SAN FRANCISCO — Determined activists chased wind-blown signs of citizens killed by police during a spirited rally for Vallejo police shooting victim Sean Moterrosa at a blustery City Hall in San Francisco on Sunday.
The signs were recovered by audience members who, spurred on by a series of speeches and discussions about police brutality, didn’t want to lose sight of what it’s like to be blown away to another time and place.
The rally concluded “Tucan’s Weekend” — a two-day event for Monterrosa, who was 22 when he was shot and killed by Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn in front of a Walgreens store in Vallejo on June 2, 2020.
Tonn, who believed Sean Monterrosa was reaching for a gun as looting took place during protests against police shootings of Black citizens, fired five shots from an AK-15 rifle from the back seat, killing Monterrosa with a shot to the neck and head. It was determined that Sean had, in fact, a claw hammer in his sweatshirt pocket.
Signs showing pictures of those killed by police officers all over the nation are lined up in front of the stage at a rally in San Francisco demanding justice for Sean Monterrosa. (Thomas Gase – Times-Herald)Later in 2020, the City of Vallejo was served with a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Monterrosa’s family.
“He was kneeling with his hands in the air in a parking lot and when Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn fired five shots from the backseat from an unmarked police vehicle and killed him,” said Sean’s older sister, Michelle Monterrosa, on a stage in front of City Hall. “This is the equivalent of a drive-by shooting. There is no way officer Jarrett Tonn could feel any threat from the backseat of a moving police vehicle.”
Michelle went on to talk more about her younger brother and what he was like before his life ended.
“It’s important you know what Sean was like as a person,” Michelle continued, at one point fighting through tears. “He was a loving son, a middle brother and was dedicated to making a difference in this world. He was a reader, an athlete and a young man that deeply cared about the Latin community and all the other communities in unifying us together. Sean’s very last text message to us was to sign a petition to demand justice for George Floyd.”
Earlier this week the Vallejo Police Department issued a statement, calling the shooting a “tragic event and loss of life.”
“The preservation of life is a sacred responsibility, and our mission as peace officers is to protect, serve and save lives,” read the statement.”We express our deep condolences to Sean’s family, friends, and community on this difficult anniversary with the most profound human sympathy.”
On Saturday, most in the audience and the many speakers — focused on the goal of removing Tonn and VPD Chief Shawny Williams from their posts — weren’t buying the response. Michelle said how her family wasn’t informed of Sean’s death by VPD, instead being notified by the coroner’s office.
The morning of the June 2 shooting, at 4:08 a.m., police released a statement indicating that there had been an “officer-involved shooting” but declined to offer specifics on whether it was fatal and who was involved. Monterrosa had been declared dead two and a half hours before that press conference took place.
At 3 p.m. on June 3, Williams announced that the shooting involved an officer fatally shooting someone. When asked to explain more, Williams stated that at the time of the initial statement, Monterrosa had not been pronounced dead. From Bay Area News Group reports on June 10, the public learned that the police chief’s statement on June 3 was not accurate.
The controversy escalated with news that evidence from the shooting incident — including the windshield of the vehicle — had been destroyed. More turmoil came when news broke in late July of VPD officers bending the points of their badges each time they had killed someone in the line of duty.
“From the beginning, we have been treated with disrespect from the Vallejo Police Department. What we’ve experienced is standard behavior in the Vallejo Police Department culture of corruption,” Michelle said.
The many speakers on Sunday included members of the families of Oscar Grant, Mario Woods, Stephon Clark, Steven Taylor, Alvin Cole, Trevor Seever, Angelo Quinto and many more shot to death by police officers. Audience members had tears in their eyes as they were asked by the families to shout out their names. Master of ceremonies and CEO for Gathering of Justice Carmen Perez, involved in investigating police corruption for 25 years, said hearing the many speeches from the families was “hard.”
“I pace (while she hears the speeches) because I’m not trying to break down,” Perez said. “These families need us. They need us to encourage them, to support them, to wrap our arms around them. To fight for legislation. You have access to legislators? Talk to them. You have access to judges? Talk to them. Why is it if you complain about a nail salon or barber multiple times those people get de-certified? Why isn’t it the same with the police?”
Elaine Brown, a longtime prison activist and ex-chairwoman of the Black Panthers, called for the death penalty for Tonn.
“We need to make sure Jarrett Tonn is put to death,” Brown told the crowd. “I mean, that’s the penalty for murder, isn’t it? I don’t care how it’s done. I know, I know, people are saying right now, ‘Oh lord, Elaine you’re saying to put Jarrett Tonn to death?’ Yes, you’re correct, you’re absolutely correct.
“I’m 78 years old. I’ve been fighting this fight for 50-something years. The fight continues,” Brown continued. “We can’t stop, we can’t rest until there is no more brutality and murder with the Black, Brown and poor people and until there is revolutionary change. But right now we can go and get rid of this cop, get rid of the police chief, get rid of the D.A. (Krishna Abrams) and move on using our powers. We have the power and power to the people.”
Gween Woods, the mother of Mario Woods, killed by San Francisco police in 2015, called the police department a “terrorist group.”
Lee Merritt, the family’s attorney, led a chant with the audience urging people to say, “We don’t give consent” to police. Many family members of those shot down by police took up the chant later in their own speeches.
Pastor Curtis Smith spoke and brought some laughter as well as advice about Sean’s nickname, Tucan, based on a Froot Loops cereal character, Toucan Sam.
“He (the character) had this uncanny ability to detect with his long nose. He could smell Froot Loops that were miles and miles away,” Smith said. “It would basically lead him to a bowl of cereal that was concealed and could not be found. But he would say this, ‘Follow your nose.’ I’ve come here today to honor that memory of Sean Monterrosa and the “Tucan Weekend.” And in that symbolism is that with the uncanny ability to uncover and smell Froot Loops, well I’ve come here because I smell Trix. We’ve come here to uncover the tricks that have been hidden in policing for years and years and years. Toucan said follow your nose. I’m not talking about your physical nose, but instead your (head). Follow your knowledge and follow the facts. We know the truth, we’ve come here to uncover the truth.”
Near the end of the ceremony, the Monterrosa sisters said that Sean was most likely “looking down on the city” and was happy with what he saw.
“We have made deep sacrifices to get to this point,” younger sister Ashley said earlier in the day. “For almost a year our family has fought constantly to keep Sean’s name in the press despite our deep exhaustion and pain. We want to see meaningful change.”
“You best believe we’re pushing to be the last family affected by the Vallejo Police Department,” Michelle Monterrosa added.
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