Racism is the COLLECTIVE behaviors of a group. A white individual within a system of racism/white supremacy has the implicit or explicit support of that system IF they choose to practice racism.
For example, when a white policeman shoots an unarmed Latino man -his fellow officers, the police chief, internal affairs, the union, the media, and the prosecutor will support, defend, and finance that white police officer’s “right” to shoot (murder) an unarmed non-white person. That is white collective power. [MORE]
From [HERE] and [HERE] The Orange County District Attorney announced Wednesday that police in Anaheim were justified in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Latino man last July. OC DA Tony Rackauckas (in photo) said officer Nick "Buckshot" Bennallack (in photo below) was justified when he fatally shot 25-year-old suspect Manuel Diaz in the 600 block of North Anna Drive on July 21. Diaz was shot in the back and when he fell to his knees he was shot in the back of the head. Rackauckas and Bennallack are both white men.
Diaz's family has filed a $50 million wrongful death suit against the city of Anaheim and Bennallack. His family attorney insists Diaz was targeted because of his race and was wrongfully shot. They contend the shooting is part of a pattern of abuse by Anaheim police against Latinos.
Bennallack returned to duty within two weeks of the shooting.
Authorities said Diaz and two companions ran when they were approached by officers. Police also claimed Diaz was a known gang member. His family denies Diaz was in a gang. The DA called the case one of “self defense” although no weapons were found on or near Diaz.
Anaheim Police Officer Nick Bennallack said he feared for his life of and the life of his partner. Bennallack fired his weapon as he appeared to start turning around toward them. [MORE]
"He was shot in the back of the leg area, brought to his knees before being shot in the head ... it was an execution-style shot," said attorney Diana Lopez. "There is no evidence of any kind of weapon. ... You can see the two officers walking around looking for something instead of attending to the young man who is near to his last breath," she said referring to a bystander's video that captured the post-shooting scene [MORE].
[Acording to Anon, a non-white person in a conflict with a white person or white system cannot be the victim in a white supremacy system. The non-white individual is always at fault, regardless of who initiated the conflict, or what facts or evidence are present."]
OCDA investigators interviewed nearly 50 witnesses. After examining all of the evidence, investigators found Bennallack's actions were justified and that he acted in self-defense.
"Using the analysis that the courts say we must, making allowance for split-second judgment and intense circumstances that Officer Bennallack had to make, we believe Bennallack was reasonable in believing that Diaz had a gun," said Orange County Assistant District Attorney Dan Wagner. "The evidence does not support a finding of criminal culpability on the part of Officer Bennallack. And the reason why is because there's significant evidence that his actions were justified when he shot Manuel Diaz." [MORE].
Orange County prosecutors on Dec. 21 also cleared Bennallack of criminal wrongdoing in an unrelated Jan. 7, 2012, shooting of Bernie Villegas. The Villegas family is also suing Bennallack and the city.
Less than a day after the Diaz fatal shooting, Anaheim Officer Kelly Phillips fatally shot 21-year-old Joel Acevedo following a stolen-car pursuit. Officers said Acevedo fired at them.
The fatal shootings touched off days of citizen unrest, protests and rioting in Anaheim.
The DA said after interviewing dozens of witnesses, Bennallack was justified in fearing for his life in the Diaz shooting. The officer testified that he believed Diaz had a gun in his waistband and was about to turn to fire. “The suspect was holding an object I believed to be a firearm, and with two hands, with a weight and mass which led me to believe it wasn’t drugs or paraphernalia. As I began to fear for my life, I fired my weapon two times,” said the officer.
Diaz — who was reportedly under the influence of meth at the time of the incident – was shot twice, once in the head and once in the buttocks.
Gile spoke to Diaz’s mother, Genevieve Huizar, who choked back tears. “It’s disturbing, it’s very disturbing. There’s no justice. The DA is known for justifying these things. I want justice for my son. I want justice for so many others. It’s like he just got shot all over again.”