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The Davis Enterprise - April 17, 2006
Teen’s hit-run case dismissed
By Lauren Keene
WOODLAND — A Yolo County judge today dismissed a hit-and-run charge against a 17-year-old Davis girl whose family claimed they were the targets of police discrimination.
“Case dismissed, justice is done,” Jamal Buzayan, father of Halema Buzayan, said as he left Judge Thomas Warriner’s courtroom late this morning.
Halema’s attorneys, Matt Gonzalez and Whitney Leigh, argued that the misdemeanor charge should be dismissed in light of a financial settlement the teen’s family reached last year with the hit-and-run victim.
“It’s a really good day,” Halema said. “I think it’s a great feeling to know that justice has prevailed.”
“It’s an outcome that we predicted months ago,” Gonzalez added. “It’s really incredible that it’s taken this long, actually.”
This morning, Gonzalez filed a declaration in which an expert hired by the defense concluded that the damage to the victim’s car did not match the damage to the Buzayan family’s SUV. However, it was not clear whether that declaration factored into Warriner’s ruling.
The Buzayans are still weighing whether to pursue a civil lawsuit against the Davis Police Department.
Warriner’s ruling this morning comes about 10 months after Halema’s June 13, 2005, arrest at her Pistachio Court home, an incident that prompted the discrimination claims.
Davis police say they arrested the teen after one of two witnesses identified her as the driver of a sport-utility vehicle that was seen moving next to a parked vehicle — which later showed damage to its bumper — in a South Davis parking lot.
Halema has denied driving the family car, and her mother, who says she was the driver that day, claims to have no knowledge of an accident. Still, the Buzayan family later agreed to pay the hit-and-run victim $870 to repair the damage to her car.
The family, which is Muslim, believes Davis police have treated them differently by arresting Halema because of their ethnic and religious background.
The case has generated considerable discussion and controversy in the city of Davis, where police have been on the receiving end of numerous allegations of racial profiling, discrimination and harassment.
Last week, more than a dozen people spoke about the Buzayan case before the Davis City Council, arguing the need for a police oversight commission in the city. Earlier this year, the council rejected such a proposal in favor of several other measures, including a community advisory board that meets monthly with Police Chief Jim Hyde to discuss local issues.
http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2006/04/17/news/258new1.txt
California Aggie – April 20, 2006
Davis, CA: Marchers protest police treatment
By Alyson Noble
Protestors march on Tuesday afternoon in support of Halema Buzayan, who was arrested on June 13 for an alleged hit-and-run.
"What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!"
Protestors chanted Tuesday evening at a "March for Justice," organized by Davis Senior High students and UC Davis graduate student David Greenwald. The march took place to draw attention to the controversial arrest of a Halema Buzayan, the 16-year-old Muslim teen arrested June 13 for what many alleged to be a fender-bender. The Buzayan family said they believed that the police did not handle the case fairly due to their religion.
The criminal case filed against Buzayan for the incident has recently been thrown out by a local judge. Now the family intends to file a civil suit against the DPD.
Citizens at the march held signs that read "Justice for Halema" and ranged from civil rights groups, City Council candidates and family and friends of Buzayan. The march began at Davis Senior High School and proceeded to the City Council meeting on Russell Boulevard.
"I feel that it's great that the people in Davis are united," said Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald, chairperson of the city's Human Relations Commission, who noted that she is speaking on her own behalf. "They want justice, not just for Halema, but for all those in the community that are victims of the misuse of power by some officers. It's great that the issue is finally being discussed in public. I hope council members see that it's time for a change."
Ivy Anderson, longtime Davis resident and a racial representative affiliated with the California Chapter of National Action Network, presented the "Davis Wall of Shame," a poster board covered in photos and DVD testimonials of those who had complained of some form of mistreatment by the Davis Police Department.
Dina EL-Nakhal, member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of the Sacramento Valley, the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the nation, said there is some involvement on the national level for this cause.
"The reason for this march was first to support Halema, and secondly to send a message to the council that there is a problem with the system and they need to write a policy to make sure that this doesn't happen again," EL-Nakhal said.
http://media.www.californiaaggie.com/media/storage/paper981/news/2006/04/20/CityNews/Local.Judge.Throws.Out.Buzayan.Case.Marchers.Protest.Police.Treatment-1863306.shtml
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