More than 100 activists gathered at the San Gabriel Valley home of Sheriff's deputy Miguel Vega who killed 18 year-old Andres Guardado near Compton last month. (Photo by Ernesto Arce)
By Ernesto Arce | KPFK News
Three people were arrested in relation to a protest at the San Gabriel Valley home of an LA County Sheriff’s deputy after a rally demanding his arrest, according to the Covina Police Department. Police watchdogs said they organized a protest and press conference to call out Deputy Miguel Vega as a murderer for shooting 18 year-old Andres Guardado five times in the back.
Organizers say the entire incident and subsequent case is a nightmare. The Sheriff’s department blocked evidence, isn’t communicating with the family, and is now fighting with County officials and agencies over the case.
Over one hundred activists and community members gathered on a quiet, tree-lined suburb in the San Gabriel Valley city of Covina.
A well-kept house on the corner of San Bernardino Road and Cedar Drive was the site of a protest demanding the arrest of its owner: LA County Sheriff deputy Miguel Vega.
Police brutality activists say they're taking their protest to where their voices are best heard: at the home of killer law enforcement officials. Emmanuel Martinez (far right) is deputy Vega's next door neighbor. He described the deputy as "arrogant and entitled." (Photos by Ernesto Arce)
Demonstrators held signs saying the sidewalk action was a Revolt against racism. They say institutions such as the LA County Sheriff’s department are rife with reported killings of suspects, many unarmed, most from working class communities of color.
Kent is an activist who made the drive from SELA, Southeast LA, close to where the incident took place.
“That just sickens people that he can stay here miles away from where Andres resided in and where the murder took place,” Kent said. “It’s disturbing that a man can work and police and murder a child in the Compton area and then come all the way back home to his peaceful, quiet suburb out here in Covina.”
Kent says police brutality activists want to take their demands right to the perpetrators' front door.
Noor of Chino Hills took that advice to heart. She walked to the back door window of the house, burning herbs in a symbolic protest, before another protester asked her to return to the sidewalk.
“Sage is to cleanse the bad spirits and energy around you,” Noor said. “I’m from North Africa so we do that to make the house a better place and definitely this murderer’s house needs some cleansing.”
Last week, the FBI announced it would carry out its own investigation into the killing. The federal agency also said it was concerned about allegations of deputy cliques.
But Sheriff Alex Villanueva mentioned several times that cliques are not a major problem in the department and that deputies were justified in fatally shooting suspects like Guardado.
More than 100 activists gathered at the San Gabriel Valley home of Sheriff's deputy Miguel Vega who killed 18 year-old Andres Guardado near Compton last month. (Photos by Ernesto Arce)
Keyanna Celina of South Central LA says the Sheriff's department did everything in its power to block the release of the autopsy report. She says they took extreme measures by seizing security camera footage and then refusing the family's request to see the body of their loved one.
“The autopsy report tells a story of how he shot him in the back standing over him and then continued to shoot him as he was falling down.” Celina said. “That’s a child. This is a serial killer. This is a child killer and he needs to know that he’s not welcome to come to our community, murder our youth and then retreat to his suburb and live in peace. We’re gonna keep disrupting him until we get justice for Andres.”
In a recent report, it was suspected that Deputy Vega sported a tattoo of the Executioners, a so-called deputy clique gang for those who are inked after killing someone while on duty.
Emmanuel Martinez is Vega’s next door neighbor who says the deputy always struck him as an aggressive and arrogant person.
“Since the moment I moved here, I knew he was a cop,” Martinez said. “I’m not against police but he was a bit of a jerk and I’m not surprised. And now that I know that I dislike him even more. It’s completely wrong. Nobody should be shot five times running away from anything.”
The ACLU of Southern California called for the resignation of Sheriff Villanueva, the first time in its contemporary history that it made such a call, in part, due to handling of the Guardado case.
The civil liberties advocate tweeted a thread over the weekend explaining that Villanueva wants to undo hard-fought victories that made the troubled department more transparent and accountable.
Back at the deputy’s home, Covina police said several protesters had trespassed into private property to leave signs and cards on a window of the house.
Three people were arrested after an unlawful assembly was declared. Organizers with the Coalition for Community Control over the Police say they’re planning more rallies outside of the deputy’s home.
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