Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas protest outside Metro HQ commemorates those killed by police

Protest at Metro Police Headquarters

Steve Marcus

A man named Akeem, center, (no last name provided) and other protesters gather in front of Metro Police headquarters on Martin Luther King Boulevard Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020.

Protest at Metro Police Headquarters

Chey Kyle holds a sign featuring Jorge Gomez during a protest in front of Metro Police headquarters on Martin Luther King Boulevard Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. Gamez was shot and killed by police during a George Floyd protest in downtown Las Vegas on June 1, 2020. Launch slideshow »

Holding signs and fists in the air on a stifling Thursday afternoon outside Metro Police headquarters, about 30 demonstrators demanded justice for Las Vegans who’ve been killed by law enforcement officers.

The peaceful two-hour affair was the latest in a steady stream of nationwide protests since George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in late May. They chanted "Black Lives Matter," "No justice, no peace" and "defund the police."

The protest was touted as “More Than a Hashtag; Not Just a Trend,” meaning the fight for justice will not thrive on social media, but on the streets. 

The protest was organized by local activist Desiree Smith, 19. 

“A hashtag like #justiceforJorgeGomez,” that’s just a hashtag,” she said about the armed protester killed by Metro officers on June 1. “You have to get out there and do the work.”

The work on Thursday was demanding that Metro release any video it has of the shooting near the federal courthouse, where Gomez was gunned down after, police said, he pointed one of his rifles at them as he was running away from an officer who’d shot him with bean bags. 

Recent police reform passed during an emergency session of the Nevada Legislature, which bans chokeholds among other tactics, was the least lawmakers could’ve done, advocates such as Smith have contended.

Smith said Metro lacks accountability when its officers kill “our brothers and sisters.” She wonders why when they kill someone on the job, they get paid leave, while anyone else would likely go to jail. 

It’s time for change, Smith said.

“I don’t want my kids to grow up like this,” reduced to a protest hashtag, Smith said. 

Thursday’s protest was witnessed by dozens of motorists driving by, some of whom honked in support. Officers — who blocked the entrances to the parking lot for those not attending to business at Metro headquarters — kept their distance.

And while street protesting is better than online, Smith wants to walk the talk. That’s why she’s studying criminal justice and wants to go to law school to eventually become a civil rights lawyer, she said.