Statement of Local 10, ILWU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OAKLAND, CA – Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has joined in the filing today of this class action lawsuit to secure justice and legal protections for its members, as well as demonstrators and other observers, who were wrongly attacked by the Oakland Police Department on April 7, 2003 at the Port of Oakland. Local 10 is outraged by the Oakland Police’s use of excessive force not only against demonstrators but also against observers and bystanders, including many Local 10 members. Local 10 is especially angry that nine of our members, none of whom were involved in the demonstration, were actually shot and injured while simply trying to report to their jobs at the Port of Oakland.
In joining this lawsuit, Local 10 hopes to prevent such police action from ever occurring again and to obtain new Oakland Police policies and practices that protect all citizens’ right to engage in free speech activities without being subject to excessive and violent police force.
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