Posts Tagged ‘RPD’

Injunctions Served to Folks Who Linked to RPD Files

Posted: November 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Today Mo Karnage and Nathan Cox were served with injunctions from the Richmond Police Department. The injunction documents were very vague, and seemed to be about the files recently linked to by Mo and Nathan on 2 websites-  Copblock and Wingnut.

The defendents are listed as Moriah Kahn (they can’t spell), The Richmond Wingnut Collective, Nathan Cox, Filebin.net, and Does 1-10

Here is a video of Nathan being served today:

http://qik.com/video/55700505

More information about his organization online at:

http://www.virginiacopblock.org

Important to note, is that typically injunctions are served by a process server. To have multiple cops hunting you down (they went to Nathan’s work, home, and mother’s home as well as Mo’s home, mother’s home, and friend’s home), some wearing tactical gear, is a pretty obvious intimidation tactic.

We are working on getting scans of the injunctions to post online for your viewing pleasure.

The City of Richmond Police Department is labeled as the plaintiff.

The injunction doesn’t say which files are the ones in question, just all of them. It appears that the police have now taken all the files down.

RPD Files Taken Down from Internet, Check Out These Other Ones

Posted: November 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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It looks like the RPD files that we linked to were taken offline at some point today. If they are online under a different link somewhere please let us know.

In the meantime, there are other RPD files that Richmond activists have acquired over the years. So you can check them out.

Learn the police’s rules in order to hold them accountable!

Our friends with the Mindful Liberation Project have collected some RPD documents, specifically about RPD policies for “Handling Mentally Ill Persons”. More about the info and Mindful Liberation here:

http://mindfulliberation.wordpress.com/foia-for-change/richmond-police-department-documents/

You can also always check out the files the Wingnut/Copwatch got in 2010 on our website under this link:

http://wingnutrva.org/richmond-police-department-documents/

Over 575 New RPD Files Now Online

Posted: November 15, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Over 575 new RPD files, archive versions of the General Orders are now available on the same link as the previous files:

http://filebin.net/0cupaguxql

We don’t know how long the files will be up, so definitely download your own versions of anything you are interested in.

If anyone re-posts these files online please let us know so we can find them! We’d love to have them linked individually by title, but won’t be able to do so ourselves for a while.

For more information on these files, look on a previous post below!

More General Orders/Protocols from the Richmond Police Department

Posted: November 14, 2012 in Uncategorized
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You might remember from a couple of years ago that the Wingnut Anarchist Collective and the Richmond Police Department had a tiff regarding some files from the RPD’s General Orders that the Wingnut got a hold of using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). More about that here ( http://wingnutrva.org/2011/01/04/foiad-again/ )

And after the police were forced to drop their case before it even hit the courts, they refused to comply to any FOIA requests coming from members of the Wingnut Anarchist Collective. We didn’t have the legal resources to take them to court over their violation of the FOIA laws. Instead we made multiple online asks for the info if anyone else already had a copy or was able to get one. (http://wingnutrva.org/2012/04/28/rpd-refuses-to-cooperate-with-foia-we-need-these-files-please-help/ ).

Well, someone finally came through, and an anonymous source gave people access to the rest of the General Orders from the RPD, as well as some other files. Since these files regard the rules the police must follow, and since tax money goes to pay for the police, we figure this is public information, and we are re-posting links to it here. We hope it finds you well and helps you protect yourself and your legal rights.

We haven’t actually had a chance to go through these files ourselves, so if you find something particularly interesting or useful, drop us a line to let us know! wingnut_collective @ yahoo.com We;d also love to hear from copwatchers, lawyers, and anyone who finds this information useful, share your stories!

Here are links to some of the new info out there on the web, not sure how long it will stay on those websites, so download your own copy if you are interested!

http://filebin.net/0cupaguxql

http://filebin.net/8supe72vg8

From Parents For Life 2012- RPS Lies about Norrell Dangers On Website

Posted: September 12, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Some amazing activists with the group Parents For Life 2012 have exposed some glaring lies by the Richmond Public Schools about A.V. Norrell. Thanks to Parents For Life 2012 for shedding light on the issues, and keeping the pressure on!

From Parents For Life 2012:

Richmond Public School recently put out an FAQ section on their website, in relation to the relocation of the Head Start program to A.V Norrell Elementary. In this FAQ, they lie about the contents of a 2007 FEMA report (available by email, mcnealkc [at] vcu.edu if you want us to email you the file), and about the capacity of John B. Cary Elementary. The complete refutation is attached as a .doc file.

In brief, RPS claimed that the 2007 report declared Norrell safe and the landfill no longer a problem, while in reality, FEMA detected levels of methane gas “approaching the upper explosive limit”, and unequivocally stated that the landfill is still a safety risk at the time of writing. Richmond Public Schools also alleges that no other school could accommodate 250 students, while a news report from May of this year represents John B. Cary elementary (which the FAQ mentions by name) as operating 700 students under capacity.

These discrepancies, calculated as they appear, can’t be accidental. RPS is lying about A.V Norrell Elementary.
(more…)

First Meeting of New Barton Heights Neighborhood Association 7/18 at 6:30

Posted: July 10, 2012 in Uncategorized
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First Meeting of proposed new Barton Heights Neighborhood Association

Barton Heights has not had a Neighborhood Association since the previous President, the much loved Ralph Harris sadly passed away.

Mark Dorroh, who was the Secretary at the time, is now organizing to re-create the Neighborhood Association.

An email list has been revived, and a few items proposed for the agenda of the first meeting.

Some of the proposed agenda items include working with the police to have a National Night Out event on August 7th, and forming a Neighborhood Watch program as part of the Neighborhood Association. These are 2 things that us Wingnuts are against, and we would encourage folks who have questions about our stance on these topics to get in touch.

The previous incarnation of our neighborhood association worked with police, invited them to meetings to report on crime, and included them on the email list. The previous neighborhood association also used a hierarchical structure for organization, and majority rules decision making.  Because the organization is re-starting there is an opportunity this Wednesday for community members to come express what they really do and do not want in a neighborhood association and we strongly encourage folks to come out and do so.

We can choose to not work with the police, to not welcome them at our meetings, to not include a neighborhood watch group that calls the police as part of the association, and to operate through consensus or another more equitable decision making process.

The first meeting will be on Wednesday July 18th at 6:30 pm at the Northside Family Resource Center at 800 West Graham Road- behind the 2 auto parts stores on Chamberlayne Ave.

Folks who would like a ride should meet at the Wingnut Anarchist Collective at 2005 Barton Avenue at 6pm on Wed. July 18th.

rarmcwa@aol.com is Mark’s email, so folks interested in being added to the Barton Heights Neighborhood Association email list should send him an email requesting it. If folks need help accessing the internet, the Wingnut has wireless you can come use, and a computer  which are both available during Open Hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-9pm.

We will also be making paper fliers and info about the meeting available around the area to help get in touch with folks without internet access.

Call, stop by, or email us if you would like to talk about any of this! 804 303 5449, wingnut_collective@yahoo.com

First Friday’s Copwatch- Friday July 6th at 8pm at 422 W. Broad St.

Posted: July 4, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Join Southern Barton Heights Copwatch on Friday July 6th at 8pm to participate in a Copwatch Patrol of the First Fridays Artwalk on Broad Street.

Meet at 422 West Broad, in front of the Made RVA General Store.

Bring cameras- video or still, cell phones, flashlights or headlamps, water and snacks if you have them. Please dress for the weather and with shoes you are comfortable walking around in for a couple of hours.

If you are able to, we recommend that you get in touch with Copwatch ahead of time for a Know Your Rights training and a brief How to Copwatch training. We will coordinate groups for that evening, and also arrange for a group debriefing at the end of the night.

August of 2011 was the first month we did an official patrol of the First Fridays event (after over a year of doing Copwatch in Richmond), and one Copwatcher had a tazer put in their face by a Richmond Cop. In September, a smaller patrol went out and was assaulted and harassed by the Richmond police, culminating in one member of Copwatch being arrested at the end of the night on bogus charges. We refuse to be intimidated by the illegal actions of the Richmond Police Department. The aggressive, illegal, and unprofessional behavior of the Richmond Police Department as a whole, simply goes to show the necessity of Copwatch, and the regular observing and recording of a police force as long as one exists. Beyond that the continued violent and oppressive behavior of many members of the Richmond Police Department goes to show the systemic nature of problems with police- problems that will be solved not through reform, but through abolition. As long as the police congregate on Broad Street to oppress and antagonize largely youth of color in order to maintain the gentrifying aspects of the First Fridays Artwalk, Copwatch will be there.

In July we will be doing patrols of this event, cameras in hand. If you are interested in joining us for the patrol, please get in touch, so we know how many cameras and other equipment to bring out with us. We will start patrols around 8:30pm, and keep going until everyone is tired. We will try to make ourselves visible for folks who might just want to have conversations through out the night.

This will be a chance for folks who have never experienced Copwatch to talk with experienced copwatchers and get some training as to how to safely observe and record the police.

You can get in touch at sbhcopwatch@gmail.com or 804 303 5449 or come to the Copwatch meeting on the 4th Tuesday of each month  at 7pm at 2005 Barton Avenue

Tweet about the cops- Become a Copwatcher!!

Posted: June 28, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Watch the Cops Richmond!!

If you see the cops- tweet about it!

 

  1. Get a free account on twitter.com
  2. Sync your account with your cell phone, enabling you to send tweets from your phone.
  3. Follow @rvacopwatch on twitter to see what the cops in Richmond, VA are up to
  4. When you see the cops, send a tweet, starting with @rvacopwatch
  5. Send identifying info like the license plates of cop cars, cop names and code numbers, location where they are, and a description of what they are doing.
  6. Your tweet will be displayed on the @rvacopwatch feed, allowing everyone who follows @rvacopwatch to keep up to date on where the cops are, what they are doing, and which ones are doing it!!

 

For more information, email sbhcopwatch@gmail.com or call 804 303 5449 or check online at www.wingnutrva.org about copwatch trainings, patrols, and events!

Support Richmond Copwatcher Mo Karn in court July 31st!

Posted: June 7, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Richmond Copwatcher and member of the Wingnut Anarchist Collective, Mo Karn, was detained, arrested, and ticketed in May while Copwatching for standing on the sidewalk of Barton Avenue.

You can read more about the original incident here: http://wingnutrva.org/2012/05/17/first-richmond-copwatch-ticket-for-standing-on-the-sidewalk/

The arraignment was on May 31st, and a court date was set for July 31st.

Please come out to support Mo and Richmond Copwatch, and to stand up to bully cops, on July 31st at 11am in Judge Cheeks’ court room at 920 Hull St in the Manchester Court Building.

You can’t bring cell phones, weapons, food, etc., but you CAN bring a sketchpad and pencil to draw and record the court proceedings. We ask that you do so.

Richmond Police Department and Racial Profiling

Posted: May 22, 2012 in Uncategorized
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On Thursday May 17th, folks from the Wingnut Anarchist Collective encountered, yet again, members of the Richmond Police Department racially profiling and harassing members of the Southern Barton Heights community.

Here is a video of the first interaction we recorded:

A group of us were on the porch of the Wingnut when we saw a RPD cruiser stop to pull over a young man of color who was walking down Barton Avenue. They stopped him with the excuse that he was walking in the street, but this was a very clear use of racial profiling and “stop and frisk” type policing. We grabbed our Copwatch video camera, and walked down the block to film the incident. We did not have the camera recording our full approach, and were unable to get video of the police frisking the man, though some of us did witness it.

One officer, M. Godwin, was fairly aggressive about not allowing Copwatcher Mo to stand on the public sidewalk. A car pulled up Home St. while the RPD cops had their cruiser parked in the middle of Barton Avenue, completely obstructing the road. The folks in the car asked very politely if the police could move the cruiser so they could get by, since Barton is a one way street and they couldn’t turn the other way. The police ignored them.

Luckily the police let our neighbor go. Unfortunately, they continued down the street detaining another young man of color and eventually giving Copwatcher Mo a ticket for standing on the public sidewalk. More on that encounter is available on another post.

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