We in Phoenix Copwatch condemn the recent videotaped incident of police brutality by the Phoenix Police. We know that many people are disturbed by the violence perpetrated by police against a car-jacking and kidnapping suspect. The fact that this brutality was videotaped and aired on television is the only thing that separates it from many other incidents of police brutality. For every videotaped incident, there are hundreds more that are not videotaped.

It is not appropriate for the police to brutalize people, criminals or not. However, the police are in a position where they are rarely, if ever, held accountable for abuses of power. You can't call the cops on the cops. Victims and survivors of police brutality, innocent or guilty of a crime, rarely get justice. And is it any coincidence that the victims of police brutality are most likely to be people of color?

We believe that police harassment and brutality is especially widespread in communities of color and that this is due to the long history of white supremacy in this country. For us, the struggle against police brutality is also a struggle against racism.

We have seen a lot of police brutality in the Valley lately. The Mesa Police have shot seven people in the last year, killing four of them. And if the comments of Sgt. Randy Force regarding no criminal investigation into this incident are any indication, the police are not going to start policing themselves. It is up to Valley residents to keep an eye on police to ensure that these actions no lon

ger occur. We can do this by demanding that all of the Valley's police departments be overseen by citizens review boards with real power and by joining police monitoring groups like Phoenix Copwatch.

Phoenix Copwatch is a citizen's group formed to combat abuse by the police in our community. We use a variety of means to fight police abuse, including community patrols, videotaping and community education. Copwatch is completely independent from the police, all other law enforcement agencies, the government and all political parties. Monitoring police activity is one way to hold officers accountable for their actions. We hope that controversy surrounding this recent videotaped incident of police brutality will motivate more people to keep an eye on police activity, either through Copwatch or through programs in their communities. Letting the police know that their actions will be under review by the community can help prevent future brutality from occurring.

Phoenix Copwatch