Cease And Desist: Santa Ana Police Association Wants Me To Stop Asking Questions
A cease and desist sent by the police association's law firm demanded that I stop reaching out to all rank and file Santa Ana police officers. Here's a statement from me.
The Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association (SAPOA) sent me a cease and desist (C&D) letter demanding that I stop communicating with Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) officers. They also threatened to sue me if I did not comply.
The letter reads, “You have telephoned certain officers and emailed them demanding they answer your questions and to respond to your frivolous requests. This must stop. By way of this correspondence, it is demanded that you CEASE & DESIST from any and all direct or indirect communication with any member of SAPOA.”
It is nothing but a cowardly move to attempt to silence a reporter by sending a frivolous, laughable and ridiculous demand that frames journalism as a criminal act and characterizes requests for comment as harassment.
My attorney, Shakeer Rahman, sent back this reply earlier today.
On a scale of $1 to $100 or more, how ridiculous is the SAPOA’s demand? Respond here: https://ko-fi.com/inadvertent
To be clear, any and all communication I have had with SAPD officers is in the course of my journalism. It is a longstanding journalistic practice to contact someone for a news report about them and give them a chance to speak on the record. Not doing so would be journalistic malpractice and unfair to the subject.
The SAPOA’s C&D did not specify which officers this is about, but these few come to mind:
On August 19, I contacted Casillas and Ibarra to ask them questions related to the execution-style killing they carried out on Noe Rodriguez. The phone call happened after a press conference that morning where Rodriguez’s family and attorney signaled they were a couple weeks away from filing lawsuits against the city of Santa Ana, Casillas and Ibarra. The wife of Rodriguez called the shooting an “assassination.”
The incident is under investigation by the California Attorney General’s office and could result in criminal charges brought against Casillas and Ibarra.
On July 12, I contacted Cavendish with questions about his conduct at a traffic stop where he threatened to kill the driver of a vehicle who had his hands up in a “surrender” position. The city paid out $417,500 to the driver and passenger after legal claims were filed alleging civil rights violations.
Needless to say, these are matters of public concern and reporting about such is First Amendment protected activity that will definitely not stop.
Your support also means that this work can continue.
On a scale of $1 to $100 or more, how ridiculous is the SAPOA’s demand?
Respond here: https://ko-fi.com/inadvertent
If you are a SAPD employee and have information to share, please reach out. Your identity will be protected.
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