After the murder of two Latino residents by Salinas, California police officers in as many months, a third murder caught on videotape was all that was needed to launch a massive protest march through the city on May 25th. While the first two killings are debatable, the third included falsified reports by police officers that were exposed by a YouTube video of the shooting that immediately went viral.
“Recent police killings have sparked outrage in the Salinas community,” writes Omar Ali for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), “There have been at least three police killings of innocent people in Salinas within the last three months.” The most recent was on May 20th.
Within 24 hours of the third shooting death by police, outrage and hostilities erupted in the Latino section of East Salinas, causing a growing crowd of spontaneous protesters. As night fell on the hostile demonstration, shots erupted and one innocent bystander standing in front of his house was killed. Demonstrators then attacked the responding police and paramedics, injuring one officer when he was struck in the head with a bottle.
Police officials released the following statement after the incident, “As officers arrived in the area to render aid to the victim and investigate the shooting, many people who had gathered in the area to protest started to throw bottles, sticks, rocks and bricks at the responding officers and the EMS personnel. While an officer was conducting CPR on the shooting victim, a bottle hit the officer in the head preventing him from rendering aid to the victim while on scene. The shooting victim was quickly taken away in an ambulance and to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The shooting victim was a local resident of the neighborhood who was standing on the sidewalk in front of his home. Constantino Garcia had recently moved to Salinas with his wife and child.”
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