2011-01-29 "Vallejo shooting protested" by Irma Widjojo from "Vallejo Times-Herald" newspaper
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/rss/ci_17238770]
About 20 people gathered at the Solano County Justice Center on Friday to "demand answers" regarding the investigation into the death of Guy Jarreau Jr., killed last month in an officer-involved shooting in Vallejo.
At about 1 p.m., protesters held signs that said "Stop police terror" and "Stop police brutality, justice for Guy Jarreau."
Jarreau, a 34-year-old New Orleans native who had been living in Vallejo for more than eight years, was mortally wounded in an alley by an officer on Dec. 11. He died on the way to the hospital.
Friends say he was with some Napa Valley College classmates making an anti-violence music video.
Vallejo police officers said they came to the scene in response to a 911 call about a man brandishing a gun near some teenagers in the 2100 block of Sonoma Boulevard. Police said Jarreau ran into a nearby alley and was shot in self defense.
On Friday, rally spokeswoman Verrose Hill, who said he was Jarreau's friend and fellow student of Napa Valley College, read a list of items that protestors wanted released. The list included statements from the Vallejo officer involved in the shooting, medics and eye witnesses as well as the 911 dispatch recording, a video camera and tape.
"If they had done nothing wrong, then they have nothing to hide," Hill said.
The participants in Friday's rally included Vallejo residents, Napa Valley College students and members of the Diablo Valley College Students Democrats Society. Jarreau's family members and friends, who were involved in the music video, were not present.
"We tried to call them, but I think they are still in mourning," Hill said.
Hill said she did not expect any immediate action.
"Our goal is to stir up people and get the gears turning," she said. "Hopefully, we'll get the answer soon."
Despite discussions of moving the rally into the Justice Center, the rally remained outdoors and peaceful.
"We just want to make sure their actions remain peaceful, while exercising their right (to assembly)," Solano County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Gary Faulkner said.
Solano County District Attorney Don du Bain said his office just received the investigation reports from Vallejo Police Department on Thursday.
"It is still under review by my office, and we will come to our own independent conclusion," du Bain said.
Vallejo Police investigators and six district attorney's investigators worked together since shortly after the shooting to determine what happened, du Bain said.
When asked when his office would issue its findings, du Bain said it was too early to speculate, since "it all depends on the length and complexity of the case."
All fatal and potentially fatal incidents involving police officers are investigated by the district attorney's office, he added.
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Students and activists hold a rally in front to the Solano County Hall of Justice in demanding the investigation into a fatal shooting by Vallejo Police. (Chris Riley/Tmes-Herald, Vallejo)
2011-01-28 "Guy Jarreau--Protest Rally" by Marc Garmen from "Vallejo Independent Bulliten" online journal
[http://ibvallejo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1054&Itemid=1]
On December 11, 2010 Guy Jarreau was shot and killed by Vallejo police. Many questions remain unanswered. According to witnesses, Jarreau was involved in filming an anti-violence video with friends on the streets of Vallejo when he was shot. He was also carrying a gun...allegedly a prop for the video.
Was the shooting of Guy Jarreau justified or the result of a series of unfortunate circumstances?
Footage from the protest rally in front of the Solano County Justice Building on 321 Tuolumne St. in Vallejo. January 28, 2011.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI1rzaCdXvw]

2011-01-28 "Supporters Of A Vallejo Man Fatally Shot By Police Rally At Courthouse" from "KTVU channel 2 News"
[http://www.ktvu.com/news/26658662/detail.html]
VALLEJO, Calif. -- About 30 people gathered at the Solano County Courthouse in Vallejo Friday afternoon to call for a thorough investigation into the fatal shooting of a man by a Vallejo police officer in December.
The crowd asked the Solano County District Attorney's Office to thoroughly review all the evidence, including video taken near Kentucky Street and Sonoma Boulevard, where 34-year-old Guy Jarreau Jr. was shot on Dec. 11. He was pronounced dead at the John Muir Medical Center.
Vallejo police said Jarreau was reaching for a handgun when he was shot by a police officer, who has not been identified.
Verrose Hill, a spokeswoman for those who rallied today, said Vallejo police have withheld videotape evidence. She said eyewitness testimony indicates Jarreau kept the handgun in his belt and had only a green plastic cup in his hand.
Vallejo police posted on the department website video that they said was taken before the shooting that shows Jarreau "brandishing" a revolver. They said they retrieved the video from a camera used by someone who was filming Jarreau and others who had gathered outside a tattoo shop at 2118 Sonoma Blvd. before the shooting.
Jarreau's friends and family members said Jarreau and the others were filming an anti-violence music video in the area.
Police went to the scene after the tattoo shop owner called them to report that a large group of young African American males was outside his shop and one of them was flashing a gun.
Police said Jarreau ran down an alley when officers arrived. As the officer who pursued Jarreau turned the corner, Jarreau was facing him and was trying to draw a gun from his pocket, police said. The officer fired in self-defense, according to police.
Hill said about a dozen people spoke at the 90-minute rally this afternoon. She said Jarreau's supporters sent emails and letters to the district attorney's office, but they have not received a response.
Solano County District Attorney Don du Bain said this afternoon his office received the Vallejo Police Department's report about the incident Thursday.
"We intend to complete a thorough investigation, and I will be involved in the investigation," du Bain said.
He could not estimate how long the investigation would take.

Justice for Guy Jarreau, jr.!!!
Community Assembly and Rally
1:00 p.m., Friday, January 28, 2010
321 Tuolumne Street , Vallejo , Solano County District Attorney's Office
Vallejo Police killing of Guy Jarreau, jr.
CONTACT: Verrose.Hill (@) hotmail .com, 707-235-6872

In front of the Solano County District Attorney's Office and Service and Justice Center there will be a community rally calling on the District Attorney to conduct a full investigation into the fatal shooting of Guy Jarreau jr. by the Vallejo Police Department in December of 2010. The event will be open to the press, and there will be knowledgeable and concerned community members available to speak about the case and the call for Justice for Guy Jarreau, jr., a man who worked for peace in the community and was an active student at Napa Valley College, working with the Black Student Union and at the Child Daycare center.

A central demand of the community is that all evidence, including video taped footage of the nights events documenting the incident of Guy’s killing, be made available for a full and comprehensive investigation by the District Attorney or the California Attorney General. At this time video tape evidence from the incident is being withheld by the Vallejo Police Department, and there are contradictory accounts between the police who say Guy had pointed a weapon at an officer, versus eye witness testimony stating that Guy kept his weapon in his belt and had only a green plastic cup in his hand.

We, the concerned residents of the community and our fellow people, are demanding that justice be done by exposing the truth of what occurred that fatal night in December on Sonoma Blvd. All evidence from video taped recordings as well as eye witness testimony must be considered in a full investigation by the District Attorney or the California Attorney General. If the police department has done their job according to the law, then they have nothing to hide by releasing the tape for use in a full investigation by the DA.

We further ask that the paramedics who arrived at the seen come forward with their statements.
We ask for the police dispatch recordings.
We ask for any witnesses to issue statements.
We ask that Vallejo Police issue their officers with ear-bud bluetooth video cameras.
We ask for a Citizen review panel.

Endorsed by,
God First
Black Student Union, and UMOJA, of Napa Valley College
Students for a Democratic Society of Napa Valley College
Peace and Freedom Party of Solano County
Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality and State Repression
Katrina's Dream
Movement for a Democratic Society - East Bay

2011-01-16 "Young Vallejo man's friends, grieving mother say he was filming anti-violence video" by Sarah Rohrs and Irma Widjojo from "Vallejo Times Herald" newspaper
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_17112408?source=most_viewed]
Every day at 5 a.m. Guy Jarreau, 34, called his mother in New Orleans to share a Bible verse with her and then say, "Isn't it just wonderful to be alive?" she recalled.
"That's how we started off the day for each other," Andrea Jarreau-Griffin said of her late son who died in a controversial Vallejo police-officer related shooting Dec. 11.
A month after the shooting, his mother joined friends and family members at a vigil for Jarreau in the downtown Vallejo alley where he was mortally wounded. He died on his way to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Vallejo police, meanwhile, are continuing their investigation into what they have described as a case of self-defense after Jarreau pointed a loaded pearl-handled pistol at an officer. The officer fired twice, hitting Jarreau once in the chest.
"The suspect had a loaded weapon and he confronted the officer with it and the officer was protecting himself and other members of the public that could have been hurt," police Sgt. Jeff Bassett said.
Police had responded to a 911 call about a man brandishing a gun near some teenagers on the street.
Jarreau's friends, however, say that just be-fore the incident, Jarreau was on the street filming an anti-crime video called "I'm Sick of Living Like This."
Close friend James Holliday said questions remain over a brief video clip police released of the incident showing a man identified as Jarreau with a gun. Police have said the indoor footage was likely taken shortly before the shooting.
"We don't know if he had a gun during the video," Holliday said.
Bassett said he's not sure what happened to the video Jarreau was making, but added "I'm sure it's in evidence."
Bassett said the officer who shot Jarreau was released for full duty a few days after the incident, and after a mandatory investigation and counseling.
The case, Bassett said, has not yet been submitted to the District Attorney's Office, which will review the evidence and decide if the police officer should be charged.
Police, Bassett said, are still waiting on a coroner's report and ballistics evidence before they can submit the report. A sergeant with the Contra Costa Coroner's Office said the reports are done but they must be typed up and undergo official review.
Jarreau's body went to the Contra Costa Coroner's Office because he died at John Muir Medical Center.
The case has attracted the attention of noted Oakland attorney John Burris, who told the Times-Herald his firm is considering representing Jarreau's family.
Burris, who grew up in Vallejo, recently returned to inspect the shooting site.
"We are still completing our investigation the best as we can," Burris said. "We are very close to making a decision. We are still waiting for the coroner's office report."
Burris said Jarreau's "good character" compelled him to look into the case.
"This is a young man who seems to have his life together. How's (it) a young person like that got shot?" he asked.
Attorney Ephraim Walker, an associate in Burris' firm, said a central question is whether Jarreau was actually pointing a gun at the officer.
"That's the big elephant in the room," Walker said. "The big question is what happened in that alley."
What's been happening in the alley since the shooting is that Jarreau's mother, other family members and friends have begun a series of monthly vigils to remember him.
His mother said, in an extensive interview, that her son was a religious, nonviolent man who devoted himself to helping children, poor people and the homeless.
"Vallejo lost a special individual. They lost a true man of God. He was God's, first. Then, he was my son," she said. "I will not rest until I get justice for the wrongful death of my son."
Jarreau-Griffin said it grieves her that flowers, cards, T-shirts and other items left in memory of Jarreau in the alley are regularly swept up and taken away. She added that she hopes someone who saw what happened in the alley steps forward.
A native of New Orleans who grew up in the city, Jarreau had a few run-ins with the law, but has no "violent criminal history," Walker said. Arrests were for public intoxication, public urination and cashing an unendorsed check, Jarreau-Griffin said.
Despite initial reports that said Jarreau came to Vallejo after Hurricane Katrina, his mother said he had lived in the city for 81/2 years and sent her money in the aftermath of the devastating storm. She said he held two jobs and was about to go on a speaking engagement tour with Street Soldiers, a branch of the Omega Boys and Girls Club which promotes non-violence. He also passed out turkeys and other items during the holidays in Vallejo, Richmond and elsewhere, she said.
Jarreau worked with the child care development center on the Napa Valley College campus where he was attending school. He regularly attended North Hills Baptist Church on Admiral Callaghan Lane where he helped with a children's basketball program.
"He was gentle and quiet," church administrative secretary Paula Prentice said, adding that many church members attended the first vigil for Jarreau shortly after his death. She said he didn't have a car and church members often gave him a ride so he could attend services.
"He was making changes in his life. The hardest thing is not knowing what happened," Prentice added.
Jarreau's mother said her son was grieving for his baby who was born and died on the same day in March in San Francisco, and that he was planning to fly to New Orleans on Dec. 16, to surprise his mother and propose to his high school sweetheart.
Jarreau-Griffin said she last spoke to her son the day before he died. Shortly before they hung up he said "Mama, you're my best girl," she recalled.
After several attempts to retrieve her son's possessions, she said police Thursday gave her a gold crucifix he was wearing, covered in his blood, and one of his diamond earrings. The other one is missing, she added.
Of her grief, she said "I feel so empty inside. It's like somebody pushed me down a well and I'm saying 'Where's the bottom to my well?'
"It's so dark. I keep looking for some kind of light."
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Andrea Jarreau-Griffin cries as she talks about her son Guy, in the photo to the left, who died in a controversial Vallejo police-officer related shooting Dec. 11. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)

Comments found at the Vallejo Times-Herald newspaper website:

Francine Simon-HenryJan 17
The video that was shot at his vigil tells the whole story. In that video, a witness came forward clearly stating that Guy Jarreau was holding a blue cup of water in his hand.
The witness stated that the cup of water hit the ground after he was executed by the police officer and the water and cup were clearly seen on the ground next to his body as the police kicked his body twice as he lay there screaming for help. This is clear as day. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand this. The witness stated on video that the officer was talking very negatively toward the other members of the group.
That these young men were handcuffed and sat on the sidewalk and that two other younger children were pushed toward a glass window, shattering it to pieces.  Why did Guy Jarreau carry a gun that day?
If you were walking in that part of town, with expensive equipment as they had, would you take extra percaution? Is it a sin for a person to protect themselves and other members of the group?
Didn't the singer in the group clearly state that Guy Jarreau acted as their security?
Didn't you hear the other witness state that there was a shooting at that same tatoo shop one week before? 
Whatever Guy Jarreau did earlier in the day prior to the murder, is really irrelevant. The only factor here is what happened in the alley. 
It is clear that the 911 tape said the Tatoo shop owner stated that the man who had a gun wore a plaid shirt and the gun was CHROME with a black handle.  Guy Jarreau wore a white striped shirt. The gun shown in the video that he had prior to the murder was still blue with a WHITE handle.  What is so difficult to understand about this? A second grader can draw these conclusions. If you had an ounce of common sense, you can see that this is a COVER UP by the police. 
There are far too many discrepancies and controversial statements. And the fact that the officer is right now working as if nothing happened, is an insult to us all. 
A INJURY TO ONE, IS AN INJURY TO ALL!!!!

Justice for Jarreau!

The following was written as a statement by a student-lead community coalition as it was being organized at Napa Valley College, where Guy Jarreau, Jr. went to school.
While attempting to contact the family of Guy Jarreau, the coalition members continued to network but did not make any further public statement until official endorsement was given by God First, the memorial organization begun by Guy's mother Andrea.

Hello,

We are the Justice for Jarreau committee.

Guy Jarreau was a student at Napa Valley College and active member of the Black Student Union/Umoja on campus.

Guy was shot and killed by Vallejo police on December 11. He was helping a friend film a music video about the problems of youth violence. Guy allegedly had a gun. However, the eye witnesses reports are contradicting the official police story. According to his peers and mentors, Guy was a hardworking and motivational student. There is more to the story then the police are telling.

Further information can be found here: http://sfbayview.com/2010/the-mehserle-effect-vallejo-shooting-tests-era-of-police-accountability

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We are the Justice for Jarreau committee. We are a committee comprised of concerned students from Napa Valley College. Our purpose is to coordinate actions in support of Justice for Jarreau.

Our current demands are:

1. Release the evidence! The police confiscated a video tape which recorded the incident. Release the tape!

2. A full and independent investigation! Eye witness reports have contradicted the official police story. There needs to be an independent investigation to clarify the contradictions found within the police version.   

We welcome everyone to keep posted as our struggle for justice progresses.