During the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality on Oct. 22, activist groups Dare to Struggle SoCal and Families Demanding Justice marched alongside families of the victims of police brutality in the streets of downtown Santa Ana.
The protest was intended to raise awareness, demand justice and fight for change.
Protestors organized at Plaza Calle Cuatro, holding speeches and chants led by individuals who have been personally affected by police brutality.
“Dare to Struggle is a national organization of people who are coming together to fight the American nightmare,” said Connor Atwood, a member of Dare to Struggle SoCal. “We’re here today to highlight the stories and the experiences of people who have been impacted by police violence.”
As of March 2024, three individuals have died after altercations with the Fullerton Police Department. All three of the interactions have had footage published by the department.
Yvonne Delatorre, an attendee at the protest, shared her testimony of her partner Alejandro Campos Rios’ death and helped lead the march.
For this protest, she hopes to champion change and demand that taxpayers must stop being left to deal with the burden created by lawsuits directed at police officers who are involved in these incidents.
“These officers need to pay for what they do,” Delatorre said. “If we were the ones that go out there and kill somebody, we would be in jail and awaiting trial. These officers get away with murder, and it’s wrong.”
Others affected by police brutality who attended the protest included Olivia Villalobos, the mother of Peter Villalobos, who died of a heart attack while he was experiencing a mental health crisis caused by his arrest by Riverside Police Department on June 20, 2025.
“My son has mental illness. He is schizophrenic, bipolar and he has really bad anxiety and he didn’t like to be touched,” Villalobos said. “Police brutality — we need to stop it. Mental illness is not a crime.”
Among the protesters also included Cal State Fullerton students like West Contreras Wilson, a first-year history major and a new member of Dare to Struggle.
“It was just nice to see the families there, actual families, the people who have been affected by this, and it’s really nice to see the people on the streets of Santa Ana just coming out and seeing what’s going on,” Contreras Wilson said. “What I saw was mostly positive perceptions from everyone – like people were honking their cars as they would pass.”