Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
Protesters took over the bridge on Dunlavy, crossing the Southwest Freeway.
Hundreds of protestors gathered in Ervan Chew Park Sunday afternoon in the Montrose neighborhood to demand transparency and accountability for the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on July 7.
Battling the brutal heat and humidity, protest organizers called off the planned march just thirty minutes before it was scheduled to begin.
The protest — organized by Immigration Youth Texas, the Houston Chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and dozens of other organizations — started just after noon. Stephanie Padilla with Immigration Youth Texas said she made the call to stop the march after a few people at the pre-march rally overheated. Temperatures remained in the mid-nineties for the afternoon.
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Hundreds stayed at the park, the march’s starting point, listening to speeches from organizers about how to support their movement to demand changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The crowd briefly took over the bridge on Dunlavy St., crossing over the Southwest Freeway and closing down the street.
Two of Salgado Araujo’s sons — Ronaldo and Lorenzo Jr. — stood on picnic tables and repeated their calls for accountability and transparency.
“We want to continue pressuring the government to allow for a full, transparent, independent investigation,” Ronaldo said. “It’s very nice to see so many people, so many people of all backgrounds, races, colors, creeds, religions come together and try to ask for what’s right. Try to ask for the bare minimum, and it’s going to be justice.”
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
Two of Lorenzo Salgado’s sons, Ronaldo and Lorenzo Jr., pictured with Congressman Al Green at the protest Sunday, July 19. Green has made calls for a full independent investigation into Salgado Araujo’s death alongside Ronaldo and Lorenzo.
RELATED: ‘That’s my hero’: Houstonians remember Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at funeral, days after ICE shooting
Ronaldo said the family laid their father to rest Saturday. A public vigil and celebration of Salgado Araujo’s life was held Thursday.
“It’s been extremely hard and even after 11 days of going 100 miles an hour and trying to plan a beautiful celebration for my dad, I know that the fight is not over yet,” Ronaldo said. “There’s still a lot to be done.”
Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by ICE agents during what the agency called a “targeted enforcement operation.” The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation. The agents allege that during the encounter, Salgado Araujo “weaponized” his vehicle and attempted to run over the agent when they fired in “self-defense.”
The three other men traveling with Salgado Araujo dispute the account of ICE agents and said the agent fired immediately upon opening the passenger door of Salgado Araujo’s white van.
Currently, there are four different investigations into the shooting. The Harris County DA’s office has launched an investigation. The Texas Rangers also are investigating at the request of the Houston Police Department, according to Gov. Greg Abbott. The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is conducting its own investigation into the shooting death, according to the FBI, which has said it is investigating a possible assault on a law enforcement officer.
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
Protestors gathered at Ervan Chew Park Sunday July 19. They made demands for justice in the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at the hands of federal agents.
Mariela Rivera said she came to the protest because she feels “helpless” and hopes the protest influences leaders to make changes.
“In what world is murder or someone not being a citizen a validation of murder?” Rivera asked. “I feel like there’s not much I can do. I’m hoping that when everyone sees this, they think this is not something that us as Americans — a democracy — want.”
Continued Calls for Transparency
For Anna Garcia West, Salgado Araujo’s death hit close to home. She called his killing by ICE agents a human rights issue.
“Lorenzo reminds me of my dad and how I came to be here,” Garcia West said. “My father came looking for a better life. It just really strikes me that his sons would have to be without a dad and that now their mom is a widow. It’s just something that feels very personal.”
Protestors at Ervan Chew Park SUnday July 19. The crowd gathered to call for “justice” in the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by federal agents on July 7.
Salgado Araujo’s death sparked outrage in communities throughout the city. Protesters swarmed Houston City Hall last Tuesday, and nearly 100 people spoke directly to city council members and the mayor, demanding changes to ICE operations and calling for accountability and transparency.
RELATED: Texas Rangers will investigate ICE shooting in Houston. Here’s what that means
Across the country, arrests and deportations have surged during the second term of President Donald Trump.
Sasha Monterroso urged the city council to launch its own independent investigation of the shooting death — one of several across the country during the last two years at the hands of (ICE).
“Justice cannot depend on who pulled the trigger,” Monterroso said Tuesday. “Accountability cannot disappear because a federal badge was involved. An independent investigation is not an attack on the law enforcement. It is a commitment to transparency, accountability, and the principle that no one is above scrutiny.”