Part of the beating that Jackson received was captured on a videotape taken by Mitchell Crooks. The video shows a handcuffed Jackson being slammed against a police car, punched in the face, and choked by a police officer.

On July 12 hundreds of people demonstrated at the Inglewood city hall. The next day hundreds more assembled at the Faith United Methodist Church, which is also located in Inglewood, to plan further actions in this fight.

Present at the July 12 rally and march were representatives of a number of community organizations, a large number of high school and college students, workers from the area, and many others. While most of the protesters were from the city of Inglewood, there were a number of people from the greater Los Angeles area present too.

Also at the demonstration were individuals and groups representing others who had been victimized by cops in Inglewood, and the nearby cities of Los Angeles, Riverside, and Long Beach.

Speaking on behalf of the newly formed Donovan Jackson-Chavis Justice Committee, Tandi Chimuringa said the coalition is demanding all charges be dropped against Donovan and his father; that criminal charges be filed against all officers involved in the beating; that all officers and deputies who witnessed it and failed to stop it be punished; and for the election of a civilian police review board.

Some of the other speakers at the rally were Dick Gregory, a longtime opponent of racist discrimination; Martin Luther King Jr. III, the son of slain civil-rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and Alex Sanchez, an El Salvadoran immigrant and community organizer who had just won the right to political asylum after being held in an Immigration and Naturalization Service jail for many months.

On the day of the beating Jackson and his father, Coby Chavis, were at an Inglewood gas station when two sheriff’s deputies claimed that they had stopped Jackson’s father to investigate expired vehicle registration tags on his car. Jackson was leaving the station’s market, holding a bag of potato chips, when he saw the deputies talking to his father.

"He sees the four officers running towards him [by this time Inglewood police had also appeared on the scene]," Joe Hopkins, an attorney for Jackson’s family said. "He stands up. He is grabbed by the throat to hold him back, and the other four officers take turns hitting him. When the officers threw him to the ground, Hopkins said, they continued to beat him, pulling him by a necklace he wore and kneeing him.

At least two of the cops have admitted striking Jackson. Besides Police Officer Jeremy Morse--who slammed Jackson against the patrol car, hit him with his fist, and choked him captured in the video--his partner, Bijan Darvish, has now admitted punching Jackson two times in the face prior to the taking of the video by Mitchell Crooks.

Thus far the only person in jail is Crooks, a fact that was noted by many at the July 12 rally. Crooks was arrested July 11 outside CNN studios in Hollywood on outstanding warrants for burglary and a five-year-old hit-and-run accident. He has since been transferred from Los Angeles to Placer County, where the warrants originated.

After the speeches, those attending the rally held a spirited march around the city hall plaza which was warmly greeted by passersby, while many in their cars honked as a show of solidarity for the action.

The next day at a meeting called by the justice committee, nearly 500 people rallied at the church and committed themselves to continue the fight until justice is won. As a step in that direction it was decided to hold daily demonstrations at the city hall to keep the pressure on.  
 
 
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