"One of the cops, Officer Barrera, fired until his gun was empty, paused to reload, then resumed firing. He is responsible for 24 of the 33 shots fired that night. The police are now conducting a slander campaign against PEDRO and the OREGON family by claiming, without proof, that PEDRO was a "drug dealer" and "gang member." Not surprising, considering the way they think about all young blacks and latinos, this is a second assassination of PEDRO. First they killed him with guns, now they are trying to kill his character and turn the victim into a criminal. The fact is NO drugs were found in the apartment, nor on PEDRO, nor in his body. The cops also maintain that he shot at them, but new evidence indicates that the police never saw him with a weapon. This means they lied."

"On August 24, the case was referred to a grand jury by District Attorney John B. Holmes with no charges recommended. D.A. Holmes has admitted that it is his policy never to recommend charges against cops. The means that you and I are held at different standards than the police. Instead of indicting these killer cops for murder, the grand jury cleared all of them except one, who received a sham misdemeanor criminal trespass charge. Only after a public outcry were the six officers fired by Chief of Police Bradford. They were fired because people like you had the guts to stand up and voice your outrage."

"The internal police investigation even found that they had violated state and federal laws. Still no charges! This is the major demand of the JUSTICE FOR PEDRO OREGON COALITION (JPOC), that the cops be charged with murder now!"

"Just last week, information from a deposition of one of the notorious six officers, David R. Perkins, has shed new light on PEDRO's murder. Police reports state that when the cops entered the apartment, PEDRO bolted from the living room, ran down the hallway and into his bedroom. But in Officer Perkins' deposition, he states that he never saw PEDRO run to the bedroom. He then goes on to say that he never saw PEDRO outside the bedroom at any time. So now they are caught in another lie: The truth is that the cops "kicked in the bedroom door, never identifying themselves as the police. After Officer Barrera accidentally shot one of his own men, the cops opened fire on PEDRO, an unarmed man, killing him. Officer Perkins even said that he never saw PEDRO with a weapon at any time!"

We urge D.A. Holmes to take heed of this important new evidence and refer this matter to another grand jury with charges of murder.

"The JPOC was formed in July of 1998 in protest of the atrocity of PEDRO's murder. Since its inception, we have organized and participated in over 15 rallies, marches, and picket lines. Hundreds of people attended the July 26, Sept. 20, and Oct. 25 marches in the Gulfton area where PEDRO lived, as well as the Oct. 22 downtown rally and march against police and migra brutality."

"We have organized community meetings and speakouts at Burnett Bayland Park, at Robert E. Lee High School, and at University of Houston. On Nov. 12, with a picket line outside, members of the Coalition met with D.A. John B. Holmes to discuss referring the case to a new grand jury. He said he would not do this unless new evidence surfaced, which it now has. This was a victory in itself that D.A. Holmes felt obliged to meet with the JPOC."

"The reason he met with us was because of continued public pressure. On Nov. 17, the OREGON family filed a $35 million federal civil lawsuit against the Houston Police Department. Anyone who thinks this is because the family is just interested in money is wrong. The civil suit is not about compensation, it is to punish the cops' bosses. The only way these people think is in terms of money, so the only way to punish them is financially."

The truth is that the OREGON family as has been robbed of PEDRO and denied justice, and no amount of money can make up for PEDRO's lost life, or any other human life.

"We have protested every court date of the farce criminal trespass charge against Officer Willis, and will continue to do so. We invite you all to join us Monday morning, Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m., in front of the Harris County Criminal Courthouse at 301 San Jacinto, downtown, to protest Willis' latest court date. Most recently the JPOC marched in the DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. PARADE downtown in a show of solidarity with Dr. King's belief that 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Just as the government used to spread its lies about Dr. Martin Luther King, they are still spreading lies about PEDRO OREGON."

Although PEDRO OREGON's murder has sparked widespread community outrage, he is not the first to be murdered by police in Houston. Before him come:

Jose Campos Torres, 23.

Travis Allen, 17

On July 15, 1995, this unarmed teenager was shot twice in the back while a 200-lb. cop stood on him as he lay handcuffed and bleeding. No charges.

Jaciel Gonzales, 15

Ezequiel Hernandez, 18

Juan Carlos Espinoza, 16

Nor is PEDRO the latest victim of police brutality. Since his murder, the police have also killed:

Robert Williams, 29

Derek Jason Kaesman, 24

This was not the first time Derek had been a victim of the police. Two years ago, they chased him down which resulted in a car wreck that left him so brain-damaged that his mother was the only person he could recognize. He had reason to be afraid of cops.

And the most recent incident:

Sheryl Sue Seymour, 40

It is more than apparent that these facts represent a pattern of police brutality rather than isolated incidents. The fight for justice will not stop until this system of brutality is eradicated.

The FBI has now launched an investigation of PEDRO's murder which we all hope will result in justice. However, the fact is that of the many cases of police brutality they investigate, only a small fraction ever receive indictments, and even fewer result in a conviction. In 1996, the FBI reviewed 10,129 civil rights cases, and only 0.2% were filed for prosecution. The prosecution rate for police abuse cases is less than 1% of those investigated. So even if a complaint makes it to the FBI, it is very unlikely to lead to a conviction. This is a classic scenario of 'the wolf guarding the fox that's guarding the hen house.'

The killing must stop! The fight for justice must involve the people of Houston, for we must succeed where our local and federal governments have failed to charge these trigger-happy cops with murder. This is a fight for justice, and it is also a fight for our own dignity.

-- Britt Coleman, JUSTICE FOR PEDRO OREGON COALITION
To add names or corrections to the above, please contact Editor Emily Nghiem at: isocracy@juno.com or leave a voice mail message (24 hours) at 713/867-5998.