Los Angeles, CA – On April 11, the family of Christian Escobedo continued their fight for justice as they pursue accountability for his tragic murder on January 14, 2018 by LAPD Officer Edward Artiaga from the Hollenbeck Division.
Six years after Escobedo’s murder, there are court hearings for his family’s civil lawsuit against Officer Artiaga, a display of the unwavering determination of his loved ones.
In 2018, Escobedo, a 22-year-old Chicano, was walking home at 6:30 a.m. with a friend when they stopped to rest on the sidewalk for a moment. LAPD arrived and shot him four times without provocation. With the support of Centro CSO, a community organization that fights against police crimes in East LA and Boyle Heights, Escobedo's family began organizing to demand accountability.
Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Community Action Committee along with other organizations rallied at City Hall on Wednesday, April 3, after two-time-killer cop and serial brutalizer and former JSO officer Josue Garriga was arrested by Clay County Sheriff’s office. Garriga was caught engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Josue Garriga had been involved in the death of FAMU student Jamee Johnson and most recently was involved in the brutal beating of Le’Keian Woods.
Fullerton, CA – On March 6, Fullerton Police Department (FPD) killed Alejandro Campos Rios with bean bag projectiles and a taser. Age 50 and homeless, Rios was dancing and apparently under the influence but not posing any threat. One officer fired a taser while another shot five bean bag shotgun rounds at Rios, who collapsed bleeding and clutching his body. Rios was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital.
Seattle, WA – On March 16, a crowd of around 40 activists, organizers and community members marched around the King County prosecutor’s office. In February, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion’s office declined to file charges against Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who over a year ago struck and killed a student at a crosswalk with his car.
Milwaukee, WI – Ahead of Judge Brittany Grayson’s decision regarding Standard Operating Procedure 575, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a press conference and picket outside of the Milwaukee Police Association on Friday, March 15.
Chicago, IL – “You can't throw a stone and not hit someone who is affected by police torture and wrongful conviction here in Chicago, the torture capital of the United States,” said Merawi Gerima, a co-chair of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST.)
Gerima was speaking at the annual People's Hearing on Police Crimes on Saturday, February 24, at the office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) in Woodlawn neighborhood on the predominantly Black South Side.
Seattle, WA — On Friday, February 23, the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held an emergency rally in front of Seattle's West Precinct police station. Two days before, the office of King County prosecutor Leesa Manion announced that they had decided not to prosecute SPD officer Kevin Dave who, over a year ago, struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula with his patrol car while she was walking through a crosswalk.
Atlanta, GA – On February 24, family and community members gathered for a vigil in memory of Osiris Bennet, a young man murdered by MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) police officers a year before. The vigil, held at the North Avenue MARTA station where the incident occurred, was a reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Atlanta.
Osiris Bennett, 23, was approached by two plainclothes, undercover MARTA officers while walking to the train platform, for allegedly smoking a blunt. During the encounter, cops claim that their tasers failed and that Bennett pulled a gun on them, leading them to shoot him several times in the neck and body.
Tallahassee, FL – On February 20, approximately 30 students and community organizers mobilized to the Florida Capitol building to hold a press conference and speak out against HB 601. This bill seeks to prevent any meaningful oversight of police misconduct by making it unlawful to form citizen police review boards or any organized body to review the conduct of police departments.
The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
Bartow, FL – Early on a windy Tuesday morning, February 13, dozens of members of the Tampa Bay community gathered outside the Polk County Courthouse to support a man, Antwan Glover, as he faces 20 years in prison for bogus charges.
