UnidosUS President and CEO on Death of Andres Guardado: “This Vicious Cycle of Distrust and Death Must End”

WASHINGTON, DC—In response to the shooting of Andres Guardado by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday night, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía issued the following statement:

“Another week and another young man of color is dead at the hands of enforcement. Another week, and a family and a community are still left in the dark as to why it was necessary to use excessive and ultimately deadly force. This is unacceptable, and we join with members of the Congressional Hispanic and Black Caucuses in demanding a full, independent investigation. Andres Guardado, his family, and his community have our deepest condolences and they deserve answers, accountability, and justice from law enforcement and elected officials.

“This is not an isolated incident for our Latino and other young men of color, yet we still do not know how many Latinos are killed by the police, because too many police departments fail to report the ethnicity or do so inconsistently. It is long past time for law enforcement to collect and report on race and ethnicity accurately in all interactions with the public.

“And because of a history of being surveilled, profiled and harassed by police in their own communities, Latinos are too often scared of interactions with law enforcement, leading to tragedies such as this one. This vicious cycle of distrust and death must end.”