FROM THE NEWSWIRE: A video of the APD doing a walk-through of Pisgah View Apts., a local housing project, one officer is carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle. He refered to it as his piece maker.

This apparently happens somewhat regularly in PVA. The locals of the neighborhood have a lot to deal with. The police presence is intense and the when the police use such tactics as a means to intimidate people, its no wonder the community is afraid of the police.

http://www.myspace.com/ashevillecopwatch

FROM THE NEWSWIRE: Local residents using the NC Constitution, form their own Citizen’s Police Oversight Review Board

Asheville, NC…………. (14 Nov 2007) A private group of citizens in Asheville announced today the formation of The Citizen’s Police Oversight Review Board. Gene Hampton, spokesman for the group, said on the steps of city hall, that this citizen’s review board was established under the North Carolina Constitution, article 1 Section 3, which says “The people of this state have the inherent, sole, and exclusive right of regulating the internal government and police thereof.” Hampton said the group was formed to (assure) “Quality Police” and to provide “independent police oversight.” He said the public is welcome to join the group which will be training in “proper observation and documentation of police conduct.” The group has been meeting since Aug 24th to establish the cop watch program locally. A former Asheville Justice Watch group disbanded last year after failing to get the City Council to work with the NC Legislature to establish a Review Board for the Asheville Police. The new group formed after Jonas Phillips a resident of West Asheville was arrested for protesting on a highway over pass, and local residents met to talk about this incident and others. (Jonas court date is Dec 5th) The new group contends that they have the authority under the NC Constitution (above) to provide oversight. Hampton said that information gathered would be dispersed all the way to the NC Attorney General and or the US Dept of Justice if necessary.

Citizen’s Awareness Asheville contact info: phone (828)-398-4817 web: policeoversight.com
written by: JimBrown@Ashvl.com

Police Chief Bill Hogan and Sheriff Van Duncan

FROM THE NEWSWIRE: On September 27, the WNC-ACLU held a heated panel discussion at UNCA entitled “Your Right to Dissent”. Asheville City Police Chief Bill Hogan and Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan were both on the panel, along with representatives from local government, the academic and activist communities, and the ACLU. But rather than a discussion about dissent with this diverse panel, the audience took this rare opportunity to drill the two cops with some tough questions, leaving little opportunity for the rest of the panelists to input at all.

As the night progressed, the two cops were forced to respond to questions and criticisms about police brutality and harassment of black communities, abuse of Constitutional rights to dissent, and the feasibility of implementing a Citizen Review Board for the police. With roughly 170 people present, the forum lasted almost an hour longer than it was intended to.

Click here to stream or download unedited audio from the entire night, recorded on Making Progress, a radio show on WPVM.