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| St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California. |
Sophinarath Cheang, VOA Khmer
LONG BEACH - On Jan. 7, Long Beach police shot and injured a burglary suspect named Hor Sokha. It took 10 days before family was allowed to see the 22-year-old man in the hospital.
This has angered many in the community who believe the city’s police department is prone to excessive force.
Protesters on Sunday gathered outside St. Mary Medical Center, where Hor Sokha is in critical condition.
They gathered to demand clear answers about what happened the night of the shooting. And to demand better treatment of suspects by the police. They stood on the street corner outside the hospital, chanting slogans and cheering as passing cars honked in support.
“As of right now, especially with this case, we’ve seen just the inhumane way that they treat the Cambodian community and most of the communities of color in Long Beach,” Stevie Merino, a community organizer with Answer LA, told VOA Khmer. “And I think there’s very little respect,” she said. “They automatically criminalize people in our community—they call them gangsters or criminals or thugs—and with the family they didn’t let them see him for 10 days, and when they first found out that he was shot, they said, ‘We’ll let you know when he dies.’”
The Long Beach Police Department said in a statement detectives discovered Hor Sokha during a search for burglary suspects in an alley near Cambodia Town on the evening of Jan. 7. As police approached, they saw he was carrying a gun, and he was then shot, according to the statement. Hor Sokha will be charged with burglary and weapons charges, the department said.
Long Beach police officers were involved in seven shootings in 2012, according to department statistics. There have been two officer-involved shootings in Long Beach in the past two weeks.
Police say they are now investigating the latest shooting. But the demonstrators said Sunday the numbers are too high. And they say the police are not sensitive to the families of victims.
Hor Sokha’s mother, Yorn Eang, told VOA Khmer that police did not let her see him for 10 days after he was shot.
“I was running around like crazy,” she said on the sidelines of Sunday’s demonstration. “I didn’t want to live. Alive or dead, I wanted to know. You shot my son, and you don’t tell me where he went or what’s happening to him.”
Yorn Eang said now she can only visit her son once a week, for a maximum 30 minutes. She said she hopes the police will allow her to see him more often. And she said she hopes the police learn something from this incident.
“Don’t shoot like that,” she said. “Just shoot the legs or arms, and then prosecute them according to what they’ve done. Don’t shoot to kill. I hope this helps the next person after my son.”
7 comments:
Mr. Hor Sohka and your stupid family are embarrassing the our Cambodian Communities.
First of all you are a loser Cambodian Gangster.
2nd you were a burglarer. It is a felony broke into some one home and a felony thieve.
3rd, your tattoes on you neck looks so stupid.
4th, I hope the ICE deport you and your families back to Cambodian.
5th, You family have been living in America for over 30 years and refused to learn how to speak English.
I only have been living in America for 30 yrs and I almost retire. It only took me 10 years to learn and I was proficiently enough to do my job.
You and your families please stop blame other society and people. Now I know why other race hate Cambodian because of you and your stupid families never willing to accept full responsibility for pulling a gun on the police.
I will not join your protest at St. Mary Hospital. I don't mind protest againt you so you and your families will be deported soon.
Thanks you very much.
I do not feel sorry for you and your family.
You are a no good person who love to break into someone home and steal their stuffs.
I hope my dumb Cambodian Communities on ATlantic and Pacific Ave will not join your protest on this Sunday. These two stupid communities in Long Beach were always making the same mistakes over and over.
Please don't side withe loser families. In Taxas your son breaking into someone home, they will kill you. I wish California would be the same as Taxas.
There is "no" prone to excessive force.
Please stop be a burlarer.
We all came to America for a better live but your family came to America to be a gangster and a theive.
During Khmer Rouge time, your son will be punished more severe than the Long Beach Police Dept for stealing and point a gun a law enforcement.
You son and you need to go away. Your family embarrassed the rest of Cambodian people.
Most of you have the great feeling, that you are better than this family. But you sound, did not very good humanity education or your behavior are not different than this family.
In this society you only have 2 ways to go, the wrong one and another is the right one. Therefore you can't change it. You don't have the decision or power to tell other people to do this or that.
But you are still able support and help them to find the right way for their future life.
Everyone has to follow the law of this land regardless of who you are. Anyone has the right to protest if they feel injustice. Two wrong does not make it right. There are some cops who love to make up story, abuse their authority and use excessive force as well. The question is whether the police shooting is justifiable? It is against the law when Mr. Sokha carrying an illegal firearm and burglarizing someone's house. No one know exactly what happened when he was shot by the police. I would not prejudge his mother and the community for exercise their right protesting against the shooting because I was not there to know for sure of all the facts. I learn it is very easy to judge other people than understand them. My heart goes to his mother.
HIRE A LAWER IF YOU THINK JUSTICE FOR ALL EQUAL!
Yep, it is time to hire a lawyer.
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