The Socialist Workers campaign supports protests against the "not guilty" verdict in the trial of Francis Livoti, the cop who killed Anthony Báez by illegal choke hold in December 1994. We encourage all working people and youth to join these actions and condemn the injustice in this case.

We extend our solidarity to the family of Anthony Báez, and others whose family members have been victims of racist and anti-working-class violence by police. The Báez family stood up and fought the police cover-up, spoke widely to get out the truth about the case, and kept pressure on the city government to bring the killer cop to justice. It was because of their efforts and the support they won that Livoti was finally brought to trial and a measure of the truth brought to the light of day.

Across the country the courts, district attorneys' offices, and police work together to insure that no cop gets convicted and jailed. They organize to turn the victims into the criminals, and seek to justify the violence meted out by police on a daily basis. Protests and efforts by the Báez family in this case-plus the well-known history of police violence in the Bronx against workers, Latinos, immigrants, and Blacks- forced the city to bring Livoti to trial. The fact that Báez was killed by an illegal choke hold is now well known in the city.

The prosecution did not vigorously pursue the Báez case. They ignored key pieces of evidence and major contradictory testimony by the cops themselves. They left a giant door open for the judge to use as an excuse for acquittal. Except for one cop's contradictory testimony, the police maintained their "blue wall" of silence in defense of Livoti. The judge ruled for the killer cop, in spite of the eyewitnesses testimony by Anthony's father and others that showed the officer was guilty.

Democrats and Republicans, led by William Clinton in Washington and Rudolph Giuliani in New York, are mounting an "anticrime" campaign to put more cops on the street, increase use of the death penalty, and whittle away at democratic rights. They blame working people for the problems caused by the crisis-ridden system of capitalism. The police are more and more used to intimidate and attack working people as this crisis cuts more deeply into the lives of all of us. Cops more and more become judge, jury, and executioner.

The mobilizations by working people can make a difference; they are in fact decisive. Courtrooms can at best only reflect the pressure brought to bear by our solidarity and public protest actions. Standing up as the Báez family has, and calling and joining demonstrations such as the Wednesday, October 9, protest at City Hall at 9:00 a.m. against police brutality, helps point in the right direction. Building the biggest participation possible in the October 12 national march to defend immigrant rights in Washington, D.C., is also a way to protest the government attacks today. All fighters against police brutality and supporters of democratic rights should be there.  
 
 
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