Demonstration Set for Saturday as Modesto Police Shoot Unarmed Howard Shaw

On Tuesday, October the 11th, Modesto Police responded to a disturbance call in Central Modesto close to Sunrise Ave. A 51 year-old man, Howard Shaw, called police after pieces of concrete and debris were thrown into his yard. According to the Modesto Bee:
http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/17/1909016/weapons-not-found-in-officer-shooting.html

Modesto police report that a man who was shot by an officer last week after claiming to have explosives and firearms was in possession of only a cane and flashlight.
Modesto resident Howard Shaw, 51, remains in stable condition at a local hospital after being shot by officer Mark Starr after an hour long standoff with police.
Shaw, who initially called 911 about a disturbance at his house, was shot when police thought he pointed a rifle at them. The object later turned out to be a walking cane.

Mr. Shaw remains in stable condition at a local hospital and has yet to tell his side of the story. This incident is the latest in a string of local police shootings in which officers shoot suspects and then it is later found that they had no weapon on them at all. In June of 2011, CHP shot and killed Eric Vigen, shooting him a total of 55 times, after he exited his car off of Crows Landing road. CHP were responding to a call from Vigen's mother who was concerned about him harming himself. In September of 2010, Francisco Moran was shot and killed by MPD for having a spatula in his waste-band. Police later would claim that they thought that it was a knife and that Moran was going to use it to attack them. In 2007 between Ceres and Modesto, a man fleeing from a high speed chase was shot in the back as he attempted to climb a fence, police later claimed that he was 'reaching for his waste-band.' In 2003, Modesto Police shot and killed Eustolio Aguilar, who was detained by the police and made the mistake of fishing for what police thought to be a gun, but turned out to only be a cell phone.

What these shootings reveal is the naked and raw power of the police to kill people and then manufacture a reason for why they killed them. The media is an accomplice in this, helping the police to assassinate the victim's character to the rest of the public; helping the police to justify their actions.

On Saturday, October 22nd, a series of rallies will take place throughout the Central Valley and then converge in Modesto. Starting in Stockton, then heading to Manteca, people will protest against the recent police murders of James Riveria and Ernest Duenez. Then, people will head to Modesto to rally outside of the Stanislaus County Men's Jail. A march will then follow, as well as a public forum on state repression, featuring speakers from the local community. Bellow is a flyer with more information. Please download and print out! Bring, signs, banners, noise makers, and as many people as possible. See you in the streets!

http://www.modestoanarcho.org/2011/10/demonstration-set-for-saturday-as.html