He was a day laborer, and had three children in Guatemala. He was standing on the corner of 6th Street and Union in the community of Pico Union or Westlake. The police claim he had a knife and was intending to use it on a pregnant woman. Many eye witnesses say that this was not true, and that Manuel was murdered in cold blood. This is nothing new for LAPD in general and the Rampart Division in particular. We've lost too many innocent people at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles.

In Pico Union or Westlake community, the people who live there, who are friends of Manuel, who are from Guatemala, Central America, Mexico, and elsewhere, people have had enough. They said, "Ya Basta!" They rose up in a rebellion that has lasted two days in the area. The police provoked them by shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at people, resulting in the uprising. People hurled eggs, rocks, burning dumpsters, televisions and other debris at the police from the streets and buildings. Yesterday, Tuesday, September 7th, 2010, the community stormed the Rampart police division, to demand justice for Manuel.

Putting this uprising into some historical context, in the Rodney King Rebellion of 1992, the police were quoted saying, "If this was an insurrection, Pico Union would e enemy territory." It's a community that has had experience in struggle, in many ways. In 1992 the police arrested more people in that neighborhood than anywhere else. Pico Union has the largest concentration of people from Central American, than anywhere else, outside of "Central America." People come from a first hand experience of Revolution and Civil War. They were forced to migrate here because of u.s. imperialism, and what it has done to their homelands.

So people are still angry at that, then they are made to deal with the Rampart division. The powers that be understand that the Pico-Union neo-colony is a threat to them, and a ticking time-bomb. They unleash the most brutal police division on the community, some of this was brought to light during the "Rampart Scandal," in 1999.

Rampart police try to lie to the people and say that this is the new and improved division, even though not long ago they also murdered Dontaze Story not far from where Manuel Jamines was murdered. The Guatemalan community was angry and wanted the one responsible handed over to them. They wanted to exert their form of justice, and they got it in the streets. In the indigenous community where Manuel Jamines is from, the people go as far as an eye for an eye, they call this Mayan Justice.

Reflecting on the rebellion, as a supporter of the community, I have to say that this was inevitable. This was just the spark that people needed, to say enough! Some opportunist organizations and activists might take credit for this, but even they cannot stop it. The community is really tight knit, and self-organized. In my opinion, those activists, supporters, and people on the sidelines, should try to find ways to be in solidarity with people. They shouldn't try to be "vanguard leadership," or try to stop them. Those people, just need to get out the way of the community. You can stop a tsunami, rebellion is justified!

error

error

The Los Angeles Police Protective League the LAPDs union. It is a reactionary organization and there is no real diversity or community representation on its broad of directors.

Their recent statements on the killing of Manuel Jamines on their website give one an idea of their disrespect for the community and their disregard for human life.

This League the political arm of the LAPD, which intimidates the mayor’s office and the council city not to challenge any action by the LAPD or any of its officers ever. This is evidenced by the Mayor’s most recent statements praising Manuel Jamines’ murderers as brave heroes.

This is the place to protest:

Los Angeles Police Protective League

Address: 1308 West Eighth Street Los Angeles, California 90017
phone: (213) 251-4554
fax: (213) 251-4566

Website: http://lapd.com/

Can you guys post the photo of the knife in question? I know how cops think, there is a possibility that the knife was planted.

If I show up on an LA street, drunk, with a knife, and start lunging at two women (one pregnant), I'll fully expect to be shot by any LAPD on the scene.

Don't be drunk in public while threatening passers-by with a knife and 99 times out of a hundred Rampart cops won't bust a cap in your ass.

Cops do often lie . So much then when testifying many lawyers refer to cops testimony as ''testi-LYING ''.
I am suspicious of the cops claimed that the Guatemalan Indian worker ''lunged ' at that . I have read that several times before when cops justify shooting someone who may or may not have had a knife .
BUT i would like to read what the Non-Police eye witnesses said . Please publish that . The LAPD is a thuggish violent para military organization . But they do sometime use force against other thugs ! IF this guy actually did threaten people with a knife ---
So Please more infro

We now have a witness named Ana who told reporters at a news conference Thursday that Manuel Jamines was unarmed. Another man who said he witnessed the shooting, Julio Martinez, 57, said Monday that he also saw no weapon in Jamines' hand. There are also reports of cell phone videos just like the Oscar Grant case showing Jamines unarmed and complying with police orders shortly before his fatal shooting. Are we going to be told that the LAPD mistook a real gun for a stun gun in this case or they going to claim they were threatened by unfound weapons of mass destruction? The officer responsible for shooting Manuel Jamines, Frank Hernandez has two other shootings on duty whereas most police officers are only involved in one in their entire career. He is a light skinned Hispanic who has had racial tensions with the Guatemalan community; this alone should have been cause enough to pull him off duty. This case is just one of the many outstanding issues dealing with the LAPD including the department's handling of the hundreds of valid claims of racial profiling levied against officers by minorities each year. Mark Rosenbaum the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California points out "there's still too much evidence that skin color makes a difference in who is stopped, questioned and arrested by the LAPD." Clearly what is needed is reinstatement of the consent decree federal officials had imposed on the LAPD in 2001, after the Rampart corruption scandal.

here is witness Ana report. No weapon.