Protesters against police violence march northbound on Main Street following a news conference in downtown Las Vegas Saturday, June 6, 2020. The news conference and march in the Arts District were organized by Families United 4 Justice in partnership with Forced Trajectory Project.
Saturday, June 6, 2020 | 10:41 p.m.
Demonstrators across the United States this week have demanded justice after the in-custody death of a black man by Minnesota police in late May.
The movement is about more than the death of George Floyd, who is the latest to die at the hands of police.
Other families who have lost loved ones by law enforcement continue to call for police reform, some of whom joined together for a rally Saturday at the Arts District in downtown Las Vegas.
Each of the event’s speakers, all of whom felt their loved ones were wrongfully killed by officers, spoke with pain in their voices. Some cried uncontrollably. They came from Baltimore, New York, Atlanta and Southern California to share their stories.
The grieving family members usually bring up the names of the officers and other justice system officials they say should be held accountable in the death. Make no doubt about it: What authorities labeled as justified killings, they consider murder.
“I’m going to continue to fight, I’m never going to stop, I’m never going to go away,” said a crying Danielle Steagal, whose son Keith Childress Jr. was killed by Metro Police on New Year’s Eve 2015.
Childress, who was being pursued by officers, was gunned down when they say he reached in his pocket. But he wasn’t armed — police mistakenly thought his cellphone was a gun.
“This won’t be the last time that you hear his name,” said a sobbing Ariah Justin about her father, Joseph Justin, who was killed by Metro in 2007 following a foot pursuit. “I’m here demanding justice and I won’t stop until I get it, until my family gets it.”
Police concluded that Justin, who was armed, had pointed a gun at one of the officers, according to reports.
Alma Chavez, a regular participant in demonstrations against police violence, called 911 in 2011 to report her son was having an “emotional” episode. Rafael Olivas, who possessed a knife, was shot when he approached officers, police said at the time. Low-lethal rounds could not stop him before officers opened fire with bullets.
“I was there, I was present when they took his life,” Chavez said. “And I hear so many times the phrase, ‘I can’t breathe,’ and my son couldn’t even say that. My son was shot in the chest, his stomach, his arms. He was kicked right to the back after he was dying with his left arm broken.”
The event was organized by Forced Trajectory Project, an activist group that highlights stories it says the media doesn’t adequately cover.
It marked the 10th day Las Vegans have participated in public demonstrations since the death of Floyd, who died in police custody after an officer dug his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes while the man pleaded he couldn’t breathe.
Early local demonstrations ended with tear gas fired by police, who faced hostile protesters throwing rocks and bottles.
Monday was especially violent when armed protester Jorge Gomez, 25, was killed by Metro Police in downtown Las Vegas. Moments earlier, Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis went down in a separate shooting 3 miles south. He’s on life support at University Medical Center.
Nissa Tzun, co-founder of Forced Trajectory Project, said Las Vegas has its own George Floyd in Tashii Brown, who died in 2017 after a Metro officer put him in an illegal chokehold as he yelled he couldn’t breathe.
Involuntary manslaughter charges against Officer Kenneth Lopera were eventually dropped. Brown’s death didn’t get much attention, but Tzun said that will “never again” happen.
At least two other peaceful events happened Saturday, a rally at Lorenzi Park and a march on the center Strip.
