________________________________________ From: Aztatl Garza [mailto:aztatlxikano@gmail] Sent: Friday, January 23, 2015 3:47 PM Subject: Re: [unOccupyABQ] [Fwd: DOJ v APD; Amici Brief] Thank you - most excellent work. I believe I am and have been a victim of police surveilence and brutality for my political associations and beliefs. Aztatl Tlalquetzqui . ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: DOJ v APD; Amici Brief From: Antonio Maestas Date: Sat, January 17, 2015 11:32 pm To: Ms. Jewel Hall Ms. Maria Bautista Mr. Ralph Arellanes Javier Benavidez Ms. Susan Schuurman Mr. Richard Moore Ms. Anna Nelson Mr. Pablo Martinez Cc: Prof. Alfred Mathewson Mr. Stephen Torres Mr. Leon Howard -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Amici Members, thank you again for participating as an Amici (friend of the court) in this historic lawsuit. Here is some information to share with your members. Special thanks to Professor Alfred Mathewson and the law students who did tremendous amounts of research to put this brief together. ORAL ARGUMENTS: The public hearing will be Wednesday, January 21st at 1:30 pm in the federal courthouse, Rio Grande Room. Be sure to go early to get a seat. SOCIAL MEDIA: Feel free to use your website or Facebook/Twitter with a link to the Amicus Brief or send an email blast to your distribution list with a copy of the brief attached. PRESS RELEASE: Feel free to do any and all press you wish but we ask two things: coordinate (in terms of sharing advisories & releases and STAY ON MESSAGE). There is a lot to say about APD but for this part of process we want to emphasize the arguments articulated in the brief. Also be sure to include the other organizations in your formal releases/Advisories. ORGANIZATIONS: (_______ ) joined the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center, Hispano Round Table de Nuevo Mexico, Martin Luther King Memorial Center, NM Forum for Youth in Community, NM LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), NM OLOC (Old Lesbians Organized for Change), and Southwest Organizing Project to file an amicus brief in the US District Court for New Mexico in the DOJ -APD consent decree case. MAIN POINTS: 1. We did not ask the Court to approve or disapprove the Settlement Agreement. 2. We asked the Court to use the fairness hearing to educate the community about the scope and limitations of the consent decree in light of applicable federal law and in rendering its decision, to explain to the community organizations and others filing amicus briefs how their concerns were taken into account in reaching its decision. 3. We acknowledged that the Settlement Agreement had positive attributes. 4. We contended that the coverage of racially discriminatory policing was inadequate and asked the Court to modify the agreement to add a prohibition against biased policing. 5. We contended that the Settlement Agreement was silent on issues directly pertaining to interactions between APD and Albuquerques youth and asked the Court to modify the Settlement Agreement to include coverage in the community engagement framework. 6. We contended that the community engagement framework was inadequate because it does not clearly provide a seat at the table for community organizations. 7. We asked the Court to appoint a diverse Monitor team with experience in law enforcement in a city with racial and cultural demographics of Albuquerque and to cloak the Independent Monitor with the appearance of independence. -Rep Antonio Maestas [cid:8BDF5A47-5C88-4B3B-A1EE-C6306EFB428F] ==========================================================
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 23:39:23 +0000