Bursts O'Goodness
06-03-2008, 05:46 PM
here is a letter to the DA asking them to drop the charges against Ben
Saari for his unjustified arrest on May 1st. If you can, please either
sign it yourself and send it in or treat it like a petition and gather
signatures and then send it in. Ideally we are trying to send it in asap
(with in the next week or so) so however you can help will be awesome. The
following is the letter. If you have the time and would like to send in
your own letter that would be excellent.
Concerned community members have also made a website concerning Ben's arrest and how to support him. They're hoping to use the site in the future to support others made into prisoners of conscience in Sonoma County. The website is https://www.sonomadefense.org
=============================================================
Stephan Passalacqua
Hall of Justice, Second Floor
600 Administration Drive, Room 212-J
Santa Rosa, California 95403
Telephone: (707) 565-2311
FAX: (707) 565-2762
Mr. Passalacqua,
Hello. I’m writing you to insist that you drop all charges against
Benjamin Saari from his arrest of May 1st, 2008. I believe Mr. Saari is an
upstanding member of our community and that his arrest for publicly
observing police activities in a legal manner is an attack on individuals
and thus the community’s right to safely and critically observe public
servants on the job.
On May 1st, as thousands were entering Santa Rosa’s Juliard Park from the
east side, Santa Rosa police officers began trying to corral youth, mostly
young Latinos, on the west side of the park. SRPD had extended metal
batons at ready and a very agitated police dog. Different squads of
police were yelling conflicting orders at the nebulous group of youth
they’d defined as a gang. I believe that at this point Ben Saari exercised
his ability to observe the police in a manner in keeping with the First
Ammendment right to peaceably assemble. As police advanced on the crowd,
which Mr. Saari was pushed into, Mr. Saari made a point of communicating
with the advancing officers and keeping a safe distance between himself
and the officers.
At one point an officer being most directly observed stepped up his pace
and shoulder-checked Mr. Saari, claiming the contact as Mr. Saari’s
interference with police activities and arresting him for such. The
arresting officer did not immediately announce the charges as Mr. Saari
was arrested, nor was Mr. Saari read his Miranda rights. Mr. Saari
repeatedly asked the officer if he was being arrested and just before Mr.
Saari’s arrest the arresting officer informed Mr. Saari that he was in
fact not being arrested. Mr. Saari was never told by the police or the
police department what he was being arrested for. He was only informed of
his charges when released on bail by the person who posted the bail.
Elements of Sonoma County Law Enforcement, particularly among the Santa
Rosa Police and Sonoma County Sheriff, have been resistant to public
observation of their activities from a safe distance, in some cases not
identifying themselves, obscuring the visibility of interactions or even
threatening the observers with arrest. Many believe this is because the
police fear being observed overstepping their bounds and trampling
people’s rights and because of a law enforcement culture that fears public
oversight.
I believe that community members checking authorities and pushing
institutions towards more transparency deters abuse of power and makes a
community healthier. Local activists should not be allowed to be punished
for legitimately checking authority and attempting to deescalate
potentially explosive situations through their public observation and nor
should they be dissuaded from active participation in matters of public
affair.
The foundations of a free and open society rest upon the active
participation of those living within it’s bounds in the decisions and
running of that society. That is the foundation of democracy. Allowing a
branch of the executive to suppress the legitimate oversight of that
institution by the people affected by its activities leads us further down
the road away from that free and open society and hastens toward rule by a
government with unchecked power.
Again, I strongly encourage you to do the right thing and drop the charges
against Benjamin Saari. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
(print and sign your name, followed by your address here)
Saari for his unjustified arrest on May 1st. If you can, please either
sign it yourself and send it in or treat it like a petition and gather
signatures and then send it in. Ideally we are trying to send it in asap
(with in the next week or so) so however you can help will be awesome. The
following is the letter. If you have the time and would like to send in
your own letter that would be excellent.
Concerned community members have also made a website concerning Ben's arrest and how to support him. They're hoping to use the site in the future to support others made into prisoners of conscience in Sonoma County. The website is https://www.sonomadefense.org
=============================================================
Stephan Passalacqua
Hall of Justice, Second Floor
600 Administration Drive, Room 212-J
Santa Rosa, California 95403
Telephone: (707) 565-2311
FAX: (707) 565-2762
Mr. Passalacqua,
Hello. I’m writing you to insist that you drop all charges against
Benjamin Saari from his arrest of May 1st, 2008. I believe Mr. Saari is an
upstanding member of our community and that his arrest for publicly
observing police activities in a legal manner is an attack on individuals
and thus the community’s right to safely and critically observe public
servants on the job.
On May 1st, as thousands were entering Santa Rosa’s Juliard Park from the
east side, Santa Rosa police officers began trying to corral youth, mostly
young Latinos, on the west side of the park. SRPD had extended metal
batons at ready and a very agitated police dog. Different squads of
police were yelling conflicting orders at the nebulous group of youth
they’d defined as a gang. I believe that at this point Ben Saari exercised
his ability to observe the police in a manner in keeping with the First
Ammendment right to peaceably assemble. As police advanced on the crowd,
which Mr. Saari was pushed into, Mr. Saari made a point of communicating
with the advancing officers and keeping a safe distance between himself
and the officers.
At one point an officer being most directly observed stepped up his pace
and shoulder-checked Mr. Saari, claiming the contact as Mr. Saari’s
interference with police activities and arresting him for such. The
arresting officer did not immediately announce the charges as Mr. Saari
was arrested, nor was Mr. Saari read his Miranda rights. Mr. Saari
repeatedly asked the officer if he was being arrested and just before Mr.
Saari’s arrest the arresting officer informed Mr. Saari that he was in
fact not being arrested. Mr. Saari was never told by the police or the
police department what he was being arrested for. He was only informed of
his charges when released on bail by the person who posted the bail.
Elements of Sonoma County Law Enforcement, particularly among the Santa
Rosa Police and Sonoma County Sheriff, have been resistant to public
observation of their activities from a safe distance, in some cases not
identifying themselves, obscuring the visibility of interactions or even
threatening the observers with arrest. Many believe this is because the
police fear being observed overstepping their bounds and trampling
people’s rights and because of a law enforcement culture that fears public
oversight.
I believe that community members checking authorities and pushing
institutions towards more transparency deters abuse of power and makes a
community healthier. Local activists should not be allowed to be punished
for legitimately checking authority and attempting to deescalate
potentially explosive situations through their public observation and nor
should they be dissuaded from active participation in matters of public
affair.
The foundations of a free and open society rest upon the active
participation of those living within it’s bounds in the decisions and
running of that society. That is the foundation of democracy. Allowing a
branch of the executive to suppress the legitimate oversight of that
institution by the people affected by its activities leads us further down
the road away from that free and open society and hastens toward rule by a
government with unchecked power.
Again, I strongly encourage you to do the right thing and drop the charges
against Benjamin Saari. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
(print and sign your name, followed by your address here)