BY RAUL HERNANDEZ
VENTURA, CALIF. – A Ventura County Superior Court commissioner denied a motion to dismiss five jaywalking tickets against a community activist who claims he was singled out from among 150 protestors during a march against police killings and abuse in Oxnard.
Commissioner Anthony Sabo issued his ruling last week stating Francisco Romero had not been singled out by the Oxnard Police Department during a protest march that took place on Oct. 13, 2014.
“There is no showing that the defendant was targeted for prosecution for any reason other than, to the defendant’s misfortune, officers were able to identify him and observe his actions on video,” Sabo wrote in his decision.
Sabo’s ruling clears the way for a trial that is set for April 8.
Romero and his lawyer, Jaime Segall Gutierrez, of Whittier, California, declined to comment Wednesday but stated that they will file a motion to postpone the trial so they can file an appeal to Sabo’s ruling.
The basis for the defense’s motion to dismiss the case was because Romero was the only protestor among 150 to be given five tickets more than two weeks after a “March for Justice” protest.
“While the defendant may have been the only person cited, he fails to show any invidious basis for the charges,” Sabo wrote.
Adding, that there was no basis for on “intentional discrimination for his membership in a class identified by the equal protection clause,” Sabo stated.
The legal ground for the motion to dismiss is based on the 1975 Murgia vs. Municipal Court Case. Sabo held several hearings and listened to more than 10 witnesses, including Oxnard police officers who were subpoenaed by the defense to testify.
Gutierrez had said that Romero was targeted because he is a “eloquent, charismatic leader” who has been in the forefront of protesting a spade of police killings and brutality in Oxnard.
Gutierrez said police want to silence Romero’s voice through harassment and intimidation.
Romero is a community leader with Todo Poder al Pueblo and once ran for the Oxnard City Council and got 7,000 votes.
Assistant District Attorney Susan Park argued in court that Romero was never singled out by police but was given the jaywalking tickets for “public safety purposes.” She said Oxnard police were enforcing the law and never engaged in selective enforcement by citing Romero.
Police have testified at the hearing that Romero was never a target, and the video recording proves that he was involved in leading the crowd to commit jaywalking that stopped traffic, including temporary blocking Oxnard boulevard while protestors crossed the busy street.
During the protest march, there were more than 90 Oxnard police officers, including undercover officers, police strike teams and SWAT units, who were assigned to maintain public safety. Police also brought an armored vehicle to the protest in case it was needed, police documents indicate.
Uniformed police weren’t visible during the two-mile trek, which began at Camino del Sol Park and ended in front of police headquarters, court evidence indicated.
Some officers were assigned to conduct surveillance on the protest marchers.
The protest march which ended in front of the Oxnard Police Department was peaceful and no arrests were made.
On Oct. 22, following the protest, the Oxnard Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit held a meeting and surveillance video was reviewed for violations. Romero was the only person who officers said they could identify. Subsequently, a letter dated Oct. 29 was sent to his house that stated that he was being issued five jaywalking violations.
Gutierrez argued in court that 22-minutes of police surveillance video is missing and never turned over to the defense as part of the legal discovery process. But he said the video admitted as evidence shows police identifying Romero and two other protestors including the brother of Alfonso Limon Jr who was shot by Oxnard police. Gutierrez noted that many of the protestors are Oxnard residents and often attend City Council meetings. He said the families of the victims were also at the March for Justice protest.
The Oct. 13, 2013 march was to protest the deaths of young men in Oxnard: Alfonso Limon Jr and Jose Zepeda in Oct. 13, 2012. Before Limon was killed, Robert Ramirez Jr. died June 2012 under police custody, followed by the slaying of Michael Mahoney in August 2012.
Witnesses saw police shooting Limon several times and frantically told police to stop because he was unarmed. A witness recorded the incident through a cell phone camera.
The shooting of Limon resulted in the city of Oxnard having to pay $6.7 million to settle the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Limon’s family which is the largest wrongful death settlement for the city of Oxnard.
Limon was shot between 16 to 21 times by four officers as he lay on the ground, said Limon family lawyer Adam Shea in a press conference. Limon and his brother were walking home when they were fired upon by Oxnard officers looking for a wanted parolee Jose Zepeda who was also killed.
The District Attorney’s Office reviewed the Alfonso Limon shooting and ruled that it was “legally justified and not a criminal act.”