La RAZA! UNIDA! WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!

La Raza ! Unida ! Will never be defeated !

On 5-18-05, braving the wind and nasty drizzle, in front of SSF City Hall on Grand Avenue, about 70 protesters rallied demanding Justice 4 Julio Ayala, 26 yr Salvadoran US legal resident, killed by 13 SSF PD officers on 4-3-05 inside SF Airport Inn. Signs reading "Stop Racist Police!", "Tierra Y Libertad" , "Justicia Para Julio Ayala!" line up on the sidewalk, while young bloods are holding a Oct 22 Banner listing names of victims of police murders across the AmeriKKKa.


At 5PM, headed by Julio's immediate family, the crowd starts addressing passing drivers, merchants and neighbors through chanting: "No Justice, No Peace!" "Justicia Para Julio Ayala!", while drivers blow their horn back in support , some even joining our contingent. Among speakers are: Tania Ortega (Julio's sister), his parents Julio Sr. and Mirna Ayala, Renee Saucedo (SF La Raza Centro Legal & SF Day Labor Program),Marylon Boyd (mother of Cammerin Boyd, 28 yr. disabled Black Brother killed by SFPD on 5-5-04),Brother Lucas from the Campaign to Rita Akayama from October 22 Against Police Brutality Coalition & Criminalization of a Generation, Jose Luis Pavon from SF Coleman Advocates, Brother Antonio from SF Carecen. The event is M.C'ed by Sister Kissi, fierce young activist and Member of the Bayview Campain to End the Death Penalty Chapter, who leads us into prayer after our 2-hour rally and protest.

We soon start wondering, "where is the police?"... Mr. Ayala steps up and looks through City Hall's front door peep hole, and lets us know: " they are 7 or 8 inside" (likely ready for us, just in case...) "Look! they are videotaping us from 2 cameras by the 2nd floor windows" (which was inflicted upon us for the whole duration of the protest).. Love and unity is strong, surrounded as we are by community activists, many young Latino homies, dressed in black and proudling wearing Justice4JulioAyala T-shirts, Julio's huge extended family. Mr. Frank Rosenberg, whose son was killed by Hayward PD 5 years ago while experiencing a mental health crisis, holds high his October 22 Against Police Brutality sign, telling it like it is: "We''ll NEVER give up!", while younsters and seniors alike are chanting: "1, We are the People! 2. A little bit LOUDER! 3, Justice4JulioAyala !". Watching timidly at first, neighborhood bystanders, mostly Latinos, are joining the protest, and picking up signs.

The harassment of Julio's family and buddies has already been set in motion, in an attempt to demonize them and weaken Justice4JulioAyala's Campaign: phone interrogations of Tony, his childhood friend and his sister Tanya, who simply state that they have nothing to divulge... Yet, at our very protest, a way more depictable form of brutal violation of our right to protest ocurs, in total disrespect of the safety of our participants, including parents with young children.... A late model black Mitsubishi with tainted windows slowly drives by, and a glass bottle flies at our crowd, as the car suddlenly speeds away. Young Brother Paulo, forehead and left brow spurting blood, is badly cut, and rushed to the Ivy Clinic by his homies. I carefully pick up the broken bottle from the ground covered with blood, for police investigation &fingerprinting (yeah, right...will call Sam Mateo PD and make a report anyhow).
We did NOT call 911 about Brother Paulo's assault! Hmmmm...

This cowardly attempt to silence the Ayalas and the community is not working! Silence is killing La Raza and all other Po' People of Color, as surely as evil doers. Marylon Boyd tells the crowd: "This must end! You are fighting for Julio's memory but also for all other families and for your own lives ! None of our children should die this way ! No one, in California,no more, in the US!"

A homie is quietly burning sage in the background, and a donation can, decorated with October 22 logo: "Danger ! Police in Area" is passed around, as we notice even humble poor folks fumbling through their pockets and adding their few cents to the Justice4Julio Campaign.

Except for La Radio Grande 10/10 and San Mateo Daily Journal, the media did not respond to Justice4Julio press release about our protest... Are we surprised? The bigger the scandal, the longer the cover up through the corporate media! Hate mongers injuring a teen of Color at the rally, hear this: To the perpetrators of Genocide &War against Black and Brown, YOU KNOW that WE, the People, are a force to be reckoned with ! The bull horns are now switching hands, as we shout toward Police videoameras upon leaving SSF City Hall : "We'll be back ! Every month, we'll be back, assassins !",

Today Idriss Stelley Foundation E-mailed San Mateo Board of Supervisors requesting their June calendar for the community to schedule a special hearing, demanding answers about the PD killing of Julio Ayala, at their earliest (if not zealous) convenience. Tentatively June 6th, later to be confirmed. Unlike SF, San Mateo does not have a police Commission (which comprises 3 community elected commissioners, while 4 are nominated by Mayor Newsome), but a City Council, exclusivly appointed by their Mayor, with only 1 nonwhite appointee.

The Ayala Family demands immediate release of:

* San Mateo Police and DA reports
* Coroner's report
* List of witnesses to Julio's execution
* Launching of a federal investigation
* Justicia para Julio Ayala, NOW !

For further background on the PD killing of Julio Ayala, you can log onto
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Justice4Julio/

Mail to Julio's family can be sent at
Justice4Julio [at] yahoogroups.com
or iolmisha [at] cs.com

If you have any information on the killing of Julio Ayala, or want to sent messages of support to his family, call (415) 595-8251 Idriss Stelley Foundation (ISF) 24HR Bilingual crisis line.