Contact: Kitty Lui, (510)969-6279 [email protected]
When: 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18
Where: Mendell Plaza @ 3rd Street and Palou Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Speakers:
DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter:
Bayview-Hunters Point resistance leader, emcee and City College student currently campaigning against trumped up misdemeanor charges. Benzo faces probation or up to three years in county jail. His sentencing hearing is 9am April 20th at 850 Bryant, San Francisco.
Denika Chatman:
mother of Kenneth Harding, who was shot at 10 times and killed by SFPD in Mendell Plaza last July. The police had been chasing Harding from a MUNI train for not paying the $2 fare.
Severa Keith: Fly Benzo’s lawyer
Why do we say “Free Fly Benzo?”
Fly Benzo was convicted February 22 on misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer and assault on a police officer. The charges stem from Benzo’s arrest on October 18 of last year during a confrontation between a group of Bayview-Hunters Point residents and San Francisco police officers Joshua Fry and John Norment.
Benzo has faced repeated harassment from SF police for his activism. He is well known for speaking out about the death of Kenneth Harding. Twenty-four hours after publicly criticizing the SFPD on public-access television last July, Benzo was approached by police and arrested near the intersection of Oakdale Avenue and Lane Street. Benzo was released from jail almost four days later with no charges filed.
Unemployment, predatory lenders and police repression are pushing Black people out of San Francisco. We need to defend young leaders like Fly Benzo from unjust incarceration if we are to defend the right of all Black people to live in the City.
The murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., like the murder of Kenneth Harding and the campaign of repression against Fly Benzo in San Francisco, exposes both how deep racism runs in the United States and how many people are willing to resist.
Let’s take push now for justice for Kenneth Harding and Trayvon Martin and freedom for Fly Benzo!
As Benzo wrote recently: Live ya life like a KING, don’t be the Enemy’s pawn My folks in Africa need food, instead they sendin ‘em bombs Don’t be blind to whats goin on right in front of ya face And put ya fist up in the air and middle finger to the jakes Cause Sleepin’ on the movement’ll be ya biggest mistake
Thats why you still gone see me ridin ’til my sentencin date!!
