UCPD Watch
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Letter to Chancellor, Chief of Police, UC President
To:
Robert Dynes
President, University of California
Robert Birgeneau
Chancellor, University of California at Berkeley
Victoria Harrison
Chief of Police, University of California at Berkeley
System-wide Coordinator, University of California Police Department
On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, UCPD officers tortured UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad at Powell Library on the UCLA campus after a dispute over a “random” ID check by student employees of the police department. The incident was witnessed by dozens of students and documented on videotape as well.
Whatever the precise circumstances leading up to encounter, the video evidence clearly shows Mr. Tabatabainejad being repeatedly shocked with a taser gun -- after he has been placed in handcuffs and physically restrained by a pair of officers. At no time is there any indication of a physical threat to the officers, indeed, the only complaint against the student seems to be that, after he has been physically restrained and electrocuted, he either chooses to remain immobile or is unable to stand up and move under his own power. By all accounts, this is torture, defined by US law as an "act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person within his custody or physical control" (18 USC 2340).
As students in the University of California system, the torture of a fellow student is of immense concern to us. We are also concerned that officers at the scene refused to comply with witness demands to produce their badge numbers and names, and instead became hostile and threatened to use their Taser guns on anyone who approached or questioned their clearly illegal and dangerous behavior. The behavior of UCPD officers at one campus serves as a model for departments on other campuses, and accordingly, we demand an immediate and system-wide response that sends a clear message to the student population, the UCPD, and the public at large, that abuse of police powers and a flagrant disregard for our emotional and physical welfare will not be tolerated.
We demand:
1.NO TORTURE! All officers involved in the incident must be dismissed immediately: a) The officers who tased the student are guilty of criminal behavior. b) The officers who threatened to tase onlookers who objected to the torture betrayed our trust and their responsibilities. c) Any officers who witnessed the assault and did not take action to protect the victim.
2.NO TASERS! An immediate moratorium on Taser guns and a guarantee any reintroduction will require community sanction of the training procedures and policies relating to their use.
3.COMMUNITY CONTROL: the establishment of an independent commission, to be composed of students and faculty nominated by members of the ASUC Senate, the Graduate Assembly, and the Academic Senate, to review the incident and recommend changes to:
- UCPD training procedures
- UCPD policy for initial contacts
- UCPD policies for crowd control and the use of and escalation of force
- UCPD policies on the use of racial profiling and determining probable cause
Our demands are reasonable and relevant. On the UC Berkeley campus, we intend to press these demands with the Chancellor’s office, which has the authority to implement them locally. We simultaneously address these demands to administrators who have the authority to meet them system-wide: our campus is also home to President Dynes, the president of the University of California, as well as Victoria Harris, the system-wide coordinator of the UCPD.
We call upon all three of your offices to arrange for meetings to discuss these demands with a delegation of students. If you do not arrange via e-mail at uctorturefree@gmail.com to meet with a delegation by December 1st, we reserve the right to employ principled non-violent civil disobedience to press these demands.
Sincerely,
Avital Aboody, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Adi Afek, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Angela Aguilar, UCB, BAMN
Ali Ansary, UCB, ASUC Senator
Ehud Moshe Appel, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Adele Bagley, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Nadia Barhoum, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Tristan Bunner, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Black Bear Collective
Christopher Cantor, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine, Alumnus
Lisa Mika Chan, UCB, Alumnus
Brandon Chen, UCB, ASUC Senator
Ashley Clark, UCB, Anthropology Undergraduate Association
Roberta Davenport, UCB, Muslim Student Association
Bram Draper, UCB, Berkeley Copwatch
Andrew Garvin, UCB, Student Advocate
Daljeet Gill, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Jillian Hagan, UCB, ASUC Office Manager
Iris Halpern, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law, National Lawyers Guild
Itamar Haritan, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Christina Hisel, UCB, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
Randeep Hothi, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Jonathan Huang, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Brandon Hutchens, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Ahmad Huzair, UCB, Muslim Student Association, former ASUC Senator
Sarah Ismail, UCB, RSSP Unit 3
Adeel Iqbal, UCB, Former Daily Cal EIC
Navid R. Khadem, UCB, Iranian Student Alliance in America
Jaspreet Kaur, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Daphne Lee, UCB, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Living Water Fellowship
Kevin Lewis, UCB, Berkeley ACLU, CEDP
Husain Misherghi, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Tala Khanmalek, UCB, Xinaxtli
Sam Kimbrel, UCB, Cal Democrats
Iuri Lara, UCB, Xinaxtli
Nathan Murthy, Berkeley Copwatch, SOJA
Dean Nehama, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Laura Nelson, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Jane Park, UCB, ASUC Senator
Jobert Poblete, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Anthropology Undergraduate Association
Emil Ray, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Kathleen Rubio, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy
Suzanne Ruecker, UCB, Cal Democrats
Yaman Salahi, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Mallika Kaur Sarkaria, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law, STOP DV
Daniel Saver, UCB, Berkeley Stop the War Coalition
Dmitri Seals, UCB, Dept. of Sociology
Ashleigh Shaheen, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Snehal Shingavi, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Marina Sideris, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Michael Smith, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Jessica Stender, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Pamela Stephens, UCB, Berkeley Stop the War Coalition
Ani Tahmassian, UCB, BAMN
Nisma Tekbali, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Joanna Wisniewski, UCB, UCB Green Party
Jonathan York, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
(This is the final list that was printed and delivered to the Chancellor, Chief of Police, and UC President)
Robert Dynes
President, University of California
Robert Birgeneau
Chancellor, University of California at Berkeley
Victoria Harrison
Chief of Police, University of California at Berkeley
System-wide Coordinator, University of California Police Department
On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, UCPD officers tortured UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad at Powell Library on the UCLA campus after a dispute over a “random” ID check by student employees of the police department. The incident was witnessed by dozens of students and documented on videotape as well.
Whatever the precise circumstances leading up to encounter, the video evidence clearly shows Mr. Tabatabainejad being repeatedly shocked with a taser gun -- after he has been placed in handcuffs and physically restrained by a pair of officers. At no time is there any indication of a physical threat to the officers, indeed, the only complaint against the student seems to be that, after he has been physically restrained and electrocuted, he either chooses to remain immobile or is unable to stand up and move under his own power. By all accounts, this is torture, defined by US law as an "act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person within his custody or physical control" (18 USC 2340).
As students in the University of California system, the torture of a fellow student is of immense concern to us. We are also concerned that officers at the scene refused to comply with witness demands to produce their badge numbers and names, and instead became hostile and threatened to use their Taser guns on anyone who approached or questioned their clearly illegal and dangerous behavior. The behavior of UCPD officers at one campus serves as a model for departments on other campuses, and accordingly, we demand an immediate and system-wide response that sends a clear message to the student population, the UCPD, and the public at large, that abuse of police powers and a flagrant disregard for our emotional and physical welfare will not be tolerated.
We demand:
1.NO TORTURE! All officers involved in the incident must be dismissed immediately: a) The officers who tased the student are guilty of criminal behavior. b) The officers who threatened to tase onlookers who objected to the torture betrayed our trust and their responsibilities. c) Any officers who witnessed the assault and did not take action to protect the victim.
2.NO TASERS! An immediate moratorium on Taser guns and a guarantee any reintroduction will require community sanction of the training procedures and policies relating to their use.
3.COMMUNITY CONTROL: the establishment of an independent commission, to be composed of students and faculty nominated by members of the ASUC Senate, the Graduate Assembly, and the Academic Senate, to review the incident and recommend changes to:
- UCPD training procedures
- UCPD policy for initial contacts
- UCPD policies for crowd control and the use of and escalation of force
- UCPD policies on the use of racial profiling and determining probable cause
Our demands are reasonable and relevant. On the UC Berkeley campus, we intend to press these demands with the Chancellor’s office, which has the authority to implement them locally. We simultaneously address these demands to administrators who have the authority to meet them system-wide: our campus is also home to President Dynes, the president of the University of California, as well as Victoria Harris, the system-wide coordinator of the UCPD.
We call upon all three of your offices to arrange for meetings to discuss these demands with a delegation of students. If you do not arrange via e-mail at uctorturefree@gmail.com to meet with a delegation by December 1st, we reserve the right to employ principled non-violent civil disobedience to press these demands.
Sincerely,
Avital Aboody, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Adi Afek, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Angela Aguilar, UCB, BAMN
Ali Ansary, UCB, ASUC Senator
Ehud Moshe Appel, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Adele Bagley, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Nadia Barhoum, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Tristan Bunner, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Black Bear Collective
Christopher Cantor, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine, Alumnus
Lisa Mika Chan, UCB, Alumnus
Brandon Chen, UCB, ASUC Senator
Ashley Clark, UCB, Anthropology Undergraduate Association
Roberta Davenport, UCB, Muslim Student Association
Bram Draper, UCB, Berkeley Copwatch
Andrew Garvin, UCB, Student Advocate
Daljeet Gill, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Jillian Hagan, UCB, ASUC Office Manager
Iris Halpern, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law, National Lawyers Guild
Itamar Haritan, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Christina Hisel, UCB, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
Randeep Hothi, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Jonathan Huang, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Brandon Hutchens, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Ahmad Huzair, UCB, Muslim Student Association, former ASUC Senator
Sarah Ismail, UCB, RSSP Unit 3
Adeel Iqbal, UCB, Former Daily Cal EIC
Navid R. Khadem, UCB, Iranian Student Alliance in America
Jaspreet Kaur, UCB, Sikh Student Association
Daphne Lee, UCB, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Living Water Fellowship
Kevin Lewis, UCB, Berkeley ACLU, CEDP
Husain Misherghi, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Tala Khanmalek, UCB, Xinaxtli
Sam Kimbrel, UCB, Cal Democrats
Iuri Lara, UCB, Xinaxtli
Nathan Murthy, Berkeley Copwatch, SOJA
Dean Nehama, UCB, Israel Action Committee
Laura Nelson, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Jane Park, UCB, ASUC Senator
Jobert Poblete, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Anthropology Undergraduate Association
Emil Ray, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Kathleen Rubio, UCB, Berkeley Global Justice, Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy
Suzanne Ruecker, UCB, Cal Democrats
Yaman Salahi, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Mallika Kaur Sarkaria, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law, STOP DV
Daniel Saver, UCB, Berkeley Stop the War Coalition
Dmitri Seals, UCB, Dept. of Sociology
Ashleigh Shaheen, UCB, Berkeley ACLU
Snehal Shingavi, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Marina Sideris, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Michael Smith, UCB, International Socialist Organization
Jessica Stender, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
Pamela Stephens, UCB, Berkeley Stop the War Coalition
Ani Tahmassian, UCB, BAMN
Nisma Tekbali, UCB, Students for Justice in Palestine
Joanna Wisniewski, UCB, UCB Green Party
Jonathan York, UCB, Boalt Hall School of Law
(This is the final list that was printed and delivered to the Chancellor, Chief of Police, and UC President)
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