Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the article on THE DAVIS VANGUARD about my brother Angelo Quinto’s death, which we believe was a result of unnecessary force and restraint inflicted upon him by Antioch police officers.
There is no good reason Angelo––or Kuya Angelo, as I refer to him––should not be alive today. One of few things I am certain of in this life is that this tragedy was avoidable. Kuya Angelo was not violent, made no threats of violence, and made no effort to escape their restraint. He had no weapons or drugs, nor did he present himself as if he did. The extent of action necessary was to actively communicate with him, and put into practice the deescalation tactics that befit a non-criminal situation such as this.
My family, our friends, and our community are all seeking justice and lasting change. We are seeking, more than words, implementation. We’re working to ensure that no more families have to endure the anguish and grief we are experiencing along with too many others. The first three immediate changes we seek are as follows:
- We call on the police to officially and legally prohibit the knee-to-neck restraint used on Angelo Quinto as well as countless others.
- We call on the police to establish and fully fund 24/7 mental health crisis response teams to respond to mental health crises and other related domestic incidents.
- We call on the police to require body and dash cameras for all police officers, that cannot be manually turned off.
Sincerely,
Isabella Maya “Bella” Quinto Collins
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