Parish
Minorities Know the Truth of the Shooting
RECEIVED Fri., June 24, 2005
Dear Editor,
This is the bottom line of the feelings of the shooting of this young man [“Rocha Shooting: Plenty of Questions, Few Answers,” News, June 24]. If you're a minority in this great city of Austin, Texas, you know that the shooting was wrong and a straight-up lie. If you are not Mexican, black, or grew up in a trailer park (white) you can't even comprehend racism! I am tired of people saying he got what was coming to him because he had a "rap sheet"! No human being deserves to die! When are people going to realize that we are human beings and we have every right to be treated fair. It is a fact that the city of Austin has no need for us, it's plain to see that. The truth is in front of are faces. The all-white council doesn't need our vote, so they don't care about minorities. The police are so afraid of us that they have to shoot first. You know if it wasn't so sad this would almost be funny. But I guess that all you Austinites that are saying Daniel Rocha deserved his death are laughing at all of us dumb, loud minorities. And that we should just "get over it.” Well, not this Chicana, because guess what? We are no longer a minority! Print this and see who has the guts to say I'm wrong.
This is the bottom line of the feelings of the shooting of this young man [“Rocha Shooting: Plenty of Questions, Few Answers,” News, June 24]. If you're a minority in this great city of Austin, Texas, you know that the shooting was wrong and a straight-up lie. If you are not Mexican, black, or grew up in a trailer park (white) you can't even comprehend racism! I am tired of people saying he got what was coming to him because he had a "rap sheet"! No human being deserves to die! When are people going to realize that we are human beings and we have every right to be treated fair. It is a fact that the city of Austin has no need for us, it's plain to see that. The truth is in front of are faces. The all-white council doesn't need our vote, so they don't care about minorities. The police are so afraid of us that they have to shoot first. You know if it wasn't so sad this would almost be funny. But I guess that all you Austinites that are saying Daniel Rocha deserved his death are laughing at all of us dumb, loud minorities. And that we should just "get over it.” Well, not this Chicana, because guess what? We are no longer a minority! Print this and see who has the guts to say I'm wrong.
Maribel Palomares
[Editor's note: For the record, Austin's City Council membership is multiracial.]
