Bt Emerson Drake
11/14/10
We have a problem with law enforcement run a muck here in Stanislaus County and Modesto in particular.
On September 8th 2010 a Modesto Police Officer named Joseph Lamantia a two year veteran shot and killed Francisco Moran believing he had a knife, but since then we've learned it was a spatula stuck behind his back in his waist band.
On September 24th 2010 an off-duty Sheriff's Detective Kari Abbey was at the home of Rita Elias on "personal business" presumably for her father, Elias' land lord although Abbey's father refuses to comment on the reason they were there that night.
Kari Abbey did get into an extended argument with Elais and sun sequentially shot her multiple times and killed her.After both of these incidents the public has been met with a news blackout.
We know that after the Moran shooting the story changed in the next few days from a knife, to a big knife, to a spatula, then to a spatula with a shiny handle. The family supposedly still claims that it was a wooden spoon all along.
Since these early discrepancies the Sheriff's office has maintained silence.After Kari Abbey's shooting of Rita Elias (with the exception of Christianson's early statement absolving Abbey referring to it as "self defense") there has been a news blackout which has continued for almost two months.
Now we've been witness to an e-mail by a retired MPD Officer which discusses police brutality in the past. But most recently a letter surfaced which the Voice of Modesto brought to you in it's entirety which stated the afore mentioned brutality continues to the present day.We need to bring a halt to the subversion of civil rights which the MPD is engaged in.
We need to have a way fair officers to express their concerns to a civilian review board independent of the MPD which would have the power to investigate any and all complaints.In the mean time everyone needs to call Greg Nyhoff and the entire Modesto City Council to request, no DEMAND that the F.B.I. be called in to investigate the MPD.
Call Gregg Nyhoff at 577-5224 or email him at gnyhoff@modestogov.com and insist he call the FBI to Investigate the MPD
