Dozens of people gathered at Bernal Heights Park Thursday for a vigil to mark 10 years since San Francisco police shot and killed Alex Nieto. “We say and say and say that we want justice for our kids,” said Elvira Nieto during the vigil, “but what justice?”
Alex Nieto, a Latino man who was born and raised in the Bernal Heights neighborhood, was eating a burrito at the park before work on March 21, 2014. He was carrying a taser for his security job at a nightclub. After a San Francisco newcomer confused the taser for a gun, the police were called. They fired 59 shots at Nieto, killing him on the scene.
Following Nieto’s death, Elvira and Refugio Nieto filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the four San Francisco police officers involved in the shooting. Ultimately, a federal jury exonerated the officers, ruling that the police did not use excessive force.
Today, Nieto’s parents and community members continue to fight for a permanent monument remembering Alex Nieto near the site of his death in Bernal Heights Park. “It’s very sad to have so many years without being able to achieve this,” said Refugio, who often visits the public park to pray for his son. “We’ve put so much effort and sacrifice into this.”
“The memorial is a monument to the struggle and the injustice,” said Iswari España, a friend of the family. “We want the community to be reminded of what happened.” He says the monument’s design is set to be officially approved by the Department of Parks and Recreation in April and installed sometime this year.
The design for the new monument was shown during the vigil, which will include four symbolic murals representing Nieto’s life and legacy. The structure will also incorporate the colored stones used in the temporary memorial that’s been there for years.
As the years-long fight to install a permanent monument is finally closer to resolution, Elvira says she and her husband are still left with bitter wounds: “They killed him. They took my son from me… I have never felt so much pain and distrust of the police.”
