JOIN THE MARCH TO END THE POLICE WAR AGAINST THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF DETROIT
Monday March 24th at 3pm at Cody High School
on the corner of Cathedral and Faust
ALL OUT TO FRANK MURPHY HALL OF JUSTICE
To Picket and Pack the Court This Tuesday, March 25th @ 9am
TO DEMAND THE CHARGES AGAINST ARNAZ BE DROPPED
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DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST ARNAZ COLVIN
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FIRE AND JAIL RACIST COP JASON TONTI
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End the police intimidation, threats, searches, arrests and beatings of Cody students and all Detroit youth. We are students not criminals.
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DPS police out of Cody now.
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Build the new, youth-led civil rights/immigrants movement to win Cody High School the funding and programs students need and deserve to have an equal, integrated, quality, education with the same opportunities of white suburban schools.
Drop the Charges Against Arnaz Colvin
On Oct. 23rd, 2013 the racist cop Jason Tonti unlawfully arrested and brutalized Cody High School junior Arnaz Colvin while handcuffed at a bus stop and in front of Prayer Mission Temple church a block away from Cody. Tonti, who has a history of violence, was calling Arnaz the N-word as he threw Arnaz in his squad car and drove him to Rouge Park, where he was met by another man, also white, in plain clothes who provided Tonti with a gun. Tonti put the gun to Arnaz’s head and threatened to shoot him and throw him in Rouge River. Tonti then took Arnaz to jail and held him for three days without medical attention and denied him his right to call his family or anybody for help. Weeks after being released, the police decided to press false charges (“resisting, obstructing and assaulting an officer”) against Arnaz to put him on the defensive and deter him from pressing charges and speaking the truth about racist police abuse in Detroit.
A Badge is NOT a License to Beat
So we are holding our own independent tribunal with Cody students and the people of Detroit to show who Jason Tonti really is. To expose his history of abusing his power and assaulting young black people he’s arrested. To put him and the policy of police intimidation, threats, arrests and beatings of Cody students on trial and reach our own verdict about what is right and wrong. And who is right and wrong. This is only the beginning of our fight to win the justice that Arnaz and all those who have experienced racist police abuse deserve.We believe that Arnaz did nothing wrong and will defend him based on the truth of his equality and his right to live his life with dignity and respect. He is a full human being.We intend to make an example of Jason Tonti and bring him to justice by getting him fired and thrown in jail. And to show the people of Detroit, Michigan and this whole country how to fight and win against the police and become the leaders of the new integrated, youth-led, civil rights and immigrant rights movement Detroit needs to put an end to racist police oppression once and for all.
Fire and Jail Racist Cop Jason Tonti
We have just two weeks to win the support of public opinion to win Arnaz’s case in the court room. Arnaz’s trial will be on March 25th. To win we need to build an independent movement to shift power to Detroit and its young people. A movement built on truth as its foundation can turn that truth into justice. We will not win just because we are on the right side. Or because any one piece of evidence shows that we are clearly right and Tonti and the police are wrong. The 1991 beating of Rodney King was videotaped and clearly showed him being beaten like a dog by four police officers while others stood and watched. The trial was moved to a suburb of Los Angeles and all the cops were acquitted of all charges by an all white jury. The lesson here is that we cannot leave Arnaz’s or anybody else’s life in the hands of the courts. We must insert ourselves into the debate and determine its outcome through the power of an integrated mass movement for equality.We hope others will come forward and openly talk about their experiences with racist abusive cops and Jason Tonti specifically.
End the Police War Against the Young People of Detroit
It’s ok to be angry. In speaking the plain truth about racism and inequality we can begin to build the movement necessary to finally take out our anger on those who deserve it. You are not alone. We know there are others who have gone through what Arnaz went through. We want people to speak about what it’s really like to live in Detroit, or to be a student at Cody or any other school. Bring your experiences with police brutality at school or home, or even while making your way home from school or work. So we invite you to join students from Cody and other Detroit schools as we make clear that a badge is not a license to beat young people. The police are not above the law. They are not judge, jury and executioner and do not get to decide whether somebody is guilty or not and dish out punishment. And to reassert the truth of our equality and right to dignity and respect as human beings.
