SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Some 100 people gathered at a candlelight vigil in the Hesperian Blvd. Walmart parking lot here June 18 with Sharon Taylor to remember the life of her son, Steven Taylor. He was gunned down by cops inside the store April 18.
The protest took place outside the store’s garden center, where a table was set up with bouquets of flowers and candles. Among the participants were students and graduates from San Leandro High School, Taylor’s friends, people who live nearby, opponents of police brutality and several workers from the store.
“What I want is for the officers to be held accountable because they could have done anything else but shoot my son,” Sharon Taylor told the press.
“Why haven’t they released the names of the cops who killed Steven Taylor?” said Carole Lesnick, one of the Walmart workers. “They should be arrested, prosecuted, tried and convicted for the crime they have committed.”
“This stuff is not going to be hidden anymore,” Taylor said, concluding the vigil. “Remember, young people, you are somebody. Stand up for your rights.”