Days before a major police-imposed deadline in the shooting death of an Austin teenager, the community is speaking out.
The People’s Forum and Concerned Citizens met at the David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in East Austin Tuesday morning. The group didn't personally know Nathaniel Sanders, 18, but they're fighting for justice in his death.The small group said the time to wait for answers is long gone.
Sanders died in May after APD Officer Leonardo Quintana shot and killed him. The People's Forum felt Sander's death was too similar to other officer-related shootings. They're worried and upset about a pattern they feel targets minorities in the community.
“It's time that it stop right now because we have too many people we have too many people. Regardless of the color of the pigmentation -- be it brown or white -- it's target practice on us, but we don't kill nobody. The black cops don't kill nobody,” said Mae Leonard of the People’s Force.
Leonard wants Quintana off the force. She argues he broke police protocol by not turning on his own dashboard camera when the shooting happened. According to departmental police, it should have been recording.
So far, Quintana has yet to learn of his fate within the department.
He was cleared of criminal charges. The Austin Police Department conducted its own internal affairs investigation. However, a Citizen's Review Panel recommended an independent investigation, as well.
Those results came back a couple of weeks ago. It found internal officers showed bias towards Quintana.
“One thing that we just can't understand you know is why internal affairs continues to try and deal with their own problems. An entity cannot police itself. It cannot be objective,” said Joanne Sneed of the People’s Forum.
The discrepancy prompted APD to form another team to investigate those internal affairs officers. Using on the findings of that team, Chief Art Acevedo has until Friday to decide whether Quintana violated department policy and what if any disciplinary action he will issue.
countryboyaustin said on November 3, 2009 at 2:00 PM
This boy was a career criminal at 18 years old. he was in a car in a parking lot at 3 am and he had a gun. This boy was a crook and a drug user/dealer. The community has lost their minds!
policia said on November 3, 2009 at 2:09 PM
i hope that acevedo does the right thing and promotes this officer for ridding travis county of a menace. then the law abiding citizens of travis county need to rid the racists such as the ncaacp and other groups that advocate that being being a criminal and black is a free ticket to do whatever you want and get away with it.
sjmwilco said on November 3, 2009 at 3:44 PM
The People's Forum felt Sander's death was too similar to other officer-related shootings. The similarity: when confronted by authority, the spineless little criminal chose to attack rather than submit. a second similarity: the slow learner, apparently chose to ignore the fact that any time one of his loser criminal element try's to attack a cop, he gets shot. Peoples Forum should concentrate on fixing the problems in their community, not lay the blame for bad behaviour elsewhere
obeejuan said on November 3, 2009 at 5:13 PM
Test
tinner said on November 3, 2009 at 5:51 PM
One word for "The People’s Forum and Concerned Citizens", BULL S _ _ T!
blastoff said on November 3, 2009 at 7:46 PM
I hope the Chief sends a message to all of these thugs out in the streets of Ausitn breaking the law will not be tolerated. I guess next time they will require the police to wear a helmet with a camera during a foot chase. Oh; little thugs do you want us to wake you up while you maybe playing possum at 3 am with guns. Reports of gunfire were reported. Let's play cops and robbers. This is nothing but politics, racism-NAACP, and hoping to get money out of the government. Just give it up when you hear someone call police. By the way; where was the Baptist Church when this little punk was out breaking the law. Where were the parents?
blastoff said on November 3, 2009 at 7:48 PM
They should listen to the old song called," I fought the law and the law won"!!
texasrn said on November 3, 2009 at 9:16 PM
Countryboy and Policia- your comments are the smartest thing I have read all day!
texasrn said on November 3, 2009 at 9:18 PM
Blastoff says " By the way; where was the Baptist Church when this little punk was out breaking the law. Where were the parents?. Good point! And dont forget the NAACP. No one accepts responsibility. It all goes on the cops DOING THEIR JOB!
eyeamtheone said on November 4, 2009 at 10:29 AM
To use the word "community" in the articles title is rather misleading. Just a small group of non-contributors to society who support gun-toting thug life living violent criminals. Their groups motto is "Its always somebody else's fault".
atxmom said on November 5, 2009 at 11:49 AM
COUNTRYBOYAUSTIN, you should be ashamed of yourself!! How can anyone be a CAREER criminal at 18 years of age?! The victim was a child and he was someone's baby! He may have been involved in criminal activity but that does not give an officer the right to condemn him to death, right there on the spot. The officer was running and shooting behind him without even looking at any target.... is that what they teach in the Police Academy? APD has created an environment where young minorities live in fear of being the next statistic, or "officer involved shooting". Yet, you fault the People's Forum and the NAACP for standing up for the rights of the people that you are so busy trying to oppress. Imagine for just a moment that your child was executed by a cop that wasnt even looking in the general direction of his victim. Austin is notorious around the country for our racist police department and the corrupt manner in which unjust officer involved shootings on minorities are overlooked.
atxmom said on November 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM
POLICIA and TEXASRN To see that such blatant racism exists in Austin in 2009 is bad enough. To know that there are cops and nurses in our community that dont even see minorities as human beings is terrifying. These are people, with mothers and fathers, siblings and often children of their own. I suggest that you educate youself about the community that you despise so much. Set aside what your racist views and volunteer your time to an organization IN the community. Become a Big Brother or Sister to a less fortunate child from the community. Take the time to get to know the child and realize the daily obstacles that poorer communities face, in things that you take for granted, like (police supported) racism, food and education. Maybe then you will realize why so many minority youths end up statistics. The ideology that everyone in America has the same opportunities is a myth. Think about that.
cash1 said on November 6, 2009 at 9:48 PM
Mr. Sanders chose the path he took by himself- He knew the dangers of his choice-I believe he had the opportunity to be somebody-But he chose the other path..I dont know where ATXMOM gets her information --there is MORE RACISM in east austin then in the rest of the city...Minority Youth are given more then most youths in TEXAS..Free lunches, free clothes, free this , free that and most remain all their lives with a hand out for anything free-If not free they take it. You should not keep having children if you can't take care of them....You keep having children and Grip because all the rest of us won't take care of them. You sit around in a free food line with your cell phones, New high dollar tennis shoes and fancy jewerly and tell the rest of us you don't have the same OPPORTUNITY as we do.....You work for what you get in this country..Not hit the welfare line for a hand out..YOU HAVE A CHOICE!!!! I hope next time you call the police -You get a busy signal...Think about that!!!!