Headline News In This Issue:

Finding Community Safety without Police by Mark Berry In this issue of Confluence we take an honest look on police relations with the community. Popular and corporate media images of police portray them as protecting the community from crime and drugs. However, many people feel intimidated and harassed by police and experience them as an occupying force that they fear. Confluence focuses on investigating these different experiences with police, specifically issues of police misconduct and abuse of power. In “Fatal Police Shooting Called Murder" on page one, Confluence journalist digger, tells the story of how 15 year-old Jeremy Robinson was shot by St. Louis police in the back and front while lying on the ground December 29, 2006. At that time, police said he was involved in a car theft and had a gun--both allegations turned out to be lies. Last year in New York city, Sean Bell was killed on his wedding day in a hail of 50 police bullets, as told by New York Indypendent writer Nick Powers on page four. [view full text]

Monster in the Media, Hero in the Streets: The Struggle of Kevin Johnson by digger Before his trial, before the release of any evidence to the public, the mainstream media convicted Kevin Johnson of killing a cop. Why does the "innocent until proven guilty" standard only apply to police who shoot and kill people, and not the other way around? [view full text]

No Indictments in Police Murder by digger Nine months after a St. Louis police officer fatally shot Jeremy Robinson there have been no indictments and no announcements from the police Internal Affairs about the results of their investigation. [view full text]

Four Years Later: Justice for Victims of CAMP/Bolozone Raids? by digger Four years after the St. Louis Police crackdown on protesters before the agribusiness and biotech industry sponsored World Agricultural Forum (WAF), a civil suit on behalf of the victims has been delayed again due to devious legal maneuvers by the St. Louis Police Department (one of the defendants). The police have appealed a judge's ruling that they can not be granted qualified immunity for raiding CAMP, a community center in St. Louis (home of Confluence and the Independent Media Center) and the Bolozone, a housing cooperative in south city. [view full text]

Police Use Tasers, Beatings on Youth, Say Inside Source by Confluence Staff Earlier this year, Confluence talked with a source involved in the Missouri Judicial system who, for obvious reasons, asked to remain anonymous. [view full text]

Coerced Confession, Crooked Prosecutor Put Reggie Clemons on Death Row by digger and Candace Reggie Clemons has sat on death row since his 1993 conviction for the Chain of Rocks Bridge tragedy. However, many significant and troubling questions linger about who actually committed the crime for which Reggie was convicted. [view full text]

Taser Torture by Police on the Rise by digger Locally and across the country, police are increasingly using Tasers to subdue "suspects". However, during the incidents of police tasering in the last few years, many have been injured, some appear to have been tortured with the Taser and there have been more than a few deaths. Here are a few examples: [view full text]

Who will Police the Police? Copwatch Seattle by Love and Rage The campaign for a Civilian Oversight Board and local control of the police in the city of St. Louis continues (see page 5). Nationally, Copwatch organizations have started in many cities to directly monitor and record police actions when local governments and police are not doing enough. Even with a Civilian Oversight Board, Copwatch programs can empower the comunity, undermine police authority, while building community connections and safety. [view full text]