East Los Angeles, CA – June 27 marked the two-year anniversary of the killing of 18-year-old Chicano Paul Rea in East Los Angeles, during a traffic stop. Rea was killed by Deputy Sheriff Hector Saavedra, a known member of the Banditos deputy gang. Since Rea’s death, his family has been subjected to harassment and intimidation in a deputy attempt to silence them from seeking justice. This is a common occurrence for families who are vocal and fight back against police crimes.

On the evening of his death, Rea and a friend were driving close to his home when two Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies pulled them over for allegedly running a stop sign. The sheriffs accused Rea’s friend, driver of the car, of being high on marijuana. When they attempted to detain him, the deputies allege Rea broke free and ran. Deputy Hector Saavedra fired a number of shots, striking Rea on both forearms, right thigh, and neck.

Families who have lost their sons to killings by the ELA Sheriffs rallied for justice, a stop to police brutality, and the jailing of killer cops at Belvedere Lake – where the station is located.

Paul Rea’s mother Leah Garcia and his grandmother Julie Martinez spoke at the rally, united with other mothers, aunts and siblings whose loved ones have been victims of police killings, including Anthony Vargas, Marco Vazquez, David Ordaz Jr., David Sullivan and Eric Rivera. The Chicano families were joined by Centro CSO, BLM-LA Greg Akili, American Indian Movement-SoCal, the National Lawyers Guild, and local supporters.

After the rally the protesters marched to the ELA Sheriff's Station for a protest in front of the station. The protesters were met with barricades and a lineup of deputies, who were taunting grieving families. The ELA Sheriffs have a long history of killing young Chicano men. In these cases, no deputies have been held accountable and they are still patrolling our neighborhoods.

After the protest and rally, Paul Rea’s family held a memorial at the site where he was murdered. There they did a balloon release and provided free food to all attendees.

#EastLosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #PaulRea

Los Angeles, CA – On August 23, over 70 people, including the family of Paul Rea, gathered for a memorial. 18-year-old Rea was shot and killed by East Los Angeles Sheriffs on June 27, after a minor traffic infraction. The East LA sheriff's station is currently under FBI investigation. Since 2014, there have been lawsuits against and reports that there is a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department gang called Los Bandidos. Additionally, East LA sheriffs have a long history of brutalizing and murdering Chicanos.

The event featured tacos cooked on site and drinks, all at no cost to participants. Chairs, tables and flowers were positioned along Gerhart Avenue near the murder site. Multiple East LA sheriffs drove by the site, and two deputies parked around the corner. One highway patrol officer stopped and asked the family to contain the crowd within the site. Centro CSO members attended to show support for the family.

“While I was setting up, two sheriffs drove by slowly with their windows down,” said Leah Garcia mother of Paul Rea. “And they looked over at me, didn’t say anything, but they were laughing.” This intimidation tactic, along with frequent sheriffs driving by her house, are common among families who have been victims of police terror. The ongoing threatening behavior continues long after authorities have claimed lives.

A tree memorial was to be installed during the event, but a neighbor managed to stop it. The neighbor called the Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ East LA office and the Crisis Hotline to complain. Soledad Enrichment Action, Inc (SEA) offered to donate the tree memorial for Rea. This neighbor, however, also called the offices of SEA and complained that the memorial site was disrupting her neighborhood. Paul Rea's family formed a petition and have been given a deadline of September 1 to gather enough signatures to demonstrate support for the tree memorial. An online petition was created by Centro CSO and the link is here https://bit.ly/33TIHqC

#LosAngelesCA #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #LAPD #PaulRea