East LA, CA — A small tortilla-making store, La Imperial Tortillería, hosted a public event inside of their shop titled “Coffee with a Deputy,” February 23. Inside of the shop were less than a dozen people surrounded by East LA sheriffs who were having coffee. This sad event was a public relations stunt by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to counter the ever-growing sentiment against deputy gangs and the LASD.

Outside of the shop, two dozen people showed up to protest the event. Some of those in attendance were members of Centro CSO, Say Their Names LA, and the family of David Ordaz Jr., who was killed March 2021 by East LA sheriffs a block away from the event’s location.

Carlos Montes and Luis Sifuentes, both members of Centro CSO, led the protesters in chants like, “Who killed David? LASD!” and “Adios Villanueva!” Villanueva is Alex Villanueva, the sheriff of Los Angeles County. The angry protesters then took it inside and confronted the public meeting full of LA sheriffs. The owners of the shop and its employees became upset and yelled, “This is a private meeting, get out!” at the protesters, some of whom were carrying children in their arms. The owner approached one CSO member and said, “I am the owner and I am asking you to leave and take your protest outside.” The sheriffs attempted to move the protesters out but they stood firm chanting and disrupting the meeting.

The deputies who had been sharing a cup of coffee with the small group were forced to walk out of the shop. The protesters continued their chants and demanded answers from the deputies. At one point the captain of the East LA Sheriff’s Station, Richard Mejia, approached the family of David Ordaz Jr. and talked for a few minutes.

David’s daughter Emily Ordaz said to Mejia, “You never made the effort to talk to me or my family after your deputies killed my dad.” To which Mejia responded with, “We did but you guys hired a lawyer!”

A shouting match ensued and ended with LASD Sergeant Hoffman asking to speak with only the family of David Ordaz Jr. Hoffman was wearing the racist “a kick in the pants” pin, a logo that originated out of the East LA Sheriff’s Station.

The family of David Ordaz Jr. and Centro CSO are fighting to win justice for Ordaz, the jailing of the killer deputies, and the ouster of Sheriff Villanueva. This led them to unite with others like the Check the Sheriff Coalition. There are efforts to get a charter amendment on this year’s California ballot to gain more community control over LASD. To join their efforts contact CSO at 323-943-2030 Centro CSO @ Gmail, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#EastLACA #EastLosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment

Los Angeles, CA – A press conference was held in front of ‘Hall of Injustice’ office of LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva, May 4, to denounce the deputy sheriffs’ harassing of grieving Chicano and Black families who have lost their sons to LA Deputy Sheriff gangs killings, like those done by the “Banditos” of the East LA Sheriff Station. A grouping called Check the Sheriff Coalition united families and several organizations for the press conference. The coalition includes the local National Lawyers Guild, American Civil Liberties Union, Black Lives Matter-LA and Centro CSO. Press conference participants also backed a motion by LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell to establish a police complaint process separate from the LA County Sheriffs.

The Board of Supervisors then passed the motion unanimously – establishing a new and separate police (and sheriff) complaint process. Currently, the LA Sheriffs investigate their own complaints and the community has found that complaints are rarely well-documented and processed in any meaningful way. The various groups in the Check the Sheriff Coalition will continue to advocate for ongoing significant reforms.

Stephanie Luna, the aunt of Anthony Vargas, who was killed by East LA Sheriffs August 12, 2018, recounted how her family has been followed and harassed by East LA Deputy Sheriffs. In one instance, the sheriff who shot and killed her nephew stood outside their home smirking and staring at her on the street.

Leah Garcia, the mother of Paul Rea, killed by East LA Sheriffs June 27, 2019 after a traffic stop, talked of the harassment and detention her family has faced, including at a memorial event for Paul in East LA.

Chiquita Twyman, the sister of Ryan Twyman, who was shot 34 times and killed June 6, 2019, spoke of the trauma and ongoing sheriffs’ presence in the community. Helen Jones spoke about her son John Horton, brutally beaten to death inside the LA County jail by the sheriff’s deputy gang the “3000 Boys” on March 30, 2009.

Rebecca Brown of the National Lawyers guild gave a summary of a report documenting the harassment of the families by the East LA Sheriffs. Dr. Melina Abdullah spoke about how the LA Sheriffs not only kill family loved ones, but further do character assassination and then harass the families. Carlos Montes with Centro CSO denounced the harassment of the families by the East LA sheriffs and in support of the Board of Supervisors motion for a new separate police complaint process. He also accused Sheriff Alex Villanueva of being a member of the notorious Banditos sheriffs’ gang.

The Check the Sheriff Coalition gave some brief history and statistics during public comments to the Board of Supervisors, including:

-- Between November 2015 and November 2020, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) shot over 130 individuals. Some of the families of these individuals have bravely spoken out publicly against the killings of their loved ones. LASD deputies have responded to these families who are exercising their First Amendment rights by aggressively and continuously harassing them.

-- On an almost daily basis, LASD deputies try to intimidate these family members slowly driving by or parking in front of their homes; slowly driving by memorial sites; damaging items at memorial sites; taunting family members with rude comments, gestures, smirks, and laughter; following family members while they are driving; parking outside family members’ workplaces; and taking pictures of or recording family members. Deputies have also engaged in more serious and often illegal forms of harassment on a number of occasions, including targeting family members for arrest and detention without probable cause, frequently pulling over family members and searching their vehicles, and harassing family members who are minors.

#LosAngelesCA #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment

Los Angeles, CA – Two years ago, on August 12, 2018, East Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Rojas and Nikolis Perez killed Anthony Daniel Vargas, shooting him 13 times. The ELA Sheriff's alleged “Banditos” gang members have covered up the truth, harassed the family and killed again.

This Saturday, August 15, the family of Anthony Vargas held a rally at the East LA Sheriff's station for his two-year “angelversary.” After marching in the scorching 109-degree heat to the station, the family was met with a line of fully armed sheriffs. Confronting the sheriffs with Vargas' family were other families whose loved ones have been killed by police, activist groups like Justice X and Centro CSO, as well as East LA community members.

After the showdown between protesters and deputies, Lisa Vargas, Anthony’s mother, led a militant rally that included testimonies from the families of Eric Rivera, Paul Rea, César Rodríguez, Daniel Hernández, Christopher Okamoto, Alex Flores and Vanessa Márquez. The following words are an excerpt from the kick-off speech by Lisa Vargas, a proud Chicana and one of the greatest activists against police brutality in Los Angeles:

“They're standing here with their guns out, with their batons. They're mocking us. They're laughing and smiling. They're in their cars clapping. But we have something better than that. We have our voice. Our voice is more important. Our voice is more powerful. Our voice gets through to people. And as a matter of fact, our voice in our votes determines where they stand.

So they could do what they want. They can laugh at us. They can put up their yellow tape. They could say that they're fearing for their lives and we're getting too close. But I bet you that's what our children were saying when they were touching our children.

My son was not only shot 13 times, but when he was down, he was hit in the head and he was hit on the side. He didn't hit back. But it's justifiable in [LA District Attorney] Jackie Lacey's eyes. We're not going to put up with it. We're not going to stop fighting. They can try to stop us with their little yellow tape and their badges and their guns and their cars. But we're still here. We live here.

We're going to continue to serve our communities, which is what they lack to do. They say they're here to serve and protect, but they're not. They're serving themselves. They're in their subculture gangs. They're doing their own thing in their departments. They don't have the balls to sit out here in the community and do what's right. They made a pledge to protect and serve. The only one they're protecting are themselves. The only one they're serving are themselves.

And we're done. We are done. We are the community. We are the ones at the end of the day that wake up and go into our communities, know about our communities, know what's happening. That is why they don't have information and they need to go public asking for assistance from the community.

Today we're here to honor my son, Anthony Vargas. My son turned twenty-one years old on July 27, 2018. My son was murdered. He was assassinated. He was killed on August 12, 2018. We waited for almost a year to get our autopsy report leaked to find out that the stories, the narratives that the sheriff's representative came out and spoke on that day were false. Our original narrative was that there was an officer in the front and an officer in the back. These cowards, these wannabe gang members were so intimidated by a 21-year-old that they shot him from behind, said that they feared for their life from behind, said that there was a threat.

But they're trained. They took their training, something we didn't do, and they have a badge. So how did they fear? That shows me that we have the wrong kind of people in our communities trying to serve and protect. Our community does more serving and protecting than any of these fools up here.

Now, they may have taken my son, but they didn't take my son's soul. They didn't take my son's legacy. My son lives in each and every one of them. They may have broken my heart, but they didn't break my body. As long as I live, I will stand here and I will be the voice for my son, along with every other Vargas family member here. And in case they can't see, in case they don't comprehend, let me show you further. We that are here are Anthony Vargas. We are his voice. We are the ones that carry him with us each and every day.

You may have shot him 13 times. You may have killed him. And you think you're going to get away with this. But guess what, Boo Boo? I'm coming for your ass. I'm not going to stop. You could sit there, you could laugh at us, you could mock us, you can harass us. As a matter of fact, let me put something on blast. August 12 was Anthony's actual two years that he had passed away. We got blocked in. We got harassed sitting at a tree that was given to us by [Los Angeles County Supervisor] Hilda Solis and the housing department. We got harassed leaving. They followed us all the way home.

That same night, crimes occurred behind law enforcement. So who is the one serving and protecting our community? When we're sitting there, they're blocking. When we're sitting there, they're harassing. We're not going to have it done no more. My son's name is not in vain. My son's life mattered. These people who have tattoos, who claim to be Bandito gang members, you want to be in the gang? Come out into the streets. Take off your badges and let's see you out in these streets.”

#LosAngelesCA #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment

Los Angeles, CA – Over the last few years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been in the hot seat as deputies have killed a staggering number of Black and Chicano young men. With the recent Minnesota rebellion and protests across Los Angeles, the heat continues.

Protests against the Sheriffs

On June 7, a group of young women from East Los Angeles united, organized and led a large march and protest against the East Los Angeles Sheriffs. The women were Lucia Torres from Schurr High; Valerie “Valens” Salazar, a student at California State University – LA (CSULA); Samantha Barientos, a student at Garfield High; Estrella Lopez, a student at CSULA, and Alicia Romero of LA Causa Youth Building Center. They approached the community group Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO) for help and guidance on their event.

Starting at Atlantic Avenue Park in East LA, close to 500 people gathered for a kickoff rally. The women spoke about the need as Chicanos to unite with African Americans in their fight for freedom against racist terror like that experienced by George Floyd in Minnesota.

Participants then took to the street and angrily marched to the East LA Sheriff’s station. When they arrived, the California Highway Patrol blocked the street entrance to the station. The ELA Sheriffs barricaded the entrance to the station and were armed with automatic assault rifles and shotguns. The energized marchers, by that point numbering over 1000, marched right up to the deputy line. Families whose sons, nephews, and brothers have been killed by the ELA Sheriffs spoke out and denounced the killings. Sumaya Aden, whose brother Isak Aden was killed last year in Minnesota, spoke about the horrors of being Black in the U.S. To finish the event, the protesters held another rally at Belvedere Park by the lake.

When asked if she had any advice for youth or anyone wanting to organize their own event against police terror, Lucia Torres said, “Despite the negative attitude people take when seeing someone speak out against racism and police brutality, they need to stay affirmed in their beliefs and it’s okay to educate older generations.”

Chicano killings continue

Despite COVID-19, the LA County Sheriffs have not stopped killing. Their most recent victim is 18-year-old Salvadoran American Andres Guardado, who was killed on June 18. Guardado was working as a security guard when he was killed. Sheriffs shot him five times, and afterwards stated Guardado had a weapon when he was killed. A recent independent autopsy ordered by Guardado’s family found all the shots were to his back, and he had no trace of drugs not alcohol in his system.

Chicano Jorge Serrano was killed on December 19, 2019 by the same killer sheriff, Nikolis Perez, who also killed Anthony Vargas on August 12, 2018. Serrano was on his knees and had his hands in the air, surrendering, when he was shot six times, and killed.

Not only is there controversy over the fact that the cop Perez is a two-time killer but also because there is cause to believe that Perez is part of the FBI-confirmed East LA Sheriff’s gang Los Banditos.

Budget cuts

At the end of June, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to cut the LA Sheriff’s Department budget by $145 million. LASD normally is allocated about $3.3 billion annually. Sheriff Alex Villanueva spoke against the cuts and took a hard jab at the recent rebellions and uprisings after the killing of Minnesotan George Floyd by saying, “The need to provide public safety continues to rise. Crime hasn't gone away because people don't like law enforcement.”

Lawsuits

Chicano attorney Humberto Guizar is representing the family of Jorge Serrano, who are suing Sheriff Alex Villanueva for condoning the Los Banditos gang. The LA County Civilian Oversight Commission had ordered Villanueva to begin inspecting deputies for tattoos confirming their affiliation to the gang. To this day, Villanueva hasn't followed through and not a single deputy has been implicated. Additionally, Sheriff Villanueva has yet to honor subpoenas issued by the Civilian Oversight Commission.

An important point to note is that despite the recent killing of Serrano being under investigation by the internal affairs division of the Sheriff’s Department, the two deputies involved in Serrano’s killing (including two-time killer Perez) were promoted to training officers. All of this happened under the supervision of Sheriff Villanueva.

Community control of the police and Sheriffs

Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) has been helping unite and lead the fight against the East LA Sheriffs. They have united with the families affected by police terror and will continue to organize to win justice. Moving forward, plans are to fight for and to win civilian control of the police. They invite you to join the fight! Their upcoming and public meeting will be on Wednesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. You may send them an email at CentroCSO@gmail.com for their link, text them for the link at their hotline number 323-943-2030, or contact them on their various social media platforms @CentroCSO.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment #StopPoliceCrimes

Los Angeles, CA – A protest shook the East LA Sheriff's Department station, Sept. 8. Lisa Vargas, the mother of Anthony Vargas, who was murdered by LA sheriffs, told the crowd “We’re here today for Anthony but we also know there are others who lose loved ones and don’t come out to speak. For whatever reason, but we’re for them also. We believe that my son was innocent. And we believe that he did not deserve this.”

21-year-old Anthony Vargas was shot 14 times – twice in the head – and killed by the East LA sheriffs on August 13. LA sheriffs were called to apprehend a suspect in a robbery. But now the sheriffs say Vargas may have been a mistaken suspect.

The Vargas family, Centro CSO members and members of the community held a large picket line on the sidewalk in front of ELA Sheriff’s Station, followed by a march to the entrance of the building. There, an angry rally demanded justice for Anthony Vargas, the release of the names of the killer cops, and for the cops to be prosecuted and jailed.

Anthony Vargas’ twin brother, Dre Vargas, spoke about the loss. “He was a good person, that’s why you see a lot of people here today. My brother should not have gone the way that he did. We’re gonna keep fighting for him, justice for my brother Anthony Vargas.”

Vargas was an enthusiastic fisherman, attended Garfield High School, taught bible classes and was well-liked. Vargas’ friends from the Maravilla Projects attended in support of the Vargas family.

Vargas’ lawyer Humberto Guizar spoke, “If I have to fight on the streets with all of you to win justice, I will do that. And I will also take it the courts, and fight for justice there. I will not stop until we all win justice for Anthony Vargas.”

Reading a powerful account on the loss of her older brother, Vargas’ younger sister Melanie Luna said, “Me and my family waited hours behind lines of yellow tape, before we were finally allowed to see his body on the grass. 14 shots including wounds to his head. They took him from us.”

Vargas’ brother Geo Vargas spoke about his dismay, “LA sheriffs murdered my baby brother Anthony. They said he was involved in things that he wasn't. Why was his life taken away?”

Centro CSO is working with the Vargas family and uniting with other families in Boyle Heights and East LA who are also victims of Los Angeles Police Department and Sherriff’s Department killings. Centro CSO supports all families and communities in demanding that Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey prosecute police in the killing of Chicanos, Blacks and Latinos.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #EastLASheriffsDepartment #LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment #LASD