This is a blog for the community, by the community! Submit writings, opinion columns, and/or pics of anything you think is important to share with fellow Denver Harbor residents!
All submitted things will be given the credit of the person who wrote or sent in the work. Email us @ ourdhstreets@gmail.com.
We'll have door prizes like sweet gift certificates, great drink specials from Palmer's , live DJ, and a chance to see good friends again. No cover.
Bring an unwrapped gift to donate, and we'll make sure Denver Harbor area families who may be in need have a brighter Christmas!!
For more information or to donate a door prize, contact Daniel - dphinojosa@hotmail.com
Presented by your friends at Palmer's Ice House - Kathy Talamantez and the Texas Cyclone Cookers
Join All Communites Against Brutality (ACAB) this Saturday, November 6, 2010 @ 1pm as they Demonstrate in support of Oscar Grant, his family, and friends:
ACAB invites the community to take part in this National call for Oscar. We are interested in keeping a peaceful demonstration and creating a space for our gente to come together to talk about Oscar's case, about their own thoughts on the true role of police in our neighborhoods, call for an end to police violence, and most importantly, to build connections with each other around the issue of police brutality- that we can all be affect by- just like Oscar- at any moment.
For more info about Oscar's case- See Below:
http://www.californiabeat.org/2010/11/03/sentencing-nears-for-ex-bart-cop-johannes-mehserle
Sentencing nears for ex-BART cop Johannes Mehserle-
On Friday morning, one of the final chapters of a tragic high-profile Bay Area story will be written.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge is set to sentence former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle on Friday for the shooting death of Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station platform on January 1, 2009.
The incident was captured on numerous video recorders and disseminated throughout the world. The video sparked widespread protests and rioting throughout Oakland in the days following the shooting. Later, protests broke out in response to the jury’s decision to convict Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter with a weapons enhancement — and acquit him of murder — in June.
Mehserle is white, while Grant was black. The controversy over the killing took on racial overtones and unleashed long-held animosity between city residents and law enforcement.
The former officer, now 28, has been jailed at a Downtown Los Angeles jail since the day the verdict, awaiting sentencing for the crime.
Judge Robert Perry, who presided over the trial, will sentence Mehserle, who could be sentenced to anything from probation to a maximum of 14 years in state prison.
The involuntary manslaughter verdict angered members of Grant’s family and prosecutors, who argued that Mehserle murdered Grant when he drew his firearm and shot the unarmed 23 year-old father once in the back, killing him. Mehserle’s defense contended the action was a mistake and that the former officer meant to Tase Grant when he drew his service weapon instead of the Taser.
The jury agreed, in part, with the defense argument that the shooting was accidental when it came to a verdict of involuntary manslaughter. Legal experts said that the weapons enhancement charge was a compromise solution for the jury.
Dueling public relations campaigns
The families of Grant and Mehserle have undertaken very public and bold steps at soliciting public support before Friday’s scheduled sentencing.
Grant’s family has urged Perry to seek the maximum sentence for Mehserle, a 14-year stint behind bars.
The family has drawn support from the International Longshoreman’s Worker’s Union, whose members shut down operations at the Ports of San Francisco and Oakland for one day in September in a public display in favor of the maximum sentence.
“We want justice,” said Christopher McKay, an International Longshore and Warehouse Union worker. ”We want [Mehserle] to serve his time just like anybody else would serve their time — to the fullest extent of the law.”
The union’s organized community events put together to draw attention to the shooting have the blessing of the Grant family, who said they would be in the courtroom Friday for the sentencing.
Meanwhile, the family of Mehserle is waging its own campaign to urge Perry to go in another direction: being lenient towards the former police officer.
After nearly 18 months of silence from Mehserle and his supporters, friends and family members have initiated an aggressive and highly visible outreach campaign to get “his side of the story” in the public domain.
This yacht has made regular appearances at McCovey Cove outside AT&T Park drawing attention to the Johannes Mehserle sentencing date.
During the San Francisco Giants’ playoff run, Mehserle’s father, Todd, who sells sailing equipment for yachts, has paraded a large ship with “Free Mehserle” banners during home games in McCovey Cove. The move drew attention — including from the Fox Sports baseball telecasts — to the high profile case and the upcoming sentencing date.
Last week, Mehserle gave his first interview to KTVU Television from the Los Angeles County Jail, telling the television station that he expects to walk out of the court “a free man” on Friday.
”The decision I made was to Tase Mr. Grant, it wasn’t to shoot him, and I know that,” he told Channel 2 reporter Rita Williams.
Sentencing Day
Sentencing is set for 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Superior Court says that the few seats available to the public will be distributed via a lottery held at 8 a.m. outside the courthouse.
In court filings, the former officer’s defense attorney has asked Perry for a new trial, citing a Kentucky case where a police officer whose Taser was configured for a dominant hand cross-draw — just like Mehserle’s, and unlike other gun-Taser confusion cases presented at trial — mistook his gun for his Taser. Perry will rule on that motion before Friday’s sentencing.
The Beat will provide updates on the sentencing from Los Angeles on www.californiabeat.org and on its Twitter page. The Beat News Service contributed reporting. Contact Steven Luo, Jennifer Courtney and Tashina Manyak at news@californiabeat.org.
Feliz Friday Mi Gente! Check out what our neighbors in 5th Ward are doing this weekend!
From Uhuru News: Houston’s 5th Ward AAPDEP Community Garden gains support as fall crop is planted – October 30 African festival announced
Published Oct 15, 2010-
On Saturday, October 9, community residents and All African People's Development and Empowerment Project (AAPDEP) members came together at the 5th Ward Community Garden and Food Co-op, in the heart of Fifth Ward at 3703 Brill Street to break dirt and plant seeds in an all-day work project to plant its fall crop.
Below is a pictorial of the work that is sure to bring in a bumper fall crop of collard and mustard greens, turnips, rutabaga, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, winter squash, cucumber, a host of herbs, and other vegetables that are guaranteed to fill the 30 odd rows to their maximum capacity.
The people came for the whole day, as they worked, ate fruit and learned more about producing our own food.
The twenty or so odd people who came out to work the Garden were also getting the area ready for a community African Festival and a Halloween get-together for the children, scheduled for October 30, which will feature live music for the adults, and special entertainment for the children.
Booth Space is available for the Festival and all are welcome. Please contact Nykeba Griffin (832-788-4332, econdev.tx@apspuhuru.org) or Omowale Kefing (281-974-2012).
Oh Yes & Be Safe taking the kiddos out on Halloween !!!! ~ OurDHStreets Staff
Today, October 22, 2010 is National Day of Police Brutality Awareness. There are several events going on around the Houston area, including tonight @ 6pm @ Emancipation Park. Come out to march, eat, and share stories of how you or your community has been affected by police and police brutality.
From Oscar Grant's murder by Oakland cops to the severe beating of 16-year old Chad Holley by 8 Houston police officers, there is something to be said about how police work and don't work in our communities.
So, after you get your fill of demonstrating today, come over to Eastwood Park off Harrisburg Blvd (5020 Harrisburg) tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23, 2010, to eat and discuss solutions and alternatives with A.C.A.B. (All Communities Against Brutality).
A free cultural arts festival designed to expose quality artistic culture and to showcase the East End to Houston and beyond. This year the festival has teamed up with non-profit SER and the Greater East End Management District to celebrate “Going Green” by highlighting SER’s Green Job Training Program as well as other local green initiatives including recycled art, products and services.
The festival will feature performance zones including a visual arts zone showcasing over forty local artists; a cultural arts zone showcasing spoken word, indie films, dance, and a variety of eclectic music; as well as the world beat zone, focusing on music performances by artists representing various regions of the world. Over 50 booth spaces will also be made available to local artists and green businesses to show case their products and services.
Featured performances include Gitanerias Flamenco with Lucia y Valdemar, Grammy awardnominee SisterSister, the conjunto soul of the East End Pistoleros de Tejas and many more TBA. A special blessing by Danza Aztec Teokali is scheduled. The celebration will also involve a silent auction with several Houston visual artists, including Julie Zarate, Lizbeth Ortiz, Christian Navaratte and many more TBA. Please join us for this special event! For more information and update on schedule performances, please visit: www.bohemeos.com
What: 3rd Annual East End Cultural Arts Fest 2010 Where: Tlaquepaque Market, 700 Telephone Rd., Houston TX 77023 When: Oct. 17th, 2010 (Sunday) Noon till 8pm Admission: FREE
The 31st Annual Festival Chicano is a cultural celebration of 31 years of Chicano music from Tejano & Conjunto to Mariachi & Orchestra. It is one of the oldest ongoing events of its type in the world starting tomorrow and into the weekend at the Miller Outdoor Theatre for FREE! Bring the kiddos, blankets, comida, and good vibes- they'll provide the musica of our cultura! Little Joe & Mazz...need I say more? Nos miramos DH!
Here is the line up running from 7pm- 10pm each night:
Thursday, October 7, 2010 Jimmy Gonzalez y Mazz Ram Herrera
Friday, October 8, 2010 Little Joe Shelly Lares Stefani Montiel Saturday, October 9, 2010 Latin Breed Los Palominos
Texas has more “high-risk” chemical facilities than any other state in the nation. In fact, the greater Houston area alone has 17 of the top 101 most dangerous facilities in the nation. These plants are putting millions at risk of a toxic nightmare. The U.S. Army Surgeon General estimates that an attack on just one of these facilities could kill or injure 900,000 to 2.4 million people.
Come learn about this vital issue and what you can do to help protect our community from a toxic nightmare.
The good news:
Just four poison gasses are responsible for the majority of these chemical threats. For each of these gases, safer alternatives are available today. Nationwide, more than 500 plants have switched to safer chemical processes since 1999, thereby eliminating risks for 40 million Americans.
The very highest risk facilities, however, have yet to adopt safer chemical processes. We need chemical security standards that put all high-risk facilities on an even playing field. The current law actually bars the government from requiring safer chemical processes and exempts thousands of water treatment plants and hundreds of port facilities. The chemical lobby wants to make that law permanent and that is unacceptable.
Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey recently introduced a bill into the U.S. Senate which would go would require the highest risk plants to convert to safer processes where commercially feasible. This bill is now under consideration by the Senate.
Saturday, September 11th, 2010 3pm- 4pm Houston, Texas Rice University--Sewall Hall Room 309. (Building is near visitor parking). http://www.rice.edu/maps/colormap.pdf
Join Palmer's Ice House on Thursday, Dec. 16th from 6 - 9(ish) pm for a Holiday Toast and Toy Drive!
