The Los Angeles Office of Independent Review says there is no evidence that revered Chicano journalist Ruben Salazar was targeted for assassination by the Sheriff’s Department in 1970. Lead attorney Michael Gennaco says his office poured over thousands of documents over the past six months but found no conclusive evidence that Salazar was framed or murdered.
The report did acknowledge, however, that deputies on the scene used poor tactics and made mistakes that led to Salazar’s death. The review was requested by Supervisor Gloria Molina last August after new questions arose from an LA Times article on the 40th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium and its tragic aftermath.
Activists who attended the press conference say they’re not satisfied with the review. They say the community many never know what really happened on August 29, 1970. Pacifica’s Ernesto Arce files this report from Los Angeles.