Rally Denounces RPD Murder of Israel "Izzy" Andino!
On June 21, 2012, Israel "Izzy" Andino turned 20 and was gunned down by 7 officers near his house on Locust St. Izzy suffered from bipolar and called the police on his birthday after he and his mother got into a scuffle. Clearly suffering, according to witness accounts and against the pleading of friends and family, the RPD opened fire and killed him.
On June 25, 2012, a rally was held in his memory denouncing the lethal force used by the RPD. There were close to 100 people in attendance at Locust St. and Dewey Ave. Witnesses and friends who were there that morning, countered the police narrative broadcast by the corporate media as lies and distortions being used to justify the seven officers killing Izzy while unleashing a volley of between 15-30 bullets in the neighborhood. On the day of the rally, the friends and family of Izzy were holding a BBQ to raise money for his memorial and headstone. If you would like to donate, check out: "Lets give a grieving family, Peace."
Davy Vara, an activist known in the community for his work against police brutality organized the demonstration in conjunction with members the Locust St. Neighborhood where Izzy lived. Davy V. has written about the story on his blog. Check out his two in-depth stories: Disturbing Details in the Execution of a Young Man by 7 Trigger happy Rochester, N.Y. Cops and 7 Rochester, New York Police Officers Execute Mentally-ill Man!
Jimmy Soto, a member of the Locust street neighborhood talked about the fact the Izzy was having difficulty with mental health issues, but that that the neighborhood was attempting to provide support: "Unfortunately this happened, I feel, and a bunch of us feel, he [Izzy] was looking for love, he was just looking for someone to care about him, somebody to be there for him. And now that he's gone, it took a whole a community to come together to be there for him."
The officers involved were: Rochester Police Sgt. Aaron Colletti, Sgt. Mike Nicholls, Officer Antonio Gonzalez, Officer Brian Cala, Officer Greg Karnes, Officer Onasis Socol, and Officer Eliud Rodriguez.
