Chalk writing on the wall of the Broad Arts Center broke the news to Jeremiah Garcia that his classmate Michael Cho had been shot and killed by the police during a confrontation outside an Orange County liquor store on New Year’s Eve.
Garcia, the executive director of Queer Alliance, was one of many supporters who attended the candlelight vigil in Cho’s memory on Thursday evening in Bruin Plaza.
Signs reading, “10 shots too many,” and “La Habra Police killed my friend” rose from the crowd of students, many of whom wore black T-shirts bearing Cho’s picture and the words, “Justice for Mike Cho.”
Nearly 150 students, alumni, and members of the Korean community crowded into Bruin Plaza to listen as speakers raised questions about the circumstances of Cho’s death.
Programs with information about Cho and remaining issues under investigation were also distributed among those in the crowd.
“We have a lot of questions, and we just want to get them answered,” said Kelly Liao, a long-time friend of Cho’s and a member of the Justice for Mike Cho organization.
She said the circumstances surrounding the events leading up to his death were suspicious.
“Why did the police already have their guns drawn when Mike came out of the liquor store? Why not use non-lethal force? Why shoot him 10 times?” Liao asked the crowd.
Shannon Lee, president of the Korean American Student Association, said that this was the most important and emotional issue in which the association has ever been involved.
“Michael Cho is just one of many victims looked upon as another number ““ another trivial minority case,” Lee said.
While the speakers continued to condemn what many in the audience agreed was an injustice toward the Korean community, audience members signed petitions asking for a federal investigation into Cho’s death to ensure the greatest level of impartiality.
“I thought America was about justice, freedom and protection, but this makes me doubt all of that,” Lee said.
Jean Hwang, a friend of Cho’s, explained that Cho frequently used a cane because of a leg disability he was born with that would have prevented him from running.
“He died like an animal, worse than any stray dog,” Hwang said.
According to police, on the night of Cho’s death, two officers arrived at the parking lot of a La Habra liquor store in response to reports of vandalism. They fired their weapons when Cho did not immediately comply with their commands to drop the tire iron he was holding.
Former Police Commander Paul Kim informed the crowd that only 41 seconds elapsed between when the officers told dispatch that they had their suspect in sight and their report that the suspect was down.
“It’s good police tactics to pull away when you don’t understand the situation. You can’t use officer safety as an excuse to explain away those actions,” Kim said.
Kim went on to explain that he has been involved in training police officers to deal with situations such as these, and has helped defend cities that fell under scrutiny for police brutality.
“I know the game. And yes, I call it a game,” Kim said.
Kim said that he was disturbed that not even the mayor of La Habra knew the fate of the two officers involved in the shooting.
When asked, he added he was further dismayed when he learned that they have already been restored to active duty.
The Asian Pacific Coalition, Queer Alliance, and the Korean American Student Association provided the necessary UCLA student group support that allowed Justice for Mike Cho to initiate an on-campus event.
“When we heard about Mike’s death, (the coalition) recognized that this would be a widely felt issue,” said Mike Tang of the Asian Pacific Coalition.
Tang asked on behalf of the coalition that Cho be remembered as “a beautiful person” rather than a criminal.
Garcia added, “We in Queer Alliance stand against hatred and injustice. I knew that we couldn’t stand idly by.”
Garcia said that Queer Alliance wants to stand up anytime an instance of injustice involves a member of the UCLA community.
“When a student or a former student dies, it affects the whole campus,” Garcia said.