Attack On Uhuru Movement!!!

**OKULAJA** · 05-15-2005

From: Omali Yeshitela
Subject: arrests have begun
Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 22:52:08 EDT

Uhuru,

On Sunday night the St. Petersburg Police Department initiated a rebellion in the impoverished Childs Park area of the African community in St. Petersburg. Since the late April killing of 19-year-old Jarrell Walker by the Pinellas County Sheriff Department the local police have been especially anxious about any congregation of masses of young African people, especially in the parks. And although there is a history of police harassment of young Africans in the Childs Park area where the people simply come together to listen to music, the police actions on Sunday were provocative.

Claiming they had a complaint of too much noise the police demanded that the people leave the park, something the people complied with but then demanded the right to stand on the street outside the park. The police then began to pepper spray the people to force them to leave, setting off a melee.

On Monday the Uhuru Movement held a press conference that exposed the police actions. We had witnesses to the police attack and others who testified of the traditional harassment of the people by the police. On today, Wednesday, the police began a series of arrests of some of the people who had been in the park. Among the two people arrested on Wednesday was Dorian Williams. Williams is the 30-year-old cousin of Jarrel Walker, the teenager who was murdered by the police in April. Dorian had been in the house when Jarrell was killed and was threatened by the sheriff's deputies at that time, being told that if he held his head up to look while they cleaned the scene of the murder they would put their foot in his face.

We are convinced that the series of arrests occurring now constitute a blatant attack on the right to free speech and are part of an effort to cover up the crimes of the police on Sunday and to quiet a witness to the sheriff's murder of Jarrell Walker in April. We also suspect that the arrests have only just begun and could continue to include members of the Uhuru Movement who were also present at the park on Sunday when the rebellion occurred.

This brief outline is our effort to keep you informed of the events as they are occurring here on the ground. Clearly the State considers itself confronted with a problem here because of their inability to murder an African without some kind of meaningful consequence delivered by the community. Please share this email with all those you think are sympathetic to the cause of African liberation and justice.

**OKULAJA** · 05-15-2005

From: Omali Yeshitela

On this weekend the St. Petersburg Times will launch a vicious attack on the Uhuru Movement, accusing us of being responsible for all the violence and "disturbances in this city. Please be prepared to respond immediately to the attack with letters to the editor that should be written and submitted via email on the same day of the article. Also, get as many other people as you can who are familiar with and supportive of our movement to do the same. It is suspected that this article is the beginning of an attempt to pave the way for an attack on our movement by the State.

**OKULAJA** · 05-15-2005

The St. Pete Times is posting letters to the editor that slander the work that the Uhuru Movement is doing in the African Community while they prop up and support the Neo-Colonial Uncle Tom Leadership of the NAACP and a local preacher. This is an ideological propaganda war at this point. They are working to persuade the hearts and minds of the People to not support the Uhuru Movement so that they can initiate their State offensive against the Uhuru Movement.

LET'S STAND FOR THOSE THAT STAND FOR US! In the spirit of the HANDS OFF ASSATA Campaign, let's All Stand and say, HANDS OFF THE UHURU MOVEMENT, as well. Its all apart of the U.S. War on the African Liberation Movement. COINTELPRO is in full effect.

Post your letters: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/

After you submit your letter, Post it here on this forum.