Hunters Point · Cops Shot Into Community Center Sheltering 200 Children
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20¢ IN THIS ISSUE.. HDW TO RESEARCH A RURAL COMMUNITY TORTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA THE "·POWER AND POLITICS" MEETING OCTOBER 1966 VOL. 2 NO.9 HUNTERS POINT · COPS SHOT INTO COMMUNITY CENTER SHELTERING 200 CHILDREN SAN FRANCISCO -- On Thursday Sep Soon after the shooting, the windows of THE BODY OF MATTHEW JOHNSON, 16, shot to death by a San Francisco tember 27 about 4 0'clock in the after- , a Rexall Drug Store were broken by an policeman, is carried out after funeral services. 1000 attended the Hunters Point noon, Matthew Johnson, 16, was shot in angry group of young Negro men. Fur funeral. the back and killed by a policeman. The ther down the street, around the Bayview officer had stopped the car Johnson and Hunters Point Community Center, several In a MOVEMENT interview with Harold A few minutes later a squad of police a friend were riding in: he thought they young men together with some of the Brooks, Director of the Center, he pointed closed off the street. They started grab looked suspicious. Center's community workers and Youth out that the shooting lasted 7or 8 minutes. bing people and putting them in a bus. The policeman, Alvin Johnson, 51, or For Service, began to organize what later "Minutes before," Brooks recalled, "the About 70 were picked up. The police dered the two out of the car and told them was called the Peace Patrol. This was kids were in the windows. The police must only went for hippies with long hair and to raise their hands. Matthew Johnson only hours after the initial attack on the have known they were in there." sandals, students with beards, and Ne drug store. That night the Patrol num-, Only three newspapers have interviewed groes, whether or not they were demon bered 50. Brooks or anyone else in the building at strating. Early Wednesday morning several radio that time; THE MOVEMENT, The BERKE One of THE MOVEMENT staff who broadcasts reported that violence had bro LEY BARB, and the NATIONAL GUARD looks like the all-American boy was pushed ken out in the FillmoreDistrict. However, IAN. None of the Establishment press out of the way by a cop so he could arrest one of TI-IE MOVEMENT staff went down mentioned the number of children in the a hippie. A couple who had been shopping there and reported that only a few windows building. and had grocery bags in their arms were were broken and that all the streets lead "The children didn't expect the police arrested. The charges were violating cur ing into Fillmore between Geary and Haight would fire," Brooks said. "When the few, being a public nuisance, and inciting Streets were completely cordoned off by firing broke out, bedlam followed, until to riot. the California Highway Patrol. All was 1 got them to lie down. I went out the The police entered some stores and quiet. The radio reports during the week front door to get them to stop firing and pulled people out to arrest them -- again, were full of hysterical announcements of let the kids out." only Negroes, students and hippies. new "violence" and "riots." Checking ,.After the kids got out, the_police came The police claim on their records that them out, TI-IE MOVEMENT found most looking for cocktails and guns. They didn't all the people were arrested at Haight of them not to exist or to be local fist find anything." and Cole. As far as we know, 70 were fights between highschool students. Seven people were wounded outside the arrested at Clayton, some at Masonic and On Wednesday the 28th, the Peace Pa bUilding at that time. Six were clearly none at Cole. Clearly the police were trol demanded a meeting with Mayor marked Peace Patrol members. One, trying to cover up the fact that they made Shelley,. Governor Brown, Assemblyman Adam Rogers, standing a block off Third no loudspeaker announcement of the cur Willie Brown, Assemblyman John Burton, Street, was telling people to get off the few time. The newspapers and television and Congressman Phil Burton. The meet streets with a bull horn at the time he said that the curfew was in the Fillmore ing was to be in Hunters Point. Only one was wounded in the back. He kept scream and Hunters Point, not in the Haight of the Burtons showed up. ing, "Why did they shoot me?" Ashbury or the Western Addition. The Downtown, a group of Hunters Point The police later agreed to keep off police have tried to claim that the Haight- residents did meet with the Mayor that afternoon. Their meeting was interrupted by r.eports of more violence along Third Street. THE SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE ARRESTED IN HUNTERS The Peace Patrol had asked the police' POINT AND HAIGHT- ASHBURY DISTRICTS OF SAN FRANCISCO, YOUNG HUNTERS POINT man watches to get out of Third Street and to block CANNOT, BEING POOR, AFFORD THE EXPENSES OF THEIR BAIL burial of Johnson. off the street so no traffic would pass AND COURT COSTS, through. The Patrol had little success in stopping people from throwing rocks and WE ASK OUR READERS TO SEND URGENTLY NEEDED MONEY began to run down a hilI with his hands bottles at passing cars, since the police FOR THEIR DEFENSE TO THE COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE, THE COM raised. The officer says he fired three would not block off Third Street and let the MITTEE OF VOLUNTEER LAWYERS HANDLING THEIR DEFENSE, warning shots before hitting Johnson. A Patrol deal with their people. MAKE CHECKS OUT TO CFJ BAIL FUND AND SEND TO 44914th witness claims that all the shots were Then a policeman was hit with a rock as aimed at the youth. he passed by in a squad car. He cried out, STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, At the time of the shooting the officer •'I'm hit, I'm hit." The driver of the car did not know that the car was stolen. called into headquarters, "My buddy is The owners reported it as stolen several hit." He did not clarify what he meant Third Street entirely on Saturday night. Ashbury is part of the •'Greater Fill hours later. by •'hit." Saturday night the Patrol would keep the more," an area unknown to San Fran At this time there were over 500 peace. ciscans. But then the police have been people on Third Street, mostly young aching to get their hands on those hippies people. HELP EXPORT for a long time. The police assumed he was shot and at CURFEW RAID IN H.AIGHT-ASHBURY A map 'published by the CHRONICLE THE MOVEMENT 5 pm closed off Third Street to alltraffic. showed the Western Addition curfew area Several revolutionary groups Then they marched up to the Community Meanwhile, on Thursday night in the gerrymandered around all areas with a have written to us requesting Center, firing over the heads of the crowd. Haight-Ashbury district, some middle large Negro pop u 1a t ion. St. Francis subscriptions to THE MOVE All this time the Peace Patrol was try class students and hippies demonstrated Square, a mostly white middleclass hous MENT. We need some help if ing to clear the streets. Some used bull against the 8 p.m. curfew and the pre ing project, was excluded even though it we are to send them copies. horns and all wore black armbands. sence of the National Guard in the city. lies in the middle of the Fillmore dis Airmaiiing one copy of the They demanded the withdrawal of the trict. paper to Cuba costs 39¢, to COPS FIRE INTO CENTER police and the Guard from Fillmore and One resident said that it would be im Tanzania 75¢, to the National When the police reached the Community Hunter's Point in solidaritywith the Negro possible to move around the area without Liberation Front 45¢. It's im Center, one officer yelled, "There's a people. ' .a map. Step across the wrong street and portant that they know what is gun in there somewhere: they're firing at At ten minutes to eight, according to you're under arrest. happening inside this country. Pete Robinson, a community worker at No daily newspapers were delivered in Can any of our readers send us I" On television and in the newspapers Hamilton Methodist Church, a police of any of the curfew areas, even during the us a contribution toward the people saw the police fire into the build ficer stepped out of his car and said, in day, while the curfew lasted. postage needed to mail THE ing. a conversational tone, that there was a MOVEMENT to these groups? More than 200 children were in the Cen "Now Matthew Jones won't have to fight ter at that time. This was not reported by curfew and people should go home. He in Vietnam," said one of the signs carried any of the news media. did not use the loudspeaker on the car. by the Haight Street Demonstrators. PAGE ., THE MOVEMENT OCTOBER 1966 .............1 1 EDITORIAL.I II .. • ......11...1111.1111....11 LETTERS 1111111... 1111111111111....... r'CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY" ARREST SNCC IS REVOLUTIONARY APPLAUD YOUR WORK Hot on the heels of the police frame lower-class communities in the United up of SNCC organizers in Philadelphia States. Harris was not arrested for being (From a letter to Marin Friends of SNCC) To the members of the SNCC staff: and the arrest of Stokley Carmichael for a criminal or for being a syndicalist. He To Whom it May Concern: Having just read the July issue of THE leading a riot in which he did not take W:iS arrested for trying to organize Ne I) Here are the blue Chip stamps I prom MOVEMENT, and being highly impressed part, comes the news that police have groes against police brutality, for opposing i sed a week ago.