Las Vegas downtown vigil, march honor victims of police violence
A vigil and march led by the Forced Trajectory Project ended peacefully Saturday night in downtown Las Vegas to honor those lost to police violence.
The group held a press conference at Jammyland Cocktail Bar and Reggae Kitchen, 1121 S. Main St., at 5 p.m., which was followed by a vigil and march that ended at 7:45 p.m.
The group posted on Instagram, inviting protesters to “join families impacted by police violence from across the nation stand in solidarity with the George Floyd family as they center and build with those who have lost their loved ones at the hands of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.”
Two other groups also held similar events.
A second group gathered at Lorenzi Park, 3343 W. Washington Ave., for what they called a “people’s press conference where we announce and share organizational strategies,” according to an organizer on the Facebook event page. Members of a third group, organized by Dustin Otis, met up at the Strat at 8 p.m. and marched down the Strip to the Tropicana.
9:05 p.m.
Winding down
Both groups had dispersed by 9 p.m.
– Sabrina Schnur and Glenn Puit
8:55 p.m.
Hundreds of protesters
The group at Lorenzi Park and the group that started at the Strat have grown to about 100 people each.
Tenisha Freedom spoke to the Lorenzi Park crowd and encouraged them to continue marching, protesting and having their voices heard.
“We put a call out to have action- for leaders to come out tonight so we can have that conversation about pushing through these initiatives,” she said.
Speakers referenced Jorge Gomez, an armed man who was fatally shot by Las Vegas police on the 300 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South on the same night a Las Vegas officer was shot and critically wounded.
Protesters shouted Gomez’s name in his memory.
“Word from the people there that night is he did not raise his weapon … we believe he was open carrying as he has a right to do,” she said.
The group was gathered in a picnic area of the park at 9 p.m. continuing to speak about their goals and demands for police reform.
– Glenn Puit and Sabrina Schnur
8:45 p.m.
Every night
D’Anthony Brim, 22, said he and his friends have been out every night to protest.
“As long as there’s an oppressive system, there can’t be any real change,” Brim said.
– Sabrina Schnur
8:25 p.m.
En route to Tropicana
A couple dozen people have begun marching from the Strat to the Tropicana.
– Sabrina Schnur
7:50 p.m.
Strat to Tropicana
A handful of people have gathered in front of the Strat, with the intention of marching to the Tropicana. They plan to start moving around 8:30 p.m.
– James Schaeffer
7:30 p.m.
Lorenzi group grows
Leinati Hackley, 43, of northwest Las Vegas, said she’s a Samoan woman with five black children.
“It’s important to be here. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small,” Hackley said.
Her daughter, 15-year-old Renati Hackley, said it’s “exhausting to see people my color” being victims of police violence.
“I had to do more than write letters; it made me want to protest,” she said.
Nakita Fletcher, 23, encouraged her family to come out to protest on Saturday evenings because “there’s social injustice in the black community.”
Protesters at the park laid flowers for Jorge Gomez, who was shot this week by Las Vegas police at a Black Lives Matter protest.
– Sabrina Schnur
7:15 p.m.
‘We need to change leadership’
Marlon Urquico of Las Vegas said he came out to show support for the black and brown communities of Las Vegas.
Urquico said the downtown march was a huge success and he hopes people see the event as more than just a march. He said the protests continuing across the nation serve as an invitation to change society for the better.
“To stand against police brutality I hope there is change in the system and change in the racism that plagues the country,” Urquico said. “We need to change leadership in politics, education, the police force. I hope we diversify our leadership.”
– Glenn Puit
7 p.m.
Picnicking protesters
The Lorenzi Park group didn’t announce their location until about 5:30 p.m. because they didn’t want a large police presence. By 7 p.m., three Las Vegas city marshals and one Metropolitan Police Department truck had arrived.
Organizers are grilling food and protesters are picnicking while they wait for the group to grow. Speakers at the event said they will let the group decide if they want to march after their “discussion.”
– Sabrina Schnur and James Schaeffer
6:40 p.m.
On the move
Shortly after 6 p.m. a procession of at least 200 people walked from Main Street, headed east on Charleston Boulevard to South Art Way. They chanted “Families United” and No Justice No Peace.”
The group said they were advocating for people to remember the pain and suffering endured by families killed by police. Several motorists driving by honked the horns of their vehicles in support.
The group then formed a circle at First Street and Boulder Avenue. They held a moment of silence, some raising their fists in the air. They then played music and heard from more family members of people lost during encounters with police.
“I just hope that people listen and come out because this is what matters,” said Effie Loves, who marched with the group.
– Glenn Puit
6:25 p.m.
‘Reform has to happen’
Victor Dempsey, who said his brother was killed by police in New York, called ongoing killings of people by police “state-sponsored terrorism.”
“We live to tell the story of the lives stolen from us,” Dempsey said at the Forced Trajectory Project event.
He led more than two dozen family members of people harmed by police in repeated chants advocating for change and reform. When the officer involved in his brother’s shooting was acquitted of manslaughter and second-degree murder, Dempsey said it felt as if his brother had died again.
“We are fighting for reform,” he said. “We are fighting so our kids don’t have to do this … so they don’t come knocking on your door. Reform has to happen.”
– Glenn Puit and Sabrina Schnur
5:50 p.m.
Killed by Metro
Alma Chavez spoke about the death of her son, Rafael Olivas, who was shot to death by Las Vegas police in July 2011.
She said police need to do a better job of dealing with people who are struggling with mental health issues. She said her son was having a nervous breakdown when he was shot. Police said Olivas had a knife and they feared for their lives.
“I made a call to them for help and they came and took his life,” Chavez said, adding that the police “are not here to decide who lives or dies. They are here to protect the community.”
She said she spoke at Saturday evening’s press conference because “I want to wake them up,” referencing the public’s awareness of police brutality.
– Glenn Puit
5:30 p.m.
Families share their stories
Marissa Barrera stood with other family members of individuals who perished during encounters with police. Barrera said her brother, Michael, died during a struggle with Woodland, California, police in 2017.
“He had the knee in his back, tasered multiple times, then suffocated,” Barrera said at the Forced Trajectory Project in Downtown Las Vegas.
She stood and yelled with other family members, yelling “Families are the front line,” and “Say his name: Michael Barrera.”
Victor Dempsey said his brother was killed by an off-duty New York Police Department officer on July 4, 2016. The officer was acquitted of manslaughter and 2nd-degree murder, which Dempsey said felt as if his brother died again.
– Glenn Puit and Sabrina Schnur
5:15 p.m.
Orange County advocate
More than two dozen family members of men and women who were harmed during encounters with police joined together to kick off events for Saturday’s Black Lives Matter marches through Las Vegas.
One was Marie Cofinco, who drove from Orange County to tell the story of her nephew, Fermin Vincent Valenzuela Jr., who died at the hands of Anaheim police in 2016.
“I’m here to represent my nephew,” she said as she held a sign describing her nephew’s death.
“My nephew…was placed in a deadly chokehold multiple times by Anaheim police,” her sign said. “They successfully killed him with this unneeded, deadly chokehold.”
Cofinco came to Las Vegas to raise awareness about the dangers of chokeholds, police abuse, and to advocate for reforms.
The group held a sign that said Families Are The Front Line.
– Glenn Puit
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Alexis Egeland contributed to this report.
