Press Release: Blueford family demands coroner’s report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2012

FAMILY AND SUPPORTERS GATHER TO DEMAND JUSTICE 4 ALAN BLUEFORD, INCLUDING RELEASE OF POLICE AND CORONER’S REPORTS

Family members of Alan Blueford, a 18-year-old Skyline High student who was shot and killed by Oakland police on May 6, gathered at the Alameda County Coroner’s Office to demand justice and accountability from the city.

Joined by members of clergy, SEIU 1021, ILWU, Occupy Oakland, Dignity & Resistance, International Socialist Organization and other residents who support their call for justice, they demanded the release of the Police and Coroner’s reports on Alan and the firing and prosecution of Miguel Masso, the police officer who killed him.

The family is also demanding that Police Chief Howard Jordan and other members of OPD be held accountable for the multiple lies they have spread both to the press and to the family directly related to the circumstances surrounding Alan’s death and the medical care he supposedly received.

“When they told me my son had exchanged gunfire, I knew it wasn’t Alan they were talking about,” said Adam Blueford, Alan’s father. “I’ve heard so many stories since then that I couldn’t believe and now I want the truth.”

The Justice 4 Alan Blueford campaign is also seeking to change laws that enable police brutality in Oakland and elsewhere, including stop-and-frisk–which may not be a formal policy but is a regular tactic used by police nonetheless–and repealing the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights. They are also looking to expose the lack of accountable at all levels of the OPD.

“The Oakland Police Department is making an unprecedented effort to suppress information about Alan Blueford’s death,” said Dan Siegel, formal legal adviser to Mayor Jean Quan and a supporter of the Justice 4 Alan Blueford campaign. “We know they have a lot to hide, and it will eventually come to light.”

Upcoming actions in the campaign include a community BBQ at Arroyo Park in Oakland on Saturday, July 21, from 1pm – 4pm, as well as a rally at 14th and Broadway at 5pm on Tuesday, July 31.

For more info, see http://www.justice4alanblueford.org.

UPDATE: After the press conference, the coroner’s report was made available to the family. It revealed that Alan did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system and there was no gunshot residue found on either hand.