Performed by Alan Blueford’s cousin Yolanda Wilkes, aka Yoyo
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.
“I Am The Mother of Murder Victim Alan Blueford.”
by J.P. Massar
Originally posted at Daily Kos
Yesterday morning, July 19th, 2012, Alan Blueford’s mother, father and niece, and their attorneys Dan Siegal and Walter Riley, spoke at a press conference held on the steps of the Alameda County Coroner’s office. They decried the murder of 18 year-old Alan Blueford by Oakland Police Officer Miguel Masso on May 6th, 2012. In support at the press conference were friends of the family, numerous Occupy Oaklanders and other activists who seek Justice 4 Alan Blueford.
The family had been stonewalled about the entire case by the City Administration after testifying at a City Council meeting several weeks ago, despite pledges of support by at least one City Council member. The issue at hand was the refusal by the Coroner’s office to release the autopsy report on Blueford’s death, which the Coroner reported had had a “hold” placed on it at the request of the Oakland Police Department. Only after intense pressure over the course of the last month culminating in this press conference was the family able to obtain a copy of the report — after being forced to pay $326 in “fees”. The report was finally issued in the afternoon after the press conference had ended.
… the family couldn’t get the report until it paid a total of $326 in fees, an amount he said is the standard cost for autopsy fees. ((Sheriff’s spokesman)) Kelly said the coroner’s bureau sometimes waives the fees for families of homicide victims but Blueford isn’t considered to be a homicide victim because Oakland police believe that shooting him was a justifiable use of deadly force.
Press conference at the Coroner’s office
Part 1
Part 2
Comments Off on Press conference at the Coroner’s office
Posted in video
Tanesha Blye: Facts in the case of Alan Blueford
Saturday, May 12 at Eastmont Mall
Comments Off on Tanesha Blye: Facts in the case of Alan Blueford
Posted in video
Blueford family speaks to the Oakland City Council
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Comments Off on Blueford family speaks to the Oakland City Council
Posted in video
Justice For Alan Blueford: The Ongoing Struggle Against Police Violence in Oakland
by Mike King
Originally posted at CounterPunch.org
The killing of unarmed high school Senior Alan Blueford on May 6th by Oakland Police officer Miguel Masso is both unthinkable and commonplace. When the unthinkable becomes commonplace, any decent society, any society trying to imagine or portray itself as a democracy, is forced to ask some hard questions – some questions that necessitate interrogating the nature of modern policing in American cities.
Just after midnight on that Saturday night, Alan and two of his friends were waiting for some girls to pick them up on 90th Ave., in East Oakland, after the Floyd Mayweather fight. Not long after he had phoned his parents to check-in with them, a car slowly pulled up to them with its lights off. Alan ran. One officer gave chase. A few blocks later Alan was shot by officer Masso. Masso also shot himself in the foot. Over a dozen witnesses all said that Alan had no weapon and posed no threat to the officer.
Comments Off on Justice For Alan Blueford: The Ongoing Struggle Against Police Violence in Oakland
Posted in article
The police won’t tell us the truth
Originally posted at SocialistWorker.org
In the weeks since Alan Blueford was gunned down by Oakland police at around midnight on May 6, a movement has been building to win justice for him and his family. Despite the silence of City Hall, the media’s character assassination of Alan and the police department’s constantly changing narrative of what happened and its unwillingness to disclose information about the officer who pulled the trigger, Alan’s parents, Jeralynn and Adam Blueford, and other relatives have bravely stepped forward to speak out.
In the week following his death, Alan’s family held a vigil to bring attention to the killing. The next day, they led a 100-strong march to a police sub-station close to the crime scene. On May 15, the Blueford family confronted the Oakland City Council during its public meeting–supporters flooded the council chambers and others filled the rotunda.
When it was announced that Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan would come to Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ, the Blueford family’s place of worship, to address the community’s concerns about the case, a contingent of the family’s supporters organized to confront Jordan. At the family’s urging, the group planned a silent action, in which some 50 demonstrators, along with church members, turned their backs on Jordan when he spoke and raised their fists when he told lies to the audience. When protesters and congregants began chanting, Jordan left, and the demonstrators followed him out for a spirited rally aimed at shaming the departing police chief.
Since these actions, Alan’s family and their supporters have continued building awareness. On Saturday, June 9, an audience of almost 100 people heard members of the Blueford family speak at a panel event titled “From Police Brutality to Hate Crimes: How Can We Win Justice?”Also speaking was Talishia Massey, the sister of Brandi Martell, a transgender woman of color murdered in front of her friends in Oakland. Other families of victims of police brutality and hate crimes were present to show their support, including relatives of Kenneth Harding Jr. and Oscar Grant III.
On June 15, Alan’s parents were invited to attend the graduation ceremony of Skyline High School, where Alan was to receive his diploma. Jeralynn and Adam received an honorary diploma for Alan’s accomplishments–and a standing ovation from students, parents, teachers, staff and administrators. A few weeks later, the two were featured speakers at a panel discussion on police violence at Socialism 2012 in Chicago.
Here, Jeralynn and Adam Blueford speak to Adam Balogh and Francois Hughes about the loss of their son, their efforts to get answers from police and city officials, and the struggle they and other families face to win justice.
Comments Off on The police won’t tell us the truth
Posted in article
Justice 4 Alan Blueford! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.