By ERIC CARPENTER and IAN HAMILTON / THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER
ANAHEIM – About 30 people protested against what they called
the use of excessive force by the Police Department during a march near
Disneyland Saturday evening
The protesters marched down Katella Avenue and Harbor
Boulevard and held a candlelight vigil on the day before Mother's Day near the
entrance to Disneyland to honor the mothers of those killed by Anaheim police.
Concerned members of the community, relatives, and friends
of victims of police brutality march for justice in Anaheim on Saturday.
Every Sunday, these protesters gather outside the Police
Department and march up and down Harbor Boulevard for hours, past the entrance,
holding homemade signs painted with slogans such as "Stop Excessive Lethal
Force" and "One Too Many Victims." Sometimes it's only a handful
of protesters; other times it's a crowd of 30 or more.
Each week, the protests include family members of people who
died in officer-involved shootings, including family members of: Justin Hertl
(shot to death in 2003), Caesar Cruz (shot to death in 2008), David Raya (shot
to death in 2011), Marcela Ceja (shot to death in 2011), Bernie Villegas (shot
to death in January) and Roscoe Cambridge (shot to death in January).
Most recently, friends and family of Martin Angel Hernandez,
who was shot and killed by an officer on March 6, have expressed their outrage,
saying that Hernandez was the victim of excessive force.
"After he was killed, I started doing research and
noticed there was a pattern," said Rosalinda Mares, a woman who said she
knew Hernandez from their neighborhood. "It's got to stop."
No officers were criminally charged in any of the cases.
The protests began in spring 2010 with Theresa Smith, the
mother of Caesar Cruz, 35, a Fullerton father who was shot outside a Walmart at
Anaheim Plaza.
"I think police need better training," Smith said.
"Today we're trying to raise awareness of the killings that are being
justified by the district attorneys."
The Orange County Register chronicled Smith's protests in
March 2010 after her son was killed. After others read about her efforts, they
joined to honor their loved ones and, they said, to seek justice. Smith said
the District Attorney's Office cleared the police officer of any wrongdoing,
but she is still pursuing a wrongful-death lawsuit.