Victims’ Families Speak About Impact of Police Violence During Las Vegas May Day Rally and March

On Tuesday May 1st, the 12th Annual Las Vegas May Day Rally and March was held in Downtown Las Vegas. The march was organized by a broad coalition known as the Las Vegas May Day Action Committee, which is comprised of local groups focusing on the rights of workers, students, immigrants, LGBT persons, those living in extreme poverty, political prisoners, animals, sex workers, and people with disabilities. Activists within the coalition also advocate for alternative political and/or economic models, non-violence, environmental protections; as well as against racism, sexism, and classism, among various issues relating to equality, self-determination, and human rights.

Among the 30+ groups represented within that coalition, were several dedicated to opposing corruption and abuses by the police and supporting justice for those affected by police violence (including members of Nevada Cop Block of course). Nissa Tzun, of the Forced Trajectory Project and Families United 4 Justice, spoke during the opening rally prior to the May Day March and also presented several family members of recent victims of police murder.

One of those family members present was Jorge Martinez, the step-father of Junior David Lopez. As was detailed here at NVCopBlock.org recently, during an April 6th traffic stop Lopez became the latest person to be killed by officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. While the LVMPD has claimed that Lopez had “picked up a gun and pointed it at” Officers Francisco Rivera and Padilla Mills, it’s pretty clear in the body camera footage released since then that he not only had not picked up the gun, but had actually pushed it away from himself at the time he was shot. (There are also allegations that the video was altered to support the police version of events that night.)

Also, Dominik Archibald addressed the crowd regarding the murder of her son Nathanial Pickett by police in Barstow, CA. Archibald stated that, much like Tashii Farmer-Brown, who was murdered by LVMPD Officer Kenneth Lopera last year, Pickett was unarmed and had not committed or even been suspected of any crime at the time that he was murdered by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Woods. In addition, it was announced that Families United 4 Justice, along with Tashii Farmer-Brown’s mother Trinita Farmer, would be holding a vigil on Mother’s Day (May 13th) to mark the one year observance Brown’s murder.

Note: The post below, along with all of the photos and video embedded within it, was originally published at ForcedTrajectory.com. It was written by Nissa Tzun of Families United 4 Justice. The original title it was published under was “Families Impacted by Police Violence Speak at May Day Rally & March.”

If you have videos, stories, upcoming events/protests, or personal interactions with the police (and/or “justice” system) that you would like to share, send them to us and we will do everything we can to bring it to the attention of the world. In addition, you can visit the Nevada Cop Block resources section for information and links to the rights of citizens when dealing with police, during which you should always be filming.

Families Impacted by Police Violence Speak at May Day Rally & March

Las Vegas, NV – On May 1st, 2018, 100+ people participated in the 12th Annual Las Vegas May Day rally and march. While the unexpected rainfall throughout the day discouraged participation, the event was high spirited and militant and direct. Chants included, “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” and “When our communities are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Historically, May Day stems from the worker’s rights movement in the late 1800’s to achieve higher quality of life for the everyday worker and bring light to workers’ struggles including abusive business practices, unsafe work environments, unfair working wages and exhaustive work hours. Through the power of strike, divestment and union organizing, May Day has been celebrated as a symbol of the power of the worker as well as utilized strategically to achieve worker demands.

Jorge Martinez, the stepfather of Junior David Lopez, who was killed by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police in early April, came to the rally. As a request from Families United 4 Justice, a growing, nationwide collective of families impacted by police violence, Jorge Martinez was acknowledged along with Dominik Archibald, the mother of police murder victim Nathanial Pickett, at the rally.

May Day organizer Alexander Hawkins acknowledges Jorge Martinez, the stepfather of police murder victim Junior David Lopez at the 12th Annual Las Vegas May Day Rally & March. May 1, 2018 Las Vegas, NV.

Dominik Archibald, the mother of police murder victim, Nathanial Pickett, who was killed on November 19, 2015, in Barstow California by a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy, also participated in May Day, and spoke at the rally.

Dominik Archibald, amongst several other family members from the Las Vegas Valley will be participating in the 2nd Annual Families United 4 Justice National Network Gathering set to take place in Oakland, CA at the end of June, where families impacted by police violence gather to meet each other, share resources, and organize for collective power. To find out more and support this effort, please go to: http://gofundme.com/FU4JSouthwest

Trinita Farmer, the mother of Tashii Brown, was not able to attend the event, but sent a call out to the community to gather at the Bellagio fountains at 3PM on Mother’s Day, May 13th, for the 1st year anniversary of her son’s police murder.

On Mother’s Day, May 14th, 2017, Tashii Brown, a Hawaiian native and father of two young children, was experiencing a mental health breakdown at The Venetian Hotel & Casino. When he asked the police for assistance, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer Kenneth Lopera began to chase and attack him. Tashii was tased seven times, punched, and then put in an illegal chokehold. Despite Lopera’s senior officer demanding to let Tashii go, Lopera refused and took Tashii’s life. LVMPD stated that Tashii would not have been charged with any crime had he survived the chokehold.

Currently the grand jury, which is a secret proceeding, is still meeting to decide whether or not to charge Officer Lopera for involuntary manslaughter. On April 26th the lawyer of Lopera requested another 30 days for the grand jury proceeding. The decision is set to be made on May 24th.

The march convened at the Federal Court House in downtown Las Vegas, where the march concluded with more speakers.