West Coast – Melanoid Nation Foundation https://www.melanoidnation.org Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:03:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 One-Legged Homeless Black Man Brutalized By San Francisco Police https://www.melanoidnation.org/one-legged-homeless-black-man-brutalized-by-san-francisco-police/ https://www.melanoidnation.org/one-legged-homeless-black-man-brutalized-by-san-francisco-police/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2015 19:57:49 +0000 http://melanoidnation.org/?p=2584 It took 14 San Francisco Police Department officers to take down and restrain a one-legged, Black homeless man, who was “armed” with crutches and apparently “dangerous”. The incident is the latest embarrassment for the US police, who face constant accusations of illogical brutal use of force.
 
The confrontation was captured on video and shows white police officers taking down a one-legged homeless black man on the city’s central Market St. According to witnesses, police were called in to the scene to take care of a suspicious man waving some “sticks” around in the middle of the street.
 
The video was shot in August by Chaedria Labouvier, who is heard calling out to police throughout the video, shows the extent of humiliation and brute force exercised immediately after the man was wrestled to the ground by SFPD officers. As the disabled- and believed to be mentally challenged  Black male struggles to move, 4 cops pin him down,  after  officers called for an Extended Range Impact Weapon (ERIW) which is a less lethal use of force due to the circumstances.
 
“These are my crutches. I use these to walk,” the man tried to explain. But even after realizing that the man had a prosthetic leg, the police officers continued to use overwhelming physical restrain and man-handled him, forcing his head to the ground.
 
In the video you can clearly hear the homeless man complying with the cops and asking them to get off his prosthetic leg while hand-cuffed, as well as a Woman saying “Oh my God –you´re on his prosthetic leg?”
The video shows that the officers used their body weight to subdue the subject by attempting to hold him still for no reason-since the man was restrained.
 
San Francisco police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said officers encountered the 42-year-old man waving around wooden sticks and detained him for a mental health evaluation as he walked toward street traffic.
 
Witnesses in the video can be heard saying the man used the sticks as his crutches and was simply crossing the street.
Police chief Greg Suhr and others would “look into this situation thoroughly and determine if there were any violations of department policy”. She said the case was also sent to the independent office of citizen complaints.
 
This incident comes after a recent incident where San Francisco’s chief of police has moved to dismiss eight officers who sent and received racially charged and homophobic text messages that included references to lynching’s, white power and burning crosses.
Here’s the video of the incident below.
Written By Carlos G 
]]> https://www.melanoidnation.org/one-legged-homeless-black-man-brutalized-by-san-francisco-police/feed/ 77 When In Doubt, Come Back Home: A List Of Black-Owned Wineries In California https://www.melanoidnation.org/when-in-doubt-come-back-home-a-list-of-black-owned-wineries-in-california/ https://www.melanoidnation.org/when-in-doubt-come-back-home-a-list-of-black-owned-wineries-in-california/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2015 07:46:44 +0000 http://melanoidnation.org/?p=2394 No Blacks in Napa Valley? No problem.

In light of the half-hearted apologies given to the Melanoid women thrown off of the Napa Valley Wine Train this past weekend for “laughing too loud”, now would be the time for Melanoid people to seriously consider patronizing wineries that will accommodate them with no concerns of unnecessary–and ridiculous–repercussions from suspected white supremacists who own and operate the wineries of Napa Valley. As a matter of fact, those same accommodations can be met without the Sisters having to worry about traveling too far. Here is a list of Black-Owned wineries in the state of California that could very well provide a much better experience for the Melanoid Sisters who were singled out by the suspected white supremacists on the train that day.

1. Rideau Vineyard

Founded by Iris Rideau, the 16-acre winery produces an award-winning wine named Pinot Noir. The winery is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, which is in the Santa Barbara area.

2. Brown Estate

This Melanoid family-owned winery was founded in 1980 on what was known as a “ghost estate” in Napa Valley, CA.  Perhaps the most impressive thing about the winery thus far is its extended invitation to the female Melanoid book club members who were deprived of the same experience on the Napa Valley Wine Train as their non-Melanoid counterparts. The Brown Estate is offering the women a private visit to their premises as a result of their unjust treatment on the Wine Train.

3. Esterlina Vineyards

This particular winery is owned by the Sterling Brothers, a family of Melanoid men who have over 30 years of experience in the industry.

4. L’objet Noir

With a place with a title that actually translates to “the black object”, it is only fitting that the establishment be owned by someone of Melanoid persuasion. Dan Glover is the owner and captain of the ship that is smooth sailing at L’objet Noir.

5. Everett Ridge Winery

Also owned by the Sterling Brothers (the Melanoid men who own Esterlina Vineyards), the Sterling family has to be beaming with pride because of their semmingly lucrative opportunities in this particular industry (wine and spirits). This is a winery that goes back many years in time…137 years, to be exact.

B. Clark

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