P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
Email: jdav@igc.org
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5. SAMOANS STEP UP STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE
By Dianne Flowers
Chief Tua'au Pele Faletogo is chairman of the Committee for
Justice for the Tualaulelei Brothers. The committee, formed after
the murders last February, has been hard at work in extensive
negotiations with the city of Compton where the brothers were
killed. The City Council agreed to all 21 conditions laid out by
the committee.
The committee organized three rallies and marches at Compton City
Hall. The main people who have worked with the committee since the
beginning are Chief Toleafoa Te'o, Chief Papali'itele Alailima,
Attorney David Barrett Cohen, Ms. June Pouese, Ms. Pat Luce, and
Fuiavalili Alailima. The following is an interview with Chief
Faletogo.
People's Tribune: You are a chief, a leader of the Samoan
community. What are the people saying to you about the murder of
the Tualaulelei Brothers?
Tua'au Faletogo: The thing that really upsets the community is
that [Police Officer] Al Skiles claimed self-defense, yet the
autopsy showed that Pouvi and Italia were dead during the first
volley of 10 shots, so the other nine bullets were just
slaughtering them. The last nine bullets were in their backs --
that would mean they were attacking Skiles crawling backwards.
Right now it's very unsettled in the community. We [chiefs] have
tried to defuse the violence, by showing people when we came to
this country we bought into this system and its laws. People went
along with it during the last year, because this is our culture,
people respect their elders, leaders and chiefs.
When Judge Reid ruled against a retrial it was like 500 pounds of
dynamite was thrown at the community and blew up in their faces.
A lot of people saw the King riots and after their own experience
of peaceful demonstrations they feel, "See what happened? We told
you so." People are really mad and angry and saying, "This is
America. In Samoa we are peaceful. They only listen to violence
here."
PT: What has been the experience of the Samoan people since coming
to the United States?
TF: We didn't just come here -- the U.S. came to our country first
and gave us all the rights of U.S. citizens except the right to
vote for president. It's a shame when people migrate here,
supposedly to the land of milk and honey, and run right slam into
a brick wall, being treated as out-right aliens and denied our
rights.
Traditionally, we resolve our own problems and don't go beyond our
own clans. Different Chiefs and clans try to help each other, but
we realize we are not a political power by any stretch of the
imagination.
Now we are making a plea to all minorities and to everyone who is
being brutalized, to assist the Samoan community by calling their
congressman or representative. I see a lot of these things as
politically motivated and politically resolved. For example, if
Ira Reiner [L.A. District Attorney] thinks Samoan votes don't
matter for his re-election, what does he care about us?
At the demonstration on May 28, we had representatives from the
Filipino community, the black community, Mexican-Americans and
whites to support us. We had 20 different Samoan gangs from across
the state.
It's disgusting that Skiles was acquitted. Now were in the
category where we have to fight for our lives.
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SAMOAN CHIEF PRAISES THE P.T.
LOS ANGELES -- Chief Tua'au P. Faletogo, Chairman Committee for
Justice for the Tualaulelei Brothers had this to say about the
People's Tribune.
"I read the article you wrote in March 1991 about the Samoan
protests of the police killing of the Tualaulelei brothers. You
didn't mince words. The L.A. Times pisses me off. I think they
write the articles before the rallies happen.
"We need something like the People's Tribune. It's [L.A. Times]
like the preachers in church. They don't say anything to alienate
the congregation, because then people won't put anything in the
plate. But somebody has to say it and your paper is saying it."
-- Dianne Flowers
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition),
Vol. 19 No. 31 / August 3, 1992; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654;
Email: jdav@igc.org. Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked
as copyrighted. Please include this message with reproductions of
this article. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE depends on donations from its
readers -- your generosity is appreciated.
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