Friends For Fullerton's Future
FFFF supports causes that promote intelligent, responsible and accountable government in Fullerton and Orange County
There’s another rally in front of the Fullerton police station on Saturday to seek justice for the police beating of Kelly Thomas.
I’ll bet we will have upwards of 1,000 participants this time. See you there.
Kelly Thomas Memorial Rally and Protest
Saturday, August 6 · 9:00am – 3:00pm
Fullerton Police Department, 237 W Commonwealth Ave, Fullerton, CA
Our local leaders have concealed the identities of the six officers who participated in the brutal arrest of Kelly Thomas. In the absence of official information, the public justifiably fears and distrusts every single member of the FPD.
That is probably why sources very close to the Fullerton police department have given us the names of the officers on scene that night. This information was reportedly determined from knowledge of patrol schedules and the observance of which officers have not been reporting for duty since the six were put on leave.
According to our sources:
Officer Jay Cicinelli was there
Officer Kenton Hampton was there
Officer Manny Ramos was there
Officer Joe Wolfe was there
Officer James Blatney was there
The sixth officer would have been a sargent called to the scene due to the use of a Taser. There are two patrol sargents not reporting for duty at the moment who may have been on duty that night. When we figure out which one was there, we’ll let you know.
Friends for Fullerton’s Future obtained this video footage from an OCTA bus that pulled into the Fullerton Transportation Center moments after the vicious beating of Kelly Thomas by Fullerton police on July 5th. Listen to what these witnesses have to say:
Our transcription of the recording is here.
This new video is more compelling evidence that excessive force caused the death of Kelly Thomas. First there was the video where the homeless, mentally-ill man’s cries for his father can be heard as he is beaten and Tased:
And then we saw the shocking photo of Kelly Thomas before he died, which has now been widely broadcast on network television and news websites around the world:
But still, the majority of Fullerton’s city council have refused to release the video that clarifies the police actions that lead to the death of Kelly Thomas on that night.
While we stand shocked at the brutality laid bare under their administrative watch, they quietly whisper behind closed doors, delay, obfuscate, make excuses and ignore the cries of the public for answers.
The people of Fullerton deserve to know right now: Are we safe from our own police?
The anonymous informant on the Kelly Thomas beating called back into the John and Ken show on KFI today.
Notable claims made by the informant:
Yesterday the John and Ken Show spent 4 hours expressing outrage over the Fullerton police beating of Kelly Thomas, the lack of media coverage and the cowardly concealment of evidence by Fullerton officials.
Towards the end of the show a man called in purporting to be friends with a Fullerton police officer. He passed along some new, graphic information on what was supposedly seen on the city’s surveillance camera, which the police are still not releasing to the public. Here it is:
Notable claims:
Today Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson sent over this formal request to have the FBI take over the investigation of the police beating death of Kelly Thomas.
As a result, Supervisor Nelson told us that the FBI confirmed that it has launched a formal investigation into the incident.
We may have figured out why it took the District Attorney investigators three weeks to start talking to witnesses on the Kelly Thomas police beating case…
According to this unsigned note that just came in to our website, Chief Sellers is a close personal friend of DA investigator Stan Berry, who was immediately assigned to the high-profile Fullerton case:
I suggest you check into the connection between Investigator Berry and FPD Chief Sellers. Sellers hired Berry when he was the Chief at Seal Beach PD. Sellers and his wife Rita Fraser-Sellers, are close personal friends with Berry and his wife, Kristen Berry, the Dispatch Supervisor in Seal Beach. They socialize together, vacation together and entertain each other in their respective homes.
Of all the DA investigators, why choose Berry, other than he will help cover for his friend.
Presumably that case assignment was a decision made by the DA Tony Rackauckas. I have confirmed that Berry worked as an investigator under Chief Sellers for the Seal Beach Police Department.
As for as the familial socializing, entertaining and vacationing together…maybe the Chief can clear that one up for us.
If our informant is correct, this would be a huge conflict of interest in a very high-profile investigation.
Here is the video that the Thomas family released to the media yesterday. We’ve added some captions to clarify the audio, which may be difficult to hear without headphones.
It is not immediately apparent what the police are doing in the video, but it is clear that Thomas was already on the ground and that the officers were top of him when the video starts.
The audio consists of commentary from distraught onlookers while Kelly Thomas is screaming in pain and then crying out “Dad! Dad! Dad!” before the video ends.
Email the City Council and demand justice NOW! Council@ci.fullerton.ca.us
Now we’re getting some traction. The story of a homeless man beaten to death by the Fullerton police seems to be attracting some significant attention outside of our own little town.
The infamous Gawker (7 million monthly readers)
Police Beat ‘Gentle’ Homeless, Mentally Ill Man to Death
Across the pond in the Daily Mail (72 million monthly readers)
Caught on tape: Police beat and taser ‘gentle’ mentally-ill homeless man to death
Philip DeFranco Show (one million daily viewers)
July 27, 2011 Show
Huffington Post
Police Beat Homeless Fullerton Man Kelly Thomas To Death
I’ll keep this post up to date as coverage expands.
