Sept. 12--An overflow Vallejo City Hall crowd was united Tuesday night in delivering a scathing attack against city leaders and police over the recent officer-involved shooting death of Mario Romero.
A common theme of the night was that some police officers had targeted certain people, and that the Vallejo Police Department could not objectively investigate its own officers. Several speakers called for an outside investigation of the officer-involved shootings.
In marked contrast to a Monday meeting of a citizens public safety panel abruptly adjourned due to crowd behavior, Tuesday night's audience remained civil as dozens of residents raised pointed questions to the Vallejo City Council about Romero's death.
There were several plain
clothes and uniformed officers at the meeting. Interim police chief Joseph Kreins also attended, but did not address either the council or the audience questions. Last week Kreins held a brief news conference about the case, saying it was under investigation.
Romero, 23, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Sept. 2 by Vallejo police officers, who reportedly stopped to investigate Romero and his passenger, 21-year-old Joe Johnson, while they were parked in front of their north Vallejo home.
Officers said that before they had a chance to address the two men, Romero exited his car and allegedly reached for what turned out to be a replica handgun in his pants' waistband. Family members firmly contend Romero neither got out
of the car nor had a replica gun on him. They also deny police allegations that 50 ecstasy pills were discovered in the car after the shooting.
The Romero death was the fifth fatal officer-involved shooting since May 25, and seventh this year. It has attracted the most attention from residents after it was reported that police had fired more than 30 rounds during the shooting.
Tuesday's meeting was packed with sign-toting protesters as well as large photos of Romero and his 3-year-old daughter.
Mayor Osby Davis assured the crowd that the 45 or so speakers would all be heard, and offered condolences Romero's survivors.
"First and foremost, this council would like to express its sympathies to the family of Mario," Mayor Osby Davis told the audience, commenting that he has lost two of his own children.
Despite Davis' statement, several speakers called the mayor to task for telling TV news crews that he was satisfied with the police explanation of the Romero shooting. Davis said it was not his intention to take sides in the case, after initially denying he had made any public comment to anyone on the issue.
Vallejo NAACP President Jimmie Jackson, meanwhile, told the council that he has met with Romero's family members and that the NAACP expects them to be kept apprised of all investigations into the case.
In addition to those expressing anger over Romero's death, family members of others killed in earlier officer-involved shootings told the council they have been waiting years in vain for answers about those fatalities.
Several speakers demanded that outside investigators, either the FBI, the Justice Department or another police agency, take a closer look at not only the Romero case, but the Vallejo Police Department in general.
Cynquita Martin, Romero's oldest sister, accompanied by her young children, said she witnessed a portion of the shooting because her brother's bullet-riddled car was parked outside their home. Noting that the shooting had occurred nine days earlier, she asked when she would be interviewed by police, and also when family members would be given a chance to speak with Davis. No one responded. Davis had said earlier in the evening that questions posed to the council likely would not be answered due either to pending investigations or possible litigation.
Looking directly at Davis, another sister asked, "Will we have justice for Mario Romero?"
"Of course you're going to have justice," Davis responded after several seconds.
Various speakers urged calls to action from the audience. One man spoke of organizing a "general strike" against police violence in Vallejo; One of Romero's sisters said she has launched an online Change.org petition to bring criminal charges against the Vallejo officers involved in the shootings.
View the recording of the entire council meeting online here . You can participate in a Facebook discussion about the case here .
Contact staff writer Jessica A. York at (707) 553-6834 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @JYVallejo.
Copyright 2012 - Times-Herald, Vallejo, Calif.
