A big welcome to Nevada Cop Block!!
Nevada Cop Block now has a presence online!
Thanks to longtime Vegas activist Kelly W. Patterson (on Facebook) there’s now a home for those in Nevada who know that badge’s don’t grant extra rights.
Nevada Cop Block is a place where they can connect, collaborate and create a supportive community united by the advocacy for police accountability.
Reasons (from Kelly) why Nevada needed a local Cop Block affiliate:
As a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, I have been aware for some time that Nevada and Las Vegas, in particular, was badly in need of an organization like Cop Block, especially during the time that I have been involved in local activism.
The LVMPD, along with other Las Vegas area police departments, has a long and sordid history of beating, killing, and otherwise abusing local residents. Beyond the complete lack of accountability for these actions, the aftermath is often economically costly for the community that they terrorize.
On a personal level, it was the recent murder of Stanley L. Gibson, whom I knew from high school, by Jesus Arevalo, a Metro cop with a long history of complaints, and LVMPD’s refusal to cooperate with his widow that fast forwarded Nevada Cop Block from a future project that I had been recruiting additional support for into something that I was going to get up and running ASAP.
There are, of course, many ways you can get involved with Nevada Cop Block, including but not limited to joining the writing crew, submitting stories you’ve found to us, making/submitting videos of/related to local police, sharing the site and posts with friends, informing us of issues within the state of Nevada that we may not already be aware of, etc. There will also soon be a separate submission page for people that would like to post anonymous accounts of personal issues or interactions you have had with area police. The time to make a difference in Nevada is now.
If you’re in Nevada or want to get-involved with the group check out:
http://facebook.com/nvcopblock
Or just click the blue pin stuck in Nevada on the map below.
(Much love to Billy Kane who quickly put it together after I solicited help on Facebook. A “Who Owns You?” shirt is now heading his way for the help.)
View CopBlock.org Friends in a larger map
There’s certainly not a lack of incidents in Vegas and Nevada. Fortunately, Kelly is a doer – having been involved with the Las Vegas Anarchist Cafe, Food Not Bombs, and Occupy Las Vegas. I’m excited to see the crew that gets involved with Nevada Cop Block and the impact they together will have.
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Here’s a video with Kelly, me and Ademo when in Vegas with Liberty On Tour in 2010. Kelly appears at the 21-second mark:
