Protest Planned Over Slaying of Black Woman by Police

The chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality of California announced Thursday that the group will stage a protest next week in Riverside, where a police slaying of a young black woman outraged family members and some residents.

A spokeswoman for Chairman Celes King III said CORE planned the peaceful Monday protest after his office was flooded with calls from black Inland Empire residents who are concerned that the investigation into the slaying of 19-year-old Tyisha Miller, who was fired on by three white police officers and one Latino, will be weighted to favor police.

Family members have questioned whether the shooting was racially motivated. Police said it was not. An investigation is ongoing.

Miller was seated in a Nissan Sentra with a handgun in her lap at a gas station early Monday morning, possibly suffering from a seizure. Police broke the window to rescue her, but said Miller reacted by grabbing her gun, leading to the fusillade of police gunfire.

One police account had Miller firing first, but authorities later said there was no evidence to support that claim.

Black activists with the Urban League of San Bernardino-Riverside said they would wait until police completed a report before taking action.

Sandra Moore, the CORE spokeswoman, said about 60 people “called here from Riverside and said their leadership is too soft.”