AFSC-TUCSON: AZ DOC's DEATH YARDS

For Kini Seawright, and all the other women who bury a loved one due to police or prison violence...

Friday, July 13, 2012

Deaths in Custody: Hate, Justice and the FBI.

UPDATE: FBI CALL-IN --ON HOLD---

MONDAY JULY 16, 2012  5:45am

Hey All - We got their attention last week just by organizing. Let's give them this week to dig into the evidence we provided them with on Dana's case before slamming them with phone calls; it may not be necessary., and my intention wasn't just to call for the sake of harassment.

I'll post a new page (either a group or an event) if we need to still emphasize that a LOT of people are concerned about this case. I think they get that part already. I believe that once someone competent takes a close look at the case, they'll open it without complaining.

We still need you all to stand as witnesses to what happens from here. And we still need to plan an action for Prisoner Justice Day on August 10.

Please continue to share this link and Dana's story widely.
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US Attorney's Office - District of Arizona
Phoenix (July 13, 2012)

FRIDAY July 13, 2:48PM

Just heard from the media relations person at the FBI, Jennifer Giannola (jennifer.giannola@ic.fbi.gov or 520-594-2020 for you journalists out there wanting the official comment). She said that the FBI is aware of Dana's murder, but they aren't able to confirm or deny that there's an investigation going on. That's it.

She suggested that Kini call the desk officer (who was clueless today) next week and ask to speak to the agent who ignored her after she went in person to beg them to help find Dana's killers and hold their accomplices responsible. Yeah - they wanted her to call the desk herself and just hope not to be disregarded again.

I suggested they have someone take a serious look at his file, open the case, and call her themselves next week - or have the decency to come out her in person and tell her why they don't think her son's homicide was a hate crime. How much more hateful could it have been?

Now, everyone here needs to know the FBI, the DOJ, the Phoenix Police, the AZ Attorney General's office, and several media outlets have a copy of the complete criminal investigations unit report on the homicide investigation (one section is over 575 pages and has photos of the evidence, including the weapon and eyewitness testimony). I think the only ones who haven't even looked at the ton of evidence we handed them, though, are the fellows in law enforcement. They have no clue what just hit them, it appears.

Perhaps this is just a matter of laziness and incompetence - I have no idea how far his file went before they said no the first time around. Did it silently disappear under a stack on some cop's or prosecutor's desk, or did the men in charge actually comprehend that Dana was killed for loving a Mexican and betraying his race as much as he was for the fact that his lover was a man and think "nope - that's not a hate crime."?

If Special Agent in Charge Turgal is the one who made that call and stands by it now, then he's at the top of Dana's mom's list of people to discuss this with, not the guy at the front desk, and he should be the one to explain himself.

So, that's where it all stands, for now. They won't confirm or deny anything. I think they hope this all just blows over before Monday. After all, he was just another black man in prison bludgeoned to death for loving a Mexican one...who in this state is going to care about that? And who in this world will back us?
here's the facebook site:
Tell the FBI: The Murder of Dana Seawright 
was a Hate Crime (623-466-1999)