Latinos Say 6 Youths ‘Railroaded’ : Civil rights: Activists assail police, prosecutors and news media for what they say were unfair portrayals that led to heavier charges against those arrested in death of San Clemente teen.

Latino leaders charged Wednesday that unfair news coverage in the spearing death of a San Clemente teen-ager has heightened racial tensions and caused six Latinos to be “railroaded” by police and prosecutors.

Amin David, chairman of Los Amigos of Orange County, said his organization “detests the implications by the media, some in law enforcement and hostile members of the public that, because of what they wear or how they speak or their skin color, six young Latinos are guilty of the death.”

Steven Woods, 17, died several weeks after someone in a group of about 20 Latino youths threw a paint-roller rod that pierced his skull during a confrontation at Calafia Beach County Park in San Clemente last October. Woods was a passenger in a vehicle pelted by rocks and bottles as it attempted to leave the beach parking lot.

Since the death, some Latinos have been increasingly vocal against police statements that the individuals charged in the case are gang members or gang associates. They’ve also accused the news media of inaccurately depicting the event as Latinos attacking innocent white youths.

At a news conference Wednesday, the families of the defendants were joined by 50 Latinos representing a dozen groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, the American G.I. Forum, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, United Farm Workers, Office of the Mexican Consul and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

“Our Latino youth cannot continue to be railroaded by the media and people of prejudice to feed a vengeful hunger for scapegoats,” David said in a statement that won shouts of approval from Latinos at the news conference.

Other speakers spoke against the police practice of taking photos of suspected gang members that are placed in a gang file for future investigation. They said Latinos believe police often mislabel someone as a gang member based on what they’re wearing, style of their hair and color of clothes.

“Besides, we think it’s illegal,” said John Palacios, MALDEF Orange County leadership program director.

He said the Woods’ case will be added to a “growing list” of complaints Latino leaders will take before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, which plans to probe allegations of widespread institutional racism in Orange County.

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David and other Latino speakers likened the San Clemente attack to the notorious Sleepy Lagoon murder case of 1942. The lagoon, actually a gravel pit in Baldwin Park that served as a swimming hole for mostly Latino youths, made headlines when a fight there between rival gangs left a teen-ager dead. Police rounded up more than 600 Latino youths, and a dozen were sentenced to San Quentin for life despite the lack of strong evidence against them.

“The evidence ranged from flimsy to inventive,” David said, adding that like the beach in San Clemente, Sleepy Lagoon was where “local kids went to party weekend nights.”

Besides criticizing the media, the Latino leaders focused their anger at authorities who, early in the Woods investigation, denied the attack was premeditated or a result of any gang activity.

When prosecutors later filed murder, conspiracy and gang-enhancement charges against the six suspects, some Latinos felt that racial prejudice toward Latinos had caused the heavy charges.

“The white kids were looking for trouble in this case,” claimed Palacios. “What if it had been turned around? Would they have been arrested as gang members?”

In response, Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Paer, who is prosecuting the defendants, said in an interview: “If they were in the cars and the white guys were throwing rocks and bottles, we would have prosecuted Woods.”

“I don’t understand these racial implications,” Paer said. “But as I said before, color had nothing to do with it. We’re talking about a crime.”

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Paer said that during the preliminary stages of the police investigation, his office did state there was no evidence the attack was premeditated or the result of gang activity.

“But that was the initial investigation,” Paer said. “You can’t figure out a case in 10 minutes. You have to listen and read reports. You have to look into people’s backgrounds. It’s a long process.”

Conspiracy and gang enhancement charges were added against the accused Latinos because subsequent evidence warranted it, Paer said.

“In this case, there was more than enough evidence,” he said.

According to authorities, several of the defendants told police investigators they were gang members or gang associates, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Davis, chief of police services in San Clemente, said Wednesday.

“If we stop anyone on the street for just walking around, photographing them as gang suspects is illegal,” Davis said. “But you don’t need their permission if they’re involved in a crime. If we arrest them, we can photograph them.”

The department only photographs people they stop if they get permission, Davis said. “We ask them, we want to take your photograph and we need your permission. If someone says no, then it’s no.”

Statements at the press conference reflected the different version of how the deadly confrontation began.

Witnesses who were riding with Woods said the confrontation was caused by a misunderstanding, but that they were clearly attacked by the Latinos as they tried to leave the beach.