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LA1.> W;^".^
... - \ - - - * • *. . .
Mexico Consulate Speaks Out
■ Diplomacy: The LA. office becomes more
vigorous in defending nationals in the VS.
- Two shooting deaths involving law
enforcement bring unusually strong protests.
— By TRACY WILKINSON •!..,._ '. .
" IIU11JKIF Want*
The doors of the Mexican Consulate near MacArthur
Park had barely opened when the brothers of Nicolas
Contreras .appeared, saying that they sought justice. Days
before. Contreras had been shot to death by Los Angeles
police officers who*said the Mexican national had threatened them with a gun he was firing to welcome the new
year. .
That explanation did not satisfy Contreras' brothers. But
instead of protesting quietly, they asked the consulate for
help.
The consulate was quick to respond. In a rare departure
from protocol. Consul General Jose Angel Pescador Osuna
sent Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates a formal
letter of protest, expressing "Indignation" and demanding
an investigation into the shooting.
Il was the second time in less than a week that Mexican
government officials had confronted Los Angeles law
enforcement- Another Mexican citizen, Pedro Castarteda
Gonzalez, had been killed on New Year's under similar
j circumstances at the hands of a sheriffs deputy. Another
letter of complaint went to Sheriff Sherman Block.
The unusual protests are part of what Mexican officials
say is a campaign to attract attention to the plight of
Mexican nationals in the United Slates. Spurred by
pressure al home to protect Mexjcans abroad the consulate
in Los Angeles says that it will take a more active role in
monitoring and publicizing cases of alleged police abuse or
other violence against Mexican nationals.
"What we are talking about is violation of human
rights," said Martin Torres, consulate press attache. "It has
to be fixed. It has to be changed (and] it should be known
lhat we are working to slop these kinds of incidents
(which) are beginning to repeat themselves."
The campaign appears to be an offshoot of similar efforts
in the San Diego area aimed at stemming a rising tide of
violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Such .efforts
received a boost' last November when the presidents of
Mexico and the United States met in Monterrey. Mexico,
and agreed to lake steps to stop border violence.
Torres conceded lhat the border, where five Mexicans
have been killed by U.S. law enforcement agents in the
last year, has a greater problem than the Los Angeles area,
and he added that relations between the Mexican Consulate
and local law enforcement are generally good. But by
making an issue of the Contreras and Castarteda cases, he
said, the consulate hopes to prevent more incidents and
remind authorities that consular officials are watching.
Since taking over the consulate early last year. Pescador
has promoted the more aggressive stance as part of his
0w*«rfiM»rma foreign policy. In
addition to protesting violence, he
and other officials have attended
local trials of several Mexican nationals, including Ruben Zuno
Aire, convicted in the torture-
murder of U.S. drug agent Enrique
Camarena. and of three San Bernardino Couniy sheriff's deputies
accused in a lawsuit of beating five
Mexican citizens in Victorville.
The consulate is also encouraging Mexican citizens with similar
complaints against police to come
forward.
Los Angeles police and sheriffs
officials deny lhat Mexican nationals are singled out for abusive
treatment, and say lhal the shoot-
mgs of Contreras and Castarteda
were already under investigation
without any prompting from the
Mexican government. So far. they
said, investigators have nol turned
up evsdenrraf wtttMmM
"I think it was a matter of
jumping before you think." Sgt.
•Edward Sznaper, head of the Los
Angeles Couniy Sheriff's Department's international liaison unit,
said of ihe consular protest.
Lt. William Hall, who heads the
Los Angeles Police Department
unit thai investigates officer-involved shootings, said the consulate's action look him by surprise.
"We've shot a lot .of Mexican
nationals over the years and il was
unusual to get a letter." Hall said.
"I don't attach a lot of significance
to it. I don't think there is any basis
to it, but if they (Mexican officials)
have other information, we want to
keep an open mind and avail ourselves of it."
To that end. police investigators
mei with Pescador and other consulate officials Wednesday.
With publicity swirling around
shootings or beatings in which
Mexican nationals are victims, the
Mexican government—dismayed
by' sharp criticism from several
U.S.-based human rights organizations—may be hoping for an image-enhancing political plus: shifting the focus from human rights
violations in Mexico to similar alleged abuses in the United States.
*'Tt is a way to say it doesn't
Xonly happen in Mexico," Torres said." . . . It is a way to say we
are concerned about human rights
here |in the United States) loo."
Contreras and Castarteda had
been killed afler ihey were discov-
£ ered shooting guns into the air to
mark the New Year—a felony
• offense that law enforcement officials had been working to discour-
ported the police description of
events.
In the other case attracting consular attention, Castarteda and two
companions were saluting the New
Year shortly after midnight by
firing a revolver into the air.
According lo sheriff's spokesmen, a
deputy was dispatched to investigate reports of gunfire, saw the
three men and ordered Castarteda.
28, to drop the gun.
The deputy said he saw Castarteda turn toward him. pointing the
gun. The deputy fired five times.
Castaneda died al the scene.
One of Castaneda's companions.
Luis Alberto Vclasco. told consulate officials and The Times lhat
Castarteda had already dropped the
gun when the deputy opened fire.
Authorities deny that. The case
remains under investigation.
Sznaper said the Mexican Consulate, in protesting the shootings, acted hastily and with little
foundation.
"Every story has at least two
sides." Sznaper said. "To go lo the
family and gel their side, and then
go with it like it's the gospel truth,
is ludicrous." ;
Torres countered, however, that
without consular participation, the-
family's side might not be given
full weight. .;.,: jffiggjjgaf
/ftfn the Contreras case. Los An-
geles police say they, fired four
shotgun rounds into Contreras
when he pointed u gun al them.
Contreras. a 26-year-old wire factory worker, had been shooting his
gun into the night sky as he stood
on the front stoop of his South-
Central home, according to police
and his family.
Besides Contreras and the two
officers who confronted him. apparently no one saw the shooting.
A neighbor and a brother of Contreras who were in their homes at
the time say that they did not hear
police identify themselves before
the shotgun blasts rang out. but
police say they clearly identified
themselves and ordered Contreras
to pul down his weapon.
Regardless of what an official
investigation ultimately shows,
Contreras' family is not likely to be
comforted.
"We want justice." Jose Alfredo
Contreras, 31. said in Spanish as he.
anolher brother and two cousins
awaited information at the consulate, a newly refurbished building
on 6th Street next to MacArlhur
Park. "My brother was nol a murderer. They did nol have lo do this
to him."
Hall said evidence and interviews with the officers and people
from the neighborhood have sup-
Nicblas Contreras
Object Description
| Title | Correspondence: complaints against LAPD, 1978-1991 |
| Description | Newspaper clippings (Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Daily News, New York Times, Sentinel) and magazine articles (U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek) documenting Los Angeles Police Department misconduct under Chief Daryl F. Gates, 1978-1991, compiled by Irving Kessler and Lynn F. Kessler. Includes: Introduction, Contents, Excessive force, Rodney King, Mexican nationality, Civil rights, Property, Silence, Discrimination, Accountability, Gates intolerance, Recommendations. PART OF A SERIES: Materials in the series fall into one of several categories related to the Independent Commission's work product: (1) Commission meeting materials, which include meeting agendas, work plans, memoranda, and articles about police misconduct that were circulated and reviewed during the Commission's internal meetings; (2) public correspondence, which includes citizen complaints against the LAPD in the form of written testimony, articles, and an audio cassette tape, as well as letters drafted by citizens in support of the LAPD; (3) summaries of interviews held with LAPD officers regarding Departmental procedures and relations; (4) public meeting materials, which include transcripts, supplementary documents, and witness statements that were reviewed at the Commission's public meetings; (5) press releases related to the formation and work product of the Commission; and (6) miscellaneous materials reviewed by the Commission during its study, including LAPD personnel and training manuals, a memorandum of understanding, and messages from the LAPD's Mobile Digital Terminal (MDT) system. |
| Coverage date | 1978/1991 |
| Creator |
Kessler, Irving, compiler Kessler, Lynn F., compiler |
| Publisher (of the original version) | Los Angeles Times; L.A. Weekly; U.S. News & World Report; Los Angeles Daily News; New York Times; Newsweek; Sentinel |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California, USA; Washington, DC, USA; New York, New York, USA |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California |
| Date created | 1991 |
| Date issued | 1978/1991 |
| Type |
texts images |
| Format | 368 p. |
| Format (aat) |
clippings (information artifacts) articles summaries |
| Format (imt) | application/pdf |
| Language | English |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Part of collection | Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991 |
| Series | Independent Commission File List |
| File | Complaints, suggestions, and support |
| Box and folder | box 23, folders 7-9 |
| Provenance | The collection was given to the University of Southern California on July 31, 1991. |
| Rights | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained. |
| Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Repository name | USC Libraries Special Collections |
| Repository address | Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 |
| Repository email | specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Filename | indep-box23-07_09 |
Description
| Title | Correspondence: complaints against LAPD, 1978-1991, p. 213 |
| Format (imt) | image/tiff |
| Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Full text | LA1.> W;^".^ ... - \ - - - * • *. . . Mexico Consulate Speaks Out ■ Diplomacy: The LA. office becomes more vigorous in defending nationals in the VS. - Two shooting deaths involving law enforcement bring unusually strong protests. — By TRACY WILKINSON •!..,._ '. . " IIU11JKIF Want* The doors of the Mexican Consulate near MacArthur Park had barely opened when the brothers of Nicolas Contreras .appeared, saying that they sought justice. Days before. Contreras had been shot to death by Los Angeles police officers who*said the Mexican national had threatened them with a gun he was firing to welcome the new year. . That explanation did not satisfy Contreras' brothers. But instead of protesting quietly, they asked the consulate for help. The consulate was quick to respond. In a rare departure from protocol. Consul General Jose Angel Pescador Osuna sent Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates a formal letter of protest, expressing "Indignation" and demanding an investigation into the shooting. Il was the second time in less than a week that Mexican government officials had confronted Los Angeles law enforcement- Another Mexican citizen, Pedro Castarteda Gonzalez, had been killed on New Year's under similar j circumstances at the hands of a sheriffs deputy. Another letter of complaint went to Sheriff Sherman Block. The unusual protests are part of what Mexican officials say is a campaign to attract attention to the plight of Mexican nationals in the United Slates. Spurred by pressure al home to protect Mexjcans abroad the consulate in Los Angeles says that it will take a more active role in monitoring and publicizing cases of alleged police abuse or other violence against Mexican nationals. "What we are talking about is violation of human rights," said Martin Torres, consulate press attache. "It has to be fixed. It has to be changed (and] it should be known lhat we are working to slop these kinds of incidents (which) are beginning to repeat themselves." The campaign appears to be an offshoot of similar efforts in the San Diego area aimed at stemming a rising tide of violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Such .efforts received a boost' last November when the presidents of Mexico and the United States met in Monterrey. Mexico, and agreed to lake steps to stop border violence. Torres conceded lhat the border, where five Mexicans have been killed by U.S. law enforcement agents in the last year, has a greater problem than the Los Angeles area, and he added that relations between the Mexican Consulate and local law enforcement are generally good. But by making an issue of the Contreras and Castarteda cases, he said, the consulate hopes to prevent more incidents and remind authorities that consular officials are watching. Since taking over the consulate early last year. Pescador has promoted the more aggressive stance as part of his 0w*«rfiM»rma foreign policy. In addition to protesting violence, he and other officials have attended local trials of several Mexican nationals, including Ruben Zuno Aire, convicted in the torture- murder of U.S. drug agent Enrique Camarena. and of three San Bernardino Couniy sheriff's deputies accused in a lawsuit of beating five Mexican citizens in Victorville. The consulate is also encouraging Mexican citizens with similar complaints against police to come forward. Los Angeles police and sheriffs officials deny lhat Mexican nationals are singled out for abusive treatment, and say lhal the shoot- mgs of Contreras and Castarteda were already under investigation without any prompting from the Mexican government. So far. they said, investigators have nol turned up evsdenrraf wtttMmM "I think it was a matter of jumping before you think." Sgt. •Edward Sznaper, head of the Los Angeles Couniy Sheriff's Department's international liaison unit, said of ihe consular protest. Lt. William Hall, who heads the Los Angeles Police Department unit thai investigates officer-involved shootings, said the consulate's action look him by surprise. "We've shot a lot .of Mexican nationals over the years and il was unusual to get a letter." Hall said. "I don't attach a lot of significance to it. I don't think there is any basis to it, but if they (Mexican officials) have other information, we want to keep an open mind and avail ourselves of it." To that end. police investigators mei with Pescador and other consulate officials Wednesday. With publicity swirling around shootings or beatings in which Mexican nationals are victims, the Mexican government—dismayed by' sharp criticism from several U.S.-based human rights organizations—may be hoping for an image-enhancing political plus: shifting the focus from human rights violations in Mexico to similar alleged abuses in the United States. *'Tt is a way to say it doesn't Xonly happen in Mexico," Torres said." . . . It is a way to say we are concerned about human rights here |in the United States) loo." Contreras and Castarteda had been killed afler ihey were discov- £ ered shooting guns into the air to mark the New Year—a felony • offense that law enforcement officials had been working to discour- ported the police description of events. In the other case attracting consular attention, Castarteda and two companions were saluting the New Year shortly after midnight by firing a revolver into the air. According lo sheriff's spokesmen, a deputy was dispatched to investigate reports of gunfire, saw the three men and ordered Castarteda. 28, to drop the gun. The deputy said he saw Castarteda turn toward him. pointing the gun. The deputy fired five times. Castaneda died al the scene. One of Castaneda's companions. Luis Alberto Vclasco. told consulate officials and The Times lhat Castarteda had already dropped the gun when the deputy opened fire. Authorities deny that. The case remains under investigation. Sznaper said the Mexican Consulate, in protesting the shootings, acted hastily and with little foundation. "Every story has at least two sides." Sznaper said. "To go lo the family and gel their side, and then go with it like it's the gospel truth, is ludicrous." ; Torres countered, however, that without consular participation, the- family's side might not be given full weight. .;.,: jffiggjjgaf /ftfn the Contreras case. Los An- geles police say they, fired four shotgun rounds into Contreras when he pointed u gun al them. Contreras. a 26-year-old wire factory worker, had been shooting his gun into the night sky as he stood on the front stoop of his South- Central home, according to police and his family. Besides Contreras and the two officers who confronted him. apparently no one saw the shooting. A neighbor and a brother of Contreras who were in their homes at the time say that they did not hear police identify themselves before the shotgun blasts rang out. but police say they clearly identified themselves and ordered Contreras to pul down his weapon. Regardless of what an official investigation ultimately shows, Contreras' family is not likely to be comforted. "We want justice." Jose Alfredo Contreras, 31. said in Spanish as he. anolher brother and two cousins awaited information at the consulate, a newly refurbished building on 6th Street next to MacArlhur Park. "My brother was nol a murderer. They did nol have lo do this to him." Hall said evidence and interviews with the officers and people from the neighborhood have sup- Nicblas Contreras |
| Filename | indep-box23-08-02~03.tif |
| Archival file | Volume77/indep-box23-08-02~03.tif |
