Los Angeles, CA – The family of Alejandro Hernandez, community members and other impacted families protested outside of the East Los Angeles sheriff’s station, Saturday, November 25. All were demanding justice for the 34-year-old who was recently brutalized by two sheriff deputies during an arrest.

Hernandez, an amputee with a long history of being harassed by Los Angles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), was washing his car when he was attacked by the two sheriff deputies. In a video recorded of the altercation, one deputy is choking Hernandez out while his partner repeatedly punches Hernandez in the face. Hernandez had his arms out and was not resisting the arrest.

The officer who repeatedly punched Hernandez has been identified as Deputy Jesse Corona, who is known within East LA for brutalizing and harassing young Chicanos and provoking confrontations.

Gabriela Ortega, Hernandez’s mother, said, “Let our voices be our weapons, let our unity and protest be our ammunition. And let our consistency be the goal to the finish line in ending police brutality and relieving these deputies of their duties!”

Christian Contreras, Hernandez’s attorney who organized the action, said, “Curated chokeholds, which one of the deputies was using while the other punched Hernandez in the face, are outlawed in the state of California.”

Gabriel Quiroz, a leader of Centro CSO, highlighted the need to organize, stating, “We see it over and over again that Chicano men are targeted by the police in the streets.” Quiroz also called attention to the existence of the Banditos within the East LA station and promoted CSO’s petition to eradicate the deputy gangs.

The families of David Ordaz Jr, Anthony Daniel Vargas, Adrian Rios, and Cesar Rodriguez also attended to show their solidarity and demand justice for Hernandez.

Eventually the protesters crossed the yellow tape to show that the line of sheriff’s deputies did not intimidate them. The sheriff’s called an unlawful assembly and gave protestors ten minutes to disperse. While confronting the deputies, protesters realized that Nathaniel Trujillo, one of the killers of David Ordaz Jr., was among those monitoring protestors. His appearance at the protest was a clear attempt to provoke the Ordazes as well as other impacted families.

The action concluded with a march through East LA to inform the community of LASD’s crimes against Hernandez.

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