The march was called principally by Fidel Depaz, the brother of Efrain Depaz, but struck a chord among many working people in the Twin Cities area who had heard about the killing.

Police made an attempt to keep the demonstration from happening. They called Fidel Depaz and told him the march could not occur because he did not have a permit. However, he was not intimidated. He and others built the action through announcements on three Spanish-language radio stations and the distribution of leaflets.

The demonstration began with a rally in St. Stephens church addressed by Fidel Depaz, Everett Sesler, the brother of Demitreus Sesler, and other speakers.

"My brother did not deserve to die," stated Depaz. "Like many other workers from Latin America he came here to make a living and support his family. The cops say that they thought he had a gun in his car. But there was no gun. There are some witnesses who say that the policeman shot Efrain from a good distance. We demand equal justice in this case. The policeman should be prosecuted."

Everett Sesler spoke about the case of his brother. "I and my family have a lot of questions about what happened," he said. "My brother was on his way to work early in the morning. The police claim he did something wrong. They claim he got out of his car and reached for a gun. But the police did not provide us with a copy of the autopsy report. We had our own autopsy done. We found out that my brother had been shot six times in the back. The police do not have a coherent account of what happened."

Additional speakers at the rally included representatives of the local Zapatista solidarity group, the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union, and the Socialist Workers Party. After the rally the demonstrators proceeded to a nearby working-class shopping district near the local police station and marched for two hours. A dozen people joined the protest.

Many of the demonstrators were Black and Latino workers. Also participating was a contingent of members of the American Indian Movement Defense Patrol. Several people had been active in the fight for justice for Alfred Sanders, a Black worker who had been killed by the Minneapolis police a year ago. Also participating were members of People United against Police Brutality. A highlight of the demonstration in the shopping area was a performance by the local Aztec dancers.
 
 
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Socialist candidate for New Jersey governor condemns police killing  
 
 
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