is not unreasonable.
& a kid learning to ride a bike should do so in a protected environment & not on the streets, even if it is legal.
Hmmmmmmmm so that justifies the police racially profiling him? I’m trying to understand your logic here sir.
I thought the article said he was riding his bike up to his house, he could of have been riding on the sidewalk for less than 10 feet. But I guess it’s okay to get your ass beat for riding a BIKE in the wrong area…. I mean come on now.
good point
I dont know about SF but in PHX its impossible to ride on any of the main streets the pigs use it to fuck with all the little brown people who ride bikes.
“Have you tried biking in the street full of idiots in cars?” Shut up with that. Im so sick of bikers rights. Yall piss and moan about everything, yet pay absolutely no attention to traffic laws. Have you ever tried to walk around lower haight? Iv been run over by ass holes on bikes more times than i can count on my hand, and they just ride on by or yell some bullshit as they skate through a 4 way stop with pedestrians in te crosswalk.
This doesnt have much to do with this video. I just get heated when people are on here talkin about bikers rights. I hope justice comes for these gross injustices that have been put upon our comunity by theae punk police. I see plain clothes ifficers pullin bullshit all the time and they usually dont show a badge till after theyv started a fight or altercation, aka entrapment. There is no reason for a pig to put hands on you for riding a bike on a sidewalk especialy on your own block.
No. But I raised a child here, and during those years she was in a stroller, I never once had a problem with the stroller and bicycles with smart people or with idiots. Perhaps you should look within yourself, that the problem is there rather than with bicycles Also, responding Are you f… kidding me? in a thread about an important topic, presents a lack of anger control. Children parented by those with a lack of anger control will be modeled bad behavior they can emulate as normal.
everyone is proving my point for me, yourself included.
Seriously you guys, this is not about BICYCLES!
It can not be assumed safe in this country to do ANYTHING WHILE BLACK: walking home with skittles, asking for help when your car breaks down, entering your own home with cupcakes… The list goes on. It’s all good to demonize black people no matter what they are doing! Cops, vigilantes get off scot-free; black rights & lives are cheap.
It’s gonna take a whole lot of people of all colors to change this.
Let’s demand JUSTICE and an END to racial PROFILING! Together, please!
profiling is about the selective enforcement of laws, like riding your bike on the sidewalk. if it were legal to ride on walkways under reasonable conditions, the cops would have one less thing to fuck with you about.
Or, y’know, more reasonably: just don’t ride your bike on the fucking sidewalk, and then cops will have one less reason to fuck with you.
To be clear: Although riding on the sidewalk is illegal and is a ticketable offense, that in absolutely no way justifies or makes acceptable the police behavior in this case. In a just society they would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for this sort of attack.
are you sure you don’t ride a bike? because you sure know how to backpedal.
What backpedaling? I’ve been consistent in my point.
Riding a bike on the sidewalk instead of the street and/or a bike lane is wrong, it is bad, and it is illegal.
Regardless of that fact, it is NOT something the deserves a reaction like this from the police. Indeed, as I pointed out, NOTHING merits a reaction like this from the police.
are my suggestions “wrong” & “bad” because they are “illegal”? is that really your entire response? you already condoned riding on the walkways for short distances, which was an about-face from your “no adult cyclists on the sidewalk” position. is this because you suddenly realized that it was possible to ride a bike on the walkways in a safe manner, or is that you didn’t want to run afoul of the supporters of the victim?
but since you now agree that an adult can ride the walkways safely & “SLOWLY” for 50ft, why does it have to stop there? how is an observer supposed to know a safe rider’s point of origin or destination & whether it complies with the distance you deemed acceptable?
these are rhetorical questions & i don’t expect a rational response from you because you have proven yourself to be a prolifically negative, name-calling troll that only shits on other people’s suggestions since you are devoid of your own.
No, it really isn’t a change, hence my clarification, so people wouldn’t get confused (as you did.) My point has remained consistent.
Riding a bicycle on a sidewalk isn’t wrong and bad because it is illegal, it is illegal because it is wrong and bad. Specifically, it is dangerous to pedestrians. Riding on a sidewalk for a very short distance to get from street-to-door is different than using a sidewalk as a lane of vehicle traffic, this much is obvious to anyone with an ounce of sense. You might as well be equating cars driving down the sidewalk with cars driving across the sidewalk to enter a garage or parking lot. Pure codswallop.
You can think I’m a troll if you want, that’s your prerogative. But your shitty arguments shall continue to be shat upon. *shrug*
do some research & you’ll find the perceived danger of bikes on the sidewalks is greater than the actual danger. (kind of like how gay marriage was supposed to destroy the institution of marriage & the family unit, but didn’t.) cars kill & injure more pedestrians than cyclists, even on the sidewalk where they don’t even drive.
if you want see cyclists & pedestrians that have figured out how to coexist, check out the panhandle. those bikes move faster than they ever do on the sidewalk. & if more of the streets were safer for cyclists, they would ride there instead of taking refuge on the walkways.
maybe if you weren’t such a myopic, knee-jerk reactionary with only an ounce of sense, you could see the facts as they are.
this law is bogus & it’s greatest purpose is to provide the cops an entree to shakedown innocent citizens, not protect them.
Hooey. You’re the same crazeballs who thinks wearing a bike helmet isn’t safer than not wearing a bike helmet. You have zero credibility.
i’m the same guy that thinks that helmets should remain a choice & not mandated.
& your validation or the lack of it means very little.
That’s cool, I just had to remind myself that you’re a crazy person.
the way you twist things, you are either a tea partier or a cop yourself. neither would surprise me.
Motowaki, being bull headed is not going to make it come true.
Not twisting things, just reminding myself that trying to use reason and logic with a crazy person are pointless. You are clearly mentally ill, and therefore trying to get you to recognize/understand the flaws in your delusions is pointless. Don’t feel guilty, it’s not your fault, kid; our society has basically abandoned the insane, leaving people like you on their own. I’m sorry that that’s the case, and I wish it were otherwise. I think everyone would be better off if the mentally ill were properly cared for and treated, and I hope that some day you’ll be able to receive the medication and therapy in order to help free you from your delusions. Good luck, son.
Bahahahahahah aha oh it s so true!!! Lmfao herr doktor:: ahem::In other news, I didn’t know it was illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. That’s news to me. But then, I don’t live in San Fran. I live in a normal place where cars drive on streets, bikes share the road and sidewalk, and humans walk wherever they please.
@motowaki
The Doctor has gone over the edge. Don’t pay attention.
Well said.. well said!
I agree totally. What can an African-American do safely these days? We are suspect when walking back from a store with candy and ice tea. We are suspect when asking for help from someone after getting into a car accident. We are suspect when shopping at high end stores in Manhattan, NY. We are suspect while riding a bike with a cupcake in tow. We are suspect when walking, running, laughing, breathing. At what point are we going to be allowed to live our lives in peace? How do I as an African-American mother of three grown African-American children in their 20s, who are respectable young people who work hard and abide by the laws go to sleep comfortably at night, knowing they could be next? For you White people out there, put yourself in the place of us for just one day, one week, one month, one year and then get back to me about how we are exaggerating. This mis-treatment of Black people must end! We have a Black president. Get over it and stop taking it out on those of us who are not in the White House.
That was beautifully stated
I am an middle age white woman and I agree with you sweetie. I can’t stand what I have been reading about. I just don’t know what to do! I feel so useless. I send these things out on Facebook to my friends, I talk up a storm, ( I am also disabled) but the disparities is frightening.
It is not about cupcakes either. It’s about running from the cops.
For the record, I wouldn’t have stopped for plain clothed cops either. I don’t even feel comfortable stopping for a cop in uniform in a marked vehicle, and I am a pasty white red head.
I’m pretty sure DJ was within his right to ride on the sidewalk as city law states that you can bike on the sidewalk 50 feet from your destination.
YES! Breeders and pro-parking advocates for BICYCLE DEATH!!!
Guy gets 1.43k for riding his bike on the sidewalk. Try again asshole. law broken or not.
As a frequent pedestrian and biker, I get annoyed when I see adults riding on the sidewalk, HOWEVER, the article said he was pulling up to his home. Riding 100 feet or so on the sidewalk to safely get to your front door is reasonable. I do that all the time instead of stopping in the middle of a block on my narrow-ish street to dismount and get to my door. Slowly and yielding to pedestrians. I have yet to be harassed for this.
But as a white person, I recognize my chances of receiving DJ’s treatment are tiny. This was horrible.
≈ When I drive up to my garage, I get out of the car and push it across the sidewalk. Oh wait, I don’t have to do that, because I’m white.
Concur.
No, adults should not be riding bikes on the sidewalk.
To clarify: As noted above, the last 50 feet or so is not a problem. Pulling up to your destination? Sure, of course it’s ok to ride up, SLOWLY and carefully.
oops! (insert previous backpedal joke here)
(see above)
Only kooks ride on the sidewalk.
Yeah the thing about that is while I see your point; as a pedestrian it can be dangerous to have bikes coming at you, or the more obnoxious cyclists that think they own the sidewalk/road. It’s really a two street. (no pun)Living in DC, I see obnoxious cyclists, as well as drivers and pedestrians. all the time and it’s frustrating, it’s like no-one knows or cares about the law.
Wow. The undercover cop in the black cap and brown jacket needs to lose his job. Period. At 0:59 he shoves uniformed cops out of the way, runs across and shoves the man who ends up with his mouth bloodied, and then starts swinging on him. And then at 1:31 he punches the guy in the back of the head while he’s on the ground, while two other cops are handcuffing him. Horrible.
Yes.
Yes.
Hear, Hear.
Since he hasn’t been charged with anything (yet) what is it they suspect him of doing?
It’s gotta be more than riding a bike on a sidewalk for a reaction like this.
The cops are out of control.
my bet is the charges will be resisting arrest & assault on an officer. both of which will be dropped after a lengthy investigation that results in a hand slap for pigs involved.
Yeah, it’s pretty much standard procedure for police to charge anyone the assault with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. It’s a CYA move that puts the assault victim on the defensive.
This crap makes me want to march on City Hall. Absolutely sickening that police do this type of shit with impunity.
Yup You called it assaulting police officers 5 charges just for riding his bike to his grandmas
As a woman, an American, a San Franciscan and a cyclist, I am outraged and saddened, not to mention scared that hoping for justice is wishful thinking.
props to Kevin for posting this without any snarky comments.
props to the black guy filming. “let me see your face!”
militarized police force all across the country. This is how they respond. Even today.
props to the valencia garden people for just YELLING. They were not pulling out guns or firebombs.
Yelling for their rights. Indeed. Pretty reserved in my opinion.
I agree, police across the country are disturbingly militarized. But these degenerates do not deserve to be compared to the military. Military servicemen and women are more disciplined, play by the rules, and certainly don’t act out of uniform, then expect their victims to know they are in the service.
I also agree with Kathryn, our military has infinitely more integrity than the undercover officers here, and they properly identify themselves before acting.
You’re totally right, the bystanders handled this situation so well. I ordinarily support the police force, but this was abhorrent behavior and it’s very impressive that the crowd kept its calm.
In Sept, Ed Lee gave the HUD Secretary a tour of Valencia Gardens and held a press conf there
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/during-san-francisco-visit-hud-se…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/9922149213/
Thanks for reporting this. Good there is video. Get all the facts including names and badge numbers. Thanks.
Shit like this always puts me uncomfortably in favor of greater video surveillance just so we can get the pigs on tape.
I fucking hate cops. They do more of a disservice than actual service. Minions in cheap uniform to help fund the booming privatized prison industry. They are the product of a poor education system. And they will get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for this, and continue to racial profile and kill/injure innocent civilians.
These cops are nothing but a gang of thugs.
Looks wrong. This deserves a review.
Heads need to roll. This is bullshit.
we need a revolution in lower mission and the vg’s!!
this page is being monitored. be careful!
Wow… this is really crazy… This should be reviewed by the DA to see what kind of Police officers they have serving their city supposed to be protecting my ass…
Considering the DA is the old chief of police, I’m sure nothing will change.
Two Words: LAW SUITE!
Sad thing about a law suit if it happens is that the San Francisco tax payers are the ones who have to pay up, not the bad cops, not even the SFPD budget.
Yeah, true. That’s the problem, the people get screwed either way. Ideally, the individual cops would be criminally prosecuted, but that’s not very likely, sadly.
SFPD undercovers are hard at work deterring the latest crime wave: carrying junk food while black. Skittles in Florida; cupcakes in SF. I hope that Valencia Garden residents organize an anti-police brutality campaign because they probably deal with bullshit like this on at least a weekly basis.
Covert operation to get serious about health, enough of this cupcake bullshit.
The cops stay harrassing people. Nothing new.
Is it any surprise? When Amelie Loulac was run over by the truck, the SFPD _lied_ and said there was no surveillance footage, so did not investigate. But then the SFBC found video footage and turned it over to SFPD. But still, the truck driver has not been charged.
If you’re a bicyclist, you have a target on your back for SFPD. Double the size of the target if you’re a minority.
this statement is the most ignorant thing ive heard one hear
Oh really? How so? Please, enlighten me on how that statement was ignorant at all, because I certainly read it and thought to myself, “Truth.”
All uniformed police should be required to wear cameras.
WE NEED A REVOLUTION IN THE MISSION AND THE VG’S
I an not afraid and am very prepared to deal with a piece of shit low life cop at all times. Catch me walking home late at night and profile my black ass. I am not for 1 second afraid to die for this cause. Get that SFPD? Some of us are crazy enough to go there no matter the consequence. Just go ahead and keep profiling until you profile the wrong one of us and see what happens. I’m out here.
Good luck with that. internet tough guy.
Not an Internet tough guy by any means. Just someone crazy enough, always armed and prepared to die fighting for my rights.
Uh-huh. Sure thing. Whatever you say, Internet Tough Guy.
I think that is what happened with Mixon, in Oakland, CA a few years back. The cops wanted everyone to feel sorry for them. There are a few of us out here who understood.
There is a war going on where the government police are on the offensive and we the people are not fighting back. What we have to do is organize, mobilize, and weaponize for self defense against the pigs!
Stay off the sideWALKS! You got bike lanes, they cost the tax payers a ton of money, use them. I wish someone would have the balls to comment about how fucked up it is that people have no clue about what is going on, but feel entitled to scream, video, and harass the police. That is why cops are so apathetic in this town, especially in the Mission. They have so much crap to deal with and they get nothing but shit. All I can say is you get better results working with the police than against them. Don’t break the law, and the cops won’t crack your scull.
Nothing but shit… and a pass to break the law. Who is doing the harassing in this video? Who is working against whom? Did you not read the story, officer.
Which law was this young man breaking that warranted a cop to “crack his scull”? Furthermore, what law is there that allows a peace officer to commit battery or assault against you?
Make everything illegal, give the cops unlimited digression on who to enforce, ⇒ distopian society…
Look, bike on sidewalk=not the problem here! They were anti gang violence task force. What does one guy alone with a bike on the sidewalk have to do with gang violence? “yeah, imma be a cop! An when folks roll their bikes on the sidewalk imma put a stop to that. The world needs me!” NO WE DON’T !!!! I hope you hate that part of yourself!!!
^^^Cop.
Maybe I am the only one that thinks this… but if he stopped and cooperated with the police, do you think this would have happened? Probably not. We don’t know how long the police observed him violating the biking on the sidewalk law. Regardless, he broke the law and the cops have every right to stop him. With the others in the video, do you think they would have gotten arrested if they stayed back and did not interfere with what the cops were trying to do? There is always more to the story and somehow I doubt this cupcake and juice guy is as innocent as everyone (who was not there) is making him out to be.
There is absolutely nothing that justifies the behavior of the police in this video. Pummeling a guy who is on the ground already subdued? I don’t care if he just murdered someone or was suspecting of being a terrorist… It just isn’t ok, and it is not acceptable. The police officers should be prosecuted for their behavior.
Maybe. or Maybe not, A some point the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches must kick in when the government starts to make everything illegal.
If the government makes taking more than 15 breaths a minute illegal, but the police only enforce the law and stop the perpetrator when she is a small Asian female, the Constitutional protection against unreasonable searches has been violated,
When they do it for riding bicycles on a sidewalk, maybe.
Laws like Scott Weinners, close the parks after midnight, and we will let the police decide who to enforce the law to, are a big slide down this slippery slope of losing our Constitutional protections.
And if he is innocent? Then what? Paid suspension, and a fake apology to save face.
I think a couple of commentors have failed ot realize it appears he was *jumped* by the police. There might not have been an option for him to cooperate if they didn’t make themselves clear. Especially if they were undercover and hadn’t identified themselves, they probably just seemed like creepers.
All I know is you never hear about the police doing this kind of stuff to Charles Schwab. They just do it to people who do not have the resources to bring a huge lawsuit against the city. If the city was flooded with lawsuits, only then would the city attorney meet with top brass and put out the word that this crap needs to end. I don’t know the details of what went down here but I do know that undercover narcotic officers are notorious for violating people’s civil rights. Hopefully the video will be released.
What about the fact that his head was banged into his door ?and then his sister was pushed mostlikely violently towards the ground while carrying her child was that was an act of malice or fear ? Hints how much would you be willing to interfere with a fight even when seeing brutaliity , with a child in your hands . ? Home of the brave uniformed , land of the free ass whoopin.
And people thought NWA was out of line when they said Fukc the police.
Fuck the police
you people are stupid, how long was he on the side walk, 3 blocks 2, him own block to get to his house? it does not mean the cops have to jump him. if a guy gets in my face I respond accordingly unless he says he’s a cop.
the cops were wrong and resort to violence to cover up any mistakes.
The police are not there to protect you.
There is no reason to get into a discussion over whether or not someone should be riding a bicycle on the street or on the sidewalk. What concerns me is why the “mainstream media,” which is where many people get their news, is not reporting this incident.
there is totally a need for this discussion because it’s one of the tools the cops use to harass & profile. i would be surprised if that law was ever used to cite someone that was riding recklessly.
Im making this comment on behalf of biking on side walks.. which I’m from Michigan, so its weird to me seeing people disturbed by people riding bikes on side walks. Here that is where you ride your bikes. Not on the street with cars, unless you are in a college town, in which I have been mad for getting cut off by a biker, when the side walk which is as wide as driving lane was vacant.. Here I know we had a cop that used to patrol our subdivision if we were in the street with a bike we got yelled at. I kinda feel that there should be a lane designated for bikers only. Otherwise shouldnt you carry bikers insurance. Whoops dont want to give ideals.. lol.. And here when people walk on the side walk with a stroller, the bikers move to the right.. and strollers move to the right.. oh yes, im talking on a basic side walk.. Its called common sense.. so anti bike people need to lay off.. and if you have your undies on too tight about walking in strollers and worried about bikers, maybe you should move to the right to allow room and quit whining. im positive no one wants to hit your baby with a bike.. yeesh! okay end bike rant.
Welcome to SAN FRANCISCO. Your argument is invalid.
Any news on the victims? Does anyone know if there is a fund to help with hospital bills and such?
there keeping him in jail on 2 felony resisting arrest (getting beat up) and deadly weapon ( his bike)!!WOW!!
Why are officers from a violence reduction team worried about issuing de-minimus vehicle code infraction tickets?
EXACTLY!
It’s just an excuse for them to perform an illegal search. It’s the same as a broken tail light. Once you’ve committed a “crime” it allows them to pretty much do whatever they want and get away with it.
Thank you! Everyone wants to focus on the bike on sidewalk, why not focus on cops doing the wrong job?
if it wasn’t illegal to ride on the walkways in a reasonable manner, the cops would have had to use one of their other tools for racial profiling. the pigs probably thought they had a slam-dunk narcotics possession rap to pin on this kid when they shook him down over the bullshit bike issue, because black kids on bikes on the sidewalk are obviously dealing (cupcakes).
the brutality of the overreaction is obvious. why & how the cops get away with this shit isn’t.
thats what everyone is not seeing!
What exactly is this “Violence Reduction Team”? I’ve seen Plainclothes cops hold up traffic and actually stop-and-frisk dudes, Bloomberg-style, in the Mission. I bet it’s the same team.
The Violence Reduction Team is the one that beats people up for riding bikes on sidewalk. Jeeeze Don’t you know anything?
More Like the Violence Rendering Team
The Violence Reduction Team is the one that beats people up for riding bikes on sidewalk. Jeeeze Don’t you know anything?
Cops will be cops - this is nothing new. Security guards of the rich, beaters of the poor.
Having bikes and skateboards on sidewalks is inviting accidents but this does not justify the response of police. The fact that more than one cop is involved makes this more egregious
EXACTLY. Well said.
but putting the bikes & boards in the street with the cars isn’t inviting accidents? bikes & boards are more like pedestrians than they are like cars, & any accidents between them are likely to be less serious than any kind of run-in with a car. & no one is talking about bicycle commuting on the walkways, either. but it shouldn’t be illegal to seek refuge on the sidewalk from vehicular traffic when space on the sidewalk is more abundant than on the street. the black & white interpretation of “no bikes on the sidewalk!” does not achieve the greatest amount of overall public safety as say, some tolerance & situational common sense.
Correct
Incorrect, sir.
He is explaining what should be legal, not the current situation. What part about his plan did you disagree with Doctor?
He is incorrect in saying it should be legal to drive your vehicle on the sidewalk if you don’t like how much traffic is on the street. He is incorrect in saying that bicycles are more like pedestrians than they are cars. He is incorrect in saying that using vehicles in the streets instead of the sidewalk “invites accidents.”
He didn’t say that on the first. After that, I’m not going to back and forth with someone who obviously changes the event description rather than accept that he is not perfect.
What are even you talking about?
WOW. It is amazing how people can make their own interpretations of the video. If you watch the video CLOSELY, you’ll notice that the guy with the cane, who approaches in a threatening manner, is first stopped by 2 non-uniformed police officers, one male and one female(most likely with just badges on their belts). The guy who gets bloodied wasn’t trying to pull the guy with the cane away, he pushes or pulls one of the non-uniformed police. That immediately makes him guilty of assaulting a police officer. Shame on Kevin for interjecting opinion without fact.
Did baseball cap over-react? Most likely.
You don’t know the whole story…people like you that condone it, is why this stuff happeneds.
What because two police UNREASONABLY without legal cause stopped the handicapped guy, it makes the beating a bunch of people okay? F.dat
But its okay with you that the load of armed uniformed group acting illegally approach in a threatening manner a mom with her infant.
All:
We’re organizing a rally for DJ and other victims tomorrow at 5:00p.m. in front of the Mission District Police Station at 17th and Valencia. Please come out and show your support.
These “felony” charges against DJ are absolutely ridiculous. This kid has no criminal record and was carrying no drugs, weapons or other contraband. What reason does he have to flee the scene? Absolutely NONE.
As for the gentleman with the cane, he’s HIV positive and came to DJ’s aid after seeing police beating him up.
So here are the weapons: a walking cane and a bicycle. Um, that makes a lot of sense.
For the bike lane activists, let me clarify, the Valencia Gardens Apartments is a housing complex where the sidewalks are wider (or as wide) as the street. And from what I recall, there are no designated bike lanes. DJ was pulling up to his house when officers allegedly identified themselves and asked him to stop.
The officer in the brown jacket and hat that you see attacking the young man in the Youtube video is the same officer that beat up DJ, according to witnesses. His nickname in the neighborhood is “Freckles” and he apparently has a reputation for this type of behavior.
“We’re told man seen holding the cane in the video is a gay, HIV-positive man who needs his cane because of medical complications.”
Glad this story was shared, but was it necessary to mention the sexual orientation of this man and the specific disease he is afflicted with? Also there is a “the” missing before the word man.
hey Jessica, I appreciate your comment and your perspective that identifying someone as gay and living with HIV is not always necessary in a journalistic sense. However in this case i think it is a necessary thing to point out – people who are known to be or are thought to be HIV+ receive disproportionate treatment at the hands of the police, are regularly quarantined in jails and denied medical care out of stigma. The fact that the police called this gentleman a “deadly weapon” sheds light on how HIV+ people are continued to be at threat for heightened police violence and mistreatment simply for a virus in their bodies (quick reminder - HIV is a virus, not a disease).
It is not illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk per CA law. Only to ride one in “a reckless manner.” The only exception to that state law is if the locality itself has implemented a law preventing riding a bike on a sidewalk, which the CA vehicle code allows the locality to do. (Otherwise, there would be a pre-emption issue, but that’s way to law geeky for this conversation.) I have no idea if the area where this man was stopped by the police has such a law. Even if they do, if someone who was not dressed as a police officer followed me to my front door and ordered my off my bike… I’d run like hell to get inside. We all know this was a pretense to harass this young man. “Resisting a lawful order” = didn’t comply with our bs request to harass him. Please. Undercover cops attempting to cite someone for riding a bike on a sidewalk? Right. That’s what undercover police are out on the street to do. Enforce obscure vehicle code sections. Wanna bet these guys were in a drug unit? This was pure and simple profiling and harassment. They wanted to search the black guy in the hoodie. I’ve never seen a valid PC 148 charge (resisting a lawful order) in all the years I’ve worked in criminal defense. Never. A PC 148 alone, without an additional crime, is almost always code for cops harassing an unarmed law-abiding person because they just “looked suspicious” (ie, not white) or the police just wanted to exercise some control and power over someone else. When is this ever going to end? I’m so tired of the justice system being clogged up with this kind of crap. Save it for the real criminals. I’ve just had enough of the cops being the bad guys. I used to trust cops until I started working as a public defender.
FWIW, it is illegal to ride on sidewalks in San Francisco if you are over the age of 13 according to Sec. 7.2.12 of the SF Transportation Code.
Clarification Request- Has the video request also been denied by the Housing Authority, or the SFPD.? Are they same, different, etc.
What time is the Court Hearing? Do you know what room it will be in?
Denied by SFPD, not the Housing Authority.
The report (not sure who issued the report) that lists all the charges does not detail the place and time of the hearings.
That SFPD statement was the biggest crock of grade-F bullshit that I have read in quite sometime. I feel bad for the PR intern that had to write that one.
I have always loved the cops up until the last 20 years or so. It disgusts me how a public servant who’s job it is to protect and serve, can abuse his authority this way and get away with it. Of course they aren’t going to release the surveillance tape…It’s because without it being made public, there’s no proof that the police screwed up. I do not believe for one minute that this kid fled from the cops. I believe these undercover cops abused their authority. The only other witness to the actions that led up to this event, can’t remember what happened. There you go…the escape path for the cops to get away with lying. These SF cops are crooked. I know because SF undercover cops abused me in my home outside of their jurisdiction and without informing the DCPD about what they were about to do. They refused to show a warrant, because there was none, and in the end, failed to show they had valid reasons to enter my home and search. And it all came down to mistaken identity. These cops are over zealous and way too anxious to make a bust. This also shows that a black person can not do anything safely and completely legal without harassment from the police. And just for the record, I am a white female, 56 yrs old, and grew up in the part of SF where most of our cops, firefighters and politicians lived…the Sunset. A good majority of my friends had cops as parents. I know what goes on in a police station…good and bad. I have always stood up for the cops, BUT, only when they are right. I WILL NOT condone the actions of these wayward cops…EVER! It’s time that something be done about these legal terrorists toting badges. Enough is enough! There is plenty of evidence from these past few years to prove their guilt. I have always loved cops but now I am ashamed of them. I pray for this kid for he will probably be under their watchful eyes for a long time just waiting for any little thing he does…his family and friends too. How is it that mentally sick individuals can make it to be a cop? Yes, you bet there’s something wrong with this picture…and it has everything to do with the SFPD. You can bet your life on that!
I can’t believe you guys are having a back and forth discussion about bike on the sidewalk. Do you think undercover narcotics officers care about traffic infractions . They have another job to do, uniformed beat cops deal with that sort of thing. At the end of the day people were assaulted allegedly because a vehicle code was violated. He’ll people do that thousands of times a day in and out of cars , from jay walking speeding running red lights etc… Those officers were just flexing a little muscle , period.
Tue. Nov. 19, 5pm
Emergency Action Justice for D’Paris Williams
and ALL Victims of Police Brutality in Valencia Gardens!
Corner of Rosa Parks Lane and Valencia Sts.
Between 14th and 15th Sts., San Francisco
As people might have heard (read link below), another young Black man was brutalized by the cops this past Friday. Join the community in demanding the release of D’Paris and justice for all the victims of police brutality in the Valencia Gardens:
It may be raining so come prepared.
http://www.answercoalition.org/sf/events/emergency-action.html
FTP
w0rd.
A.C.A.B.
1312
Sad but true.
SFPD, you need to pull your shit together.
SFGate comments are ridiculous. Check them out:
http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2013/11/18/video-prompts-cries-of-s-f-polic…
I admit I am biased…but this boils down to cops wanting to stop someone who did not want to be stopped. You may not agree with the cops’ ulterior motives, but that does not mean you don’t have to stop. Fighting with the cops will get you nowhere. Oh wait, yes it will, jail! Everyone else should have stayed back. They were upset and did not have all the information. Nothing good comes from walking toward police who already feel threatened.
Bullshit.
Bullies with badges, especially the Jerry Quarry wannabe.
All blacks are becoming victims of a “few bad apples” in the world. You must admit that there are more young uneducated black people robbing liquor stores and doing all sorts of unsavory things than most other races commonly seen doing the same thing. Yes, there is a lot of hispanic community crime too, but it isn’t seen quite as much unless its a serious offense like murder, or rape or whatever.
The “gangsta” lifestyle is glorified in black music and culture these days, and a lot of the fatherless young boys when young join gangs where they sell drugs, attack others, and steal. It’s a common, but unfortunate reality. So that spooks other communities who don’t want young people who appear like these “gangstas” in their neighborhoods, hanging out on street corners, smoking blunts and causing trouble. That’s where the stop and frisk comes in.
It never happens to me and my brother. Why? We wear nice clothes that actually fit our bodies, our pants all the way up, we don’t cover our heads with hoodies or du rags and try NOT to use ebonics outside of our neighborhood to try our best to fit in to the general population and try NOT to adhere to the stereotypes. To my remembrance, I have never been followed around stores. The only thing most others people see of blacks is what they see in the media, shows like COPS, music videos, etc, which portray young black men as thugs, hooligans, etc. They don’t get to meet many who are doing things positive in the community. So they are mostly scared and suspicious of us.
It’s unfair and wrong to group all members of a race in a negative manner, but the reality is that blacks feed into these stereotypes because the kids try to emulate what they see in these horrible music videos and whatnot, and have to appear and dress a certain way in their neighborhood because they themselves may be victimized if they don’t fit in with the rest. Black people as a group should stand up and demand that these artists stop glorifying violence, disrespecting women, etc. They should boycott artists until they start portraying more positive images of us. Kids have no real black role models that they can see and identify with on a regular basis, (yes, President Obama is black, but his mother was not and he grew up in Indonesia, his life and upbringing doesn’t really relate to black young people growing up in the streets) besides music and sports figures, and often these role models are puppets to their industry and are not ideal.
I’m certain if that young man was wearing khakis and a dress shirt and was riding his bike where he was supposed to, he would not have been targeted. I understand that America is supposed to be a free country and people should have the right to wear whatever and not be discriminated against, but the reality is that it happens, and if black people don’t want it to keep happening, we need to distance ourselves (speech, clothing, appearance, demeanor, etc) from these negative stereotypes as much as we can, and stop idolizing people who feed into these stereotypes.
Haruka, while I agree with some of what you’re saying, specifically the need to stop glorifying violence and disrespecting women, I think it is wrong to place the onus of “respectability” on black folk. I can’t help but be reminded of Jonathan Ferrell, a college student studying chemistry and maintaining a 3.7 GPA, shot to death while trying to seek assistance at a stranger’s door in the wake of a car crash.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2013/09/jonathan_f…
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/ind…
As the first article rightly points out, this sort of reasoning has uncomfortable parallels with the justification of rape based on the victim’s outfit. What about the importance of respectability among those who we pay to “protect and serve” us? That is where I think we need to start.
It’s not just outfit, it’s demeanor and attitude. I said it was wrong what the cops are doing, but it’s not likely that crooked racist cops will change. In light of that, we need to look out for ourselves and try to make ourselves less of a target. We as black people need to strive to change our negative stereotype to the world. We need to show people that so many of us are law abiding and respectful. I freak out at times about the way I am treated by male members of the black community in my minority neighborhood. I constantly get catcalls walking down the street, some stop in front of me, refusing to let me pass, smoking, playing loud derogatory music, etc. I know most are harmless, but think about what other people could think about such behavior? If these same young men were in school studying for their future I bet people wouldn’t feel so threatened. But they are not. My brother has never been victimized by this because he carries himself professionally. wheb he is not at home he is at school or work, as am I. We need to be the change we want to see in the world and not expect people to change their thoughts and viewpoints about us if we don’t work at changing ourselves, by portraying a more positive image to the world!
It’s not just outfit, it’s demeanor and attitude. I said it was wrong what the cops are doing, but it’s not likely that crooked racist cops will change. In light of that, we need to look out for ourselves and try to make ourselves less of a target. We as black people need to strive to change our negative stereotype to the world. We need to show people that so many of us are law abiding and respectful. I freak out at times about the way I am treated by male members of the black community in my minority neighborhood. I constantly get catcalls walking down the street, some stop in front of me, refusing to let me pass, smoking, playing loud derogatory music, etc. I know most are harmless, but think about what other people could think about such behavior? If these same young men were in school studying for their future I bet people wouldn’t feel so threatened. But they are not. My brother has never been victimized by this because he carries himself professionally. wheb he is not at home he is at school or work, as am I. We need to be the change we want to see in the world and not expect people to change their thoughts and viewpoints about us if we don’t work at changing ourselves, by portraying a more positive image to the world!
DJ was one of my favorite former students and a good kid. He has been pushing himnself through to college. He comes back to visit me at school and talk to younger students. You can hear in one of the video’s he is saying “I don’t do drugs” as they have him handcuff stumbling to the cop car. He loved working out and was at a special day earlier for “Batkid”– how cool was that. He has a good heart and I plan on going to the protest in his honor. I read charges were dropped today.
Where are the cops when entitled assholes are driving 100 MPH down Oak and Fell using it as their ow personal real life arcade racing game? Where are the cops when cars hit pedestrians and cyclists, but are released without an infraction whatsoever. Did the city of San Francisco really need to spend whatever ridiculous amount of money it must have cost to have this excessive show of force on small street? All foor one dude from a less fortunate class, illegally riding his bike on the sidewalk for a few seconds? The police need to get a fucking grip on reality here. I am sorry, but this is a clear cut case of racial profiling. Somebody get a good class action lawyer for these people, cause they were fucking profiled and beaten for no god damn reason.
6:03, guy on a bike on the sidewalk. Nothing happens. If bikes on the sidewalk were the real issue…
I’m confused. How is smashing someone’s head into their front door “protecting and serving”?
Police needs to be treated like everyone else. If they assault someone then they need to go to jail. And forget about “Serving the public” because obviously they have issues beyond being any benefit to the public.
Being a regular citizen I have apprehended criminals, and I’ve always made sure not to hurt them. If I can do it, then those PAID cops should be able to do the same. If they haven’t bothered to learn, then they need to do that, or find another job where they don’t have to “try” so hard.
Being a cop is a privilege that they need to honor, or find a different job they they can handle.
1. Where is the housing authority footage?
2. Is a man on a bike going to his house really something that undercover detectives need to pay attention to?
3. Where is the housing authority footage?
4. Why wasnt the second man on a bike accosted and beaten?
5. WHERE IS THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOOTAGE?
6. WHERE IS THE GOSH DANGED FREAKING HOUSING AUTHORITY FOOTAGE?
i called sf mission district to ask those questions. I got as far as the first one and was told by a LT. Hobbs that they “have nothing to do with that” and was promptly hung up on. Suspicious, maybe… Frustrating? Absolutely.
Call them. Demand answers. 415 558 5400
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/11/sfpd_police_brutality_valenc…
See that link, it shows another POV and more details versus the ‘f the popo’ that is standard no matter what. It’s impossible to say anything even remotely pro-police without being called racist, so what’s the point?
The community will complain, it will end up word vs word and violence will continue. I doubt anyone would care of it was a white kid getting roughed up.
walking the neighborhood just now, ran into a kid who said he is DJ’s cousin - his friend said DJ’s out of the hospital, but in jail with a broken jaw.
Looking for the truth…and the original video. Anyone have answers?
And why’s this helicopter circling the mission the last hour?
There is so much wrong in the world today that it would be long and hard to list all problems , all wrongs. I will say one thing, the laws are made to uphold justice and protect people not to be ridiculous and abusive towards the people ! …… SO FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WANT TO SEE A BETTER WORLD FOR ALL OF US, AND FOR OUR CHILDREN> THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
Do the right thing at all times ! Try to be nice to each other in small, every day things, or to people you randomly meet in everyday life . Search for the truth, spread the truth.Material things have no true value, without our inner peace and feeling of love for family and friends, we are never happy. Be compassionate In that way the bond amongst those who want to live in the world of peace and respect will grow. When people stand together nobody can brake them…… cultivating kindness amongst yourself will pay forward believe me, The scale of evil and corruption we are facing in today’s world is overwhelming so I suggest pray to the God ( Allah, , Creator, Great Spirit of Creation…. ) like you have never done before. Without his /its light we can not fight this darkness alone !
Peace and love to all of you :)