They say Oscar moved his arm suddenly. Deputies thought he would attack. By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.11.15. Word Count 408 ...
Police shootings of Latinos get less attention By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.11.15 Word Count 408
Kris Ramirez stands on the railroad tracks near the site off Downey Avenue in Paramount, Calif., where his brother Oscar Ramirez was shot and killed by deputies in October. Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/ TNS
LOS ANGELES — Kris Ramirez grew up in Southeast Los Angeles. He says he never felt angry at the police. When police cars drove by he was not afraid. Then last year something terrible happened. Sheriff's deputies shot and killed his 28-year-old brother, Oscar. The shooting happened near some railroad tracks. Earlier that day a girl saw two men with a knife and gun. Deputies stopped Oscar because he looked like one of the men. Deputies say he ran away.
Family Does Not Believe Deputies The deputies chased Oscar. When they caught him he would not follow orders, they say. They say Oscar moved his arm suddenly. Deputies thought he would attack.
The Ramirez family does not believe the deputies. They say Oscar was no danger to the deputies. He did not have a knife or gun. The family protested in front of a police station. Most people did not notice.
Police Killings Of Latinos Are Not Uncommon The story was very different when Los Angeles police killed another man soon after. The man was named Ezell Ford. He was black. Many people showed up to protest his killing. The difference made Kris Ramirez unhappy. He wonders why his family is not able to get more help. Police killings of blacks have been getting a lot of notice. Police killings of Latinos have not. Yet, killings of Latinos are very common. Twenty-three people were killed by Los Angeles police this year. Fourteen of them were Latino. None of those killings got a lot of attention. There have been very few protests.
Latinos, Blacks See Police Differently One reason might be that Latinos and blacks see police differently. AfricanAmericans have been mistreated by police for years. Latinos do not have the same long history. Latinos are less likely to think police are wrong. They do not protest as much. Another reason might be because there are Latino officers. Almost half the police in Los Angeles are Latino. Only around 1 in 10 officers is black. Also, some Latinos are afraid to speak out. In Latin American countries, police officers can be mean. Protesting can get a person in serious trouble. People from these countries learn to say nothing.
Family Is Still Fighting The Ramirez family is still fighting. They will never forget Oscar. In June, Oscar's father planted a tree in his son's honor. He planted it on Oscar's birthday. It grows by the train tracks where Oscar was killed.
Quiz 1
2
3
What is the section "Police Killings Of Latinos Are Not Uncommon" MOSTLY about? (A)
how police killings of Latinos are not as noticed as police killings of blacks
(B)
why so many Latinos are killed by police officers
(C)
why the Ramirez family did not get help protesting the police after Oscar was killed
(D)
how upset the Ramirez family was when the police killed Oscar Ramirez
What information do you get from the section "Latinos, Blacks See Police Differently"? (A)
how long blacks have been mistreated by the police
(B)
why many Latinos do not protest police killings of Latinos
(C)
the similarities between how blacks and Latinos are treated by the police
(D)
the difference between police in Latin American countries and the United States
Read the introduction [paragraphs 1-3] and the section "Family Doesn't Believe Deputies." According to these sections, why did the Ramirez family protest the killing? (A)
They were tired of no one noticing that many Latinos were being killed by the police.
(B)
They were upset that they lost their son after teaching him to be respectful to the police.
(C)
They believed the police were wrong to kill Oscar because he did not have a gun or a knife.
(D)
They were not convinced that Oscar matched the description of the men the girl saw.
4
According to the article, what might be one reason why MOST Latinos find they can trust the police? (A)
because there are many police officers who are Latino
(B)
because police officers in Latin American countries are mean
(C)
because police killings of Latinos are not very common
(D)
because there have not been many protests to make them think the police are bad
