Brown Berets de Aztlan protest
the
police murder of one of their own
by
Ernesto Cienfuegos
La Voz de Aztlan
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| Fallen Brown Beret soldier Annette Garcia
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Riverside, Alta California - February 1, 2009 - (ACN) Units of the Brown Berets de Aztlan, MEChA de UC Riverside and over 100 community supporters gathered Saturday morning outside the Cesar Chavez Center to protest the cowardly gunning down, in the presence of her children and husband, of Brown Beret member Annette Garcia by a lone Riverside County sheriff . Twenty eight year old Annette Garcia, a mother and beloved member of the community, was shot in the back outside her home on the evening of January 21st. Witnesses say that the deputy shot at Annette while she was walking away and that she did not present a threat to anyone. The deputy, witnesses say, shot at Annette approximately five times from a distance of about 500 feet and that it was a miracle that other family members, who were standing nearby, were not killed .
A tragic aspect of this police murder is that it occurred in the presence of Annette Garcia's children. They are now traumatized for life. The uncaring sheriff''s who arrived in mass after the shooting cared more about cleaning up any evidence of the crime than for calling for an ambulance. It took an unreasonable amount of time for medical aid to arrive and Annette Garcia took her last breaths in the arms of her husband. She was declared dead on arrival at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
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The Riverside County Sheriff's are refusing to release any information on the killing but they have placed the shooter on a "paid" administrative leave of absence. Many Riverside county citizens say that this decision is tantamount to rewarding the errant deputy with a paid vacation and are asking for the resignation of the Board of Supervisors appointed Sheriff-Coroner Stanley Sniff. Under the leadership of Stanley Sniff, squads of sheriffs invaded the Soboba Indian Reservation in May of 2008 and assassinated another mother, 30 year old Tamara Angela Hurtado. The sheriffs have been involved in 7 separate gun battles with the Soboba Indian Reservation that has left 5 tribal members dead. Sniff is a former colonel in a US Army cavalry division and this may be the reason for his killing spree at the reservation. Sheriff Stanley Sniff is rapidly earning an uglier reputation than that of the bigoted Sheriff Joseph Arpaio of Maricopa, Arizona.
The Brown Berets de Aztlan assembly outside the Cesar Chavez Center on University Boulevard was impressive. It was truly an honor for one of their fallen soldiers. There were units from Los Angeles, Rialto, Perris and as far away as New Mexico. Of particular interest was the unit from the nearby Casa Blanca community of Riverside. The Brown Berets have had a long and honorable history of defending the community from police brutality and abuse and Casa Blanca has been, over the years, a target for the police. It is a neighborhood where numerous cases of police initiated violence and killings of citizens have occurred. During a particular tumultuous period in the history of Casa Blanca when police harassment became unbearable many years ago, the Brown Berets
are credited with shooting down a police helicopter that was threatening Mexican homes. It is said that after that, the Riverside police greatly scaled down their numerous, and low elevation, helicopter flights through Casa Blanca. The shooting down of the police helicopter in Casa Blanca, among others that came down in Los Angeles, are mentioned by author Luis J. Rodriguez in his book, "Always Running: La Vida Loca Days in L.A."
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| Brown Berets de Aztlan and drummer
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| Family and son of Annette Garcia
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After assembling at the Cesar Chavez Center, Annette Garcia's family, the Brown Berets, MEChA and over 100 supporters started their long march down University Blvd towards the Riverside County Sheriff's headquarters and Detention Center. The disciplined march with drums and flags included a variety of signs expressing the anger at the senseless shooting of Annette Garcia. The signs carried by the marchers said, "Riverside County Sheriff's are Practicing Ethnic Cleansing", "Riverside County Sheriff's Kill Women of Color - Annette Garcia, Tamara Angela Hurtado, Tyisha Michel and many more", "Police Shoot Mom in Front of Children", "Brown Beret Killed by Pigs", "Cowards Should Not Police", "Annette Garcia - Rest in Peace - But We Won't", "Please No Racist Deputies" and other expressions of indignation. Hundreds of Riverside residents driving by the busy boulevard showed their approval of the marchers by honking their horns and waving their hands. It appears that Sheriff Stanley Sniff may have to resign.
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| The marchers arrive at the Sheriff's Dentention Center
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The culmination of the protest and march was quite satisfying. As the marchers approached the sheriff's headquarters with drums beating, the deputies inside panicked. At least five deputies behind the glass doors of the Detention Center
stumbled on each other while hurrying to bolt the doors. It would have been comical if it was not for the tragic nature of the protest. One sheriff's deputy was photographed through the glass door exhibiting noticeable distress. Apparently he was viewing the large photograph of Annette Garcia carried by the her brother. Perhaps he was contemplating the dastardly nature of their deed.
The family of Annette Garcia, the Brown Berets, MEChA and supporters again assembled in an open area adjacent to the Detention Center. A series of speeches by family members and the leadership of the Brown Berets de Aztlan followed. The Brown Berets vowed to continue organizing and protesting until justice for Annette Garcia is obtained. The formation of new units throughout Aztlan was announced and determination to continue fighting police brutality in our communities was eloquently expressed. The protest and march finally ended with a beautiful prayer to God asking to help us end police abuse in our communities. The prayer was led by a representative of the Sanchez family who recently lost a family member, Fernando Sanchez, through Riverside police violence in September of last year.
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| These photographs were taken as the marchers arrived at the sheriff's detention center. They were taken from outside through the glass doors. The deputies seemed panicked and rushed to bolt the doors. One had a camera and was taking pictures of the protestors. Finally one became mesmerized while viewing the photograph of Annette Garcia probably contemplating the evil deed done by one of his peers. A few days ago one of his peers committed suicide in a motel in Hemet. He had done something evil and could not bare to live and reflects extremely badly on Sheriff Stanley Sniff. It may be necessary to bring in the US Department of Justice to investigate.
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Related La Voz de Aztlan articles:
Brown Berets de Aztlan are recruiting
and forming new chapters
Tribal Chief says Indian Reservation
"in a near state of war" with Riverside County Sheriff's
