By Sandra De Anda
“The reason for the stop is your third brake light is out,” convicted South Carolina killer cop Michael Slager said to Walter Scott in 2015. Moments later, Slager shot Scott to death in the back after he ran away. Last year, another cop stopped Philando Castile in Minnesota for a broken tail light before gunning him down while seated in his car. In Atlanta, Gabriela Martinez uttered the words, “Please, God, please, don’t let me get stopped,” to herself before she was stopped by a cop a year ago for the same reason, but instead of a simple “fix it” ticket, she landed in an immigration detention center. Her husband was previously deported for the exact same reason.
A broken brake light can lead to death and deportation. Aside from these individual cases, there has been a well-documented trend of cops pulling over people of color for the sole purpose of taking full advantage of these minor traffic violations. And Orange County is no safe haven by any means. According to an American Civil Liberties Union report last year, Anaheim is home to the 9th deadliest police department in the nation. The story of Caesar Cruz is included in the study. Five officers gunned him dead in 2009 while still strapped in his seat belt. They tried to pull him over for a broken taillight before the fatal encounter in an Anaheim Wal-Mart parking lot.
Right now, we are seeing tensions rise in OC on multiple fronts. The anti-sanctuary state revolt began last month in Los Alamitos–where I betcha most of the Know Nothings don’t even know what the city name means in Spanish! SanTana residents are currently rallying around a rent control ballot initiative, much to the chagrin of slumlords. Anaheim Resort workers are busy collecting signatures for a $15 minimum wage increase to be put before voters in November. But beyond the big fights are the everyday practical concerns for working-class communities like what broken brake light can lead to. Orange County Immigrant Youth United (OCIYU) realizes that we have to take preemptive action to protect our people from having further dangerous interactions with the police.
To that end, OCIYU is teaming up with the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) OC Chapter to host a free brake light repair clinic at our office this weekend. We recently sat down with a couple of DSA members when the idea arose. “We hope to raise awareness that even simple traffic stops can escalate into police violence or even death,” Curtis Franklin, a DSA-OC member, said of the clinic. “We are changing brake lights as a broken brake light is the number one reason given by the police as a probable cause. We are also educating our community about police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement reform and passing out know your rights material.”
Other DSA chapters across the state have offered similar services. “The brake light replacement clinic was designed by DSA New Orleans,” Franklin told me. “The main difference with our clinic is that we are serving a community directly affected by ICE, as well as the state violence typically promulgated by local law enforcement.”
OCIYU, as well as other local organizations serving our community, hope to continue doing intersectional work to protect and liberate our communities from fear. Repairing a brake light can cost anywhere from $50 to $120, and we are doing it for free. I hope you can join us or, at least, spread the word to anyone who stands to benefit.
Brake light repair clinic at 1905 17th St., Santa Ana, Sat, Apr. 28, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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