Santa Ana, CA – A large mural depicting Noe Rodriguez now stands in downtown Santa Ana. About 200 feet away, Rodriguez was killed by Santa Ana Police officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra on December 1, 2024.

Last Sunday, February 22, over 25 residents, including Noe's wife Erika Armenta and their daughters, celebrated the man Noe was in life. They, alongside many other impacted family members, demanded justice for his death. All speakers used Spanish, the primary language spoken by Noe and by many residents of Santa Ana.

Abraham Quintana from Community Service Organization (CSO OC) said, “We are united here today to commemorate Noe’s life in a mural that shows us and the world who he really was, and not the image that our enemies have tried painting. This mural was made possible by months of grassroots organizing and pressure, and especially Erika herself, who has fought tirelessly for justice for Noe Rodriguez. This mural is important not just as a victory, but as a sign that we are in a new stage of that struggle.”

Next to speak was Erika Armenta, the wife of Noe Rodriguez and a member of CSO OC, “Every step that we take, small as it may seem, is a big step towards a great change for our city. We represent those who do not have a voice nor a vote, and who the police are treating as criminals – including us! It has been a very difficult struggle because they are treating us as if we are against public safety.”

Armenta was referring to attacks by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA), which has smeared CSO as being “anti-public safety” while also spreading lies about its members. The SAPOA spends hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting politicians like Mayor Valerie Amezcua along with Councilmembers Phil Bacerra and David Penaloza, and tens of thousands supporting candidates to unseat progressive politicians on the city council. Armenta said, “They have tried to make our struggle impossible, but our strength to go forward is greater!”

Armenta concluded by saying, “Our unity as CSO has built a family. I feel very happy for my daughters: I asked them, ‘What is CSO?’ They told me that for them, it is a family. Because like a family, it supports us, it helps us. And it doesn’t matter that we’re not related by blood because we are in the same fight!”

Armenta also spoke on behalf of the family of Imanol Gonzalez. He was a 19-year-old Chicano from Santa Ana who was struck and killed by drunk, off-duty LAPD Sergeant Carlos Coronel on February 1, 2025. Coronel fled the scene without calling for medical help or alerting police. Imanol’s family, including his mother, Ariana Salvador, joined the mural unveiling. CSO demands that Sergeant Carlos Coronel be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. You can sign a petition to support these demands here.

The family of Albert Arzola also came to support. Albert Arzola was a 19-year-old Chicano who was killed by Anaheim PD on December 6, 2025. Officers profiled Arzola, leapt out of an unmarked car and chased him towards his front porch. One officer shot Arzola in the back and killed him, and police detained his family including small children for hours while they ransacked his home.

Albert Arzola’s mother, Rosie Camacho, said, “I am here to support everyone who has also suffered from police violence. We are not alone! We want justice! And we are going to have justice!” Camacho continued, saying “Whoever wronged us should not keep working for the law, because they already took the life of my son: Albert Arzola. We will not be silenced!” The Arzola family demands the release of all body camera footage from the incident, the release of the autopsy report, and the release of the officers’ names.

The mural of Noe Rodriguez was completed by artists Jose Ortiz and Esteban Ginez, who was present at the unveiling. CSO presented Ginez with a certificate of recognition for his work. Santa Ana City Councilmember Jonathan Hernandez helped commission the artists and secure the mural location. In 2021 Hernandez’s cousin, Brandon Lopez, was chased by Anaheim PD and killed in Santa Ana. Hernandez is a frequent target of Valerie Amezcua, Phil Bacerra and David Penaloza.

CSO closed the event with music by Banda Cuisillos de Arturo Macías, Noe’s favorite music, while Erika Armenta served pozole she prepared for the attendees. The mural symbolizes the dignity of Noe Rodriguez and other victims of police violence. It refuses to let the city forget what happened over one year ago to a 31-year-old working-class Chicano, a kind father and husband struggling to survive as many do in the Southwest.

The mural stands less than a mile from where other Chicanos were recently killed by police: Victor Lopez in 2026 and Miguel Chavez in 2022. But less well known is the racist lynching of Francisco Torres in 1892, only five minutes away. The long legacy of racist violence against Chicanos speaks to the other meaning of Noe’s mural – the struggle for Chicano Liberation continues. But as Erika Armenta said, “our strength to go forward is greater.”

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #CSOOC #NoeRodriguez