When the San Francisco Police Department shot and killed Alex Nieto on Bernal Hill in March 2014, they didn't just do away with some anonymous, no-count, young Brown male -- they killed a City College student pursuing his dreams, raised in the neighborhood, embedded in a family and an extended Mission community that loved him.
Yesterday friends, community and family came together on the windy steps of the old Federal Building to celebrate a judge's decision to allow to allow a civil suit against the killers to go forward. Trial date is now set for March 1, 2016. The two dignified persons on the right are Alex's parents.
Members of Danzantes Xitlali invoked the earth's directions.
Mission activist and poet
Tony Robles read a poem for homeys.
And Benjamin Bac Sierra reported the sworn testimony of a witness, an individual unknown to any of Alex's friends, who had seen the killing and whose story convinced a judge to send the case to trial.
Under sworn testimony and critical examination, a neutral third party witness of the killing swears Alex Nieto never pointed or activated a taser at Officers. The witness observed Alex walking casually and coolly as though he had no idea that the police were after him (and we now know that Alex had no idea that anyone had called the police on him BECAUSE ALEX NIETO HAD DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG).
It is undisputed that the Officers did not give any warnings before they opened fire on Alex Nieto with 48 shots that ultimately killed him.
To be continued.
Often people tell me that tone of voice does not come thru on facebook, and i know jan well enuff to know she does not believe there is any such thing as "some anonymous, no-count, young Brown male..." that man's death would matter just as much as this one, i am sure.
ReplyDeleteGood point. As the song says, everybody's got a right to live.
ReplyDeleteI probably should have pointed out I was paraphrasing Sierra in the lead. Mission Latinos think -- justifiably -- that the SFPD usually sees them as indistinguishable gang-bangers.
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