The picket line formed at noon in front of police headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue. During the picket a worker from the telephone company honked and waved in solidarity as he drove by. After chanting slogans against police brutality and discrimination against Dominican immigrants in Puerto Rico, the marchers sang the national anthem of the Dominican Republic. Then the crowd marched to the federal building.
Many protesters carried Dominican flags, while a smaller number carried the Puerto Rican banner. The Dominican organizations sponsoring the march included the Party of Dominican Liberation, Social Christian Reform Party, and Dominican Revolutionary Party, all of which have offices in San Juan. Sponsoring Puerto Rican groups included one of the General Council of Workers, one of the main trade union groupings, as well as the Socialist Front.
Besides the call for an investigation of Herrera's death, a leaflet listed the other demands: For Solidarity without Borders, Enough of Abuses, and Break the Chains of Fear.
Hours after the march forensic pathologist Yocasta Brugal
released the official cause of death. She said that there
were no signs that he had been beaten. According to Brugal,
Herrera had a type of anemia that can be fatal when the
person does strenuous physical exercise such as running from
cops.
Front page (for this issue) |
Home |
Text-version home