A recent study conducted by California State University, San Bernardino and the Raza Database Project shows that the number of Latino deaths caused by police is highly undercounted as they are not counted uniformly.
Even though the true impact of police brutality cannot be easily quantified, the report states that over 2,600 Latinos killed in police encounter or died in police custody in recent years.
The report indicates that deaths of people of color are highly undercounted and something needs to be done to generate an accurate database that collects information based on ethnicity, color and race.
Raza Database Project analyzed eight national databases to track the records of police killings along with news reports and public records. To identify any individuals who may have been wrongly categorized or misidentified, researchers studied the entries in the database that were defined as “White,” “Other,” or “Unknown” and matched the names to the surname datasets from the 2010 US Census.
As per the report, 15,085 individuals were killed in police custody or police encounters between 2014 and May 9 2021. After the analysis and research conducted by the group, the number of Latino deaths increased by around 24% from 2,139 to 2,653.
Post the release of the report there was a significant rise in the number of deaths of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. However, these findings should not be considered final the method of calculation may lead to over counting and undercounting.
Over the years several activists and media outlets had taken it upon themselves to collect data related to police violence and brutality as there was no federal database of information. They found that law enforcement agencies often bifurcated individuals into broader racial categories and not as per their ethnicities.
The group’s findings are very disturbing and indicate that over-policing in communities of color may be more widespread than thought.
The research group has stated that they plan to expand the findings and put in more efforts to probe into the issue of Latinos death by police or while in custody.
The report was released as demands for police accountability had increased in recent months from the Hispanic community following the increasing deaths of Latino boys and men in police encounters.
In California, 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez Arenales died in police custody on April 19 after being restrained for over five minutes at a local park. His family seeks justice for his death.
Similarly last year, one week after George Floyd’s death, Sean Monterrosa, 22 was shot and killed by an officer in Vallejo, California. Next week, his family is planning to host a series of events to honor his life and raise awareness about the issue of police brutality among Black and brown people. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that the state is ready to review the Monterrosa’s case.
Police Brutality in California
Law enforcement officers are not immune to the law but sometimes they abuse their power. The California law enforcement departments are no strangers to excessive force, brutality and cover ups.
Other than filing criminal charges, as a victim of police brutality and abuse, you can file a civil lawsuit against the police departments and cities represented by the officers. At Khashan Law firm our team of professional police brutality and misconduct lawyers are here to protect the victims and remind the law enforcement officers of their duties.
Filing a lawsuit against a municipality or the state is a difficult task. There are strict statutes of limitations applicable to these cases. No individual should be wrongfully beaten, shot, assaulted, arrested or imprisoned. The police officers are there to protect the people and not assault them and hurt them.
The police control the evidence for all cases, hence getting the evidence before it is tampered with or destroyed is very important for the success of your case.
We will help secure the evidence and present a good case to the judge or jury defending you and ensuring the guilty police officers and department are brought to justice. Contact us at (951) 461-2387 for a free and confidential consultation today.