Dallas, TX — Members of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Dallas spent this past weekend, July 24-25, honoring the life and mourning the death of Santos Rodriguez, the 12-year-old Mexican American boy murdered by Dallas police officer Darrell Cain on July 24, 1973. More than five decades later, his case remains a flashpoint in the fight against police crimes in Dallas, and a reminder that the struggle for the memory of, and justice for, Santos and his family continue.

Who was Santos Rodriguez?

In the early morning hours of July 24, 1973, Dallas police officers Darrell Cain and Roy Arnold responded to a report of an $8 burglary at a Fina gas station in Little Mexico, a Mexican American barrio near downtown Dallas. Acting on a hunch, the officers went to the home of the elderly, largely non-English-speaking foster grandfather of brothers David, 13, and Santos, 12.

The boys were pulled from bed in their pajamas, handcuffed and driven to the gas station for interrogation. While Santos sat handcuffed in the front seat, Officer Cain put his revolver to the boy's head in a game of “Russian roulette,” demanding a confession. Santos's last words were that he was telling the truth. Cain pulled the trigger a second time and killed him instantly, in front of his brother. Evidence later revealed Santos and his brother had no connection to the burglary.

Cain was indicted for murder, but a judge set his bond at a mere $5000. Outrage in the Chicano and Black communities of Dallas boiled over on July 28, 1973, when more than 1000 people marched from Kennedy Plaza to City Hall, torching police cars and smashing windows as police cracked down.

Cain was ultimately convicted of murder with malice but served only two-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence. It would take until 2021, 48 years later, for the Dallas Police Department to formally apologize to Santos's mother, Bessie Rodriguez. Killer cop Darrel Cain ultimately escaped justice and lived out his life quietly until 2019. There was no mention of the murder in his obituary.

July 24: Angelversary and vigil

On Friday, NAARPR Dallas members hosted an Angelversary commemoration for Santos Rodriguez at Pike Park, where a small statue of him sits, bringing together community members to remember his life and to reaffirm the ongoing fight of victims of police crimes still demanding justice. The gathering placed Rodriguez's murder within the broader history of police violence against Mexican Americans in Dallas and across the country, drawing a direct line from 1973 to the police killings communities continue to organize against today.

July 25: Gravesite visit

On Saturday, several NAARPR Dallas members traveled to Santos Rodriguez's gravesite to lay flowers and pay their respects to his memory, to his family, and to the decades-long fight for justice that his family carried on.

Xavi Velasquez, chair of NAARPR Dallas said of the weekend's events, “We attended several events for Santos this weekend, and a common question was, 'What do we do about his murder?' I had the opportunity to talk about community control of the police to many people this weekend, and most people wanted to know more. People want change and are looking for practical and people-powered solutions. This weekend's events solidified to me the need for community control of the police here in Dallas, not just for modern victims of police violence but to hold DPD accountable for police violence that is deep in Dallas history.”

#DallasTX #TX #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #NAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – As part of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s National Week of Action for Corey Ruiz, the Milwaukee Alliance held a vigil, July 26, in conjunction with Freedom Inc.’s vigil in Madison.

Milwaukee’s vigil gathered families and community members in order to raise the names of multiple victims of police crimes, alongside Corey Ruiz. Ruiz’s execution has been deeply felt by the people of Milwaukee, who are no strangers to police violence and building movements around such cases.

One of the families present was that of Jay Anderson Jr., who was killed by Wauwatosa police Their struggle for justice has been a long one, and along their path to justice, the Andersons have helped out many other families in Milwaukee. Linda Anderson, mother of Jay Anderson Jr., stated, “This happened in broad daylight, and it’s unbelievable how they can do this and think they can get away with this. We are people. We love our kids. It changes our whole lives.”

Angelique Sharpe, sister of Sam Sharpe Jr. (killed in 2024) and education chair of the Milwaukee Alliance stated, “Most of us are taught from an early age that no one is above the law. We are expected to follow the rules, accept responsibility for our actions, and face consequences when we make mistakes. This should apply to all of us, regardless of our title, profession, neighborhood or position of power. If Corey Ruiz’s murderer is not jailed after executing him in broad daylight, what message does that send? What does that say about any ‘fairness’ in law and its application?”

Speaking to this unequal treatment, Chamar Clay raised her friend’s name, Major Artis, and stated that “If one of us go do what they did to Corey, I’d be sitting in jail right now. So he [the officer] needs to take accountability, and they need to put him in jail today!”

The crowd concluded the event by placing flowers for Corey Ruiz on the Sit with Sam Bench, a bench that commemorates Sam Sharpe Jr. in the area where his life was stolen by Columbus PD officers during the Republican National Convention in 2024.

While there was a general sense of grief at the vigil, there was also a lot of hope in the movement to hold the police accountable. Milwaukee has a lot of fighting families and has a lengthy history of movements behind these families. They are raising the demands of justice for their own loved ones, but they also raise the following demands coming from Madison: arrest the killer cop; strengthen the Police Civilian Oversight Board, and community control of the police.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #MAARPR #NAARPR

Los Angeles, CA – On July 25 in the City of Industry, 50 people protested outside the Industry Sheriff’s Station to demand justice for Joseph Perez and for his immediate release from jail.

On July 27, 2020, nearly six years ago, Joseph Perez was brutally beaten by sheriffs in the City of Industry, which is located about 30 minutes east of downtown Los Angeles. Some of those sheriffs were later involved in the beating of teens outside of a Montclair bowling alley, where the deputies were arrested. The deputies admitted to internal affairs that they were tattooed deputy gang members and part of the “Industry Indians.” No deputies have faced discipline over the brutal beating of Joseph Perez.

Families who have lost their loved ones to either LAPD or LASD were present to speak in solidarity with Vanessa Perez’s fight for justice for her son Joseph. The families of Jeremy Anthony Flores, Eric Rivera, Anthony Vargas and John Horton III and others were at the rally.

The rally also featured a united front of organizations fighting for police accountability, like Check The Sheriff Coalition, Justice LA, Power Now, SV DEBUG and Centro CSO.

The crowd chanted, “Ban! Ban! Deputy gangs!” and “Say his name: Joseph Perez!”

Luis Sifuentes of FRSO stated, “We have to keep fighting, we have to keep fighting these officials that are protecting these pigs, we have to fight these police associations!”

Katherine Palma spoke about her brother, Jeremy Anthony Flores, who was shot and killed by LAPD, “The cops just shoot they don't stop and think about other solutions, it’s not fair that they can laugh and enjoy time with their loved ones when they took one of ours.”

Emiliano Martin Del Campo of Centro CSO stated, “These killings, beatings and wrongful convictions of our community members will not stop until we have community control of the police implemented here and all over this country. Our neighborhoods will never be safe until we have a say in who polices them and how they do so.”

Deanna Brock, the mother of Emmett Brock, told the crowd, “My son Emmet Brock, a 23-year-old teacher, was brutally assaulted by an LA County Sheriff deputy My son used his First Amendment right to flip off a cop, that cop got in his car and followed Joseph and pulled him over in a parking lot where he brutally beat him.”

Deputy Joseph Benza lll was eventually federally charged for violating the civil rights of Emmet Brock, and will be sentenced at the end of this year.

Vanessa Perez closed the rally by saying, “To every family here: our pain has connected us but so has our strength. I stand with each and every one of you in whatever capacity I can, because your fight is my fight. CSO! We made history again in Joseph’s name.”

The rally ended with chants and a sign-waving on the main dtreet near the sheriff’s station. There is an ongoing civil lawsuit against LASD in the name of Joseph Perez, and Centro CSO will be on the ground to support the fight for justice.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #JosephPerez #CentroCSO

Madison, WI – On July 25, the fourth evening since the murder of Corey Ruiz in Madison, Wisconsin, people from across the city gather again to mourn and demand justice.

As they awaited a larger crowd marching from the site of the execution, dozens chanted and talked until their arrival. Many spoke, including Jay Gonstead, one of Corey’s unhoused neighbors, who expressed his deep grief at the loss of a friend, emphasizing that this violence is nothing new to Madison’s homeless community. With a $98 million budget, the Madison Police Department is withholding resources that could be used to help people. Instead, they use resources to murder people and destroy the lives of families.

As the crowd marching from the east arrived, a leader from Impact Demand, a youth affiliate of Freedom Inc., described the plan for the evening, shutting down State Street, one of the city’s most active economic centers.

Moments later, hundreds of angry community members left the capitol grounds to occupy the street in front of several of the city’s busiest bars and restaurants. According to organizers, the city of Madison will not return to regular life, be it in collecting tax revenue on alcohol sales during the bustling college town nightlife, or in traversing regular routes to work.

The Williamson/Baldwin intersection will remain occupied, and the people will keep fighting until they have justice for Corey Ruiz’s murder.

#MadisonWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #CoreyRuiz #Featured

Madison, WI – Three days after the brutal July 22 murder of Corey Ruiz by the Madison Police Department, the city continues to mourn. At the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin, protesters are still occupying the street. Hundreds of candles and flowers cover the ground where his life was stolen. All four roads are blocked by barricades and city trucks. The sentiment is firm that they will not leave until justice is achieved.

As the sun beats down on the concrete, in rolls a large statue of a raised fist, which formerly occupied George Floyd Square in Minneapolis. Constructed and delivered by a collective of independent artists, the statue was delivered as a symbol of solidarity and resistance to police violence.

#MadisonWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #CoreyRuiz

New Orleans, LA – On the morning of July 20, Shanta Scott and a group of supporters showed up at city hall to deliver a letter to the mayor and request a meeting. Participants wore t-shirts reading “Justice for Jace Lee Scott” as they walked into the building.

After waiting for the second floor to open at 9 a.m., the group went upstairs to the mayor’s office. They spoke briefly with security who brought out Director of Executive Affairs Leo Maya to greet the group.

“I emailed [the mayor], we’re coming up here to find out if she got the letter. Officer Victor Gant’s son murdered my son. [Gant] has broken protocol in my son’s death investigation and I have been reaching out to her so we can talk,” said Shanta Scott, mother of Jace Scott, to Amaya. She also requested confirmation that her emails are being received by the office, after an employee told her the new mayor’s inbox had not been set up yet earlier this year.

Activists were able to confirm with Amaya that the office did receive the February 9 email. He also took the physical copy of Scott’s letter and assured the group the mayor’s office would reach out about scheduling a meeting. When asked how long this process would take, Amaya claimed he could not provide more information.

“I will bring this up the proper channels so that we can handle it in the most respectful and sensitive way possible,” Amaya told Scott.

“If we don’t hear from y’all in a week, we’ll be back. We’re going to keep it pushing,” said activist Toni Mar with the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “We want to make sure all of this information about Gant gets pushed up the chain to the mayor so she can help us get justice.”

Just before leaving, Amaya came back out and told Shanta Scott the office sent a response via email and post. The group walked out and chanted “Justice for Jace!” before leaving city hall.

Scott sent a letter to Moreno in February 2026 demanding that New Orleans Police Department officer Victor Gant Jr be investigated and fired for breaking protocol in the case of Jace Lee Scott’s murder in 2019. The killer was his own son, Andrew Gant. Instead of recusing himself from the case, Gant Jr accompanied his son in an NOPD “interrogation” by fellow friend and Homicide Detective Rob Barrere which lasted less than ten minutes. This is just the surface of favoritism and corruption in the case, which includes sloppy paperwork, hasty interviews, improper collection of evidence, and more. Since 2019, Gant Jr has been promoted to work under the mayor.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops

Los Angeles – On July 14, Centro CSO and the family of Jeremy Anthony Flores, along with allies, gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to honor Jeremy's life on his one year Angelversary. Flores, a 26-year-old Chicano, was shot and killed by officers from LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division on July 14, 2025.

The vigil for Flores began with setting out flowers, photos, candles and handmade posters It was followed by a small program of speakers from local organizations and other impacted families.

Magda Gutierrez, a member of CSO’s Police Accountability Committee, spoke out against the LAPD Board of Police Commissioners recent ruling that the killing of Flores was “within LAPD policy.” Gutierrez further spoke on the need for Community Control of the Police in Los Angeles saying, “We can follow in the footsteps of cities like Chicago and demand community control of police. We have the right; we should have the right to hire and fire police. We should have the right to hold these officers accountable for their actions.”

Karina Lopez of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) spoke of the killing of Flores and other Chicanos in the Southwest as a symptom of national oppression, “What we are seeing today with police brutality, with the deportations, and with ICE killing our community members is a continuation of national oppression. With that we have to fight for our liberation. We have to fight for the liberation of Chicanos. We have to fight for community control of the police.”

Isabella Rivera, mother of Jeremy Flores, speaking about the vigil and the effects of her son’s killing a year later she said, “Marking the first anniversary of Jeremy’s passing, beyond reliving the pain of his absence, was a celebration of his life featuring the food he loved and how he would have wanted it to be. I felt a sense of fulfillment having accomplished this with the help of my children, Centro CSO, and the community. We will continue to fight for Justice for Jeremy Flores.”

Throughout the program, speakers and community members chanted, “Justice for Jeremy Flores!” and “Jail killer cops!”

DeAnna Sullivan, mother of David Sullivan, killed by Buena Park police in 2019, shared words and condolences with Isabella Rivera, the mother of Jeremy Anthony Flores. Speaking about the lack of police accountability she said, “Who is holding the police accountable? Not the chief, not the DOJ. Police are not held accountable at all.”

Afterwards, community members were invited to share Jeremy’s favorite foods with the Flores family. These included tamales and panes con pollo, a traditional Salvadorian dish.

Centro CSO has been on the ground in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles fighting back against police crimes for over ten years. To stay updated, follow them on social media under the handle “CENTROCSO”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #CentroCSO

Dallas, TX – On July 8, in response to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE agents in Houston the day before, NAARPR-Dallas organized an emergency rally at the Dallas City Hall to demand justice and that his killers be held accountable,

Over 50 people crowded in front of Dallas City Hall to make their demands heard. They chanted “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!

Between chants members of DAWC, FRSO-Dallas, and PYM Dallas gave speeches.

Blake Van Wicklen of FRSO-Dallas told the crowd, “We will not allow fear to silence us. We will continue organizing in our workplaces, in our unions, in our neighborhoods and in the streets until every worker, regardless of immigration status, can live with dignity and without fear.”

Jo Hargis of DAWC stated, “It is clear to anyone who is looking that the violence we export to Palestine, to Iran, and around the world is inextricably linked with violence visited upon people here at home. We must hold accountable the forces who profit off of these murders, whether the murdered be a father on his way to work in Texas, or a school full of little girls in Minab, or the steadfast people of Palestine.”

Xavier Velasquez, the chair of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – Dallas stated, “This is what we are up against: ICE had been targeting people thru large raids which resulted in the deaths of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Keith Porter Jr.. What we've witnessed thru the course of the year is a de-emphasis on large raids and they've been doing smaller scale kidnappings and quieter raids. These new ICE tactics are no less deadly, as we saw yesterday. The spin they are giving this recent killing is the end goal of this racist system. They are now trying to say that this killing is OK because Lorenzo was a so called ‘illegal alien.’ Shame!”

An altar was set up in remembrance of Lorenzo Araujo where people paid their respects. NAARPR members encouraged people to attend a vigil on July 10 in Dallas for Lorenzo Araujo at Huitzitzilin cafe and promoted their “ICE out of the World Cup” protest that is set for July 14.

#DallasTX #TX #InJusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights #KillerCops #KillerICE #Featured

Brooklyn, NY – Community members and the family of Eudes Pierre gathered Thursday, June 25, for their fourth monthly picket at the NYPD’s 71st Precinct. Alongside Pierre’s family, organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) demanded justice for Eudes Pierre and put up wanted posters of the officers who murdered him in 2021.

The previous day would have been Pierre’s 31st birthday. He was only 26 years old when he called 911 in the midst of a mental health crisis on December 20, 2021. Instead of the care he needed, dispatch sent Officers Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez. Pierre’s cousin, Sheina Banatte, described how he was “followed, chastised, criminalized, attacked, gunned down, then dehumanized when his murder was labeled ‘suicide by cop’ after he called 911 for help.”

The NYPD denied wrongdoing. Its Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ruled Lan and Abreu-Gerez acted “within NYPD guidelines.” New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue criminal charges against them. Killer cops feel emboldened to brutalize and kill Black and brown New Yorkers because the system is built to deny justice to those impacted by police violence.

Joe Wilkins from the New York Alliance outlined a path to justice in community control of the police, stating, “Accountability should not take years of pickets and protests and rallies. It should be built into the system from the bottom-up, through community boards with real power to hire, fire and discipline every single officer in this building, and throughout the five boroughs.”

Participants directly confronted officers from the 71st Precinct with chants such as, “How do you spell murderer? NYPD!” One participant used to 50-a.org database to search the names and badge numbers of officers who stood, laughing, behind their metal barricades. Like Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez, several of the officers present had documented histories of brutality and racist violence.

As they build the Justice for Eudes Pierre campaign, the New York Alliance and the family of Eudes Pierre will continue to picket the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of every month. They will continue to fight until Pierre’s killers are fired and prosecuted, police are removed from mental health response, and the people win community control of the police.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #EudesPierre #NYAARPR #NAARPR

Colorado Springs, CO – On June 24, the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) for the murder of their loved one . They held a press conference, along with lawyers Mari Newman and Andy McNulty, at CSPD’s downtown headquarters to announce the lawsuit and demand justice. Alex Martinez-Sarmiento was a 26-year-old “father, son, brother and friend,” said the attorneys in a statement.

Members of the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) were in attendance to support the family. Over a dozen family members and activists stood in front of the press cameras holding banners and signs that read “Justice for Alex Martinez” and “CSPD stop killing La Raza.”

On July 5, 2025, CSPD officer Connor Jacob Wallick shot Martinez-Sarmiento in the back three times, killing him. Since then, members of his family, as well as COSAARPR, have been leading protests demanding that Wallick be fired and charged for murder. Members of COSAARPR view the lawsuit as one step in a protracted struggle.

At the press conference, Alex’s sister Saray Rocha spoke to the lack of accountability CSPD faces, “If an ordinary citizen cannot shoot someone in the back and walk away without consequences, then why should Connor Jacob Wallick? Why should he get to continue to wear a badge if he cannot follow the standards and responsibilities that come with it?”

McNulty’s stated, “We see violence from the police over and over and over again here in Colorado Springs. What we don’t see is accountability. What we don’t see is justice for these families. And today we file a federal lawsuit seeking accountability and justice not just for the Martinez family, but for all the families who have had their loved ones taken by the Colorado Springs Police Department.”

COSAARPR and the family are determined to keep fighting for Alex and accountability for violent police officers.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #COSAARPR #NAARPR #FRSO #Featured

Gulfport, MS – On June 21, a crowd of about 15 people gathered for a rally and vigil against the murder of one-year-old Kohen Wiley at a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi.

The action was put on by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Mutual Aid Collective, drawing people from organizations including Indivisible, the Gulf Coast Humanists and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Speaking to Fight Back! at the rally, Ash Dawn of Gulf Coast Humanists said, “Our message is to amplify the demands of the people of Senatobia, which is to release the tape. Release everything and get full transparency for everything relating to Kohen Wiley’s murder.”

While addressing the crowd, Dawn also stated, “The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation relentlessly withholds information from Mississippians,” and spoke on the extreme lack of trust between the corrupt police departments and the local community.

Miu Sims of FRSO addressed the crowd saying, “We are absolutely outraged that a one-year-old child could be a victim to police brutality.” Sims drove with fellow activists from New Orleans to attend the rally, taking the trip to show support and solidarity. “These racist institutions do not care about your age. They don’t care if you’re a baby sitting in your mother’s lap while she is trying to take care of you. They will murder whoever they want!”

Sims also spoke on the particular violence that Black people face, saying that the police “see the color of our skin, and they automatically assume that a mother who is trying to take care of her child is a ‘looter’ or someone who is stealing.” Sims spoke passionately on how quickly racist, killer cops choose to “pull the trigger” and senselessly murder rather than protect Black lives.

The rally united protesters on the need for justice, Black liberation, and resistance to crooked intuitions of policing. Ash Dawn said to the crowd, “The people of Mississippi are damn tired!”

The crowd chanted, “When Black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

#GulfportMS #MS #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #KohenWiley #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #Featured

Santa Ana, CA – The Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) shot and killed an unnamed 16-year-old inside his own apartment on Sunday, June 14. SAPD released multiple statements to justify the killing hours before caution tape came down or police had even left the scene. This killing happened just four and a half months after the last teenager, 18-year-old Chicano Victor Lopez, was killed by SAPD.

On Monday, June 15, Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) members investigated the apartment complex to learn more about the victim.

Police said they were called about a family disturbance. Reports said the 53-year-old boyfriend of the “suspect’s” mother reported that the 16-year-old had stabbed him with a knife, was “under the influence” and was “vandalizing property.” When they arrived, police said they told the teenager to drop the knife and when he refused, they shot him.

But the public has a right to be skeptical. Police often use these reports to justify their killings, calling their victims suspects, emphasizing how dangerous they are, and focusing on drug use and property damage to mark people for death. The public never gets the bigger picture behind the story. And police never ask if they could solve the problem without violence.

CSO OC members went door to door to learn what happened from neighbors and to connect with the impacted family. Multiple neighbors said they heard police breaking down a door. One said she heard between ten and 20 gunshots, and a mother crying out, “You killed my baby!” CSO OC met members of the family weeping just feet away from their taped-off complex. These details start to paint a different picture from the story the police project in their social media and local news outlets.

CSO OC will be having a protest on behalf of the family and all victims of police crimes in Santa Ana on Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. at the intersection of W McArthur Boulevard and S Main Street.

These victims include people like 18-year-old Victor Lopez, who just four months earlier was chased by SAPD into a parking structure. But what SAPD failed to mention was that it was his own apartment complex, or that they shot Lopez three times in the back while he was attempting to surrender. They do not mention that Lopez was driving with his fiancé and one-year-old son. Instead, they focus on a firearm he dropped while exiting the vehicle, which is not a death sentence, and the firearm was not used. SAPD claims it does not need to release more body camera footage to the public but faces yet another civil rights lawsuit for the police killing.

All of this is why CSO OC fights for community control of the police. We have a basic right to decide on all police matters where we live. That includes the ability to have independent and transparent investigations into these killings, and the ability to hold police accountable for killing our children. If you would like to meet us or would like our support as an organization, please reach out at Instagram, Facebook, or email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #CSOOC