Families demand justice at vigil for Jose Naranjo-Cortez

Fullerton, CA – On April 27, over 30 family members, Orange County residents and activists gathered at Lemon Park to grieve for Jose Naranjo-Cortez, who was killed by Fullerton Police Department on April 20.

The vigil was organized by Jose Naranjo-Cortez’s family and Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) a grassroots, working-class group that fights for community control of the police.

Fullerton PD released a short statement about the killing. According to the report, an officer claimed that Naranjo-Cortez was acting erratically. More officers arrived and started using force to “gain control.” They called for even more officers and put him in restraints. Later Naranjo-Cortez showed signs of a medical emergency and was pronounced dead at an unnamed hospital. While the report raises more questions than answers, what is clear is that Fullerton PD killed Jose Naranjo-Cortez.

His family gathered behind a white altar decorated with candles and bouquets of flowers. His sister, Mary Naranjo-Cortez, spoke first: “As of today, the police department has not reached out to me or my family. They have not shared any information. I called several times and have not received a call back. I requested a report. I was denied the report. Right now, we’re left with questions and no answers.”

Mary Naranjo-Cortez stated, “My brother is currently at the coroner’s office waiting for [Jose’]s body to be released so we can start giving him the rest that he deserves and so we can say our final goodbyes to him in the manner that he so wished for. But right now, we’re left with a huge void, not understanding why things happened the way they happened.”

Mary Naranjo-Cortez continued, “My brother was an amazing man. He was a good father. He was an amazing brother. He had a kind; gentle heart and he did not deserve this.” She added, “I pray that God will place in the hearts of the police department to come forward and stop being cowards.”

Guillermina Cortez approached the microphone and wept. “They killed my son,” she said. Family members embraced her as she trembled in pain. “They killed my son. It’s because he lived in the park. He lived in the park because he was homeless. But that was not a reason for them to kill people! He was doing nothing to nobody. He was helping poor people with clothes, with food. He always sympathized with poor people. So it gave me very hard, very painful feelings.”

Maritza Cortez spoke next about her cousin, saying, “Never in a million years have I thought that I would lose a family member in this manner.”

Maritza Cortez said, “This shines a light and exposes so much of the reality of these authorities and establishments that are put into place to protect and serve us, right? But at the end of the day, there are lives that are being lost, there are innocent lives. Justice will be served in one way, shape or form. This is what matters right now – community, and organizing and getting together and raising awareness for those who have been affected.”

CSO OC urges community members and activists to support the family by contributing to the Jose Naranjo-Cortez Memorial Fund.

Erika Armenta approached the altar with her two daughters. Speaking Spanish, she said, “First of all, I want to say to the impacted families here that I share in their pain. It is a very deep pain.”

Erika Armenta continued, “On the first of December, the police of Santa Ana killed the father of my children. He was named Noe Rodriguez. He was 31 years old. The police killed him in a very brutal way. They did not de-escalate the situation. They did not care about the life of a person that was not harming anyone. The cause of his death was multiple bullets that cruelly snatched away his life.”

As one of her daughters held her by the waist, Armenta explained that it had been five months since Noe Rodriguez was killed, yet the department had still not given her the police report, despite her lawyers’ repeated requests. “My daughters need to know what happened to their father, and it’s something that can happen to anyone. Therefore, let’s continue fighting for justice for our loved ones, and for their memory to not be tarnished by the police departments’ lies.”

Yvonne de la Torre spoke next about her partner, Alejandro Campos Rios, who was killed by Fullerton PD March 6, 2024, stating, “He was outside McDonalds having a mental health crisis, but instead of calling a mental health crisis team to come out to assist them, they chose to call more officers. They called six total officers: five male and one female, to subdue a 150-pound man.”

While the report said that police shot Alejandro Campos Rios with tasers and bean bag projectiles, Yvonne de la Torre pointed out that they shot him at very close range and drew blood from his forearm, stating, “They say that he died at the hospital. No, he did not die at the hospital. He died right there in front of McDonalds at the front entrance. He bled out.”

Yvonne de la Torre said, “They’re just cowards hiding behind a badge. They think because they have a badge and a gun, they can do whatever they want. And they think that the families are not gonna come after them. They have another thing coming. They messed with the wrong families, because there are families out there fighting and fighting and fighting. They want justice for their loved ones.”

The vigil closed with a prayer with all attending. The family left tall candles and flowers at the base of a tree to commemorate Jose Naranjo-Cortez.

If you live in Orange County and are interested in CSO OC’s work fighting police crimes, please reach out to us:

Phone: (714) 367 – 6350

Instagram: cso.oc

Email: [email protected]

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Source: https://fightbacknews.org/families-demand-justice-at-vigil-for-jose-naranjo-cortez?pk_campaign=rss-feed