Movement mobilizes to reverse political frameups

Support arrived quickly for long-time Baltimore community activists Sharon Black-Ceci and Steven Ceci, who were arrested and dragged from their home by cops on Dec. 9. As of Dec. 14 more than 1,000 people had sent in messages or signed a petition demanding their release from all charges, an inquiry into police surveillance of Baltimore progressives and that police stop all attacks on movement activists.

Nevertheless, the false charges remain in force and police have continued to harass the activists, entering their home Dec. 11 for a third time and handcuffing Steven Ceci while attempting to interrogate him.

Starting in mid-November, the Baltimore police, notorious for their abuse of power in Baltimore’s large African-American community, began their intense harassment of the activists.

On Nov. 14, while Sharon Black-Ceci and her son Steven Ceci were attending a conference in New York City, Baltimore police broke down the door of their Baltimore home. The cops’ excuse was an alleged report — rather mysterious and without basis — that heroin was being sold from their residence. A roommate, Patrick Allen — who was present at the time of the police break-in — was arrested. The police damaged the home without apparent reason outside of harassment.

Then on Dec. 9, the cops came again in the morning and dragged the two from their home. They were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a felony, and possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor, and are scheduled to appear in court Jan. 8.

The two are long-time leaders in the anti-racist and poor people’s rights struggle. A year ago, the Baltimore ACLU revealed that the Baltimore All-Peoples Congress, the organization that Black-Ceci has led for more than a quarter of a century, was named as one of four political groups in Baltimore that the Maryland State Police had been spying on.

Steven Ceci has been active recently supporting the struggles of Baltimore high school students for a better education and participating in their demonstrations.

What makes the arrests even more suspicious is that the two were planning to hold a public event that very night, Dec. 9, as a political response to the police attack on their home in mid-November. Their supporters turned that event into a news conference and emergency rally to free the activists.

Sharon Black-Ceci told Workers World that all the charges against them were baseless. “This is a serious attack on the rights of people to organize. And it is taking place after people have lost jobs, lost their homes, and need to organize more than ever. We don’t consider this just an attack on us but on all activists and organizations that are fighting for a society based on social and economic justice and peace.”

She pointed out the record of the Baltimore police. “This attack was a horrible abuse of police power. But people should know that it is standard operating procedure for the Baltimore police to abuse their powers as they carry out a virtual war against the African-American community. They break into homes, getting warrants on the basis of mysterious informants. They arrest people from the community and hold them for investigation, usually for 72 hours, even when they don’t bring any charges.

“The only reason we were released without bail Dec. 10, after a day, is that we had supporters who started mobilizing publicity and legal work,” she added. “But, as absurd and false as the charges are, we have to take them seriously, especially as the police have kept up the harassment. They again invaded our home on Dec. 11.”

Black-Ceci wouldn’t speculate as to why the police chose this time to make the attack. “That’s what we could find out if we win the demand for an inquiry,” she said. “All I can do is think over what I’ve been working on recently. I was the labor coordinator for the Bail Out the People Movement (BOPM) Jobs March in Pittsburgh protesting at the G-20 last September. We certainly think this is a vitally necessary movement with tremendous potential to mobilize the 30 million unemployed and underemployed people.”

She said she wanted to thank BOPM and all the people who have signed the petition or sent emails supporting her and the others charged in the case.

“Clarence Thomas of the ILWU in California, Brenda Stokely of the Million Worker March, New York Teamster Chris Silvera, Charles Jenkins of the Transport Workers Union in New York, SEIU activist Rosie Martinez in Los Angeles — these are a few of the many unionists and others I want to thank for signing and spreading the petition demanding all charges be dropped against me, Steven and Patrick Allen. We have worked together fighting for jobs and workers’ rights and they understand the need for solidarity. Our support is also from community and immigrant groups and it has come in internationally and I want to thank them all.

“We promise to not only carry out a fight to keep our freedom and to stop repression of political activists, but to expose the police abuse of power in the oppressed communities and to strengthen the struggle against that abuse.”

Look for the petition at bailoutpeople.org.