THREE OAKLAND OFFICERS FACE 31-COUNT COMPLAINT

Trial Begins Today: The Charges, Including Assault And Kidnapping, Fuel
Distrust Of Police

At the corner of Mandela Parkway and 10th Street, near a West Oakland
grocery store with bars on its windows, Daryl Jones and his buddies huddle
in conversation, skeptical whether three cops accused of terrorizing their
neighborhood will ever see the inside of a prison.

"They need to be dealt with the same way we would be if we had done that,"
says Jones, 35, who maintains he's no stranger to police harassment. "It's
part of being a black man here."

Oakland, reeling from a surge in homicides, with city leaders advocating
for a stronger police presence on its streets, must now brace itself for
yet another stark reminder of a divided community as three alleged rogue
officers go on trial today.

In a scandal that taints the city's reputation, the three are charged in a
31-count complaint with a wide array of crimes, ranging from kidnapping to
assault.

Since the case was exposed 1 1/2 years ago, the officers have served as a
blatant example of alleged police misconduct, further stoking suspicions
among those already distrustful of police, particularly in predominantly
minority neighborhoods.

"It destroyed what little communication and trust people in our
neighborhoods have," said Shomari Mustafa 52, as he stood at Chester and
12th streets in West Oakland.

Still, Mustafa, a marketing executive, says most of his current dealings
with police have been positive, and he's active in neighborhood groups.

The case sent shudders through the city after a rookie officer blew the
whistle on four others who patrolled West Oakland streets and called
themselves "The Riders." Authorities allege they fabricated police reports
and conspired to frame suspects for crimes they didn't commit.

Its effects were far-reaching, with 117 plaintiffs represented in 16 civil
rights lawsuits against the city. In February, the city paid $195,000 to
settle one case involving a man imprisoned for alleged possession of crack
cocaine. His case was dismissed, and he was released.

Meanwhile, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office is investigating
300 to 400 cases in which the officers were involved and has dismissed more
than 70 cases.

Keith Batt, the whistle-blower, who resigned from Oakland and now works for
Pleasanton police, is suing the city for lost pay, missed career
opportunities, humiliation and mental anguish.

The officers -- Clarence Mabanag, 36, Jude Siapno, 33, Matthew Hornung, 30,
and Francisco Vazquez, 45 -- have been fired. Vazquez is considered a
fugitive and believed to be in Mexico.

Batt claims Vazquez told the rookie officer on Batt's first week on the
force, "If you're a coward, I'll terminate you. If you're a snitch I'll
beat you myself . . . snitches will lie in ditches."

The charges center on a three-week period between June 13 and July 3, 2000,
with the officers accused of terrorizing victims -- most of whom were
African-American and had previous run-ins with the law.

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, maintain that the officers did nothing
illegal, and that any aggressive action taken was encouraged by the top
brass in the department and city.