California: Two Indigenous People Gunned Down After Gun Battle With Police

Two Indigenous People Gunned Down After Gun Battle With Police

Dante Armos, May 15, 2008

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-soboba14-2008may14,0,5062286.story

I regretfully inform everyone that two more Indigenous people have been killed by the state. This is what I have gathered after combing news articles

*On Monday at the Soboba Indian Reservation, around 6pm a guard house came under fire

*As the cops arrived they were shot at while in their cars

* A helicopter was dispatched and also fired upon, sadly it was not hit.

* The two people were armed with a Russian made SKS Assault rifle and an AR 15.

* After the attack to two fled into the hills, where they were later killed in an hour long shoot out with the State

* The male was identified as 36 year old Joseph Arres and an unidentified woman.

*The police outnumbered these two brave fighters 9 to 2, including 4 SWAT team members.

This is the second shootout with police in 5 days, last week another man was killed, 26 year old Eli Morillo. His older brother peter morillo was killed by police in october 2002 after he barricaded himself inside his home and fired shots at police.

Eli’s Incident was reported as follows:

” Around 12:15 a.m. Thursday, deputies patrolling along Soboba Road near Castile Canyon Road heard shots fired and went to investigate, Franchville said.

As the deputies approached the intersection of Soboba and Castile Canyon roads, they heard more shots, he said, and believing they were targets, they called for backup.

The area has been the site of several recent incidents involving gunfire between individuals and deputies. The reservation is in a rugged area at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains.

At one point, an “11-99” — the radio code meaning an officer was under fire and needed help — was broadcast, prompting a massive response from various police agencies in the region.

“Shortly after they took cover and hunkered down, they realized they were taking fire from a different angle,” Franchville said. “We think either the person or group that was shooting actually moved so the deputies would have a difficult time getting a bead on them or even flank them, re-engage and start shooting some more.”

Franchville said two people eventually approached deputies with assault rifles and opened fire. A third person was also seen, but it was unknown whether he was also armed.

“There was a barrage of fire exchanged, and one suspect was killed,” he said. The other two people fled. ”

This incident deeply saddens me, its a shame that Eli didn’t get away, its a shame that Joseph and the unidentified woman didn’t get away. My condolences go out for their families.

Even though these people started the gunfire on each respective day, it must not be forgotten that the gunfire on their people has existed on their people for centuries now. In these acts they were not the victims, but the directors of their own fate. These attacks however are not unprovoked, on the contrary, they are very provoked. Theft of land is provocation. Assimilation and eventual genocide of a culture is provocation. The largest poverty margins in North America is provocation, imposing of will is provocation, indoctrinated manifest destiny and socially rewarded murder of land is provocation.

Maybe the police in riverside wont rest as easy tonight, maybe their paid leave wont be so pleasant, maybe they’ll toss and turn at night and wake up in coldsweats looking for consolement that wont come. Maybe, but probably not. They’ll probably get rewarded in front of the city, they’ll shake the mayors hand, be heralded as heroes, and accept the pat of the master upon their heads while being told that they’ve been good servants.

Maybe they’ll second guess every corner, and hesitate at every step because they now know what it feels like to be on the business end of a rifle scope.

Dante Armos