Activists rally at LAPD's Rampart station to protest fatal shooting of day laborer

A crowd of about 200 demonstrators descended peacefully but boisterously on the LAPD's Rampart police station to protest an officer's fatal shooting of a Guatemalan immigrant two weeks ago.

As a small group of bicycle patrol officers watched on 6th Street in the predominantly Central American and Mexican immigrant Westlake neighborhood, activists led chants on bullhorns of "assassins."

Manuel Jamines was shot and killed two weeks ago after police said he advanced on officers with a knife. Residents and the LAPD agree that Jamines was intoxicated at the time of the shooting, but there is disagreement over whether he had a knife or whether he represented an imminent threat to the officers. The LAPD has said that Jamines had drunkenly threatened people before the fatal encounter.

As he stood on the corner of 6th Street and Union Avenue, just yards from where Jamines was killed Sept. 5 at about 10:30 a.m., LAPD Commander Blake Chow said he expected the rally to remain calm and organized.

"It's a lot quieter than it was in the beginning," he said. "The vibe today is of a group that's really organized and respectful."

The demonstration was part police brutality screed and immigrant rights rally. Many of the organizers, young and old, were veterans of immigrant rights rallies. A few protesters denounced capitalism while wearing caps and shirts with the sickle and hammer, Che Guevara and other revolutionary symbols.

But others were residents of the neighborhood who said they had no larger agenda beyond showing support for a man they said did not deserve to be shot to death.

"I'm just here to support a friend," said Guatemalan immigrant Juan Lorenzo Lopez, 41. "It was an injustice what happened to him."

-- Hector Becerra

Comments

[Mufon]

"A few protesters denounced capitalism while wearing caps and shirts with the sickle and hammer, Che Guevara and other revolutionary symbols."

Yeah, revolutionary symbols. Symbolic of the very thing from which most of the good immigrants in the Westlake area fled.

[Collis Huntington]

Anarchists and communists are a tiny but colorful subculture in central Los Angeles. They show up at public events and on street corners to encourage an often bewildered public to "embrace communism."

[david]

Try to protest a police action like that in a communist country. The people wearing che t-shirts are either tools or some idealistic college students.

[Justin]

Get off wellfare and get a real JOB so you won't have the time to protest over stupidity!!!

[Mike]

Give it a REST! Please stop reporting on this topic. The guy got justice. If 2 cops pointing guns at you isn't enough to convince you to drop your weapon... Bang. Why not report on some real news.

[Bill K.]

Every organization has it's 10% of bad. I wonder if that was the protester's family that he threatened with a knofe in his intoxicated state would they feel the same. Or if they had not shot him, would they be angry because the police did nothing. They're damned if they do, damned if they don't. And the papers are not telling the whole story. The man had already cut one woman who got away from his grasp and he had threatened another woman.

A person who is influenced by substance is not in the right state of mind. He chose to lose his head and threaten others. It is not a good thing to take someone's life. Yet, in his influenced state, he was ready to take two lives without justifiable cause.

The officer is faced with dismissal over politics. Yet, if he had done nothing and those two women lay dead. Just another headline.

[D. Von]

If he was such a hard working day laborer as the protesters stated what was he doing drunk at 10:30am instead of working or looking for work? Sundays are productive days for day laborers. Also if you are an immigrant you really don't want to bring attention to yourself in a negative way by being publicly intoxicated and especially not by threatening people or carrying a weapon on you. However, whether you are an immigrant or not if you charge at police with any kind of weapon you pay the consequences. Seems like people were making this out to be a racial thing when it isn't. Police may not have even known about his immigration status when this occurred. The outcome would have been the same even if he was U.S. born.

[Comic_Guy]

If these illegals think the police here are "assassins" then they should go back to where they came from. But I wonder what the police in Guatemala would do if anyone had attacked them with a knife?

[Bob Skinner]

So guess it would have been better that the drunken Guatemalan had knifed the pregnant woman or one of the officers!

[john Manchester]

this is why these people flood over here, free food stamps, free schooling free health, free social security,,,,,,,,free housing, but let one dumb ass get drunk and threaten a woman and a police officer, then this illegal has more rights then anybody,,,,,,,,,,,,simple solution, next time they rally in LA,,,,, jus bring in some buses load em up and ship them back to mexico, if they dont like our laws,,,,,,,

[Steven M.]

All illegal immigrants are to report to the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd., in West Los Angeles, for self-deportation proceedings, in order not to endure any more "harassment."

[bob]

Sheesh !!!!! If These people would protest against all the Violence in that part of town that happens everyday , just maybe that community would be alot safer ........ There is a reason there Are so MANY cops in that area !!!!!!! .....its because of the Violence !!! , Cmon people !! ....... the cops did their JOB now its time for you do YOURS and protest against all the Gang bangers & Violence in that area - next time there is a Drive -by , Murder or Burglary - get out and protest !!!!!!!
Protest just like you did last week !! and improve that community that represents 3rd world Similarities !! Sheesh !!!!

[Jack Kelly]

These rallys would be a great place to invite our immigration officers..
Let's see. Three hikers enter Iran's territory. They are arrested for spying..
Then, so far, one has been ransomed for $500,000.Humm..Does this give you any ideas on how to balance the national debt.
13 million (spys) times 500,000=
Oh shoot,this won't work. Their government does not want them..So they wont pay..will maybe we can sell them,opps, i mean have someone else pay their ransom..

[John]

You know darn well if that guy had stabbed and killed a bystander, these very same people who are saying too much force was used, would be saying that not enough force was used and that the cops let it happen. No matter what, these people will always hate the police. You're better off arguing with a brick wall.

[wildbill]

Injustice?!?!?!? If there was a knife and members of the populace threatened coupled with a refusal to comply, that is the end of the discussion.

The bigger question is what was wrong with the knife wielder?

[Janice]

These activists need to shut up and go home. They criticize the police at every turn. But who is called when they have a problem or are in trouble. 911 brings the police running to help these ingrates. It's probably a bunch of illegal immigrants who are causing trouble.

[Mike G.]

Unless protesters use violence, no changes will take place. Violence is always the answer for change.

[Don Marshall]

You meant ILLEGAL ALIENS, not immigrants. Immigrants have green cards and speak some Engish. The women with the babies didn't deserve to be threatened by a drunk with a knife, but I guess thats acceptable behavior...

[carlos]

they should call I.C.E to take care of all this people,

[chuck]

Why has ICE not got involved here and looked to see if these people are here legally, More than likely they are here illegally we need to quit catering to these illegals.

[byetheway77]

The victim was a pariah in the Rampart neighborhood. When evening turned quiet, he would stand on the sidewalk cursing at passersby. Locals fabricated an injustice after his demise. Some were arrested for unlawful assembly. After their arrests and examination of their IDs, their status as illegal immigrant could be determined. The sanctuary city surreptitiously prevented the deportations of those who perpetrated the criminal offences.

[BigE]

Don't pull a knife and you won't get shot your not in South America anymore. We need ICE to go in and clean that area up.

[wingdemon]

If immigrants come here showing support for the "sickle and hammer" then there are plenty of other countries they can go into illegally for that. So why do illegal immigrants believe they have rights in a free country that they came to illegal, don't pay taxes in, don't support the gov. programs that they get benefits from, and carry out illegal acts thinking that there is no punishment for? Go home.

[probleman]

Why don't they hold rallies for all the good things that the police have done in the past? Like catching criminals and speeders?
One bad thing happen and hundreds of people come protest.
People feed on negativity.

Who shot the guy? It was a Mexican, so why don't they hold a "No Mexican brutality towards Guatemalan" protest?

[tulsadave]

The continuing importation of poor people from other nations is having a devastating effect on America. The cost of providing services for these people is being placed on the backs of taxpayers. The Democratic Party is selling out the country in exchange for a voting base that they seek to enlarge by keeping the poor in poverty, cause further harm to the economy thereby creating even more poor people and importing the poor from other nations. They do this to gain more power at the expense of the nation and the prosperity of its citizens.
If the Democrats truly helped the poor, then where is the proof?