Hello Everyone,

Next month on June 06 is Asa B. Sullivan's two year anniversary of
his death. I would like to have a gathering in remeberance of "Big
Asa". (Big O's two year marker of his death is not far behind also).

I will not be going out in front of 2 Garces, S.F. where Asa was
killed. I know there are some who still put flowers there in his
memory and I thank you for that.

Last year on Asa's one year marker of his shooting, a few of the
family, friends and I were quietly paying our respects. We were in
front of the apartment where Asa was gunned down. We were interupted
by a rude neighbor there. This neighbor ran off with all of our
flowers and photos (that we put in front of the public tree by the
sidewalk) and threw them all in the garbage; sneaking behind our
backs while we were turned away quietly talking. I was accused of
banging hard on this neighbors door (of which I did not). The police
took her side looking me straight in the face saying I did this.
Well, it was not me. We were not there to make any problems. I did
manage to find our flowers and photos from inside the garbage near
this neighbors apartment. I will not go through that again. I choise
then and there to say goodby to the last place Asa was alive. To make
matters worse "little Asa" was witness to seeing the police again and
so this was even more disturbing to us.

On "Big" Asa's second year memorial, I do not want any unplesant
interruptions. June 6th is a Friday this year and the weather has
been good. Stay in touch and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you,
Kathy and Family















In any case,

From: Iolmisha@...
Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 04:21:14 EDT
Subject: SF CA - City Settles excessive force suit for $235,000
To: editor@..., sfdreamer@..., mike@...,
enough_BVHP@..., jonahISF@...
CC: vickileidner@..., kespinosa1@..., Iolmisha@...,
AndJusticeForAll-discuss@yahoogroups.com, badpolice@yahoogroups.com,
citizensagainstpolicebrutality@yahoogroups.com,
endpolicebrutality@yahoogroups.com, isf23@yahoogroups.com,
notulsapd@yahoogroups.com, NoRetreat@yahoogroups.com

Yes, isolated victory for Kelly Medora, after Officer Christopher Damonte, one of the 18 Bayview Precinct infamous videotape Stars, broke her arm in 2005.

Kelly gets a settlement check for $235,000
Good.

Let's see what the city will spit out to the families of Black and Brown dead victims of lethal force to "avoid costly law suits?"
Asa Sullivan, Big O Lefiti, Craig Holden, Herbert Tyron Watts, all Black and Brown SF innocent, unarmed victims of murderous SF cops since June 06...  will not grow new bone tissue, and are not coming home.

San Francisco CA -  City Settles excessive force suit for $235,000

Posted by: "kwa357" kelvyn.anderson@...   kwa357

Mon May 12, 2008 9:54 am (PDT) Article:
S.F. settles excessive force suit for $235,000
SFGate

S.F. settles excessive force suit for $235,000

Seth Rosenfeld, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Officer Christopher Damonte

Kelly Medora, a petite preschool teacher who weighed about 118 pounds,
went out with a friend in North Beach one Saturday night in 2005 for
some fun.

Instead, San Francisco police officer Christopher Damonte, who weighed
about 250 pounds, arrested her for jaywalking, twisted her arm behind
her back and broke it with an audible crack.

Although Damonte and the city denied wrongdoing, the city recently
mailed Medora a check for $235,000, the largest amount ever to settle
a lawsuit claiming San Francisco police used excessive force not
involving a weapon.

The Office of Citizen Complaints, meanwhile, has found that Damonte
used excessive force in the incident and that another officer failed
to investigate Medora's complaint. Damonte faces a disciplinary
hearing at the Police Commission and potential punishment including
dismissal.

Damonte, 41, a six-year veteran of the department, has been the
subject of other misconduct complaints, according to city sources. He
was admonished in 2003 for inappropriately threatening to arrest a
woman without authority, and he is among more than 18 officers
disciplined for their role in the controversial 2005 Bayview Police
Station videos, which Mayor Gavin Newsom denounced as racist, sexist
and homophobic.

Damonte declined to comment. Matt Dorsey, spokesman for City Attorney
Dennis Herrera, said the officers in the Medora case did nothing
wrong, and the city settled only to avoid a potentially more costly
jury verdict.

Eileen Burke, Medora's lawyer, said the case showed police failed to
properly investigate misconduct claims.

In a 2006 series, The Chronicle reported that the Police Department
had a history of failing to control officers who repeatedly resorted
to force. Chief Heather Fong said at the time that she was developing
better ways to identify problem officers. "We've made a lot of
progress," said Sgt. Neville Gittens, department spokesman.

The North Beach arm-breaking incident highlights the kind of police
misconduct records that have become secret under a recent state
Supreme Court ruling known as the Copley case. Gittens cited the
ruling in saying the department would have no comment on the Medora
incident.

Details of the incident became public because Medora filed a lawsuit
in federal court accusing Damonte of intentionally using excessive
force. In defending the suit, the city was required to make public
some evidence.

Broadway encounter

According to court records, the evening of Jan. 23, 2005, began
serenely for Medora, 27, a teacher at the Helen Diller Family
Preschool. After dinner in her Russian Hill apartment, she and a
friend walked down to a club on Broadway, where each had two
single-shot vodka and soda drinks, according to testimony.

They left at about midnight and walked west on Broadway, which was
crowded with revelers. Her friend stepped from the sidewalk between
two parked cars to hail a cab. Medora stepped off the curb behind her.
There was no oncoming traffic.

Seconds later, Damonte approached. From this point on, the officers'
and teacher's accounts diverge.

Robert Bonta, the deputy city attorney representing the police, said
in court records that Medora and her friend had endangered themselves
and others by walking into Broadway. He said Damonte and another
officer asked them to get out of the street and said they would be cited.

Medora walked away. When Damonte caught up to her, he said, she
refused to give him her driver's license. When police detained her,
she allegedly screamed, struggled and struck an officer. The city
later said she was drunk, but the officers didn't cite her for that.

According to Medora's account, Damonte seemed "irate" and "angry" from
the start.

"I was fearful just of his demeanor," she testified. "He was
definitely very threatening with the questions he was asking and his
body language and his facial expression, the tone of voice he was using."

Damonte grabbed her friend's arm, held it up by her face and demanded
she tell him her age, Medora said. Damonte said he would cite her, but
didn't say why.

Medora saw the name "R. Fitzpatrick" on Damonte's jacket - he had
borrowed it from another officer - and asked if that was his name.
This seemed to set him off, she said. He said yes and demanded why she
wanted to know.

"I don't believe you're treating my friend appropriately," she
replied, court records show. "You haven't told us what we're being
cited for. Please let go of her arm."

Medora said Damonte started to scream at her. Fearful, she said she
turned and walked up to another officer and complained about Damonte.

By her account, Damonte then demanded Medora's driver's license.
Medora said she'd give him her license if he told her what she did.

Instead, Damonte said "detain her," by this account, and he and two
other officers surrounded her. She said she did not resist them, but
merely clutched her purse. Then Damonte grabbed her right arm.

"It all happened very quick," she testified. "Like he physically took
my arm and twisted it up back by my neck to a point where I was
completely immobilized. And I said 'ow, ow.' And he pulled even
harder, and he snapped it."

There was an audible "pop," according to a police report.

The city's lawyer said in court papers that Damonte used an approved
method of holding her arm, but she struggled. Then "in an effort to
escape," she squatted down and "broke her own arm."

Lawsuit's claims

Medora cried out in pain. Police called an ambulance and cited her for
jaywalking.

At Kaiser Hospital, she was treated for a spiral fracture to her right
humerus. Medical records state she was not intoxicated.

Medora said she phoned police from Kaiser to file a misconduct
complaint, but no one responded.

Instead, an officer delivered a new citation for resisting, delaying
and assaulting an officer. The charges were later dismissed.

In her suit, Medora said Damonte had used excessive force, and that
another officer, then-Sgt. Timothy Oberzeir, failed to investigate the
incident. Oberzeir did not respond to a call seeking comment.

After U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte ruled there was enough
evidence for the case to go to trial, the city settled.

Laporte ruled that a jury could find that Damonte "intended to cause
her extreme pain and distress by breaking her arm." There was even a
question of whether the officers had cause to arrest Medora for
jaywalking, the judge ruled.

Police Commission staff refused The Chronicle's request for a copy of
any disciplinary charges pending against Damonte. Such records used to
be public, but in an August 2006 decision urged by police groups, the
state Supreme Court ruled them confidential personnel files.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill last year to
make police misconduct findings public, but the measure failed after
police officers' groups lobbied against it.

As a result, while Californians can readily learn about sustained
disciplinary actions concerning doctors, lawyers and judges, similar
information about police officers is secret, said Terry Francke, a
First Amendment lawyer with Californians Aware, a nonprofit group that
advocates open government.

Meanwhile, Damonte has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the city,
saying Fong unfairly disciplined him for his part in the Bayview
police videos. His suit is similar to a pending case brought by 18
other officers disciplined in the video case. The city denies the claims.

E-mail Seth Rosenfeld at srosenfeld@....

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/11/MNRC10GHFG.DTL

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Hello everyone,

I am too "heart-broken"  to arrange a two year memorial on June 6th for Asa's death. 

Please think of how much happiness Asa gave to all of us who knew him when he was alive with us here on Earth.  I know Asa wants us all to enjoy our lives and have as much fun as we can while we are still able. I'm asking everyone to think about this question: How much fun are you to be with? I know we all have obligations but please find some way to fit humor in your life. Asa always did.

Make LOVE a prioity.  What's life for if we never learn from our mistakes and move forward?

For those who know of Asa through others, he would be making you laugh right now. He has a big heart and loved joking around. He had a lust to learn about many subjects and was one of the best console gaming system players I've ever seen. At least I'm sure he was enjoying the television before his last moments of his life in one way or the other.

He died in his beloved San Francisco.  He was born at home in a small apartment in the City.

He will always be alive to me even though I know he is gone.

I will be eating French Fries in his honor on June 6th. He always requested French Fries with his fast food and thought the meal was not complete unless they were included. You can do the same and tell others why.

I will light a candle in rememberence of him.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ASA...anytime.  On this upcoming June 6th, and always, I will be thinking of him...

 Sincerely Kathy,

 Asa B. Sullivan's mom

Good Evening,

Tomorrow, June 6th, 2008 will be the two year marker of Asa's death.

I have decided (as I mentioned in the last post) to have time alone on
this day to morn the loss of Asa.  Asa was part of a unit of my beloved
children. It is hard to have him gone.

Some friends and family have made t-shirts and sweatshirts with Asa's
photo on them in the past. I was thinking that if anyone does have a
shirt with Asa's photo or Justice4Asa on it, that tomorrow would be a
good day to wear it. I will be wearing black tomorrow afternoon. The
only t-shirt I have with Asa's photo on it was given to me and it is
faded from washing. It is going to be put into a frame for my wall in
the future.

We thank everyone for all the support our family has received over the
past two years. Asa was only 25 when he was killed. He had a full life
ahead of him. I think of him and I see his smiling face; his heart "on
his sleeve" and the best intentions to help people in the world on his
mind. Of course if he was not joking around, he was not being himself.

The world has lost a man whom I know would have done great things in his
life; especially with those who loved and knew him best. He was a loving
father, brother, uncle and cousin. Some of his cousins were never able
to meet him.

I am proud to say I would have Asa live with me again (in a quick
second) because he had earned my respect by changing his charater and
staying on a good path. It was an honor and a pleasure to have him with
me and I am thankful for the times we did have.

With love and missing him much,

Kathy and Family

The Tragic Reality of the World's Biggest Corrupt Legal System * * *

Posted by: "Alexis Endurance" one2vegas@...   alexisjoe2000

Mon May 26, 2008 4:40 am (PDT)

Tonight, between the hours of 9-11 p.m., marks two years of my
brother's murder by the San Francisco Police Department and the lies
and cover up that followed. Today, we still do not have the answers
of what transpired that night. The public has not been given a change
in police policy, tactics and procedures that would stop anyone from
being murdered by vicious and unsympathetic public servants. And yet
we all continue to endure with our day to day lives: waiting,
listening and being cautious while mourning, as we remember our
family members. Today, I think of my brother and all of the families
who remember loved ones and ask everyone to say a prayer, meditate,
or keep a thought of life and peace as we reflect about their time
here with us.  Please do not digress in this struggle for the truth
and justice for those we have lost. We will have Justice for Asa,
Oliver, Idriss and the mounting others who have fallen, or will
continue to fall, in the hands of a flawed system by those who
believe in it.  Accountability is a word that should be adopted and
practiced by everyone, to make a real difference in our communities
to save lives. We cannot see behind closed doors or minds but the
truth shines through lies and tonight I look to stars and remember my
brother.

In peace,

Kahlil

Good Evening,

Tomorrow, June 6th, 2008 will be the two year marker of Asa's death.

I have decided (as I mentioned in the last post) to have time alone on
this day to morn the loss of Asa. Asa was part of a unit of my beloved
children. It is hard to have him gone.

Some friends and family have made t-shirts and sweatshirts with Asa's
photo on them in the past. I was thinking that if anyone does have a
shirt with Asa's photo or Justice4Asa on it, that tomorrow would be a
good day to wear it. I will be wearing black tomorrow afternoon. The
only t-shirt I have with Asa's photo on it was given to me and it is
faded from washing. It is going to be put into a frame for my wall in
the future.

We thank everyone for all the support our family has received over the
past two years. Asa was only 25 when he was killed. He had a full life
ahead of him. I think of him and I see his smiling face; his heart "on
his sleeve" and the best intentions to help people in the world on his
mind. Of course if he was not joking around, he was not being himself.

The world has lost a man whom I know would have done great things in his
life; especially with those who loved and knew him best. He was a loving
father, brother, uncle and cousin. Some of his cousins were never able
to meet him.

I am proud to say I would have Asa live with me again (in a quick
second) because he had earned my respect by changing his charater and
staying on a good path. It was an honor and a pleasure to have him with
me and I am thankful for the times we did have.

With love and missing him much,

Kathy and Family

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.6/1485 - Release Date: 6/5/2008 10:07 AM

Kahlil,

You words are well written and from your heart. I am proud you are my
son. Asa would be proud of you too and I know he is. Your surviving
siblings have a strong brother. I know with all your heart you will
be there for them as you have always been.

I love you very much.

Mom




--- In Justice4Asa@yahoogroups.com, "kahlil_sullivan"
<kahlil_sullivan@...> wrote:
>
> Tonight, between the hours of 9-11 p.m., marks two years of my
> brother's murder by the San Francisco Police Department and the
lies
> and cover up that followed. Today, we still do not have the answers
> of what transpired that night. The public has not been given a
change
> in police policy, tactics and procedures that would stop anyone
from
> being murdered by vicious and unsympathetic public servants. And
yet
> we all continue to endure with our day to day lives: waiting,
> listening and being cautious while mourning, as we remember our
> family members. Today, I think of my brother and all of the
families
> who remember loved ones and ask everyone to say a prayer, meditate,
> or keep a thought of life and peace as we reflect about their time
> here with us.  Please do not digress in this struggle for the truth
> and justice for those we have lost. We will have Justice for Asa,
> Oliver, Idriss and the mounting others who have fallen, or will
> continue to fall, in the hands of a flawed system by those who
> believe in it.  Accountability is a word that should be adopted and
> practiced by everyone, to make a real difference in our communities
> to save lives. We cannot see behind closed doors or minds but the
> truth shines through lies and tonight I look to stars and remember
my
> brother.
>
> In peace,
>
> Kahlil
>

Mesha,

Thank you so much for lighting the blue candle in Asa's honor. It is a
big help to me and I am honored you have placed it next to Idriss's
ashes on your alter.

I know Asa and Idriss would have been good friends if they were alive
today. As it is, we are morning the losses of our beloved sons killed
by some SFPD members only one week apart in the month of June but in
different years.

Idriss and Asa are what brought you and I together. Justice for their
deaths is bittersweet because no mater what, nothing will ever bring
them back to life again for us or anyone else.

I am here for you as I know this is a hard week for you as everyday
must be. I will be thinking about you and Idriss all this week as I do so often
as it is. Seven years your dear Idriss is gone from you...the would has lost
another great young man. I wish I had known him in person while he was alive. I
know him in my heart forever as a sweet young man just as Asa was. Nothing will
bring Idriss back to us and it is heartbreaking.

I am speachless with the death of our children and loved ones in the manner in
which we have lost them.

In unity and with much love,
Kathy

This is a special SHOUT OUT  for MESHA who has been there for all of us, especially for those who have lost their loved ones by the hands of police.

My thoughts are with you always and on the 7th marker tomorrow, June 13th, of the death of your only son IDRISS, whom I have grown to love through you.

I grieve with you. I hope you will be surrounded by loving friends and family (if you so wish to be) to make this unfortunate day easier for you to get through.

This month of June is so much more full of markers of various significance for myself and others that I wish sometimes to skip it all together. As it is, we are still here on earth to be the representives of those who are no longer here and for events that have past and that are still unforgetable.

I will also be lighting a candle for Idriss in his honor tomorrow.

In respect and love,

 Kathy and Family

Idriss Stelley Action & Resource Center
                                         
(I S A R C) Redstone Building, Suite # 209, 
2940 16th Street, SF CA 94110
(415) 595-8251  24-HR Trilingual Hotline

http://tiny.cc/0qCcg/
http://www.myspace.com/isfoundation/

* ISARC general mailbox
iolmisha@... (ISARC)

__________________________________________________________________


6-13-08,
7th Anniversary of Idriss "E"' Stelley's 
Death at the hands of .
.........................................................................................................


My dear, dear Sister Kathy

I too, through your loving recounts and those of your family,  learnt to sherish who Asa truly was, and is in Eternity !

Similarly, I sherish the memories and celebrate the lives of the four law enforcement victims killed in June
in San Franpsycho.. the "most Liberal City of the World"...
along with your sweet child, 
Asa Sullivan R.I.P. June 6, 2006

Oliver "Big O" Lefiti, R.I.P. June 25, 2006
Gus Rugley, R.I.P.. June 29, 2004
and my child Idriss "E" Stelley, R.I.P., June 13 2001.

Yesterday I was consciously trying to block the upcoming dreaded 7th anniversary date of my child death, and went to bed around 2 am after working on Idriss Stelley Action and Resources Center tasks of the day.

Then I was jerked out of bed every hour by terrible leg cramps and walked around the bedroom all night  to alleviate them, to no avail, then gave up and  started working again...

Then reading your wonderful message, I understood and remembered why the night was so gruesome:

The physical pain, fear and anguish of our Loved Ones,
especially if we were not by their side during these unspeakable last seconds  to hold them during their violent, sudden transition,
haunt us and live in our bodies and souls for the rest of our lives,
more intensely when, as you put it,
the "markers" strike,
Birthdays, "holiday season", "thanksgiving", "Valentine",
and for me the worst of the worst,
"Mothers Day"

Grief has no set deadline...
But disquiets many people not impacted by similar fatality, uncomfortable with our lingering pain, which  prompts them to tell us,
often times with the most candid intentions:

"Forgive and Forget"
"You do not have enough faith in God, and must rejoyce for your Blessings"
"Why do you continue to be such an angry person?"
"You need some Healing !"
"Don't be so selfish and self absorbed, c'mon, there are people who suffer way more than you do"
"You need professional help"
"It is time for you to move on and get on with your life"
"Why don't you just adopt another child./ get married again /  move to another city/country  / get a hobby / focus on the living"

So we go to yet another church
(trying  to dispell the lingering feeling that we are tiny marbles spun by the hand of God all over this planet), and are told that pastors are not social workers,
we pray;
meditate;
attend "healing" support groups;
go to psychotherapy;
pay spiritual healers, "clairvoyants"  and massage therapists,
and receive (or not) support from friends and families,
while Grief and loss continie to run havoc on our (ungrateful) souls.

I am unfortunately estranged  from "biological" family, (irated by embarrasing publicity around Idriss' death in their respective countries ),  and have precious but rare friends,
the enormity of our organization's task not leaving time for personal socialization.

But I have gained thousands of professional allies and invaluanle kinship with countless of our local, national and global Grieving Families ever since Idriss' passing.

Kathy,
Akila, Big Mike, Corinna, Danny, Donnie, Frank, Julio, Khalil, Leroy, Malik. Marlon, Marylon, Mirna, Nate, Regina, Sanhg, Shannon,'T', T-sha, Toni, Vira, Wendee, (you know who you are...)
and the countless of other impacted Poor, Black & Brown Sisters and Brothers across our world,
we ARE "Extended FAMILY", forever.

Our grief can and  is  transmuted into a Driving Force
of Transcending Love, Courage and Solidarity !

In the worst moments of doubt, despair and adversity,
we must remember that we NEED EACH OTHER,

and as Frank Rosenberg,
(now in his mid 70's, unabatingly showing up in support of all of us at vigils and rallies, and transcending beyond  the killing by Hayward Police of his child Mark), invariably remind  us with his winning smile:
"NEVER GIVE UP !"

To navigate the dread of today, I will go to SF City Hall and bring my application for a seat on the SF Drug Policy Review Board.

Whether I get elected or not,

I will continue the work of the SF Black and Brown Equitable Drug Policies Coalition that I started last month,

to contribute in decreasing odds for Poor, Black & Brown criminalization,
and hopefully help saving lives,
whether suddenly and brutally Stolen,
or slowing fading through life sentences without parole.

In the same fashion, our agency is actively involved with,
just to cite a few, (SF Based actions) :

* La Voz Latina
* NO_2_Gang_Injunctions
* Ban Tasers
* Brigada Contra Las Redadas (Stop the Ice Raids)
* End_ROTC
* Cultural Awareness Trainings for Code Pink and Global Exchange
* The Mycellium Garden Project (Environmentl remedial Justice)
* and soon with Pueblo in Oakland

I seat on the national Board of Education Not Incarceration
and help with Cindy Sheehan (R.I.P. Cassey) for CA Congress Campaign.

When I return home this evening,
I will share a playful, quiet moment with Idriss' now old dog Nanok,
and pick fresh flowers from the yard to place on the Altar,
where Idriss' 12 pounds of ashes rest in a shrine in my living room,

By nightfall, I will lit candles throughout the apartment and keep the electricity off, except for the DVD to play Idriss' favorite  song
"One Love",
and his beloved Mile Davis 'Aranjuez Concert',

while  looking  at our Vidas Robadas  picture album, portraying all our Lost Angels in the greater Bay Area, at least the ones we know of.

I am fasting today to celebrate their loving memories,
and your Lives in the Struggle.

With Much, Much Love and Respect !

En la Lucha,

Mesha Monge-Irizarry, director

* Idriss Stelley Action & Resource Center
* Black and Brown Equitable Drug Policies Coalition
* La Voz Latina's  Justicia Brigade
* Education Not Incarceration, SF Chapter

"Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise."
-- Maya Angelou

Wareware wa keshite chinmoku shinai zo
-- (We will never be silent! )

"At the risk of sounding perfectly ridiculous,
let me say that the object of our Revolution is Love." 
-- Ernesto Che Guevara 

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies,
we would find in each person's life
sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."
-- Walt Whitman

"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth ...
For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth:
to know the worst; and to provide for it."
-- Patrick Henry

...........................................................................................................

June 25th was the two year marker of Big O Lefiti's death by SFPD. In
Asa's behalf and from our family, we stand for justice for Big O. I am
still sickened by the death of Big O and by the way he was killed by
SFPD so unnessarily.

All our love and support,
Kathy Espinosa and Family

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASA!

We all love and miss you so very much. You made our lives so bright and happy. I know you want us all to be happy here too.

We celibrated your life today in different cities and each in our own special way.

I know you would have ordered the all-you-can eat shrimp. I had a few shrimp and french fries in your honor for you today.

Rest in peace my lovely son. I wish I were not writing you a birthday card here because you have  been taken from us.

We will have cake in your honor and I will light my candles for you to burn bright tonight.

I love you now and I always have and will. The Asa Benjamin Sullivan Star shines on us all and you will never be forgotten.

Love your Mom,  family and friends.