Justice4Pedie Update, May 2017

The City of Richmond has hired Mr. Lucky Narain, for the part-time position as special investigator for the Richmond Citizens Police Review Commission. Relatively unknown to the Richmond community, Mr. Narian was a candidate for Oakland School Board in 2016, when he listed his occupation as “Military Lawyer.” Narain’s first assignment, we understand, will be a full and independent investigation of the police shooting of Richard “Pedie” Perez III, shot and killed by Richmond Police Officer Wallace Jensen just minutes after midnight on September 14, 2014,

The shooting—and subsequent efforts by the Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus and Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark A. Peterson to justify the shooting and blame Pedie for being shot—have raised serious concerns within the Richmond community, concerns which led to changes in the City code on the police commission and the hiring of a Special Investigator.

In February 2016, responding to public concern following exposure of law enforcement’s cover-up in the shooting of Perez, the Richmond City Council voted 4-3 to instruct the police commission to hire an independent investigator not connected to the police department to investigate the Perez murder.

At the same time, the name of the Richmond Police commission was changed to “Richmond Citizens Police Review Commission.” The City Council also voted to require the Police Commission to automatically investigate any future police shootings and/or use of physical force resulting in serious injuries.

These accomplishments result from the efforts of the Perez family with the support of the Oscar Grant Committee (OGC) and the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) to bring this miscarriage of justice to the attention of the people of Richmond and the Bay Area. Members of the Perez family and OGC have been active in raising Justice4Pedie issues in a variety of venues, including the May Day celebration of the ILWU, which included “Stop Police Terror” as one of its demands.

In another development earlier in May 2017, DA Peterson, who played a key role in the cover-up of Pedie’s killing, was accused of “willful or corrupt misconduct” by a Contra Costa grand jury that recommended that he be fired.

These impressive accomplishments do not mean we can rest on our laurels. We must continue our vigilance to make sure that those who led the earlier cover-up do not attempt to influence the course and conclusions of this special investigation. Special Investigator Narian owes his job and allegiance to the community, rather than to city officials and the politicians.

To this end, members of the OGC and the Perez family are organizing a special community meeting to review this case and discuss how we can ensure justice is done. Here’s the info:

Download the DRAFT flyer (PDF) for this event, put together by members of the Oscar Grant Committee and the Perez family.

We are seeking sponsors for the above event. For info:
Gene Ruyle 510-332-3865
or email: cuyleruyle@mac.com