UNDERSTANDING THE RIOTS / PART 3 : WITNESS TO RAGE : ‘I didn’t think they’d get me. I was unlucky.’

Well, I live in Santa Ana. I came to Los Angeles because my aunt called me to tell me that they had killed my cousin. Someone from the National Guard killed him. I think he was with all the people in the streets. And he was shot. I imagine it was randomly and he got shot. I arrived Saturday morning to my aunt’s because she’s all alone. All she has left is a little girl.

At night, I felt like drinking a beer and I headed for the store. A policeman asked me if I knew that I shouldn’t be out in the streets at that time and I said I knew it. But since the store was only two blocks away, I said, “I’m going.” I didn’t think they’d get me. But then I was unlucky that a police car went by and picked me up.

The police talked to me very harshly. They asked me, “What are you doing?” I told them I was going to the store, they said, “It’s “bull----.” I said my house is here. “Hey, shut the f--- up,” they were telling me. So they handcuffed me and took me to the station. I didn’t even get a chance to see my cousin. I couldn’t be with my aunt.

What I saw inside, the ones they’ve caught are only from the black race and the Latin race. I haven’t seen any Koreans or Chinese. Why not them? Or white? Why only the black race and the Latinos? Well, it’s racism.

Every day I was in jail they had us all cramped up together. Smelling everyone’s bad odor. Like animals, worse than animals. Just because I was in the street.

I knew that there was that law but I wasn’t doing anything. The store was two blocks away from my aunt’s house.

I think that they imagine that the ones who do harm are the Latinos and the black race.

I was born here. My parents are Mexican, from Jalisco. In Mexico, the government does its chores. I would feel with more freedom being in Mexico. With my people.

My cousin, who was killed, was 22 years old. It was a very hard blow for the family, especially for my aunt because he was the oldest, he was the man of the house. Now, there’s only my aunt and cousin, the youngest girl.

They’re alone with no money to take him out of the general hospital. And they’re charging everyday. They didn’t want them to take him out. She wanted to send him to Mexico, to bury him in Mexico. Over where our grandparents are. But, I don’t know, I was just let out of jail and I don’t even have (money) for the bus. I’m asking around.

There’s been a lot lost. Companies burnt. It affects the people that are working. They lose their jobs. How are they going to support their families? Where are they going to work?

A lot of people are affected by it. And all because of the government, the police. If there weren’t any evidence, like the tape, it might not have been true. But the evidence is there. Everything is clear. We all saw it. The entire world.