<\/p>\n
More than 500 people from all over the Bay Area gathered in Juilliard Park in Santa Rosa on Saturday, Nov. 9, to protest the death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez as part of the National Day of Protest demanding justice.<\/p>\n
Santa Rosa Sheriff\u2019s deputy Erick Gelhaus shot the teenager seven times at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 22, when he mistook a BB gun that Lopez was carrying for an actual AK-47 assault weapon.<\/p>\n
Since then, protesters have packed the streets and parks of Santa Rosa on an almost weekly basis to spread awareness of police brutality as well as demanding justice for the slaying of Lopez.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are a lot of people behind these scenes, circulating emails and networking,\u201d said Terri Carrion, organizer of Justice for Andy Lopez. \u201cWe are demanding that Gelhaus be arrested, be convicted. That is our message.\u201d<\/p>\n
The parents of Lopez filed a lawsuit the Northern California District court of San Francisco on Nov. 4 against Erick Gelhaus, claiming the boy\u2019s Fourth Amendment rights were violated.<\/p>\n
Speakers at the Nov. 9 rally came to share their stories and personal experiences, as well as sign petitions and make a show of sympathy for the family and friends of Lopez.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose of today is to gather stories and testimonials from people who have experienced police brutality in order to create a document to present to the district attorney,\u201d said Carrion. \u201cWe are expressing (with these rallies) that we are here, we are going to keep on, we will not stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tone coming from many of the speakers in Juilliard Park was one of anger and resentment towards the Santa Rosa Sheriff\u2019s department\u2019s refusal to take responsibility. Miguel Molina, producer of the KPFA talk show Flashpoints, was one of those who spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t change the system, you leave us no choice. If there is no justice in this case, we will vote you out of office,\u201d said Molina. \u201cWe pay taxes and they (the Santa Rosa elected officials) better pay attention because we will change the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some, the news of Lopez\u2019s murder has forced them reconsider the safety and future of their own children in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is truly, literally nauseating to me when I think about my 12-year-old son being in that situation,\u201d said Eugene Morse, a Sonoma county resident. \u201cThis has opened my eyes that it is time to get more involved with county and local government so we can have a say in police procedure and policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The members of Justice for Andy Lopez have pledged to continue their grassroots efforts in any way possible to help ensure justice for the family of Lopez.<\/p>\n
Other rallies were held in Sacramento, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles on Nov. 9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 500 people from all over the Bay Area gathered in Juilliard Park in Santa Rosa on Saturday, Nov. 9, to protest the death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez as part of the National Day of Protest demanding justice. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2770,2767,2769,2768],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-23065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-erick-gelhaus","tag-juilliard-park","tag-justice-for-andy-lopez","tag-santa-rosa","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n