Santa Ana demands justice at vigil for Noe Rodriguez

Santa Ana, CA – On June 1, about 25 Santa Ana residents, family members and organizers gathered to honor Noe Rogriguez’s life and demand justice. The vigil, six months from the date of his death, took place in front of Casa Linda Furniture in downtown Santa Ana, just feet away from where Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra killed Rodriguez.

A table with two bouquets of white flowers, 20 candles and illustrations by Rodriguez’s two daughters marked the site of his death for the community of Santa Ana to see. Several attendees wore white shirts decorated with photographs of Noe Rodriguez.

Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) member Abraham Quintana began the vigil by stating that Rodriguez was shot at 29 times by Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra.

Quintana stated that Rodriguez “was described in two 911 calls as a Hispanic man but when the officers arrived, they only gave him orders in English. In a city like Santa Ana where the majority of residents speak Spanish, this is unjust. This is racist and we have to denounce that.” Quintana continued, saying, “Noe was unarmed. He did not have a firearm: he had a toy, and he did not deserve to die for that. He deserved help.”

Erika Armenta, mother of Rodriguez’s two children, spoke in Spanish about the police killing. “Noe was killed in a brutal manner. His cause of death was multiple bullets. But he was not loading a rifle or pointing it at anyone, nor was he assaulting or robbing anyone. He was not an actual danger.”

Armenta paused to compose herself and said, “He was a very happy person. He deserved to see his daughters grow. Now my daughters will not see him. All that remains are the happy memories of their father.”

Five days before the vigil, the Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association attacked CSO in a letter released to the city council and social media, claiming that the organization is “anti-public safety” and was “manufacturing outrage” about Rodriguez’s killing. The letter completely ignored the testimony of Rodriguez’s family.

Armenta concluded, saying “I do not wish ill on anyone, but if there is no justice for those two officers, there is a God who is giving me strength to be here and fight for my daughters, and for the memory of their father. This God is going to help me raise my daughters and see that this crime does not go unpunished.”

Armenta’s eight-year-old daughter spoke next, reading from a statement she composed that week. In Spanish she said, “The police should not kill our loved ones. They do not care about our feelings. I dream that one day there will be justice for my father Noe Rodriguez Martinez. [The police] should go to jail.”

Armenta’s seven-year-old daughter spoke next, reading her own statement in English, “It is not fair that police kill our family members. If that happened to one of their families, they would be sad too. We are sad that they kill our families. My dad was only walking with a toy gun.”

Next to speak was community member Ed Mazatlan. Mazatlan spoke about the site of the killing and how blood flowed through the sidewalk. On the gruesome scene and the lack of transparency by the police department, he said, “that led me to believe right away that something fishy had happened. Justice for Noe Rodriguez!”

Armenta called for a moment of silence to honor the life of Noe Rodriguez. Armenta’s daughters released balloons into the air with demands for justice written on their surface. The balloons rose slowly above the walls of Casa Linda furniture.

An altar was built directly in front of the wall where Noe Rodriguez was shot. The altar included a white cross built by Mazatlan decorated with brilliant orange flowers, bordered on both sides by large bouquets of white flowers. Resting on the cross was a handmade sign declaring “Justicia para Noe Rodriguez.” Candles were arranged in front of the altar in the shape of a cross.

If you live in Orange County and are interested in CSO OC’s work fighting police crimes, please reach out to us:

Phone: (714) 367 – 6350

Instagram: cso.oc

Facebook: Orange County CSO

Email: orangecountycso@gmail.com

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #PoliceCrimes #PoliceBrutality #CSOOC

Source: https://fightbacknews.org/santa-ana-demands-justice-at-vigil-for-noe-rodriguez?pk_campaign=rss-feed