Fairfax County Police Watch: Proactive Cops Worry About "Tone" of Anti-Police-Brutality March

Posted by Denis C. Theriault on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 3:59 PM

Portland police, in a proactive messaging play, are sounding an early alarm over an anti-police-brutality event planned for tonight at Southeast's Colonel Summers Park—tying it to Occupy Portland and warning they'll be prepared to make "arrests as necessary."

The unpermitted rally and march—in solidarity with the 400 protesters arrested last month in Oakland—is planned for 6 pm, and police are worried the whole thing will turn ugly. This concern is apparently based on fliers and handouts promoting the event. The note comes after an official Occupy rally in solidarity with Egypt late last month spilled from Pioneer Courthouse Square and onto downtown streets—something the police really don't like—bringing out one of the most forceful police responses to an Occupy event in months.

Witness this selection from the cops' statement (read the full thing after the cut):

Local flyers indicate this is a "a rally and march in Solidarity with Occupy Oakland and against corruption". The local literature also references the Portland Police's use of force as well.

Since the occupy movement began in Portland, Occupy Portland has emphasized the need for peaceful demonstrations. Portland Police have also worked to ensure safe and peaceful events for all. Police are concerned about tonight's rally and march because the tone and content of available information is decidedly more hostile and escalating.

The members of the Police Bureau are sworn to protect all people rights to free speech and keep the peace. However, we must balance the competing rights of all people in the community so that everyone‚s rights are protected. There is no permit for tonight's rally and march, but those in attendance will still be expected to follow all laws. If this does not occur, the Police Bureau will take appropriate action to include arrests as necessary.

Yes, one of the fliers that police scanned and sent out does exhort marchers to "fight back now," which could be read as clandestine and threatening. But then there's the official (and quite public) Facebook page for the event—which the police bureau doesn't mention. "The purpose of this action is to show solidarity and raise awareness," the event summary reads. "Conduct yourself in an orderly and respectful manner, but be revolutionary!"

And what about the police bureau's assertion that this is an Occupy Portland event? That's not quite accurate. The cops' statement misses the nuance that although this is being planned by some of the more radical participants in Occupy, it's been neither promoted nor endorsed through the movement's spokescouncil or general assembly. (In fact, it isn't even on any of the movement's official calendars.)

"It's a guy from Occupy doing it," says Occupy media volunteer Alex Pio. "But it's not an 'Occupy event.'"

That's not to say things won't turn confrontational. There's long been some tension within Occupy between black bloc types/sympathizers and some of the other mainstream Occupy organizers over messaging and tactics, and that's undoubtedly one reason why this didn't go through so-called proper channels.

Even still, says mayoral candidate Cameron Whitten, who isn't planning on showing up tonight, "the police are definitely inflating and exaggerating things as usual."

We shall see.

Here's the full police statement:

As a result of police action in Oakland, California, Occupy Oakland's general assembly declared Monday, February 6, 2012, a "call for action against police brutality and arrests".

Locally, today, Monday, February 6, 2012 a "tired of police brutality march" is planned for 6:00 p.m. beginning at Colonel Summers Park, located at Southeast Belmont Street and 20th Avenue. Local flyers indicate this is a "a rally and march in Solidarity with Occupy Oakland and against corruption". The local literature also references the Portland Police's use of force as well.

Since the occupy movement began in Portland, Occupy Portland has emphasized the need for peaceful demonstrations. Portland Police have also worked to ensure safe and peaceful events for all. Police are concerned about tonight's rally and march because the tone and content of available information is decidedly more hostile and escalating.

The members of the Police Bureau are sworn to protect all people rights to free speech and keep the peace. However, we must balance the competing rights of all people in the community so that everyone‚s rights are protected. There is no permit for tonight's rally and march, but those in attendance will still be expected to follow all laws. If this does not occur, the Police Bureau will take appropriate action to include arrests as necessary.

The Police Bureau is sharing this information to let community members know that there may be disruptions as a result of the march. Since there is no permit, we cannot share what route the participants will take and what streets will be effected during the rush hour commute. Please be aware, however, if you are traveling in this area of Southeast Portland, there may be traffic delays.

Morrogh finds cop he doesn’t love. In other news, hell freezes.

Probe of fatal police shooting goes to federal authorities

By Justin Jouvenal/Post

The Fairfax County prosecutor has turned over the investigation of a fatal police shooting of an unarmed Springfield man to federal authorities, citing complications with the five-month-old case.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to continue the probe into the death of 46-year-old John Geer, who was shot during a standoff with Fairfax County police in August. No one has been charged in the incident.

“There is a conflict of interest that has arisen in the case,” Morrogh said Thursday. “And there is a second potential conflict of interest that has arisen out of my office. . . . This is the prudent thing to do.”

Morrogh declined to describe the nature of the conflicts because the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday that it could not confirm or deny any investigation or comment on pending investigations.

Police went to Geer’s Pebble Brook Court home on Aug. 29 because of a report of a domestic disturbance. Geer’s father, Don Geer, said his son was upset because his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, had decided to leave him.

John Geer had thrown his girlfriend’s belongings in the front yard. She called police and told them that Geer had a firearm. Police said they tried for about 50 minutes to persuade Geer to leave the home, but he refused.

Don Geer said he watched the climax of the encounter. He said that he could not hear what officers were saying to his son but that he saw him standing with empty hands resting on top of a screen door at the home’s entrance.

At some point, John Geer began to slowly lower his hands and an officer opened fire, hitting Geer in the chest, his father said. Geer retreated inside and closed the door. A SWAT team eventually entered the home and found Geer dead.

Don Geer said detectives later told him that his son did not have a gun on him at the time of the shooting but that there was a holstered handgun a couple of steps from the front door.

Don Geer said it appeared to him that the shooting was unjustified, but he was unsure what to make of the probe being turned over to federal authorities.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad — if I had a better idea of why they are doing it, I could form an opinion,” he said.

Geer and friends of his son have been critical of how long the investigation has taken, but Morrogh said police and prosecutors were working to explore all the evidence. He did not think federal prosecutors would have to start from scratch.

“No one wants these things to linger on,” Morrogh said.

Our ink will outlast his career

Under the reign of former Chief of Police Rhorer the Fairfax County Police arrested a man for not wearing clothes in his house while he made coffee, set up an eye doctor on a gambling charge and then used the SWAT team to kill him. An investigation into the charge that the Doctor’s primary clients were cops has never been investigated. The police gunned down an emotionally unstable man because cop who shot him wrongly assumed the man was trying to escape. He wasn’t. The cops also shot dead four other citizens under highly questionable circumstances. The department under Rhorer was sued multiple times by citizens. So did they fire Rhorer? Naw they promoted him. According to news reports Rhorer draws a salary of $191,168 per year as Deputy Fairfax County Executive as well as a concurrent pension from the Fairfax County police of $173000 per year.

Occupation by force

According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, nearly one in five Fairfax residents (17.5 percent) is of Asian descent while Hispanics make up nearly 16 percent of Fairfax’s overall population. Those numbers drop considerably when applied to the Fairfax County Police Department, where only 4.3 percent of officers are Asian and 4.1 percent Hispanic. White officers make up 84 percent of Fairfax County’s 1,360-member police department, significantly higher than the county’s general population (54 percent white). Almost 90% of the force lives outside the county.