Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Shot in the Back by an L.A. Sheriff

18-year-old Andrés Guardado was shot in the back by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department last month. On Monday, protestors continued their call for the arrest of the sheriffs responsible.

James C.

July 15, 2020
Facebook Twitter Share
Picture: Brian Feinzimer

On Monday, I was present at the protests calling for justice for Andrés Guardado. The 18-year-old boy was brutally murdered by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department near West Compton on June 18. Andrés was shot five times in the back while he was lying on his stomach by Deputy Sheriff Miguel Vega. As of the time of this writing, Vega remains on the street patrolling.

The LASD claims Andrés was armed — but this must be emphatically repudiated. After shooting Andres in the back, the LASD destroyed all evidence of the crime by breaking a security camera and confiscating the DVR device with the footage. I saw this first hand when I went to pay my respects at the place where Andres was murdered two weeks ago. 

At the protest, we demanded: 

There were also calls for the resignation of L.A. District Attorney Jackey Lacey, as many protesters very reasonably feel that she has abdicated her responsibility. 

After a two-hour rally with speakers from community organizations, workers’ unions, and various socialist organizations such as Socialist Alternative, the official event ended and about 100 people went to protest in front of the L.A. Sheriffs who barricaded roads nearby. They chanted “F**k 12,” “Defund the police,” and other slogans to express their anger and disgust. People shouted profanity at officers — it was cacophonous and raucous.

The crowd was mostly Latino / Indigenous, and African American, but there were also a few Asian-Americans present — one held the classic sign reading “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power.” At one moment, protestors began to share their often violent or dehumanizing encounters with police. 

This visibly bothered the police and they began to call for backup. At one point, we were outnumbered nearly two to one. They were armed with teargas and rubber bullets. One was carrying a Colt M4 rifle — a demonstrator who identified himself as a retired U.S. Marine exclaimed: “I carried that weapon in Afghanistan!”

Some young people joined the protest serendipitously. They shared with me their experience with police harassment in their schools and even helped pass out water to demonstrators. The demonstration lasted approximately two hours on the corner of Willowbrook and Compton. We dispersed without being hit, gassed, or pepper sprayed by LASD. 

Facebook Twitter Share

Guest Posts

Lord Balfour Was an Imperialist Warmonger 

We should give our full solidarity to the Palestine Action comrade who defaced a portrait of Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University. But the problem for everyone who opposes the genocide against Gaza is how to massify and politically equip the movement.

Daniel Nath

March 21, 2024

“Poor Things” Floats Like a Butterfly and Stings Like a Butterfly

Poor Things is a fantastical comedy with beautiful set design and costumes and an Oscar-winning performance from Emma Stone. So why did it leave me feeling so empty? Despite juggling feminist and socialist ideas, the film is ideologically muddled and often self-contradictory.

Basil Rozlaban

March 16, 2024

The CUNY PSC Must Organize for Palestine

CUNY workers and students are rising up to defend their university against cuts, and to fight for the liberation of Palestine.

Lucien Baskin

March 8, 2024

The Tide Is Turning: New Yorkers Are Speaking Out for Palestinian Liberation

The city's anti-Zionist movement is speaking out for Palestinian liberation. Attitudes in the city's Jewish community are shifting rapidly.

Ana Orozco

February 23, 2024

MOST RECENT

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024