More than a hundred people gathered under the lights of the Strip on Saturday night to protest the recent murders of U.S. police and the preliminary ruling of the Clark County attorney in the death of Jorge Gomez in Las Vegas.
“We take it to the streets to be heard,” said Desiree Smith, organizer. “We are still here and we are still angry, tired and upset.”
Smith and Leinati Hackley, organizers of More Than A Hashtag, said they were looking at a year of laws not changing the system, so they are returning to the streets.
“It feels like nothing is going to change, but we do not have to sit there and let the state dictate,” Smith said. “It starts with protest.”
A public review was held Friday for the four officers who fatally shot dead Jorge Gomez outside a June 1 Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Las Vegas.
Police initially said Gomez raised a gun to officers, but the video released in February showed Gomez’s hands were empty as he ran away from police, who shot him 19 times.
Last month, the district attorney’s office made a “preliminary ruling” that the shooting was justified. In the coming weeks, Steve Wolfson, District Attorney in Clark County, will make a final decision on the prosecution of the four officers.
The group also marched in solidarity with Chicago and Minnesota protesters in response to the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo (13) and Daunte Wright (20).
Leon Brooks, 24, of Las Vegas, said they were not surprised by the ruling in Gomez’s review Friday.
“With these police unions, they are paid to hide evidence and protect police,” Brooks said. “We see the same thing with Adam Toledo.”
Wright was fatally shot by a Brooklyn Center police officer, Kimberly Potter, on April 11 during a stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
Potter was later arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter. She was released on bail after her trial on Friday.
CNN reported that at least 100 people were arrested Friday night after a sixth night of protests outside the Brooklyn Center.
Adam Toledo, 13, was shot dead by a Chicago police officer on March 29. The Cook County Attorney’s Office has not announced whether the officer, Eric Stillman, will be charged.
Albi Smedley, 30, of Las Vegas, said she was protesting as a founder of TransVegas on Saturday.
“It’s just important to show Black Lives Matter support and solidarity after these murders,” she said.
Zachary Santiwan, 22, of Las Vegas, said he would get as many protests as needed when one group was humiliated and criminalized.
“As long as there is someone who has to suffer, I can not sit back,” he said.
Riyonna McGee, 20, said she was angry and sad that officers were still shooting people of color.
“We just want to be treated equally,” she said.
McGee said she was frustrated with the outcome of the Gomez investigation because the district attorney’s office did not fail.
“How should the family feel?” she said. “It’s so angry.”
Contact Sabrina Schnur at [email protected] or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.