East LA honors Paul Rea for his 4-Year angelversary
Los Angeles, CA – On June 27, the family and friends of Paul Rea, the loved ones of other victims of police brutality, and community supporters like Centro CSO gathered for his 4th angelversary at the site where he was killed by East LA sheriff's deputies in 2019. Beginning in the early evening, Rea’s family set up candles and posters before releasing balloons to remember his passing.
On the night of his murder, 18-year-old Paul Rea was the passenger in a car that allegedly ran a stop sign. Rea and his friend were detained by Deputy Hector Saavedra, a prospect for the Banditos deputy gang based out of East LA station, and Argelia Huerta. The deputies provoked a confrontation and Saavedra shot and killed Rea as he fled. Saavedra testified that he feared for his life because Rea was armed but the gun recovered at the scene, likely planted, did not have Rea’s fingerprints.
Rea’s killing fits into a long history of police killings in East Los Angeles. After the murder of Ruben Salazar, famed for his coverage of the Chicano movement and police brutality, at the Chicano Moratorium on August 29, 1970, deputy gangs began developing in the East LA station. In order to join these gangs, deputies must complete some form of initiation, which often requires killing community members. While gangs have spread throughout the department to other parts of Los Angeles County, the East LA station remains a hub for these activities. Along with Rea, Anthony Daniel Vargas, Jorge Serrano and Edwin Rodriguez are other recent victims of the Banditos.
In the years since his death, Rea’s family have militantly protested the department and become targets of harassment for their activism. The efforts of the movement to bring accountability to LASD have begun to achieve some victories. Last year, LA voters ousted Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who had condoned the deputy gangs, and approved Measure A, which allows the LA County Board of Supervisors to remove a sheriff for breaking the law. Centro CSO as part of Check the Sheriff’s coalition was able to win these important gains by organizing canvassing and community forums.
The most recent step in the struggle to eradicate the deputy gangs is that new sheriff Robert Luna has threatened to fire any deputies who refuse to cooperate with an investigation into the deputy gangs and reveal their tattoos. The Association for LA Deputy Sheriffs has responded by suing to prevent deputies from having to show their tattoos.
However, despite this increased scrutiny on the existence of these gangs, public outcry has not prevented the development of another gang within the East LA station, according to a lawsuit that a deputy filed against the department this January. Centro CSO, an organization based in East LA and Boyle Heights, has plans to survey the community with a petition to raise awareness of the Banditos and this new gang at the East LA Station.