Police Brutality Protests Intensify Following Autopsy Of Mexican Who Died In Police Custody
Protests against police brutality have sprung up around the world. People are tired of police departments killing unarmed citizens and the latest unrest is coming from Mexico after a man was killed by police after being arrested.
Mexican protests against police brutality intensified this week.
Protesters took to the streets through Jalisco to protest the death of Giovanni López at the hands of the police. The 24-year-old was allegedly arrested for not wearing a face mask on May 4 in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jalisco, near Guadalajara. An autopsy of López revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head prompting protests against police brutality.
A video of the arrest has been spreading all over social media showing López being arrested by a group of police officers.
People at the scene and in the video are shocked at the force used in the arrest. Multiple police officers can be seen surrounding López as they attempt to put him in the police car. The police officers can be heard degrading López and those defending him during the arrest.
“Vanni, we’re coming for you,” a man is heard saying.
“Shut up, you p*ssy,” a police officer responds.
López can be heard begging for help as the police apprehended him.
According to the video, police claim that López was resisting arrest to justify the police presence at the arrest. There are unsubstantiated allegations of government-backed attempts to bribe López’s family for their silence.
López’s death sparked intense protests in Mexico demanding justice and police accountability.
#JusticiaParaGiovanni demonstrations, centralized in Jalisco, cropped up after the autopsy was released. There were already Black Lives Matter protests happening in Mexico to show support for the U.S. movement. López’s death amplified that anger and the result is violent protests.
One video circulating on social media shows a police officer being set on fire.
State Prosecutor Gerardo Octavio Solís claims that López was arrested for “aggressive behavior” but the family disputes that claim. Mexicans have long had a contentious relationship with law enforcement, many of which have been trained by U.S. forces.
“There are long histories of police brutality in both countries,” Tom Long, an expert on Mexican security at the University of Warwick, told The Guardian. “[Militarization] is a recipe for police violence, particularly aimed at those with the fewest monetary and societal resources to hold (them) accountable.”
