Manuel Jamines, Guatemalan Day Laborer Killed by LA Police

[The Vegan Marxist]

Manuel Jamines, Guatemalan Day Laborer Killed by LA Police
September 12, 2010

Los Angeles, CA – The Guatemalan community, especially the indigenous Mayan sector, has been protesting and angry over the brutal killing of their community member Manuel Jamines. Jamines was shot in the head and body on a busy street in the late afternoon in the Pico Union, a Central American community, by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Sept. 5.

At least two witnesses have said that Manuel was not armed and no threat to anyone. Police and one witness claim that Manuel Jamines had a knife and wielded it at police. Police claim to have shouted to Manuel in English and Spanish to yield, but the community says that Jamines only spoke a Mayan language native to Guatemala.

Policeman Who Killed Jamines has History of Violence and Lying

The cop who fired the two shots that killed Jamines is Frank Hernandez. He has two other prior shootings of civilians and has a reputation for brutality. In 2008, Officer Hernandez shot Joseph Wolf, then 18, in the back of his left thigh. Police Hernandez then fabricated a story that Wolf had a gun and shot him in defense. No gun was found at the scene, but police charged Wolf with assault with a deadly weapon. Charges against the victim were later dropped by the district attorney as baseless. Wolf’s lawyer said that the charges against Joseph were falsely brought up to cover up the unlawful use of force by policeman Hernandez. Hernandez was allowed to continue to be on patrol. Police in Los Angeles have a long history of planting weapons on dead or shot civilians to cover up their deadly, unlawful and racist use of violence against Blacks, Chicanos and Central Americans.

Central Americans Protest

The Central American community has rebelled and led several street protests confronting the police with angry shouts of “assassins.” Protests break out every day and solidarity is being shown by Chicano activists. The LAPD has responded with mass patrols, riot police and a large number of arrests. The LAPD Rampart Division in Pico Union area has a history of brutality and corruption. Recently the community has expressed anger at the mistreatment, lack of respect and harassment of street vendors by the LAPD.

Police and mayor try to whitewash killing

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck defended the shooting, saying the police were in “immediate defense of life.” He showed a photo of the alleged knife – maybe six inches in total, with the blade maybe three inches – but he had it photographed and blown up on a large poster to push the false perception of a large knife. Compare that to the weapons carried by police: 9 millimeter pistols.

The local politicians and Chief Beck held a community meeting on Sept. 8 to justify the killing. But the large angry audience shouted and demanded answers of the chief and the Police Commission.

Carlos Montes, from the Community Service Organization and a long time Chicano activist, challenged Chief Beck, saying that the LAPD has a long history of killing and brutalizing Chicanos, Blacks and Latinos due to racism. The community did not accept the whitewash justification given by the police. Protests continue daily, including one organized by the Day Laborers Network.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a former activist, supported the claim by police of a justified shooting and killing. A full investigation has not been completed and the mayor and chief are defending the killing and stating that the police will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Guatemalans Forced to Flee Homeland, Face Harsh Conditions in U.S.

Los Angeles, especially the Pico Union community just west of the downtown center, is home to a large Central American immigrant community, including many indigenous Mayans. Also there is a large Guatemalan community that had to flee their homeland due to military and police terror, killings and massacres because of U.S. government support and funding of the former military repressive Guatemalan regime. Many have also fled due to the extreme poverty caused by U.S. domination and exploitation of their nation’s resources. Forced to flee their homeland, they are further mistreated and exploited by businesses paying low wages. Rents are high. Living conditions are bad. They are also and harassed and arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement and local police.

Chicano activists have expressed outrage at this police killing and point out that the Chicano, Mexican and Central American people are victims of fierce oppression, including police brutality and police repression (for example, the May 1, 2007 LAPD attack of a peaceful May Day pro-immigration rights rally). They also point to the history of police repression, like the brutal attack by police o the Chicano Moratorium Against War of Aug. 29, 1970, where Ruben Salazar was assassinated and Angel Diaz killed by police and Lyn Ward died in a fire during the Chicano rebellion.

Said Carlos Montes, “We demand that this killer cop is fired and prosecuted. We want justice for Manuel Jamines. We insist on equality for Guatemalans and Central Americans.”

http://marxistleninist.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/manuel-jamines-guatemalan-day-laborer-killed-by-la-police/

[Red Commissar]

I'm amazed that after all the shit it has shown, people are still willing to trust the account of the LAPD when things like this happen.

[Agnapostate]

My mother's a Guatemalan immigrant from that neighborhood (Pico Union). She says that the shooting was justified. Of course, she's also a former LAPD employee who's married two cops, so...

[Red Commissar]

It's important that these demonstrations are able to address the LAPD's treatment towards the community in general, rather than pin themselves to whether or not the guy had a knife. Problem with this approach is that with out any definite video people are going to start believing the police's account out of cynicism or trust in authorities.

[Agnapostate]

Then again, I'm sure that this officer in question couldn't possibly have acted with discrimination against a racial minority, because after all:


His last name is Hernandez...
:rolleyes:

;)

[Homo Songun]

Mayans have been getting killed by people named Hernandez for over 500 years...

[Rusty Shackleford]

PSL demands justice for Manuel Jamines, immigrant worker killed by LAPD (http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=14450&news_iv_ctrl=1261)

Statement issued by the PSL in Los Angeles
The Party for Socialism and Liberation condemns unconditionally the LAPD for the murder of Manuel Jamines, a Guatemalan immigrant day laborer and father. We send our sincere condolences to his family, neighbors and friends.

The LAPD claims it was called to the scene on Sunday, Sept. 5 because Jamines was allegedly drunk in public and had a knife. The LAPD is highly trained in “non-lethal” tactics, yet their first response was to shoot Jamines twice in the head. While the police version of events is in question—some witnesses said Jamines had no knife at all—there is no question that Jamines did not deserve to die. The cops killed Jamines on a busy street corner in the immigrant Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles.

The killing ignited a firestorm of justified anger in the Guatemalan immigrant community. As hundreds protested the killing on two successive nights, cops beat and arrested over 20 people and fired rubber bullets indiscriminately, leaving many bloodied on the ground. The LAPD, along with the LA Times, tried to blame the protesters for the police violence against them.

It is the same argument that LAPD brass and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made after Jamines was killed—they said that his death was somehow his fault. They presented the facts as though the cops had no choice but to shoot him at close range. This is what they are still saying, although, in a clear response to the community uprising, now the top cops and politicians are emphasizing the need for a “thorough investigation.”

To the police and their media apologists, maximum violence, including murder, is perfectly fine if carried out by the LAPD, but any violence or fight back by oppressed people is an obvious crime. This false view turns reality on its head. The Guatemalan community did not buy it for a moment.

Organize and fight back

Last night, Sept. 8, the LAPD held a “town hall” meeting. It did not go as the police planned. It was a clear effort to pacify the community anger. But LAPD Chief Charlie Beck was booed loudly by the crowd of 300 community members. He was forced to stop speaking several times as people yelled “justice” and called the police “assassins” and “killers” in Spanish. The Associated Press and other major media outlets covered the meeting.

PSL member and community activist Marcial Guerra spoke at the event (see the photo above), railing at the police for their assassination of Jamines. “You will not quell the anger of our community with your lies and false promises. These racist killings, police raids and attacks on immigrants must end. The officers who assassinated Jamines must be brought to justice now,” Guerra said to massive applause. Other community members spoke out bravely against the cops during the meeting as well.

After the town hall meeting, hundreds of people gathered again where Jamines was killed, and the cops launched another unprovoked attack on the crowd by firing concussion grenades and rioting, chasing people in the now heavily militarized area.

The brutally excessive use of force by the LAPD on oppressed people, like Jamines, is the norm, not the exception. This is the case not only in Los Angeles, but in poor communities across the country. It is not a case of just one or two “bad cops” or the result of “unfortunate mistakes.”
Cops are not in communities to solve problems or protect people. They exist to enforce the exploitation of the poor and protect and preserve the capitalist state. Police brutality is a preferred form of social and economic control in the United States.

The officers responsible for the death of Manuel Jamines should be fired, arrested and held without bail, and tried for murder. This is how anyone else—other than a cop—would be treated by the capitalist state. But this will not happen on its own or after the LAPD’s sham investigation.

In this case, the killer cop is a repeat offender. LAPD officer Frank Hernandez, who killed Jamines, has been put on forced leave twice before for shooting other people. But cops get promoted and rewarded for using deadly force, while their victims get branded as criminals.

The only way there will be justice for Jamines, his family, and the community is if we organize together and demand it. For our part, the PSL will continue to work with the Guatemalan community and grassroots organizations to win this fight.

Stop police violence! Jail killer cops! Justice for Manuel Jamines!