Protesters Angry Over Man’s Death March Through Pasadena
Protesters walking on Garfield Avenue adjacent to the Pasadena City Hall in a candlight vigil for Reginald Thomas who died in Pasadena Police custody Friday, September 30, 2016. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
PASADENA--Dozens of protesters angered after a man, whose family said was struggling with mental health issues, died in police custody after being subdued with a Taser held a vigil and marched through Old Pasadena on Friday.
The group, carrying signs and chanting, marched west on Orange Grove Blvd., then headed south on Marengo Ave. and under the 210 Freeway around 7:30 p.m. They paused to demonstrate at the Pasadena Police Department and City Hall.
About an hour later, they moved north on Fair Oaks Avenue, past the 210/134 interchange.
“Whose streets? Our streets,” the marchers chanted along the way. “The people united will never be divided.”
As protesters made their way through Old Pasadena, blocking intersections, Pasadena police called neighboring police agencies for assistance as a precaution, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said.
But the march remained peaceful, shrinking in size as the group returned to the scene of the man’s death on Orange Grove Boulevard, where demonstrators continued spreading their message Friday night.
The man, who family identified as 35-year-old Reginald Thomas, Jr., died early morning Friday when police responded to a disturbance call at 252 E. Orange Grove Blvd.
The officers who responded used their Tasers after seeing that Thomas was holding a knife and a fire extinguisher. Then they handcuffed him and restrained his legs.
After they discovered he became nonresponsive, they performed CPR. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene.
All day, residents and activists, some who were members of Pasadena Black Lives Matter, confronted police at the apartment complex and protested in the street.
Jasmine Richards, a BLM member who has a history of confrontations with Pasadena police at protests, was one of the people who stood outside the apartment complex for most of the day.
As the community hears the police narrative that the suspect was armed and uncooperative, Richards said before the march, “remember, not all black men are suicidal or homicidal.”
“He called for help,” Richards said. “JR was killed on front of his family. That man had eight children.”
“We are here because they have declared war on us,” she shouted to the other protesters.
Another friend of Thomas, Oscar Bell, Jr., said the man grew up in Pasadena, had seven children, and that his partner is pregnant with his eighth child.
He described Thomas as a dedicated father whose life revolved around his kids.
“That man took care of his children,” Bell said. “He loved his kids. They took a good person away from his family. The police know what they did.”
“It’s going to be hard for me to look at his children,” he said. “They’re not going to get away with this one.”
Just after 7 p.m., dozens gathered outside the apartment complex at 252 E. Orange Grove Blvd., for a vigil to mourn Thomas following the fatal encounter.
Attendees passed out candles while activists and a preacher made speeches criticizing the police response.
After about a half hour, the group started its march toward the Pasadena Police Department.
PASADENA--Dozens of protesters angered after a man, whose family said was struggling with mental health issues, died in police custody after being subdued with a Taser held a vigil and marched through Old Pasadena on Friday.
The group, carrying signs and chanting, marched west on Orange Grove Blvd., then headed south on Marengo Ave. and under the 210 Freeway around 7:30 p.m. They paused to demonstrate at the Pasadena Police Department and City Hall.
About an hour later, they moved north on Fair Oaks Avenue, past the 210/134 interchange.
“Whose streets? Our streets,” the marchers chanted along the way. “The people united will never be divided.”
As protesters made their way through Old Pasadena, blocking intersections, Pasadena police called neighboring police agencies for assistance as a precaution, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said.
But the march remained peaceful, shrinking in size as the group returned to the scene of the man’s death on Orange Grove Boulevard, where demonstrators continued spreading their message Friday night.
The man, who family identified as 35-year-old Reginald Thomas, Jr., died early morning Friday when police responded to a disturbance call at 252 E. Orange Grove Blvd.
The officers who responded used their Tasers after seeing that Thomas was holding a knife and a fire extinguisher. Then they handcuffed him and restrained his legs.
After they discovered he became nonresponsive, they performed CPR. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene.
All day, residents and activists, some who were members of Pasadena Black Lives Matter, confronted police at the apartment complex and protested in the street.
Jasmine Richards, a BLM member who has a history of confrontations with Pasadena police at protests, was one of the people who stood outside the apartment complex for most of the day.
As the community hears the police narrative that the suspect was armed and uncooperative, Richards said before the march, “remember, not all black men are suicidal or homicidal.”
“He called for help,” Richards said. “JR was killed on front of his family. That man had eight children.”
“We are here because they have declared war on us,” she shouted to the other protesters.
Another friend of Thomas, Oscar Bell, Jr., said the man grew up in Pasadena, had seven children, and that his partner is pregnant with his eighth child.
He described Thomas as a dedicated father whose life revolved around his kids.
“That man took care of his children,” Bell said. “He loved his kids. They took a good person away from his family. The police know what they did.”
“It’s going to be hard for me to look at his children,” he said. “They’re not going to get away with this one.”
Just after 7 p.m., dozens gathered outside the apartment complex at 252 E. Orange Grove Blvd., for a vigil to mourn Thomas following the fatal encounter.
Attendees passed out candles while activists and a preacher made speeches criticizing the police response.
After about a half hour, the group started its march toward the Pasadena Police Department.
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