With the help of “Say Their Names LA” volunteers, the family of Cesar Rodriguez gathered Saturday at the Wardlow Metro Station in Long Beach for a candlelight vigil and a call to action to bring awareness to his death, which was brought on by police violence.
According to Evelia Granados, Rodriguez’s sister, in August of 2017, Rodriguez was stopped by a Long Beach Police Department officer on suspicion of not paying the $1.75 fare to ride the Metro Blue Line train at the Wardlow Station.
The encounter escalated into a scuffle that led to Rodriguez allegedly being thrown into the path of the train, pinned between the train and the platform for 20 minutes before later dying at the hospital.
His family would not hear of his death until a family friend told them four days later.
Rosa Moreno, Rodriguez’s mother, was shown the station footage of what transpired between her son and the officer, believing the officer to be at fault. She soon filed a lawsuit.
“It’s painful to see your son murdered and not be able to see him again, knowing nothing could ever replace him,” Moreno said.
After the coronavirus pandemic caused a delay in the lawsuit and it was discovered that the LBPD considering destroying records concerning police misconduct, Rodriguez’s family has reignited the fight against police brutality.
The Long Beach Police Department announced in August that the officer involved in the incident had been “cleared of any criminal wrongdoing,” according to the Long Beach Post.
Saturday’s event included other families who have lost loved ones as a result of police violence, who shared their stories with the help of “Say Their Names LA,” a group of community volunteers.
Laura Peterson, a volunteer for the group, said “Say Their Names LA” started its volunteer work in October of 2020 as a continuation of the demonstrations that occurred in the summer in honor of those who lost their lives due to police brutality.
Rodriguez’s case has also received attention from the Alliance of Community Transit-Los Angeles, an organization that has called for the cancelation of a five-year, $800 million contract with Los Angeles Metro and the three policing departments.
The same contract is up for renewal in 2022, as well as a $100 million increase.
“The police officers are trying to erase everything, even Metro, because they lose money,” Granados said. “They want to wash everything off, and I don’t think it’s fair because that’s somebody’s loved one, that’s my loved one that died here, that lost his life for $1.75.”
This story was updated on March 2 at 1:45 p.m. to include more background on the case.