East Los Angeles, CA – On May 27, East LA residents, impacted family members, and supporters united against the new formation of two separate deputy gangs in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department as well as the vicious escalation in deputy-involved killings.

Centro CSO, an organization that fights against police crimes in Boyle Height and East LA, called the protest to pressure new head Sheriff Robert Luna, who has been in office for six months, to fulfill his election promise to eradicate the deputy gangs.

Opening the event, Avery Raimondo with Centro CSO’s Police Accountability Committee spoke about the need for community control of the LASD to defeat the deputy gangs. Raimondo said, “LASD operates outside of oversight and democratic control. The people of East Los Angeles and LA County must have power in order to transform the sheriff’s department and stop these killings.”

After Raimondo, Joseph Williams from Black Lives Matter-LA and Helen Jones of Dignity Power Now spoke about the need to hold LA Sheriff Robert Luna accountable.

Chanting, “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace” and “LASD means we got to fight back,” Luis Sifuentes led the marchers from the intersection of Mednik Avenue and 3rd Street to the East LA Sheriff’s station. There, attendees heard from the families of Paul Rea, Frederick Holder and David Ordaz Jr.

“People like to think that in a state like California, where weed is allegedly legal, you’re safe to smoke it. But that’s what got Chicano Paul Rea killed,” said Sol Márquez of CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “Deputies from this station used it as an excuse to shoot him over four times and take his life!”

The event proceeded despite the sheriffs blocking the protesters from nearing the station with barricades and deputy vehicles. At one point, the family of Paul Rea reminded the deputies of the retaliatory attempt to silence a family member by arresting and removing them from the public eye. For hours their whereabouts were unknown, and the family has since filed a lawsuit against the station.

“We will not stop fighting for justice for Paul,” said Leah Garcia, mother of Paul Rea. “And so many others that had their lives stolen from them forever. We will be Paul’s voice.”

Next plans for CSO are to unite with impacted families like David Ordaz Jr.’s to create a petition that would inform East LA residents of the presence of sheriff’s deputy gangs as well as demand that the LA Board of Supervisors and LASD take action to eradicate them. Stay tuned for the petition.

If you’d like to join the CSO Police Accountability Committee, reach out to them at (323) 484-8630 centrocso@gmail.com or @CentroCSO on social media.

#EastLosAngelesCA #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization

Los Angeles, CA – On May 1, Centro CSO is holding its 7th annual International Workers Day march and rally in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The attendees are meeting at the intersection of N Mathews Street and E Chavez Avenue at noon, before marching towards downtown. The march will stop for a protest at LAPD Hollenbeck, then continue towards Mariachi Plaza where a list of speakers and musical entertainment is planned. This year’s march has been endorsed by a number of other local organizations such as Black Lives Matter-LA, the Check the Sheriff's Coalition, CSULA MEChA, LA Catholic Worker, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USCPN), and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

International Workers Day is a holiday for honoring the working class and remembering the workers who came before us and struggled for rights such as an eight-hour work day, the minimum wage and the right to form a union. It is celebrated on May 1 all around the world, with special significance in socialist countries such as Vietnam, Cuba and China, where the government is run by the working class. May Day grew out of the class struggle In the U.S. In 2006, May Day became a day to fight for the undocumented as that year around the country, troves of undocumented immigrants organized themselves in what is now known as the Mega Marches.

Marisol Marquez, a member of both FRSO and Centro CSO, and one of the organizers for the event spoke with Fight Back! about the goals of this year’s event, stating, “I plan to march on May Day for the undocumented who continue to be exploited and used by corporations to challenge the working class fighting to unionize workplaces. Also relevant to us in Boyle Heights is the struggle for us Chicanos to survive against police brutality at the hands of killer cops, sheriffs and their deputy gangs. This is why we will also demand community control of the police and an ouster of LA Sheriff Villanueva.”

Last year's rally in Boyle Heights was an incredible success. Organizers like Marquez are hoping to build on last year's victory and are planning for a bigger event this year, with a higher turnout and a larger list of speakers expected. If last year's event was any indication, this year is sure to be another success, putting the score at Boyle Heights 7, Killer Cops 0.

To join Centro CSO in the fight against police killings, to promote public education and win legalization for all contact them at 323-943-2030, CentroCSO@gmail.com, or @CentroCSO on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. To join FRSO contact them at frso.org/join or @Freedom Road Socialist Organization Los Angeles on Facebook and Instagram.

#LosAngelesCA #Labor #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #BoyleHeights #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization

The event kicked off with a solidarity statement from Sol Marquez, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Centro CSO’s core, immigration, and police brutality committees. Marquez said, “We have come a long way. For Chicanas and Latinas, between the 1920s and 1950s we suffered forced and state-sanctioned sterilization in the highest numbers. Out of about 60,000 total sterilizations, more than 20,000 were Chicanas and in California, meaning one-third all the sterilizations in the U.S. were to our people.”

Marquez continued, “Texas, Mississippi, and Florida are three places where the system is currently attacking our reproductive freedom, and the right to determine what is best for our bodies. Let’s continue fighting back against these attacks. March 8 is our day, but also our reminder to keep pushing back against the many ways the U.S. attempts to wipe out our people, through controlling what we do with our bodies.“

After Marquez’s speech, Cristal Haro, an artist born and raised in Boyle Heights as well as a member of Centro CSO’s police accountability committee, first read poetry before presenting a series of paintings. Haro’s paintings focused particularly on crimes committed by the Los Angeles police and sheriff’s departments in Boyle Heights/East LA, including the 2016 murder of 14-year-old Jesse Romero by two-time killer cop Eden Medina.

Facilitated by CSO core members Isabel Gurrola and Juliana Castellon, the panel discussion included representatives from each of CSO’s three committees. Gurrola and Castellon asked panelists three questions: What made you want to become active in your community? How has gender roles and expectations sparked or fueled your activism as a femme or non-binary person? How has organizing during a pandemic impacted your life?

Julie Regalado and Antonietta Garcia, parents and veterans of the movement against charter schools in Boyle Heights and East LA, spoke on behalf of CSO’s education committee. Regalado explained how charters selectively admitted students – for example, denying those with learning needs – inspired her activism while Garcia sees the threat that these privatized schools have on public education in her community.

Hilda Pedroza, sister of David Ordaz Jr. who was killed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on March 14, 2021, and Em Hubbard represented CSO’s police accountability committee. Pedroza described not only how the killing of her brother forced her to take up the fight against LASD, but also how she tries to raise her own sons to combat sexism. Both activists attended the recent conference for the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in Chicago and are trying to win community control of the sheriffs through a charter amendment.

Finally, Ofelia Carrillo and Jenny Bekenstein, who works at UPS and organizes against U.S. intervention in Central America, presented for CSO’s immigration committee. According to Carrillo, the experience of patriarchy within her immigrant family began her journey toward organizing. Bekenstein mentioned how observing the progress socialism has brought to women in Nicaragua helped lead her to CSO.

Centro CSO can be reached through its email (CentroCSO@gmail.com), by texting its hotline 323-943-2030, or messaging various social media platforms: @CentroCSO on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #InternationalWomensDayIWD

Los Angeles, CA – Answering the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s call for a national protest against police crimes, Centro CSO held a rally at Los Cinco Puntos in Boyle Heights, July 18. At the action, Centro CSO pushed for Black and brown unity and demanded the end to the killings of Blacks, Chicanos and Latinos by the Los Angeles Police and LA Sheriff’s Departments.

The location of Los Cinco Puntos – the site where five important streets meet and a memorial for Chicano veterans who fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War – was significant for many reasons. Along with victims of police brutality, the rally honored Vanessa Guillén, the 20-year-old Chicana U.S. army soldier who was murdered in April after being sexually harassed by a superior at Food Hood in Texas. Los Cincos Puntos served as the starting point for the first huge march against the racist anti-immigrant California Proposition 187 in 1994, when over 100,000 marched from Cinco Puntos to LA City Hall.

Centro CSO’s Alex Orellana, a former member of the military, gave a speech about sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct toward servicewomen that he witnessed while in the armed forces. He mentioned that the military’s treatment of women, along with Trump’s election, influenced his decision to become a “defector.”

Los Cinco Puntos is also right where Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles, the two communities where Centro CSO primarily organizes, meet. The Los Angeles Police Department, specifically its Hollenbeck Division, patrols Boyle Heights while the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department covers East Los Angeles. Both departments have continuously killed Chicano young men over the last few years. Throughout the protest, cars from both LAPD and LASD circled the area.

Protesters held up a banner reading, “LAPD stop killing Black and brown people,'' and “Jail killer cops!” Chants included “How do you spell murderer? LAPD'' and “El pueblo unido jamás, será vencido.” Protesters also chanted the names of the many victims of police brutality throughout the country – George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and Sean Monterrosa – as well as those killed specifically in the area like Jesse Romero, Edwin Rodriguez, Paul Rea and Anthony Vargas. Centro CSO will continue to fight against police killings and build the fight to win community control over the police. Join us for future events.

Visit and contact CSO at the following 323-943-2030, Centrocso@gmail.com, or @CentroCSO on social media.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #NationalDayOfProtest #CommunityControlOfThePolice

Los Angeles, CA – On April 27, a video filmed by a neighbor in Boyle Heights caught LAPD officer Frank Hernandez and another unnamed woman officer violently beating and arresting Chicano Richard Castillo. The video quickly went viral due to the completely unprovoked manner in which officer Hernandez punched and attacked Castillo. After backup was called, witnesses had to come out to defend Castillo. Officer Hernandez and others drew guns on the witnesses and ordered them to “Get out of here!”

Officer Hernandez has a violent history. He killed Manuel Jamines, shot in the head, September of 2010 and was known to harass street vendors in the MacArthur Park area.

Centro CSO began a petition urging mostly local Boyle Heights residents to voice their concern for the way the matter was handled. The petition called for LAPD Chief Michael Moore to fire officer Hernandez. On May 21, a delegation of CSO members hand-delivered over 1800 petition signatures to Chief Moore.

During this exchange, Chief Moore stated Hernandez was still on home duty and had not been returned his badge nor gun. When asked when the final report on the Hernandez attack on Castillo would be concluded, Chief Moore stated, “It should be ready by June 1, 2020.” This week, Chief Moore was publicly shamed after he stated that George Floyd’s blood was on protesters’ hands as much as it was on his killer cops.

On June 1, no report was published and CSO members were never contacted. Centro CSO sent a message to one of Chief Moore’s LAPD Headquarters officers, Vic Davila, to ask for an update. Davila told CSO members that due to the unrest in the city, the report had unfortunately been delayed. The next day, local LA news stations reported that the case had been forwarded to LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

Lacey is known for her complete and utter disregard for justice. With hundreds of LAPD officer-involved-shootings under her belt, Lacey just once filed charges on a police officer killing a civilian.

We denounce the delay in bringing Boyle Heights survivor Richard Castillo and the people of Boyle Heights justice. Hollenbeck LAPD officers have historically harassed, killed, beaten and terrorized the people of Boyle Heights. CSO will continue to ramp up the pressure on the leaders of LAPD and continue to denounce their attacks on Black and brown people.

Follow Centro CSO for more updates and actions, coming soon! CSO hotline number 323-943-2030, centrocso@gmail.com, and @CentroCSO on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #FrankHernandez #RichardCastillo

Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m. Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) will be participating in the National Day of Protest to demand the mass release of all prisoners due to COVID-19. The action is called by the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and CSO is an affiliated organization with the Alliance. We are protesting the murders of Ahmaud Aubery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and George Floyd in Minneapolis because they are outraging, and we must demand justice. This lynch-style, racist terrorism must stop and perpetrators must be punished.

The Boyle Heights action will take place at Mariachi Plaza located at 1831 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Participants are encouraged to bring their own posters, masks and to practice social distancing.

“In Boyle Heights and East LA we have our very long list of Chicano victims,” says longtime Chicano revolutionary Carlos Montes. “From 14-year-old Jesse Romero to 16-year-old Jose Mendez, both killed in 2016. Anyone who is angered by injustices to our people, should join us!”

Questions regarding the event should be directed to Carlos Montes, Event Coordinator 213-712-0370 or Sol Marquez, Event Coordinator at 323-401-0433 marquez.j.marisol@gmail.com, centrocso@gmail.com

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #NationalDayOfProtest

Speakers participating will include a student from Garfield High School; Rosario Bonilla from Centro CSO; Josefina Rizo, mother of 16-year-old Jose Mendez who was killed by LAPD; Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, who was attacked at the Chicano Moratorium in 1970 by Los Angeles sheriffs and police; Eloisa Galindo of Eastside Padres Contra la Privatizacion de Educacion, and Sol Marquez from Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #InternationalWomensDay #Socialism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #DiaInternacionalDeLaMujer

Los Angeles – Chants like, “Fire Chief Beck,” flooded the packed Police Commission meeting at Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) headquarters today, July 25.

Teresa Dominguez and Jesus Romero, parents of late 14-year-old Jesse Romero, killed by the LAPD Feb. 6, 2016, attended their first LAPD Police Commission meeting. The commission wound up justifying the use of deadly force by LAPD in both Kenney Watkins and Jesse Romero cases and ruling the killings within policy.

Romero’s parents were joined by Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) members Luis Sifuentes, Carlos Montes, Sol Marquez, Estela Rodriguez and Josefina Rizo, along with Black Lives Matter-LA, Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, and the families of the late Jose Mendez, Edwin Rodriguez, and Carlos Oliva.

“It angered me to see Chief Beck not even offer his personal sympathies,” says Teresa Dominguez. “I couldn’t contain my anger, frustration and lack of trust in police officers because of their decision.”

Repeatedly activists and family members demanded answers from Chief Beck and Commissioner Matt Johnson. And repeatedly Chief Beck and the commission reacted defiantly, twice forcing the meeting into recess, with the commission president threatening to end it.

During public comment, Teresa Dominguez spoke and demanded justice for her son. On behalf of Centro CSO, Carlos Montes denounced six police killings by LAPD Hollenbeck station in Boyle Heights, calling it a human rights violation. Montes demanded Chief Beck, “Clean up the Hollenbeck Station of Police assassins.”

In addition to the Police Commission meeting, Teresa Dominguez and Jesus Romero and a delegation attended the LA city council meeting, attempting to speak with Boyle Heights Councilmember Jose Huizar and Mayor Eric Garcetti. Neither were available according to staff, but the parents warned they will be following up with appointments.

“I made sure to let the staff of Boyle Heights area Councilmember Jose Huizar know who I was and gave them my personal cellphone number,” says Teresa Dominguez. “He might not schedule a meeting with us, but I’m not waiting for a call. Instead, I’m going to be calling, he won’t be able to ignore us anymore.”

The families are all calling for an independent investigation of LAPD Hollenbeck police station by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Alarming killings and brutality include: Five Boyle Heights, young, Chicanos who were killed in 2016 by LAPD Hollenbeck; the Feb. 16 tasing of Carlos “Charlie” Gonzalez by LAPD – ultimately causing his death; the shooting and killing March 26 of Fred Barragan by LAPD at the Soto metro station in Boyle Heights; and the shooting of Pedro Echeverria on June 8. Echeverria is 18 years old and had graduated from Central High School the day before he was shot. His shooting occurred at 3 p.m. on a neighbor’s front yard. He was shot four times by LAPD, but survived due to intervention by a neighbor yelling at cops to stop shooting him.

Centro CSO is pushing for unity and support from neighborhoods in Boyle Heights and East LA, along with families affected by LAPD and LA Sheriffs’ violence.

“These killings are unfortunately not anything new for Chicanos and Latinos,” says Sol Marquez of Centro CSO. “We have so much work to do in winning justice for these families, and even going beyond these particular cases – we still need to obtain total freedom from national oppression.”

CSO and the families plan on attending the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council meeting on July 26, where they hope to obtain even more support from local leaders. CSO members plan on marching in the National Night Out on August 1 – which is annually hosted by the LAPD. Centro CSO is asking families and activists in California to contact them about their local police killings, and unite in a statewide network against police killings.

Contact Cento CSO at CentroCSO@gmail.com or 323-943-2030 or at http://twitter.com/CentroCSO.

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #PoorPeoplesMovements #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization

With less than a day’s notice, 30 people gathered at the historic Mariachi Plaza, Feb. 16, rallying in support of the undocumented on “A Day Without Immigrants.”

Chanting, “What do we want? Legalization! When do we want it? Now!” and “Aquí estamos y no, nos vamos! Y sí nos echan, no regresamos!” the crowd got support from people driving or walking by.

Businesses closed all over LA, including popular Alley stores, main restaurants along First Street in Boyle Heights, and parents missed work, students skipped school – all to demonstrate that the U.S. looks very different when immigrants remove themselves from society.

Juan Castillo-Alvarado, who is a gay man and activist with Latinx Equality Alliance – Alianza Latina por la Igualdad, says, “I'm here as a Salvadoran and Guatemalan immigrant myself. Transphobia and homophobia sentiments are running rampant now, and the LGBTQ community is fighting back. We all need to be there for each other!”

Different organizations participated, like Centro CSO, Latinx Equality Alliance, Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Students from Hollenbeck Middle School, and even some folks driving as far as La Puente to join the Boyle Heights rally.

Closing the rally was longtime Chicano revolutionary and immigrant rights fighter Carlos Montes who said, “This day without immigrants is just the start of a campaign of resistance to the Trump attacks and a build up to May Day protests. Today we felt and saw the force of the undocumented. Fighting against deportations, a new Mexico wall, bracero programs, militarization, and no ICE raids – we will always be here for our immigrant families.”

#LosAngelesCA #US #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #DonaldTrump

Long time Chicano and immigrant rights leader Carlos Montes states, “We are organizing our May Day march and rally to demand self-determination for the Chicano people and equality for Mexicans and all Latinos. We are also denouncing the racist attacks and ICE /police brutality against our people.”

The May Day march is being organized by Centro CSO (Community Service Organization). A call from Centro CSO urged people to bring family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors to the event, and stated, “Join Centro CSO on May 1 as we fight to ‘Dump Donald Trump’ and stop racist attacks by police and ICE. We demand respect and equality for all Mexicans, Central Americans and Chicanos! Not one more police killing in Boyle Heights; no more raids and detentions by ICE.”

#LosAngelesCA #InJusticeSystem #MayDay #ChicanoLatino #CarlosMontes #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization