Cal's "Naked Guy" Andrew Martinez Dies In Jail -- Sad Story - CNN and AP Reports

I totally remember Andrew Martinez, who would walk around Sproul Plaza in the buff. It was a weird experience to stand there talking to someone, then he walks by, so you immediately turn your head to avoid seeing him. For all of this, I didn't think anything was really mentally wrong with him until one day in -- I think 1993 -- he was a top some building on Telegraph Avenue throwing rocks at the Berkeley police.

'Naked Guy' ex-student dies in jail
Berkeley nudist was in custody on assault, battery charges

Saturday, May 20, 2006; Posted: 3:39 p.m. EDT (19:39 GMT)

SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- The former college student known as the "Naked Guy," who gained notoriety in the early 1990s for attending class in the buff, has died in jail, authorities said.

Andrew Martinez, 33, whose stripped-down strolls at the University of California, Berkeley, got him expelled and prompted the city to adopt a strict anti-nudity ordinance, was found unconscious Thursday in a Santa Clara County jail, said jail spokesman Mark Cursi.

Officials are investigating the death as an apparent suicide.

He had been in custody since January 10 on charges of battery and assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said.

In 1992, Martinez organized a "Nude-In" protest at the university. He said he was trying to make a point about free expression.

The message caught on, and nude spottings spiked on campus. Martinez, who landed on national talk shows, was expelled the next year after the university banned nudity.

City of Oakland to Pay $3.5 Million To Family of Accidentally Shot Officer - Sad Story - Oakland Trib

City to pay millions to slain cop's family
FROM STAFF REPORTS - OAKLAND TRIBUNE

OAKLAND — The city of Oakland is expected to pay $3.5 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of an undercover Oakland police officer shot to death by two fellow officers who mistook him for a criminal, officials said Friday.
The settlement, which must be approved by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney, would putan end to a case that was another blow to a department already reeling from the Riders police misconduct scandal. The approval of the Oakland City Council is not required.

A spokeswoman for Oakland City Attorney John Russo said the city's insurance carrier will cover the cost of the settlement, not taxpayer funds.

On Jan. 11, 2001, undercover Officer William Wilkins, 29, was arresting a car theft suspect at gunpoint near 90th Avenue and B Street in East Oakland after spending most of the evening working for the Alameda County Drug Task Force.
At about 11:15 p.m., Officers Andrew Koponen and Tim Scarrott arrived on the scene and opened fire after ordering Wilkins to drop his weapon. According to court records, they thought Wilkins, who did not identify himself as an officer, was going to shoot the other man. Wilkins was hit nine times, and died in surgery.

A longtime friend of Wilkins, Officer Torrey Nash, arrived on the scene just before shots were fired by Koponen and Scarrott.
In a deposition, Nash recalled saying "Hey, it's Willie" from about 30 yards away, but acknowledged he probably wasn't speaking loudly enough for Koponen and Scarrott to hear him.
In an e-mail to several news media organizations, Koponen said he is relieved the case has been settled and is looking forward to moving on with his life. Both Koponen and Scarrott still work for the Oakland Police Department.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Wilkins' widow, Kely, his now 6-year-old son and his parents, accused the department of not adequately training uniformed officers on patrol to recognize undercover officers.
As a result of the shooting, all police officers now receive additional training, officials said.