LEADERS ASK THAT PROTEST BE PEACEFUL

Downtown Rally Today Over Oregon Shooting

On the eve of a downtown rally to protest the shooting of Pedro Oregon
Navarro by police, community leaders on Wednesday repeated their calls
for peace as the case works its way through the legal system.

"There are some groups and individuals who have pressed for more
aggressive tactics," said Gilbert Moreno, president of the Association
for Advancement of Mexican Americans, referring to the Oregon case.
"We're just real concerned. We don't want to see outbreaks of civil
unrest."

A rally is planned for 4 p.m. today at Market Square, at Preston and
Travis streets. Organizer John Coronado said people will have an
opportunity to speak, and then participants will march to City Hall.

On Tuesday, the FBI announced it is investigating whether Oregon's
civil rights were violated. An HPD internal affairs investigation
should be complete Monday.

Oregon, 22, died July 12 after six police raided his apartment in
search of drugs. Police say Oregon was pointing a gun at them, so one
officer fired, hitting another policeman. When that officer fell, all
the others opened fire, hitting Oregon 12 times. Oregon's gun was
never fired. No drugs were found and officers had no warrant.

A Harris County grand jury on Monday cleared five Houston police
officers of all charges in Oregon's death and indicted a sixth for
criminal trespass, a misdemeanor.

The grand jury's decision has prompted comparisons to the Joe Campos
Torres incident in 1977, in which a young Vietnam vet drowned after he
was beaten by Houston police and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. The
failure to seriously punish the officers led to the Moody Park riot a
year later in which 15 people were hurt.

"The Moody Park riot occurred in my back yard and I'm not proud of
it," said Adrian Garcia, president of the National Latino Peace
Officers' Association and a Houston police patrol officer. "The
community can work together and voice its protest. It can do it in a
peaceful, non-violent manner."

Houston Mayor Lee Brown said, "Many people are dismayed, even angry
over what, to them, is an apparent miscarriage of justice. I
understand why they are angry. They want to know the truth. But let's
not use anger as an excuse for violence or civil disobedience.

"The facts of this case will be investigated and evaluated by every
available resource to ensure that no questions are left unanswered I
encourage all Houstonians to rally around each other as we search for
the truth and await justice."

Coronado, president of the National Mexican American Historical
Society, a 10-year-old organization that gives out scholarships,
echoed the call for a peaceful resolution.

"I'm 68 years old. This is my city. All my grandchildren are here. We
don't want to bring a bad name to Houston," Coronado said. "I hope
everything goes fine. I hope we don't have any wild people."

Checked-by: Patrick Henry