Respect for Own Mothers of the Movement - Part 1
Excessive Use Of Force By San Diego Police
by Dr. Darwin Fishman
Darwin Fishman, Ph.D. Sociolgy Department, San Diego State Universty

I ran into Toby Diller’s mother yesterday at the Dennis Carolino March and Rally in City Heights. Tobey Diller was shot and killed like a runaway slave by SDPD on January 24, 2020 after a police pursuit on foot. His capital offence: drinking from an open container, typically an infraction equivalent to a parking ticket. He was face down in the street when the officer shot in the back of the head, execution style.  Dennis Carolino, 52, was shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting that began when Carolino's aunt called for help. 

I am moved that Diller’s mother keeps coming to these public protests - especially ones not just her son.  I was also pleased to see Asian Americans lead this demonstration and to see more new faces and new organizations working on police brutality and excessive force cases.  Even so, our numbers are still small. l and we are literally still banging the same well worn drum of injustice at the hands of police that we have been banging on for centuries.

With that being said, I do want to highlight recent San Diego history and I want to make a case for why we need to dig in more and fight back with even more intensity and determination.  The Dennis Carolino case is emblematic of everything that is wrong with how the San Diego Police Department operates when it comes to mental health and with how and when they use lethal force.  When a relative called 9-1-1 to say that her Uncle was having a psychotic breakdown on August 24th, 2019, it is safe to say that the family was expecting help and sensitivity to Carolino’s mental health condition.  Instead the officers quickly ended up using lethal force when they encountered him with a shovel. This case is eerily similar to how Alfred Olango was killed by police on September 27th, 2016 in El Cajon.  Olango’s sister had called 9-1-1 and had asked for help with her brother and the police used lethal force too quickly when they came out.

Given this clear pattern of the police using lethal force for mental health related calls, it would seem easy enough for police forces to address this problem with better training and education, as well as holding officers accountable, through appropriate independent investigations and disciplinary actions as needed, for making poor decisions.  When a subject is not a threat to himself or others, then it is not only wise to be patient, but the police can be required to use non-lethal force. Using non-lethal force could not only ensure that there is no loss of human life, but it could also help solidify community support and trust in a police force that demonstrates through their actions and words that they value all life.

Native Women's Association of Canada

The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC), www.mwac.ca or Association des Femmes Autochthones au Canada (AFAC) in French, is a National Indigenous Organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Canada, inclusive of First Nations on and off reserve, status and non-status, disenfranchised, Métis, and Inuit. An aggregate of Indigenous women's organizations from across the country, NWAC was founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women within their respective communities and Canadian societies. 

Since 1974, NWAC has established governance structures, decision-making processes, financial policies and procedures, and networks. NWAC engages in national and international advocacy aimed at legislative and policy reforms that promote equality for Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people, including LGBTQ+ people. Through advocacy, policy, and legislative analysis, NWAC works to preserve Indigenous culture and advance the well-being of all Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people, as well as their families and communities. 

WWII veteran Lives 101 years, eating organic foods and herbs 

by Lester “Mac” McCurtis

William "Bill" McCurtis, Sr. (Oct.,7, 1918 - Oct., 11, 2019) born in Waverly, Alabama, the youngest of four siblings. Bill graduated from Interurban Heights Industrial Highschool in Birmingham, Alabama, where he learned the trade of a ”Cobbler" (Shoe repair)  in 1939. Soon after he joined the U.S. Navy during WWII as a Steward, and also attended military school for Photography. Bill served two tours in the U.S. Navy earning the WWII Victory Medal and Asiatic Pacific Sea Medal. Unfortunately, after his second tour ending on August 4, 1952, he was given an "Other than Honorable" discharge. Bill's family fought to get his discharge upgraded to "Honorable" during his 90's and finally, 24 hours after his 101st birthday, the Veteran's Administration upgraded his status to an "Honorable discharge". Bill had many battles which he persevered during his life.

Enero Zapatista is a month-long series of political and culturally conscious event that commemorate the uprising of the Zapatistas in January 1994. These series of events will take place this upcoming January 2020, in San Diego, California.

On January 1, 1994, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) took up arms and crowded the streets of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas (México). They denounced injustices like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the humiliation and genocide of indigenous peoples, neoliberalism, the World Bank, and the increasing sore gap between the rich and the poor. Zapatistas demanded the right to land, life, education, autonomy, self-determination, and dignity. To this day, Zapatista communities continue to organize and engage people on a local and global scale. They work in humble and dignified ways to fight toward “a world in which many worlds fit”.

This year, we will be celebrating the 16th Annual Enero Zapatista in San Diego, and 26 years of resistance since the 1994 Zapatista uprising. ¡Que Viva La Lucha Colectiva! 

We extend an invitation to communities throughout San Diego County to stand with our Zapatista brothers and sisters to create and organize spaces/events throughout the month of January that transcend borders. Let’s continue this fight against the system that affects us all on a local and global scale! Let’s fight across the world, no matter what age, sexual orientations, abilities, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and many other social categories, we must not let the bad government (el mal gobierno) divide us! We must unite!

This year’s theme is “People’s Rebellion: Nuestra Lucha Es Por La Vida!”, because the peoples’ sense of collective power is growing around the world. We must not let this moment go to waste asking those at the top to reform the system, we must work from below to bring about change, not lift those that only seek to raise themselves. We must strive to  deconstruct colonizing mindsets in order to create a world in which many worlds fit. As imperialism brings the world to the brink of destruction the people must know of their power because our fight is for life.

Organizations/individuals participating must have events that uphold Zapatismo (i.e. self- determination, anti-capitalism, and anti-imperialism). Events should be a safe space for all (no alcohol or drugs). In order to organize collectively Enero Zapatista with good communication and transparency, we ask that all participating organizations send a representative to attend all of the bi-weekly meetings. If your organization would like to take part in Enero Zapatista 2020, please notify the committee and send a representative by Thursday, October 10, 2019. In participating in Enero you will need to agree and respect all community agreements and commit to volunteer hours.

For more information on the planning meetings, or about volunteer opportunities at events for Enero Zapatista in San Diego, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.