Santa Ana, CA – Dieciséis personas, entre ellas familiares de Jaden Michaca, abogados del bufete Carillo Law Firm y miembros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC), se congregaron frente al Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana (SAPD) para exigir justicia para Jaden Michaca el martes 23 de junio. Michaca tenía solo 15 años y estaba sufriendo una crisis de salud mental cuando fue asesinado por la policía apenas nueve días antes.

Maribel Michaca, la mamá de Jaden, explicó cómo el SAPD distorsionó el incidente. Las declaraciones de la policía dieron a entender que estaban respondiendo a una llamada por un altercado familiar que terminó en un apuñalamiento. Maribel explicó que llamó al 911 para que atendieran una crisis de salud mental, y que en el pasado había llamado al 911 para que un equipo psiquiátrico calmara estas situaciones. Además, Maribel dijo que su pareja no fue apuñalada, sino que se hizo un rasguño accidentalmente al intentar quitarle un cuchillo a Jaden durante su crisis.

Pero esta vez enviaron a dos agentes de policía. Cuando la policía irrumpió en su departamento, Maribel dijo, “¡Por favor, no disparen! ¡Por favor, no disparen! ¡Mi hijo está pasando por una crisis de salud mental!”. En la conferencia de prensa, Maribel explicó, “Yo estaba parada junto a él y a ellos no les importó. Simplemente comenzaron a disparar, una bala tras otra. Ni siquiera les importó que mi propia vida estuviera en peligro”. Maribel recibió un balazo en la mano y su pulgar derecho quedó inmovilizado con una férula. Ella dijo, “Mi hijo no representaba ningún peligro para mí. Estaba más en peligro por los disparos de la policía, que podrían haberme matado a mí y a mi hijo”.

Michael Carillo, uno de los abogados que representa a la familia, dijo que estaban presentando una demanda contra el gobierno de la ciudad de Santa Ana y el SAPD, en la que acusan a los oficiales de negligencia y de no haber logrado calmar la situación. La forma en que el SAPD respondió ante Jaden Michaca fue similar a la de otros casos de muertes a manos de la policía, como los de Henry González Jr. y Noe Rodríguez, quienes también estaban sufriendo una crisis de salud mental y luego fueron criminalizados y asesinados por la policía.

Los familiares sostenían fotos grandes de Jaden, en las que se le veía acunando a su gato, abrazando a su familia frente a un pastel de cumpleaños y de pie junto a su madre. Otros sostenían pancartas de CSO OC en las que se leía, “Justicia para Jaden Michaca”, “Publicen las grabaciones de las cámaras corporales”, “Publicen el informe de la autopsia” y “Encarcelen a los policías asesinos”.

Jasmine Michaca, la tía de Jaden dijo, “Jaden siempre fue un niño muy cariñoso. Pasé la mayor parte de mi infancia junto a él. A Jaden le empezó a gustar Pokémon y cada vez que venía a casa, me mostraba su colección”.

En los últimos dos años, Jaden comenzó a sufrir trastorno bipolar. Su mamá lo sacó de la escuela pública y empezó a tomar clases en línea y a recibir ayuda. Jasmine compartió su último recuerdo de su sobrino, diciendo, “Acababa de regresar de la Universidad de California en Santa Bárbara. Pasamos el fin de semana juntos y él estaba tan emocionado de verme. Me había llamado dos semanas antes. Recuerdo que un día estábamos sentados en la sala y me contaba que no había podido terminar la preparatoria. Quería ir a la universidad y seguir una carrera como mecánico. Le dije que si alguna vez necesitaba ayuda, yo estaría ahí para apoyarlo”. Ella lloró y abrazó a la madre de Jaden.

Maribel Michaca dijo, “Lo que pido hoy es justicia para mi hijo. No merecía morir de esa manera. Era un niño cariñoso. ¡Tenía planes! ¡Tenía un futuro!”.

La multitud coreó, “¡Justicia para Jaden! ¡Justicia para Jaden! ¡Justicia para Jaden!”.

CSO OC exige el control comunitario de la policía, y luchamos junto a las familias afectadas por la policía. Si te interesa unirte a nuestro trabajo, ponte en contacto con nosotros en Instagram, Facebook, o correo electrónico a orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #JadenMichaca #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, July 25, a press conference was held outside of the monthly Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) meeting welcoming the two new commissioners, as well as continuing to demand CPD be held accountable for collaboration with federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz. The meeting took place at Benito Juarez High School, in the predominantly Chicano working-class neighborhood of Pilsen. The press conference was held by the Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC of CAARPR).

“Commissioner Anjanette Young and Commissioner Guzman, welcome to your new position on the CCPSA. We, the Immigrants Rights Working Committee, have been diligently attending every single CCPSA meeting since the launch of our campaign to end CPD-ICE collaboration,” said Helena Fuentes of the IRWC.

Fuentes added, “We implore you to please, lean into your humanity and compassion, and not only consider our campaign, but please act.”

“Despite months and months of asking this commission to step up, and take an active role, the work hasn't been done yet. Since the commission's last meeting, more evidence has continued to raise serious questions about CPD compliance with the welcoming city ordinance,” said Elianne Bahena, a district councilor who, during the height of Gregory Bovino’s terror in the Little Village neighborhood, was kidnapped by federal agents.

Bahena continued, “Today as two new commissioners, Commissioner Young and Commissioner Guzman, we ask for this to be an opportunity for this commission to reaffirm its purpose. We hope the commission takes this opportunity to truly listen to our communities.”

Lifetime member of the National Alliance Against Racist Political Repression (NAARPR), Frank Chapman, stated, “We can only straighten out this problem by getting rid of the police having the power of life and death over our communities. We take a big step in this direction when we initiate this campaign to put this [Community Power Over Policing] referendum on the ballot.”

After the press conference, community members entered the school and gave public comments. Various community members raised the recent ICE kidnapping in the Albany Park neighborhood, which ended in a car collision.

#ChicagoIL #IL #InjusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #PoliceAccountability #CAARPR #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, June 29, a small crowd of community activists packed the city council audience for the Criminal Justice Committee meeting to keep up pressure for the family of Jace Lee Scott. Scott was a 19-year-old Black teenager murdered in 2019 by Andrew Gant, the son of New Orleans police officer Victor Gant Jr.

Jace’s mother, Shanta Scott, as well as activists from the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, rallied before the meeting wearing t-shirts that read “Justice for Jace Lee Scott” and signs that read “Fire crooked cop Victor Gant Jr.” After a brief rally, the protesters went inside the chambers with paper signs bearing the same slogans.

The Criminal Justice Committee heard reports across the policing and law departments in the city, from the Sheriff’s Office to Juvenile Court and more. Speakers gave public comment on the reports from the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the district attorney’s office respectively.

“Every family deserves confidence that a homicide investigation was conducted fairly without conflicts of interest,” said Shanta Scott to city council members and NOPD officials. “I am asking the NOPD homicide department to release the videos I have been asking for in my public records requests.”

Jace’s murder case is closed as a “negligent homicide” due to a plea deal, yet Shanta Scott reports some of the files in her son’s case are still sealed without any legal reasoning. The CDs she received from NOPD with supposed evidence were completely blank.

“It’s the responsibility of the district attorney’s office to stand up to crime, not just between people on the street, but also crime between police and civilians. We want you to take a real role in helping us look at this case. We’re here because we care, and if you care too we want you to stand with us,” said Toni Mar of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization to District Attorney Jason Williams.

In 2019, Gant Jr. was present during his own son’s interrogation and drove his son along with crime scene evidence to the NOPD station instead of calling 911 and leaving it to other officers to do proper intake. His actions broke several statutes of proper protocol. Jace’s family maintains that even beyond the mishandling of Jace’s murder, Gant Jr. has a history of misconduct, violence and corruption, and they demand he be fired from the force.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InjusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #OppressedNationalities #JaceLeeScott #NAARPR

Tacoma, WA – Community members gathered in People’s Park to honor the memory of victims of police violence on Friday, June 19.

The event was organized by the Tacoma chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TacAARPR), a newly-formed group aiming to achieve civilian oversight of local law enforcement agencies.

TacAARPR is seeking justice for Rhoda Butler, a 61-year-old woman suffering dementia who was fatally shot by a TPD SWAT team in January 2024. One of her killers, Aaron McNeely, sits on a board that investigates police-involved shootings. This board conveniently cleared McNeely of any wrongdoing.

In attendance was a contingent of activists led by James Rideout, whose niece, Jacqueline Salyers, a Puyallup tribal member, was killed by TPD in 2016. Of the slaying, Rideout expressed, “You don't want to know how this feels, and unfortunately, my family, through Jackie, does know.” Rideout has been involved in the decade-long Justice for Jackie campaign, which has culminated in a lawsuit brought against the city of Tacoma. Right now, this case is being heard by the Washington Supreme Court. He added, “We never gave up, and that gives the citizens hope. Your issue is everyone’s issue.”

Attendees also paid their respects to Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old boy shot by police in Mississippi on June 14 over false allegations that his family members had stolen diapers from a local Walmart, when they were in fact bought and paid for.

A local passerby, who ended up sticking around for the length of the program, said of the proceedings, “The police make it clear over and over that they won't hold themselves accountable, so the only way we can see justice is to get community oversight.”

#TacomaWA #WA #InJusticeSystem #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Colorado Springs, CO – On June 19, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) gathered at Colorado Springs City Hall to hold a Juneteenth rally against the racist attacks on the voting rights act.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Vista Grande Community Church of Christ and Freedom Acres Ranch endorsed the action.

“We see them trying to silence our voices through gerrymandering, mass incarceration and violence, but we have always fought back and will continue to fight,” said Memphis Curry of COSAARPR. Miles Thompson of the FRSO stated, “We understand that to beat back these racist attacks we don’t need Black or brown capitalism, we need a new system that works for all people, socialism.”

A crowd of about two dozen filled the city hall steps as chants rang loud between speeches highlighting the recent police murder of one-year-old Kohen Wiley. “Say his name” was called with responses of “Kohen Wiley” filled the air. Looks of determination and anger painted the crowd.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #KohenWiley #OppressedNationalities #Juneteenth

Denver, CO – On Saturday, June 20, thousands of people took to the streets of Denver to celebrate Juneteenth. As the parade departed from Denver’s Manual High School in the late morning, the participants were met by a sea of onlookers primarily donned in black, green and red. As the procession made its way through the streets of Denver, spectators cheered on the parade by waving and raising their fists.

Miles Thompson, an attendee of the event and chair of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, had this to say about the holiday: “This day is the most important day not just for Black history, but for American history as a whole.”

Thompson continued, “The centuries-long struggle for freedom was finally over, a triumphant victory for Black liberation and workers’ rights. Hundreds of slave-led rebellions, uprisings and battles were the driving forces that made abolition possible.”

After about an hour or so, the parade came to an end at the historic Five Points neighborhood in Denver. As the parade turned into a large block party, the smells of soul food and barbecue filled the air. Several blocked-off streets were lined with canopies, food trucks and event stages. The event square was packed with people of all walks of life, including members of Black fraternities and sororities, motorcycle clubs, and political groups, and Black-owned businesses.

Decades ago, Five Points was home to one of Denver's most concentrated populations of Black residents. Before gentrification and redlining campaigns, the neighborhood was the home to many Black-owned businesses and Black churches, schools and residential buildings. Years later, only a fraction of the Black population still lives in Five Points, and the Black businesses that once thrived no longer exist on these blocks. Pushed out by racist policies, the Black community was forced to move east towards Park Hill, located in northeast Denver, leaving Five Points to gentrification. Today, a majority of Black Coloradans living in the Denver Metro Area reside in Park Hill or Aurora. With the continuing demographic changes in the city, Denver’s rich tradition of Black history is often overlooked and underappreciated.

Juneteenth is as important as ever, not just to keep the longest-standing Black holiday alive, but to preserve the contributions of the Black community who shaped Denver into the city that it is today. Thompson states, “The joy expressed by those of us who proudly celebrate Juneteenth carries the weight of a nation that has been forged through centuries of bondage, pain, suffering and genocide. Juneteenth should be a day of celebration for all people; without the sacrifices made by our ancestors, many of the civil rights we take for granted would not be possible to have today.”

#DenverCO #CO #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem

Oakland, CA – On June 19, hundreds of Black Oaklanders gathered around Lake Merritt for an annual Juneteenth celebration. The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression put out a call for a day of action to “Defend families impacted by police crimes,” which led the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression to take action.

The Oakland Alliance talked to community members about Jalani Lovett, an Oakland native whose violent death in LA Men’s Central Jail was covered up. They gathered mailing list sign-ups, petition signatures, and GoFundMe donations to reopen his case.

While Oakland's Juneteenth celebrations are normally jubilant and carefree, there was a notable shift in turnout and spirit from previous festivities. A shooting two years ago on Juneteenth gave justification for the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to clamp down. Fences and shut down streets were used to discourage Black people from gathering in large crowds. But the activists mobilized anyway, flyering in response to racist harassment and treatment by OPD. A leaflet read, “This Juneteenth: Fight back against police brutality.”

Amped-up police presence at Black celebrations in Oakland is not new. Recent controversies with violence after monthly “First Friday” festivals in Oakland’s downtown district were met with racist rhetoric against Black people organizing celebrations that draw the “wrong crowd.” This June’s First Friday theme, “Black In Oakland,” drew vendors, performers and dozens of Black residents. Several hours after the event had ended, youth were seen getting rowdy and fighting, and, instead of de-escalating the situation, videos showed OPD tackling and tear-gassing Black children.

The emphasis on police presence is because the perception of Oakland as a Black, crime-ridden city, despite violent crime dropping nearly 30%, hurts the bottom line of property owners and downtown developers. It’s why Kaiser Permanente and PG&E spent nearly a million dollars to reinstate the city's police cadet program. This is not so different from what prompted Mayor Jerry Brown, elected in 1999, to begin using police to “clean up” downtown and make space for luxury projects. He got rid of the city’s first Black police chief, put a narcotics officer in, and unleashed police to attack low-income Black and brown residents.

Members of the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression believe that the struggle between African-Americans and OPD will continue to sharpen. They want to remain prepared by meeting the people where they are and building a rapport with them as a police-crime-fighting organization.

#OaklandCA #CA #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem #NAARPR

Orlando, FL – On the evening of Friday, June 19, around 80 community members gathered from all over Orlando at the intersection of Anderson Street and Division Avenue. They carried signs that read “Defend voting rights” and “Justice for the victims of police crimes” as they marched toward city hall in response to Republican-led attacks on the voting rights of the Black community, as well as demanding community control of the police.

The protest was organized by Orlando Against Police Crimes (OAPC), a grassroots community organization fighting for the victims of police crimes. At the event, OAPC condemned recent attacks on voting rights by the Supreme Court of the United States in the Louisiana v. Callais case. The case made it harder to correct maps that dilute the voting rights of the Black community. It is a decision which also paved the way for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and right-wing legislators to redraw maps that undermine the political power of Black voters.

Gathered at the corner of Anderson and Division, the crowd was set to march across the Anderson Street Bridge as they made their way down to city hall. Community leader Lawanna Gelzer opened the event by talking about the significance of the location chosen. “They named this Division Avenue because it was the segregation line between Black and Caucasian people during Jim Crow. Now, Division Avenue stands for economic disparity and gentrification.”

Gelzer also spoke on the history of the Civil Rights Movement. She gave a particular focus to the historic march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama – the site of a brutal attack on protestors perpetrated by police known as Bloody Sunday.

“This march is a reenactment of that moment. They call us radicals when all we’re asking for is to respect the voting rights we fought for and to bring back the police civilian review board they took away from us,” said Gelzer.

Protesters then marched across the Anderson Street Bridge, local activists leading chants such as “Donald Trump you racist clown, tell your courts we won’t back down!” and “Ron DeSantis shame on you, the KKK fear Black votes too!” Protesters sang ballads from the Civil Rights Movement such as We Shall Overcome and Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round.

Once the protesters arrived at Orlando City Hall, OAPC member Edmund Anglero told the crowd, “Some of you may be wondering why a group focused on police crimes organized an event around voting rights. Our right to vote is a building block upon which we amass more political power. Those rights were fought for, and earned, in blood. We must defend them with everything we have. The struggle for community control of the police is ultimately about expanding our basic democratic rights.”

Anglero also highlighted the recent murder of Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old child killed by Mississippi police in a Walmart parking lot, and called for justice and accountability.

The Orlando Singing Resistance choir and 50501 Orlando ended the event with songs and speeches while OAPC put out a call to action. They urged members of the community to join OAPC’s campaign in reinstating the Civilian Review Board and getting involved in the struggle for police accountability and community control of the police in Orlando.

#OrlandoFL #FL #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #OAPC #NAARPR

Aurora, CO – Aurora, Colorado, a large and multinational suburb of Denver, has a well-documented problem with racist policing. From the murders of Kory Dillard and Kilyn Lewis to the torture and murder of Elijah McClain, Aurora Police seem to always be in the news for racism, violence and corruption.

After McClain’s killing in 2019, the Colorado attorney general investigated the Aurora Police Department. He found that they were guilty of “patterns and practices” of racist policing and excessive force going back decades. Despite this investigation and the resulting consent decree, APD’s racist terror has continued.

APD has gone through many police chiefs through the years. Many resigned or were fired in disgrace. The current police chief, Todd Chamberlain, is the seventh since 2019. Instead of addressing the issues that create APD’s culture of racist violence, he’s doubled down on them.

“This corrupt, racist police chief, Todd Chamberlain, covers for horrible cops,” said Cassandra Heil, a member of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) at a June 8 meeting of city council. “He needs to be fired!”

At the beginning of the year, a new, supposedly more progressive, city council took office. Since then, DACAC and others in the community have campaigned for Todd Chamberlain’s firing, along with democratic oversight of APD.

Chamberlain began his policing career in 1984 in Los Angeles. His time as an officer included years when the LAPD was regularly making national news for violence against Black and Chicano residents. As a captain, racial harassment and sexual abuse among officers in Chamberlain’s charge became so widespread that he was forced to transfer to an entirely different precinct. He was even specifically named as someone who deliberately ignored the racist harassment of an officer under his command in a 2013 lawsuit that paid out $1.2 million dollars.

Had Chamberlain’s appointment been subject to public scrutiny, these stains on his record would have come to light long before he became Aurora’s police chief. Unfortunately, Chamberlain was appointed through a completely undemocratic process under the direction of a far-right city council without any community input whatsoever. These MAGA city council members purposely appointed a chief that shared their far-right, racist agenda.

One of Chamberlain’s first acts as chief – setting up an APD recruitment table at a Trump rally – clearly shows this. It’s further evidenced by Chamberlain’s repeated cover-ups of racist police murders, including the killings of Kory Dillard, Rajon Belt-Stubblefield and Rashaud Johnson. He’s even gone on record excusing the APD murder of a child because the child was undergoing a gender transition.

LaRonda Jones, mother of Kilyn Lewis, stated, “We are tired of systems that ask us to trust them while they repeatedly fail us. We are tired of hearing that ‘justice takes time,’ when injustice happens overnight.” Jones has been attending city council meetings since her son was murdered by Aurora SWAT in May of 2024. “We are demanding that the value of a Black life be recognized not only in words, but in action.”

Small concessions from city council, like the new, unfortunately toothless, police accountability office, have been won by Ms. Jones and the community activists that fight alongside her. Community consensus, however, seems to be that more needs to be done. “Why isn’t it a crime for police to shoot an Aurora resident?” asked activist Alejandra Marinela. “People are dead, mothers and children are grieving while the Aurora city government actively ignores them.”

You can learn more about DACAC, the “Time’s up Todd!” campaign, and how you can get involved at dacac.net/times-up-todd

#AuroraCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Santa Ana, CA – Sixteen people, including members of Jaden Michaca’s family, lawyers with Carillo Law Firm, and members of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) crowded outside Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) to demand justice for Jaden Michaca on Tuesday, June 23. Michaca was only 15 years old and suffering a mental health crisis when he was killed by police just nine days before.

Maribel Michaca, Jaden's mother, explained how SAPD distorted the incident. Police statements made it sound like they were responding to a call about a family disturbance that resulted in a stabbing. Maribel explained that she called 911 to respond to a mental health crisis, and that in the past she called 911 to have a psychiatric team de-escalate these situations. Additionally, Maribel said her partner was not stabbed but accidentally scratched trying to take away a knife from Jaden during his crisis.

But this time two police officers were sent. When police broke into her apartment Maribel said, “Please do not shoot! Please do not shoot! My son is having a mental health crisis!” At the press conference Maribel explained, “I was standing next to him and they did not care. They just started shooting – one bullet after another bullet. They didn’t even care about my own life being in danger.” Maribel’s hand was shot and her right thumb was immobilized in a brace. She said, “I was not in danger from my son. I was more in danger from the police shooting at me and killing my son.”

Michael Carillo, one of the lawyers representing the family, said they were filing a government claim against the city of Santa Ana and SAPD, accusing the officers of negligence and a failure to de-escalate the situation. The way SAPD responded to Jaden Michaca was similar to other police killings, such as that of Henry Gonzalez Junior and Noe Rodriguez, who were also suffering a mental health crises and then criminalized and killed by police.

Family members held large photos of Michaca, where he was shown cradling his pet cat, embracing family in front of a cake for his birthday, and standing with his mother. Others held CSO OC signs that read, “Justice for Jaden Michaca,” “Release the body camera footage,” “Release the autopsy report” and “Jail killer cops.”

Jasmine Michaca, Jaden’s aunt, said “Jaden was always such a loving kid. I spent most of my childhood growing up with him. Jaden started developing a liking for Pokémon, and every time he would come home, he would show me his collection.”

In the last two years Jaden began experiencing bipolar disorder. His mother pulled him from public school, and he began taking online classes and receiving help. Jasmine shared her last memory of her nephew, saying “I just came back recently from UC Santa Barbara. Spending the weekend together, he was just so excited to see me. He had called me two weeks prior. I remember one day we were sitting in the living room, and he was telling me he didn’t get to finish high school. He wanted to go to college and pursue a career as a mechanic. I told him if he ever needs help, I will be there with him.” She wept and embraced Jaden’s mother.

Maribel Michaca said, “What I’m asking for today is justice for my son. He did not deserve to die the way he did. He was a loving child. He had plans! He had a future!”

The crowd chanted, “Justice for Jaden! Justice for Jaden! Justice for Jaden!”

CSO OC demands community control of the police, and we fight alongside families impacted by police. If you are interested in joining our work, please reach out on Instagram or Facebook, or email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSOOC #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem #JadenMichaca

Los Angeles, CA – On June 17 at approximately 2 p.m., a cold-storage facility erupted in flames. Tremendous black clouds causing a burning of the eyes and throat covered the skies of East Los Angeles and the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Confusion was observed as people stepped out of their homes to look up at the sky, initially suspecting a thunderstorm, only to discover a capitalist crime in action.

The fire was at Lineage Logistics, the headquarters to more than a dozen other, smaller Los Angeles Lineage warehouses. It was situated between the two Chicano, working-class neighborhoods of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. The massive building was 491,000 square feet and was built in 2018. 85 million pounds of food were being stored in this facility, making their environment danger a biohazard one.

A recent finding states that a routine testing of the thousands of solar panels on the roof of the building caused the fire. The cause of the burning sensation and hospital visits was due to a warehouse ammonia pipe off-gassing into the air. How long the off-gassing occurred is a mystery.

On the day of the fire, a very brief evacuation order was sent out to the immediate surrounding area but was removed within the hour. The nearest neighborhoods to the warehouse did not receive text alerts, but neighborhoods outside of the immediate area did. A shelter-in-place order was announced during a press conference on June 17, but not much else.

For three days, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) attempted to put out the Lineage flames. It wasn’t until day three that LA Mayor Karen Bass finally decided to declare a state of emergency. Bass, the LAFD, and other officials have even said that the air is not toxic unless, “People have respiratory issues or come into direct contact with the ammonia.”

City council began to distribute air purifiers and organizations like Centro CSO, People’s Care Collective, Proyecto Pastoral, and the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network (BHIRN), took on the task of delivering air purifiers and P100 respirators to the most vulnerable. Ammonia and plastic particles are too small to be properly filtered if using an N95 mask.

A lineage of environmental racism

The Eastside of Los Angeles and cities like Vernon are no stranger to environmental disasters. East LA has a neighborhood population of 112,000, Boyle Heights 85,000, and while Vernon itself only houses about 300 residents, during working hours there are 55,000 employees on its industrial grounds.

Starting in the 1940s, investors and developers built five major freeways through Boyle Heights: I-5, I-10, US-101, and SR-60. Their construction displaced about 15,000 working-class people and destroyed over 2000 homes.

The area is a Superfund site. Superfund sites are areas declared as highly polluted, requiring long-term (sometimes permanent) cleanup. This is due to the highly hazardous materials, as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The reason this area became a Superfund site was because of the former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon. For more than 90 years, the battery recycling facility caused plumes of lead and arsenic emissions that rained all over the residents in the surrounding areas. These plumes heavily contaminated the surrounding soil and groundwater and any recent efforts to clean up the hazardous materials have been found to be ineffective.

In 2020, jet fuel from Delta Flight 89 rained on five elementary schools and one high school. Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy called 911 and during their call the children cried out in agony and reported that they “Could feel the fuel on their clothes, flesh, eyes and skin” and it caused them “to feel sick, dizzy and nauseated.” Over 60 children were hospitalized and treated and crews rushed to clean the jet fuel from the schools. Cudahy is located in southeastern Los Angeles.

Also in 2020, after an accident at the Lineage warehouse (the one that is currently on fire), Cal/OSHA cited Lineage for 12 violations. Four violations were regarding failure to create/maintain emergency action plans and inadequate safety training for ammonia refrigeration, and other hazardous materials. In the past five years, Lineage has had over 40 Cal/OSHA violations.

In 2024, the same Lineage warehouse first caught fire. It was put out within 48 hours. Also in 2024, another Lineage warehouse in Finley, Washington burned for over 60 days. Only there, the immediate surrounding residents were evacuated for more than a day and residential streets were closed down. The smell of rotting meat and food filled the air for months as the warehouse was bulldozed, debris shoveled and transported away.

An underground crude oil pipeline exploded in East Los Angeles on May 22, 2026, when a construction crew installing a fiber optic line struck a pipe near East Cesar Chavez and North Eastern Avenues. The accident spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil, for days, onto the streets, forcing road closures. The oil seeped into the Los Angeles River and residents reported dizziness and strong chemical odors in the area.

The truth is that none of this environmental racism happens to folks who don’t live in impoverished, Chicano neighborhoods of SoCal. And if it did, a state of emergency would not have been declared three long days later. Lawsuits riddled Lineage as it departed from Finley, Washington. The fire caused permanent damage to the airways and lungs. But what will happen to the gente residing directly next to the current Lineage fire?

If you want to join the air purifier and respirator distribution, reach out to Centro CSO. They are gearing up to hold a community meeting to put pressure on the corporation responsible for the situation: Lineage. Proyecto Pastoral is accepting monetary donations so that they can acquire more air purifiers, and without the bureaucratic stops that government officials’ distributions always have.

Billionaire corporations like Lineage will continue building similar warehouses and causing havoc in their paths. The only way to make them fully pay is to overthrow the rich in this country and seize control of the means of production and distribution – and that includes their warehouses.

Sol Marquez is a longtime member of the Freedom Socialist Organization (FRSO). To join, go to FRSO.org/join to become a member.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #FRSO #Environment #Fires #EnvironmentalRacism

Santa Ana CA – The afternoon of Saturday, June 19, 25 people, including members of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) and concerned community members, gathered to demand accountability and transparency after yet another resident was killed by Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) earlier that week.

Chants of “Justice for Jaden Michaca!” and “¡Basta policías asesinos!” could be heard over rush hour traffic at the intersection of the apartment complex where Jaden Michaca was killed.

Michaca was only 15 years old when SAPD officers shot him to death the night of June 14. Early reports from the department offer no details of the officer-involved shooting but justified the officer’s actions by stating that the “suspect” had a knife and was under the influence when they responded to a domestic call. Community members immediately called out SAPD’s statements online and in person, condemning the department for the killing and advocating for stronger community oversight of the department.

David Pulido, a member of CSO OC, opened the event with “We’ve seen enough of these police statements and met enough of their victims to know that we should not trust the police! They criminalize the victim by focusing on drug use and property damage to mark them for death!”

A school counselor who knew Jaden Michaca attended the protest and countered early attempts by police to paint him as a criminal. She stated Michaca “had the biggest heart of any kid I’ve worked with, he was sweet and kind, but he happened to be in a body that looked a little bit older, and that of a Chicano male. I can’t deny that that was a factor in what happened.” Michaca’s death is one of many cases of Chicanos being killed by police across Orange County, including three teenage police shooting victims in the last seven months.

The protesters waved signs that demanded justice for the victim, including others that read “Release the names! Release the tapes!” They demanded the immediate publication of all unedited body camera footage, the full autopsy report, and the names of the officers who killed Michaca.

Attendees marched around the intersection of South Main and West Macarthur Boulevard, chanting “Jail killer cops!” while people driving by honked in support. A white cross decorated with fresh flowers and handwritten messages from the family had been set up near the intersection earlier that week to honor Jaden Michaca’s life.

Family members of Albert Arzola, a 19-year-old killed by Anaheim Police Department (APD) in December 2025, attended to show their support for Jaden Michaca’s family. Albert’s sister Pearl Arzola emphasized, “Jaden Michaca was a young kid, and instead of de-escalating the situation, the cops chose more violence! We need more accountability over Santa Ana PD, a young 15-year-old boy should not die because cops are trigger-happy.”

“I don’t know if you saw that the mayor of Santa Ana, she brushed this shooting off like it was nothing. What the fuck?” yelled CSO OC member Luis Herrera. The community booed and responded “Shame!” He then encouraged the crowd, “We need to unite and organize ourselves to fight for justice, because only through organized struggle can we win community control of the police!”

Abe Quintana of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) brought a historical perspective, stating “We know that there is a long history of racist police killings and violence that targets Chicano communities and immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America. The racism and exploitation we experience exist because they are rooted in the oppression of Aztlan, so we need to fight for our self-determination!”

CSO OC organized the protest, which was also attended by PSL, members of Union Del barrio (UDB), and community members who knew Jaden Michaca. CSO is a grassroots, working-class organization that fights for community control of the police and legalization for all the undocumented. They hold general meetings every third Thursday in Santa Ana and can be reached on Instagram @cso.oc or on Facebook, CSO Orange County. Their police crimes hotline is 714-367-6350.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSOOC #JadenMichaca #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem

Chicago, IL- Activists rallied in Federal Plaza, June 20, to celebrate Juneteenth and raise demands to defend voting rights and stopping police crimes, including wrongful conviction, police torture, and CPD-ICE collaboration. The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression had called for a day of action in response to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court.

Mayor Brandon Johnson made an appearance and asked the crowd, “Are we ready to put an end to racist repression?” He pledged to continue his fight for affordable rents, living wages and to defend public education against politicians putting the interest of corporations over that of the working class.

Johnson continued, “We have to ensure that the voting rights, particularly for Black folks, are protected, because if they undermine voting rights, they undermine labor rights, reproductive rights, civil rights,” he said. The crowd cheered him when he closed his speech, “But we’re not going to allow that in Chicago, are you with me?”

Frank Chapman, NAARPR’s executive director, made it clear in his remarks that the working class can defeat this backwards federal administration, but only through the largest united front possible.

“We are going to exercise our inalienable right to overthrow all institutions, and all government obstacles that stand in the way of our full rights under the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments,” Chapman said.

“We are going to overturn all of those institutions that oppress our people and deny our people the right to vote and the right to exist as equal citizens of this country and equal participants in this democracy. And our people are not a narrow, isolated group – our people are Black, brown, LGBTQ, white and working class.”

Kobi Guillory, a middle school science teacher and executive board member of the Chicago Teacher’s Union, reminded the crowd that the reason slavery ended was because Black people fought back.

“Millions of Black people left the plantation, therefore taking away the labor that the plantation owners relied on, and then took up arms with the union army, and that is what broke the back of the Confederacy,” Guillory said. “And it’s that tradition of struggle that we have to celebrate today.”

Elijah Edwards, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2858, pointed out in his remarks that there were over 200 slave rebellions during the time of chattel slavery in the United States. “Solidarity existed during slavery, solidarity exists today,” Edwards said. “And only through solidarity will we defeat them.”

Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, executive director of Live Free Illinois, has organized and led church congregations in the fight against Trump’s deportations. At the rally, she led chants of, “We ain’t free until we’re all free!”

“Juneteenth is more than a celebration,” Bates-Chamberlain said. “Juneteenth is a moment of confrontation. And in that moment of confrontation we are reminding people, declaring, and demanding to set our people free.”

To raise the demand for freedom for the wrongfully convicted, Jasmine Smith of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture called two different currently incarcerated survivors of wrongful conviction on the phone and held the mic up to her phone to allow them to address the crowd from inside prison.

One of the survivors is Samuel Elam, who was wrongfully convicted for a 2011 home invasion and robbery. Elam recently suffered a heart attack in Menard Correctional, where he has been held for over a decade. Despite receiving specific instructions for care from the doctors at the hospital where he was sent, Elam has been denied consistent medical attention, and his family members who have called into the prison on his behalf have been blocked from contacting him.

“They are violating every right and administrative rule in this correctional facility,” he said, over the phone. “What they’re doing is killing us, and they are killing us slowly. This is not rehabilitation; these are torture chambers.” Smith echoed Elam’s statement about the prisons in Illinois: “I call them slave ships!”

Lara Haddadin from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) stated,

“Our struggles have always been interconnected,” she said. “ICE has come for all of us. Whether it’s a Black man being pulled over and put into a head lock by an ICE agent, a Palestinian protester abducted by ICE after speaking out against genocide, or a Latina rapid response member shot at for attempting to document ICE activity.”

Haddadin pointed out that the attempt to overturn birthright citizenship is “part of a coordinated effort to disenfranchise and limit voters of color. It’s an authoritarian power grab. And now Trump's deportation machine is an extension we see clearly of the prison industrial complex that the American economy relies on so heavily today.”

The protest here was organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), with a number of endorsing organizations, including the Arab American Action Network, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, and Good Kids/Mad City.

#ChicagoIL #IL #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #NAARPR #CAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Juneteenth, June 19, 40 people braved the threatening New Orleans weather and gathered on the bricked pavement outside the federal building on Poydras Street to rally for victims of police murder and Black voting rights.

Just five days earlier, police officers in Senatobia, Mississippi, opened fire on a car in a Walmart parking lot, killing Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old Black baby. In stark contrast, banners for the forthcoming 250-year anniversary of the U.S. decorated the columns of the Hale-Boggs Federal Building. The banners featured the so-called Founding Fathers, many of whom owned slaves.

Sister Shanta Scott, whose own son, Jace Lee Scott, was murdered in 2019 by the son of Police Officer Victor Gant Jr., took the mic first and reminded the crowd that Juneteenth wasn’t just a celebration, it was a call to action.

“Freedom delayed is freedom denied,” Scott said, “and that lesson still applies today.” She detailed the long history of Black struggle and revolt in this country before stressing that it was our generation’s responsibility to fight for justice and accountability. “Political power is not given. Political power is organized. Political power comes from community standing together and demanding accountability.”

Scott concluded with an impassioned rendition of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come before raising her fist and crying out, “All power to the people!”

Toni Jones of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR) addressed the crowd. She uplifted Kohen Wiley and connected that death to Jace Lee Scott’s murder.

NOAARPR will be hosting a press conference on Saturday, June 27 to call out New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno for her silence and refusal to fire Victor Gant Jr, who is under her direct employ.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Juneteenth #NAARPR #KohenWiley #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #JaceLeeScott

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

North Charleston, SC – On June 19, organizers with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC), a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, rallied on the corner of Remount and Craig Streets, a few hundred yards from the site where Walter Scott was murdered by ex-North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager 11 years ago, in 2015.

Their goal was to stand in solidarity with families impacted by police and vigilante violence, amplifying their No Early Release campaign. Organizers read the names of Walter Scott, Cyrus Carmack-Belton and Kohen Wiley as well as inmates who died at the Charleston County Detention Center. They also urged passersby to sign the No Early Release petition in support of the family of Walter Scott. In 2017, former officer Slager was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for Scott’s murder, but is eligible for early release to a halfway house beginning in the fall of 2027. The family wants him to serve his entire sentence in prison.

“Don’t forget why we are out here today,” said LAC member Erica Veal as a passing train caused traffic to back up along the busy road, located in the heart of North Charleston.

“The Scott family needs 10,000 signatures on the No Early Release petition to escalate their campaign to the next level, let’s help them get there,” said Veal. “If you are holding a stack of petition flyers in your hand, you need to be going up to these cars and passing them out. This rally is not a performative gesture. We are here to help the Scott family.”

In between handing out flyers with QR codes to the No Early Release petition and chanting the names of the deceased, organizers also made speeches to connect the defense of families to the fight for community control of police.

“The police have no interest in dealing with racist vigilantes or the killer cops they work next to,” said Nate Hubler of LAC and the Elbit Out of South Carolina Coalition, in reference to the murder of Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old who was murdered by police in Mississippi, and Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a teenager who was chased down and shot in the back in Columbia, South Carolina by a store owner.

“We need community control of the police to keep us safe. We can have a system that benefits us. But we will only get that by fighting for community control of the police and working together,” Hubler said.

Matt Colburn of LAC said, “Whether it’s striking workers, people protesting genocide, ICE raids, data centers or police murders. whenever the people try to organize and fight back, the police are always the first line of defense for the oppressors against the oppressed.”

When asked why they chose June 19 as the day of action, Veal said, “It’s important for us to be here on Juneteenth, Freedom Day, to commemorate our enslaved African ancestors who liberated themselves from slavery 160 years ago because we still aren’t free when our communities continue to suffer from police violence.”

The Lowcountry Action Committee encouraged those present to join their organization to continue supporting families like the Scotts and to relaunch the campaign to end the deaths at the local county jail. They said progress has been made in the 160 plus years since Emancipation, but that there was still important work that needed to be done.

Miranda Xiong of LAC said, “The only communities police serve and protect are those of the state. The criminal justice system can’t be remedied by NCPD increasing the budget by 4% every year, while Al Cannon [Detention Center] racks up over 20 preventable deaths by this year from proven medical neglect.”

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #LowcountryActionCommittee #Juneteenth #WalterScott #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Decorah, IA –Community members, students and local advocates are organizing against the Winneshiek County Fair Board’s decision to book the country band Confederate Railroad for this summer’s fair, arguing that the group’s Confederate imagery promotes racism and exclusion.

The controversy began in March after the Fair Board announced on Facebook that Confederate Railroad would perform at the July 18 grandstand concert alongside Kayley Green and Travis Denning.

Criticism spread quickly across Decorah and the Luther College campus. Residents, students and local activists pointed to the band’s name and long association with Confederate symbolism, arguing that the booking normalizes imagery tied to slavery and white supremacy.

Luther College religion professor Guy Nave publicly condemned the decision, stating that the Confederate flag represents the institution of slavery and the perceived inferiority of Black people. Nave and other critics called on the Fair Board to explain why it booked the group.

Students soon organized a petition campaign demanding the band’s removal.

A Change.org petition started by Luther students Isabelle Goldschmidt and Jaydan Clayton described Confederate Railroad promoting “a harmful and dangerous image” and argued that students and residents would feel unsafe attending the fair while the band remained on the lineup.

The petition also referenced Iowa’s history during the Civil War, arguing that Confederate symbolism conflicts with the state’s historical opposition to slavery.

By May, the campaign expanded beyond campus.

The 50501 Iowa Coalition alongside Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights (DCIR) issued public statements demanding the band’s removal and warning that the performance “would be a detriment to this community.” Local opinion writers and residents also criticized the booking in letters and editorials.

On April 13, Goldschmidt and Clayton addressed the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors and asked officials to examine the county’s financial relationship with the fairgrounds.

Under Iowa law, county funding for fairs is directed toward fairgrounds maintenance and youth agricultural programming rather than entertainment bookings. Supervisors stated during the meeting that they do not select performers.

Still, critics argued that public support for the fair makes the controversy a broader community issue.

Board Chair Dan Langreck downplayed objections to the booking, stating that he personally did not find the band’s music offensive.

Supervisor Shirley Vermace publicly disagreed, stating, “The Confederate flag is definitely a symbol of hate and racism.”

#DecorahIA #IA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #LutherCollege

Chicago, IL – The struggle for justice for survivors of police torture continues in Chicago. June 18 saw another defeat for Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke, who is notoriously known for working hand-in-glove with the Chicago Police Department.

In 1991, Johnny Plummer was just 15 years old when he was beaten into a confession for a murder he didn’t commit. His torturers were Detectives Kenneth Boudreau and Michael Kill. Boudreau has 70 convictions to his name where survivors have accused him of torture; 28 of those men have since been exonerated for successfully proving they had been forced into confessions.

Plummer’s defense has always been that he was beaten into signing a confession by Kill and Boudreau, beaten in the abdomen with fists and a flashlight. He has declared this since the first moment his family came to the Area 3 police station after his two days in police custody. When Plummer saw a doctor at the Audy Juvenile Home, he told the doctor he had been beaten into signing the false confession. The medical examiner recorded Johnny’s account in his notes and, for 35 years, Plummer has been saying that he reported his torture to the doctor.

At his multiple trials since he was wrongfully convicted, that medical report did not surface.

Attorney Karl Leonard with the Exoneration Project explained to the presiding judge for Plummer’s case, Judge Tyria B. Walton, that a special prosecutor took this case in 2022 and requested all medical records from the state’s attorney’s office. “This year (2026) we received those files and finally saw the medical report from August 22, 1991,” Leonard stated.

Judge Walton’s opening question for counsel was to identify the issue at hand before the court. In his opening statement, Assistant State’s Attorney Miles O’Rourke claimed there was no Brady violation in 1991 and spent time showing that in the early years of trials and appeals, Plummer and his attorneys said nothing in court about not receiving medical records.

A Brady violation is when prosecutors fail to disclose impeaching evidence to the defense.

Judge Walton had previously been giving more support to the prosecutors, but as the defense brought out more information, Judge Walton reminded the court of the three things that are needed to establish a Brady claim: One, the evidence must be favorable to the accused because it is exculpatory (tends to prove innocence). Two, the prosecution suppressed or failed to turn over the evidence, even if the suppression was unintentional. And three, the evidence was “material,” meaning there is reason to think that the outcome of the trial would have been different.

State’s Attorney O’Rourke argued a number of times that there was no Brady violation and claimed that the defense had all the medical records. In the dramatic high point of the proceeding, Judge Walton identified that there was a first subpoena filed in 1991 and a second subpoena filed in 2022, and stated that the court was advised by the petitioner that they didn’t have the medical records.

O’Rourke interjected, “We didn’t have it either.”

Judge Walton continued, “Then in 2026, the records surfaced in a file review.”

Addressing O’Rourke’s outburst, Walton explained that the Brady language is unyielding: whether the withholding was intentional or not, there was definite cause for a Brady violation.

She went on to say that with the surfacing of the medical records earlier this year, she concluded the state’s attorney’s office had already been in possession of those records, though it may not have been in the possession of this particular counsel present at court.

After this, the state stopped arguing there was no basis for a Brady finding.

In response to the developments in court, Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “When do facts matter? How can it be that something that happened 35 years ago is just now getting in front of a judge?”

Chapman recalled the words of Johnny’s mother, Jeanette Plummer, who died in May never seeing her son on this side of freedom. She had spoken out against injustice ever since he was wrongfully convicted. In 2012, at a forum on police crimes organized by the Chicago Alliance, she challenged the system of racist policing.

“How could they torture a 15-year-old child?” Chapman said, “Clearly we can’t trust the court system to bring justice. We must trust the movement to do this. Without the movement, we wouldn’t even be getting a hearing and keeping up his hopes for freedom.”

The next hearing for Johnny Plummer will be on Tuesday, June 23 at 1 p.m. at the George Leighton Courthouse (2650 S California Avenue) in room 304.

#ChicagoIL #IL #JohnnyPlummer #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Featured #NAARPR #CAARPR

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

Olympia, WA – Early Thursday morning, June 11, several dozen Puyallup tribal members and supporters filled the courthouse for Jacqueline Salyers’ case, which was escalated to the state Supreme Court. Salyers was murdered by Tacoma police officers in 2016, and her family, tribe and community has been fighting for justice ever since.

As tribal members entered the courthouse, their drums and rattles were confiscated due to a rule implemented just that morning against instruments in chambers. The courtroom quickly reached capacity. The state employees explained there was no plan to accommodate the number of people present to support the case. This left many supporters forced to watch the proceedings from a makeshift overflow room in the basement and away from the victim’s family.

“It’s very convenient how they can change the rules at a whim to silence us,” said Osage tribal member Gemini Gnull, who was there as a member of the Tacoma Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TACAARPR). “They kill our family members and think we won’t fight back. When we do fight back, they try to separate us, shove us in the basement, and take away our drums. It’s bare-faced repression.”

The case was between the city of Tacoma and the Salyer’s family. Salyer was represented in person by many living relatives including her mother Lisa Earl Rideout. During proceedings, the city of Tacoma acknowledged they were responsible for the murder of Salyers, since the officer who killed her, Scott Campbell, was a city employee. The city also knew the offending officer, Campbell, had a history of violent crimes but had not been removed from duty. This hearing was to determine if Salyers’ family would be allowed to sue for both negligence in the city’s retaining the killer cop as well as for the murder itself.

This court case comes from many years of fighting for “Justice for Jackie,” a phrase found on shirts that filled the court and basement over-flow room. Banners that also bore this slogan were not allowed in the building. Puyallup tribal member and former tribal council member James “Jim Jim” Rideout explained how they had been able to fight and win better legislation to persecute killer cops in the state of Washington.

Rideout stated, “It was a constant fight from beginning to end. And you know, when it passed, it passed by 60% in Washington state. I might add, it's the first time in the history of the United States that any excessive use of force law had ever been passed.”

Rideout was referring to HB 3003. Through Initiative 940, they gathered over 100,000 signatures for the measure, and it successfully passed by 60% in 2018.

“The really only thing that we could do is fight, to fight for justice and stand in solidarity with all the victims that came to our tribe,” Rideout said.

After an hour, the Supreme Court judges moved on to another case. They will make a determination at a later time. The tribal and community members collected their drums and formed a large circle outside where they drummed, prayed and discussed what justice for the community could look like. A common theme was the need for all people to come together to stand up for victims of police and state violence.

Loretta Gutierrez-Sacks was one of many people who fought to get Initiative 940 passed stated, “It's been ten years, it's come a long way, and it's just not about Jackie, it's about justice for all.” She emphasized how the coalition had begun as a fight for Jackie Salyer but quickly grew. “It was a lot of labor, but today we stand here at the Supreme Court, and moving forward, and we'll move forward again if we have to.”

Despite the improvements to the law, many Washingtonians are still killed by the police every year. “We’ve come a long way, and we have a long way to go,” continued Gnull. “We are still fighting for justice for Rhoda too. And we won’t stop fighting until we have full community control of the police.”

Gnull was referring to Rhoda Butler, a 61-year-old grandmother who was shot and killed by Aaron McNeely in Tacoma in 2024. Many other impacted family members spoke out, emphasizing the importance of showing solidarity.

Ahbead Soot, Puyallup tribal member and daughter of Ramona Bennet and Clyde Thomas Bill, spoke to the importance of this case. “I'm really grateful that we can all come out and show up together and like they were saying, together, united we'll never be defeated and we're stronger together.” She continued, “I'm grateful today that we have our day in court. They have their day in court. We can all get justice some way or another, or even just recognition, apology, something, you know. Instead of just trying to sweep it under the rug. It'll be a beautiful thing, and then to have it happen and have all these warriors, these Indian warriors here. All of us warriors, you know, we're all ready. We're all standing here. We're ready for the good fight and I'm grateful to see that I witnessed that today.”

#OlympiaWA #WA #PuyallupTribe #JacquelineSalyers #OppressedNationalities