Vol. 78/No. 23      June 16, 2014

On May 20, two Salinas police officers killed Carlos Mejía, 44. In a cellphone video, the cops are seen guns drawn, chasing Mejía down the street and then shooting him. Police say Mejía, who was carrying gardening shears, had threatened a woman and attacked her dog. His family’s lawyer said that Mejía was looking for work and had defended himself against a vicious dog. KSBW TV news reported he was intoxicated.

An evening protest May 21 at the intersection where Mejía was killed grew to 1,000. Police responded to an unrelated nearby incident and some members of the crowd threw bottles, bricks and rocks. Police from several towns were called in to back up Salinas cops in riot gear.

The May 25 march was organized by leaders of the United Farm Workers union, the League of United Latin American Citizens and other community groups. They recruited volunteer monitors to help ensure a disciplined and peaceful action.

On May 9, police shot and killed farmworker Osman Hernández, 26, who had been spinning in circles waving a knife used for harvesting lettuce over his head in front of a busy grocery store. Police used a Taser against Hernández and then shot him while he was lying on the ground.

“The police state that they killed Mr. Hernández for having a knife, not for actually threatening them with harm,” Christopher Dolan, a lawyer for Hernández’s family told the Californian. “Mr. Hernández didn’t even have a weapon in his hand when he was gunned down.”

Three cops simultaneously shot and killed Angel Ruiz, 42, on March 20 in front of a fast food restaurant. Police said that Ruiz was reaching for a gun, which turned out to be a pellet gun.

On the eve of the May 25 march, the Salinas Police Department posted answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” on their website, in response to outrage over the shootings.

In answer to why the police didn’t shoot Mejía “in the arm or leg,” the police department replied, “That’s not what police are trained to do.” In answer to “why did they shoot him more than once,” they replied that “it’s common for police to shoot multiple times to stop a threat.”

“We don’t like the way the police are acting. They didn’t need to kill those people,” monitor Martín Alvarez, a United Farm Workers union staff member, told the Militant at the march.

Jesús Castro, a truck driver and Teamsters union member, was also a monitor at the march. “I work a 12-hour shift in another town,” he said, “but what happened with the police made me stop my life and put everything on hold.”

“We don’t feel safe around the police,” said farmworker José García, 42.

“People are tired from years of killings by police,” said David Serena, one of the organizers of the march. “We can’t let the police continue to treat our people like this.”  
 
 
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