Black activist defies criminal in-justice system

After four hours of deliberation, the jury in the trial of Black community activist Shareef Aleem told Adams County District judge Katherine Delgado on March 2 that they could not reach a unanimous decision, resulting in a hung jury.

Shareef Aleem

Shareef Aleem was being tried for third-degree assault on a cop, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years.

The charge comes from an incident that took place on Feb. 3, 2005, when Aleem went to a public meeting called by the Colorado University Board of Regents. The fate of Prof. Ward Churchill was being discussed, yet students were denied the right to speak and a few people in the crowd began demanding to be heard. Shareef was singled out and brutally attacked by cops. At one point, a dozen cops were on top of Aleem while cops in SWAT gear waited outside.

Aleem has been an outspoken anti-racist activist and has challenged officials in the Greater Denver Metropolitan Area over the rampant police attacks, especially against people of color.

His trial, which began on Feb. 27, was an attempt to silence and punish this important activist for challenging the repressive state in the form of cops, jails and prisons.

The prosecutor thought that the defense attorney’s main piece of evidence would be ignored by the all-white jury. There are num erous examples when video footage of police brutality, with other overwhelming evidence, has been ignored. The Rodney King case is one. That brutal beating and the acquittal of the racist cops involved led to a massive rebellion, mainly in the South Central area of Los Angeles in 1992. The jury in the Aleem case could not be swayed by the prosecutor’s weak case. A few jurors were noticeably shaken and at least one person was in tears.

The hung jury is not the end. Shareef Aleem has also been charged with contempt of court. There was almost no evidence, other than testimony from someone who had cut a deal with the D.A. Aleem wore a shirt with the picture of political prisoner, Stanley Tookie Williams with the caption, “Should have been saved.” Williams was legally lynched on Dec. 13 by lethal injection in California. Worldwide clamor demanded his freedom because of his work to steer youth from gangs, for which he received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

The prosecution wanted Shareef to take the shirt off. The judge ordered him to do so but Aleem refused, was handcuffed and placed in a cell. The judge then brought Aleem back to the courtroom, ordered him to take the shirt off again, to which Shareef replied, “My conscience won’t let me take this shirt off.”

The judge told Shareef that he could stay in the courtroom, but that he was still being detained, to which Shareef replied, “…Then you might as well take me back to jail. If I’m in the courtroom, I expect to walk free.” The judge then had the handcuffs removed.

Aleem’s contempt-of-court hearing is set for March 13. He vows to wear the same shirt. The retrial for the assault case is expected to take place in May. Already, activists are planning rallies to support him, including a community barbecue that will raise funds for his defense, as well as deepening the discussion on state repression and imperialism. Email denveriac@action-mail org for more information on the Aleem case.

The writer is a FIST organizer. E-mail [email protected] for more information.