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Anti-police brutality protesters in San Jose have brought their demands directly to the city’s top official Friday evening.
Hundreds are gathered outside mayor Sam Liccardo’s home for a sit-in urging him to defund the San Jose Police Department and invest those funds in initiatives to assist communities of color.
Rosie Chavez showed up to honor her nephew Jacob Dominguez, who was shot and killed by police in September 2017. He was the suspect in a drive-by shooting and an armed robbery, but he was unarmed when police shot him, leaving behind his wife and three children. She said his youngest daughter asks Santa to bring back her father.
“He was making changes,” she said. “He was a loving person. He loved God.”
Speakers have also called upon school districts to remove police from their campuses, like Oakland Unified leaders voted to do this week. Some are pushing for the closure of the William F. James Boys Ranch, a juvenile detention facility in Morgan Hill.
Organizers stressed to protesters attending the sit-in that they must remain peaceful, and that the event will end if police declare the gathering unlawful.
The group will also leave if Liccardo comes out of his home, listens to these families’ stories and goes on the record about their demands. Those stipulations include creating funds specifically for black-led organizations, immediate and long term financial help for those injured by police, and fund first responders who will answer 911 calls with a focus on de-escalation and restorative justice.
This is just the latest protest in the Bay Area as the issue of police violence, particularly against black people, has bubbled over in the wake of the Memorial Day police killing of George Floyd, a black man.
Police reaction to these civil protests initially included more violence and tear gas, though broadly that has decreased in recent weeks.
The group has arrived and positioned the crosses — each of which represents a person who was killed by police — in front of the mayor’s home. pic.twitter.com/JHoExhxhu1
— Jason Green (@Jason_T_Green) June 13, 2020
Check back for updates.
