LOS ANGELES, September 9, 2010 - Manuel Jamines was shot and killed by Rampart police on Sunday, September 5th, 2010. He was a 37 year old indigenous man from Guatemala. Manuel leaves behind a wife and three children in who live in his native Guatemala. Manuel was a day laborer and had been working in Los Angeles for the past 8 years. Manuel was standing on the corner of 6th Street and Union when police were called to the scene. The police claim he had a knife and was threatening a pregnant woman.
What actually transpired next is unclear but many eye witnesses accounts directly contradict the police version of events that lead to Manuel’s death. Police claim that their use of deadly force was justified because Manuel failed to comply with orders to drop the 6 inch knife they claim he was welding. However friends of Manuel say he did not speak English or Spanish and that his native language was of a regional Mayan dialect.
The killing has sparked four days of continuous protests in the streets of Westlake. Protests have gone late into the night and groups of 100’s of outraged local community members have been directly engaging the police, taking and holding street intersections with impromptu blockades and trash fires.
The police response has been one of more violence against the community; beatings with batons, rubber bullets and chemical weapons, (tear gas, pepper spray) have all been deployed on protesters in the last four nights. To date close to 25 arrests have been reported. Two of those arrested are being charged with arson. There are also reports of many injuries from the police violence against the protests.
Reports from the Newswire: Pico Union/Westlake Rebellion after Rampart Police Murder Manuel Jamines - Indigenous Man by Joaquin Cienfuegos | | BREAKING: Street Clashes with Police in Westlake | | Report From The Street | | 9:55 pm - Rampart Firing Rubber Bullets!
Westlake in Rebellion After Rampart Police Murder Community Member: Manuel Jamines