By Catherine McKnight
Editor’s Note: Last fall, a federal jury acquitted the three officers in federal wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit.
April 30, 2013, marked the fourth year anniversary of the death of 26-year-old Woodland resident and farmer, Luis Gutierrez. He was a friend to many, a son, and from what is said about him by those close to him – someone who always obeyed the law.
For those who are not familiar with the case, Luis was shot six times and killed by three plain-clothed sheriffs with the Yolo County Gang Task Force on April 30, 2009. After a 13-day trial in October 2012, all three officers were acquitted of any wrongdoing and of all liability of Luis’ death.
It has been four years and the Gutierrez family has yet to receive closure, with many questions left unanswered.
This past Tuesday night, April 30, there was a Candlelight Vigil at the E. Gum Street Overpass where the fatal shooting occurred. It was a small, intimate crowd of about 20 to celebrate and remember Mr. Gutierrez’s life.
Luis’ father was present, along with friends of the family and others who have gone through losses in the family due to police brutality and injustice. His father, who only speaks Spanish, began by saying “Thank you for being here today on this special day.”
Vice President for The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Al Rojas, was present and spoke on behalf of the families and Luis’ father. One of the main questions on everyone’s mind: how do we move forward as a community? How do we let the police know we won’t give up?
One of the parents of a son who was unarmed and wrongfully shot and killed said, “What scares them [the police] the most is when we educate ourselves.”
“We need to let them know we aren’t going to leave. We need to keep it lit!” exclaimed one of the victims’ parents.
Her husband went on to say, “When one dies, and when one is killed, we all have to stand together and let the community know that we’re not going to turn our heads and that we’re going to speak up and that we are demanding justice. We’re not going to go away. We are going to keep on fighting until we get answers and until we get justice.”
Everybody who attended spent about two hours on that overpass sharing stories and discussing what has been of great concern since not only Luis’ last day here, but also every other victims’. There was a light inside each and every one of them that was full of passion and battle.
One woman who came with her husband claimed she had worked with Luis. She said that he was a very good, decent man and that he had much respect for his family and the law. He never wanted to drive without a license and that is why he went that fatal day, April 30, to the DMV to get his license. She says she knows that there is much corruption in the system but she does not believe what they [the police] say about him. He would ask her questions about God, and everybody would make fun of her but he would always respect her.
The woman proceeded to sing a Christian song that she said she used to sing to Luis at work. We all held hands in unity with one another. At this time, emotions were at a high.
When the Vigil came to a close, it was easy to tell that although this was only a small crowd, it was one that will not remain silent. The night ended with a silent walk with Mr. Gutierrez across the overpass where we eventually parted ways.
Mr. Gutierrez and his family deserve justice. The main idea reiterated throughout those two hours is that we need to stand together and proceed to expose these wrongdoings to the best of our ability. We need to stand together as the community we are and speak up. Because if we don’t, who will? Justice is being demanded and it will continue to be until the day comes when at least some of the questions left unanswered become resolved. Until then, “Keep the fire lit.”
[quote] One of the main questions on everyone’s mind: how do we move forward as a community? How do we let the police know we won’t give up?[/quote]
Not give up on what?
[quote]One of the parents of a son who was unarmed and wrongfully shot and killed said, “What scares them [the police] the most is when we educate ourselves.”[/quote]
This is a very vague piece. What case is this man talking about and how do we know the shooting of his son was unjustified? What is the unnamed man going to educate himself about that would scare the police?
[quote]Mr. Gutierrez and his family deserve justice.[/quote]
Justice in who’s eyes and who picks what that justice is. What else should be done here other than sending the case to court?
Let me flip this on you Mr. Obvious. Let’s suppose a person was murdered, the case was problematic, no physical evidence and the jury acquitted. So the murder goes unresolved, the murderer unpunished, do you believe that justice? Even though nothing else could have been done, doesn’t that outcome end up unfulfilling for the victims?
That’s how I view this case.
Mr. Obvious:
“How do we let the police know we won’t give up?” From what I observed and from the few hours I spent with these individuals, not giving up has to do with their perspective that the cases are not being treated fairly by the police department and through the judicial systems these cases are being tried. They will not give up on exposing any problems or inconsistencies because it has had a direct impact on their families and their personal lives.
“One of the parents of a son who was unarmed and wrongfully shot and killed said, “What scares them [the police] the most is when we educate ourselves.” This is the case of James River from Stockton, CA. Here is a link to one side of the story: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/05/17/18713706.php
You may obviously make your own judgment. I simply reported back what his parents, who are very active in their community, touched on at the Vigil.
The term education is indeed vague; I believe they mean that education on how the judicial system operates and understanding documents such as the The Police Officer’s Bill of Rights is very lackluster, especially among youth or young adults 18-24. It is, after all, hard to fight a case or fight for any perceived injustice in the system when you do not actually understand how it works. It is their goal to do anything to educate those who are the most vulnerable for things such as police brutality, profiling, etc.
Lastly, I meant justice in the eyes of his family (his dad especially) and the community members also affected by this police brutality. As David noted, although there probably was not much else that could have been done… It does not change the fact that there are many problems with the case itself and Mr. Gutierrez’s son is not here to defend himself.
Although justice is a broad term, I will not claim to know how it feels to have somebody close to me killed by members of the police department without abiding evidence that they had every right in doing so. With that said, I believe these victims and victims’ parents know a little better than I do the sort of justice they deserve and long for.
It is James Rivera*, not River. My apologies.
I noticed in the Bee that the attorney in the A.G.’s office who has decided to run for Sac County D.A., as a Democrat, is the attorney in the A.G.’s office who decided that what the police did to Gutierrez
was okay. Democrat or Republican, prosecutors in one office or another are all glued shamelessly to law enforcement.
I had a short conversation with one of the family’s attorneys just before or during the federal trial. He was surprisingly jovial and off-handed about the case. He did not present evidence that would have been helpful to the Gutierrez family.
As for James Rivera and the Indy Bay article. If you just read Indy Bay article and didn’t recognize it as being agenda based reporting I can see how one would undoubtedly believe this was an execution, that’s how the story is intended to sound. The Indy Bay story asserts facts that a reporter couldn’t possibly know. I would caution anyone from taking any source of agenda based reporting as fact.
If you read this article ,[url]http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=87758[/url], and watch the video it appears to be a slightly different story. Rivera was an escapee from incarceration, a felon at 16, post escape he was wanted for armed robbery, burglary, and carjacking, and led police on a pursuit before he was intentionally struck by police. According to the police they tried to stop Rivera because he matched the description of a car jacking suspect. It sounds like Rivera escalated the situation.
I don’t know anything about the Stockton incident, other than the two articles I’ve read, but do know there are always two sides to the story.
I appreciate the article but it’s to close to being an Indy Bay bay piece not to be labeled “Commentary”.
Mr Obvious:
I do agree that article displays an agenda based reporting technique.
I also agree that my article should have been labeled as a “commentary”, as it was more of a piece based on my personal experience with these individuals and my inevitable bias. I appreciate the feedback and will take it all into consideration as I move forward on this journey as an Intern and as a reporter.
I will note that although it sounds like he may have escalated the situation, I am not convinced that firing 48 bullets was necessary and a possible breach in their authority. It was later found that Mr. Rivera was unarmed.