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Sonoma County Hearings Create an UPROAR! By Karen Saari, Presenter at Hearing / Steering Committee Member, San Francisco Chapter of October 22nd Coaliation

Hearing on Police-Community Relations Held on February 20, 1998
Conducted by the California Advisory Panel to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Background: Early 1997 saw a rapid escalation in police-related deaths in Sonoma County. By early summer it was clear that there were more police-related deaths in Sonoma County than any other Bay Area county. When there was a complete lack of concerned response from the police, district attorney and local politicians, community activists circulated petitions requesting that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conduct an investigation. We learned in January that the commission would conduct hearings on police-community relations on February 20, 1998.

The parameters of the investigation were a disappointment: There would be no direct investigation into the deaths caused by excessive force and neglect. I was only allowed to make a presentation to the panel based on trends in law police-related deaths. Originally the investigation was to have been conducted by the eight U.S. Commissioners stationed in Washington, DC. When local law enforcement complained to their powerful contacts in Washington about this, the hearings were dropped down to the state level and would be conducted by the California State Advisory Panel to the U.S. Commission.

Furthermore, I had been told that the hearings would not produce any substantial results. The advisory panel would review the testimony and make some recommendations. As Purple Beret Tanya Brannan remarked, "We already have a roomful of recommendations." The best community activists could hope for was media exposure on the extent of the problems in Sonoma County.

The hearing: I had, however, expected that the commission would at least give the appearance of sincerely listening to the public. I was shocked by what actually transpired throughout that day. I was particularly distressed by the way the families of those who have died and the victims of police violence were treated.

The following is part of what happened:

• Our literature tables and the Stolen Lives Wall were not allowed in the huge lobby of this "public" building.
• There was a very visible presence of armed CHP officers.
• The cops had obviously organized to pack the hearing room. It appeared that they had inside information on how people would be admitted.
• Some families of victims and others stood in line for hours trying to get into the hearing room.
• There were only 2 speakers in the lobby for the huge overflow crowd; there were no television monitors.
• The presenters for the community panels were allowed a strict 10 minutes while presenters for the cops' panels were not cut off.
• After the first panel was completed, the commissioners politely asked those in the room (mostly cops) to leave to make room for the many people stuck in the lobby. They refused. After the second panel, they were again asked to leave the room so that those waiting in line (for hours now) could get in. Some cops left the room and came right back in.
• A sign-in table for public input time was frequently unstaffed.
• Organizers had been told repeatedly that people would be given a minimum of 2 minutes at public input time. In the end, they were given only one minute to describe one of the most traumatic events of their lives.
• Many who had come to speak during public input time left in disgust.

Conclusions: While some commissioners were visibly moved by the testimony from the community, I am not convinced that they have the power to effect any changes. After all, they were not even able to get the police to leave the hearing room so the families could be seated. Since the local newspaper and politicians are doing nothing, I think our best hope is a full-scale investigation of the Santa Rosa Police Department, the Sonoma County Sheriff's department and the District Attorney's office by a federal agency.

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