“I called for help, and he was killed,” said the widow of the victim at the hands of the police.

A few days ago, dozens of young people and activists demonstrated in front of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office (LASD) in East Los Angeles.

Not caring about the rain, they set up a tent where they talked about the death of Miguel Angel Lopez, a 70-year-old man, David Ordaz Jr., Takara Smith, Ernie Serrano and Anthony Vargas.

They demanded justice for the murders of their loved ones and for entire families to lose a grandfather, brother, cousin, uncle or father and, as a result, there are orphans.

“They killed my husband and now I don’t know what to do without a job,” Shameka Smith, widow of Takara Smith, who was shot dead on January 2 at the hands of members of the Los Angeles Police Department, told La Opinión.

Relatives of several victims talk about loved ones they lost at the hands of the police.

Thakar suffered from schizophrenia and his wife says she went to the LAPD Rampart Station that day to ask for help because her husband had a mental breakdown. They gave him a number to call.

The police responded later; they spoke to a man who used a bicycle as a defense, although he later took a kitchen knife.

The police used pepper spray and several electric shocks to restrain him. Smith, according to his wife, dropped the gun on the ground and, kneeling, tried to pick it up, but was mortally wounded.

“They never tried to minimize the situation; I called for help and they killed him,” Shameka said. The deceased left three orphans: Takari (10), Treasure (9) and Takalya (8).

they block the way

Children who are left orphans.

Half an hour before the protest on Saturday, March 11, LASD officers put up a yellow no entry tape and posted patrols from the entrance to the sheriff’s station and Belvedere Park.

“What do we want? Justice! When? Now!” the protesters shouted, adding: “La migra, police, same crap!”

Nearly on the verge of tears, Sandra Serrano told La Opinión that Riverside County sheriff’s deputies took the life of her brother Ernie Serrano, 33, during a December 15, 2020 standoff at a Stater Brothers store in Jurupa Valley. In this case, the agents were not held accountable.

“My brother was strangled in much the same way as George Floyd,” Sandra said. “He was just buying a sandwich; but the guard pursued him and did not leave him alone.

He added that he did not understand if the store thought he was stealing, but they called the authorities, and when he tried to pay for cookies and water, the agents subdued him on the counter of the store.

In addition to the strangulation he suffered, the coroner’s office ruled that Ernie Serrano died at the hands of another man and that the agents’ actions contributed to his death from a methamphetamine overdose.

“My brother was screaming for help and they killed him,” Sandra said. “Until now, I couldn’t watch the video of how he was killed.”

In the end, District Attorney Chiada Bianco’s office acquitted Officers Jeffrey Horner, Travis Cosper, Paul Ferrari and Robert Montañez, as well as Officer Scott Speakstra.

“Gangs” of bailiffs

According to Alejandra Estrada, organizer of Say its Names LA, a group that collects the names of those who died at the hands of police officers, sheriffs, marshals or died in the custody of the authorities. According to the Statista website, 1,097 people were killed by police across the US in 2022.

Estrada notes that in Los Angeles County, at least 133 sheriff’s department officers have been involved in fatal shootings of civilians over the past five years.

He adds that the East Los Angeles station, where they claim to have members of the Banditos, Cavemen and Little Red Devils gangs, was involved in 20 murders.

While in Compton, the executioners claimed the lives of 12 people; at Century Station, supporters of the Regulators and Spartans gangs also shot and killed 12 civilians belonging to the Grim Reapers group in South Los Angeles, where 11 people were killed; He adds that rattlesnakes killed 10 people in Lancaster and a dozen more in Palmdale.

“It’s disgusting to think of them killing our people,” said Christopher Perez, a brown beret from San Bernardino who attended the rally. “The violence of gangs of agents makes no sense.”

Down with the bandits!

“There is no peace without justice”, “What a shame!”, “Down with bandits!” and “No racist police!” shouted the families gathered in Belvedere Park, who were directly or indirectly victims of the deadly actions of the authorities.

The observation of the protest was led by Sergeant Reginald Hoffman, who questioned the protesters about the reason for their protest.

“I’m with you,” Hoffman told the protesters. He added: “Give the new sheriff, Robert Luna, a chance … we have a good sheriff.”

On June 23, 2021, journalist Cerise Castle released several photos of Hoffman, who had participated in another demonstration against East Los Angeles sheriffs a few months earlier.

Hoffman wore apache pin codededicated to the protest action of the 1970s, when the officers beat the protesters.

Criminal case against bailiff

Last Thursday, March 16, 38-year-old agent Remin Pineda, who killed David Ordaz Jr. on March 4, 2021, held a criminal hearing in the Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom.

Pineda was accused of illegally shooting Ordaz as he lay on the ground in front of his parents’ East Los Angeles home.

His sister Hilda Pedrosa, who participated in the protest, recalled calling for help because her brother had suicidal thoughts.

“I talked to him for a long time; I convinced him to go to White Memorial Hospital, but when we got there, he didn’t come out. [del auto]”, he told La Opinion.

“He had mental issues and when we were in the car I got out because he grabbed a knife and I thought he was serious about killing himself.”

Sheriffs arrived at the scene and initially opened fire with rubber bullets. When Ordaz fell to the ground, he apparently wanted to take a knife and at that moment received bullets that took his life.

On November 10, 2022, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced an indictment against Remin for felony charges of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and assault under the pretense of authority.

“Illegal and excessive force by the police undermines public trust and creates further divisions between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” Gascon said.

“It is imperative that we hold law enforcement accountable when they act illegally. This tragic assassination of Mr. Ordaz in the presence of his own family caused enormous damage that will reverberate for years to come.”

Hilda Pedrosa mentions that she doesn’t know if Pineda belongs to a gang of bailiffs, but this won’t surprise her, “since the presence of gangs” in LASD has been around for over half a century.

George Gascon has been charged with 52 agents.

Greg Rislin, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, told The Opinion that during 2021 and 2022, George Gascon’s office filed at least 49 cases against 52 officers. Charges range from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) to murder.

Of the 49 cases, 27 were filed in the 2021 tax cycle and another 22 cases were filed in 2022.

“The current administration has also brought more cases against officers on duty and involved in the shooting than the previous two administrations (Steve Cooley and Jackie Lacy) combined,” Rislin said.

In fact, the Gascon prosecutor filed eight criminal cases related to the unjustified use of special equipment, as well as charges against four duty officers involved in the shooting.

Jackie Lacey’s administration in two terms from 2012 to 2020 filed only one complaint from his subordinates while he headed the Los Angeles County Attorney’s Office; Steve Cooley, District Attorney from 2000 to 2012, filed no applications in his 12 years and three administrations as head of the department.

Author: Jorge Luis Macias / Special for La Opinión
Source: La Opinion

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