The fight to prosecute and convict Modesto Police Officer Joseph Lamantia has continued within the community. This weekend, a protest against police brutality took place on the corner of Hatch and Crows Landing in Modesto. The protesters calling for justice on behalf of Trevor Seever, Alonso Nuñez, and other victims of police brutality. 

On December 29th, 2020, Officer Lamantia fatally shot Trevor Seever after the family had called for a wellness check on him. A Facebook statement released by the Modesto Police Department on January 5th, 2021 explains the incident. 

On February 10th, 2021, Modesto police officers went to investigate an incident regarding Alonzo Nuñez, who was violating a Merced County court order. The situation escalated and officers allegedly hit Nuñez. 

Police Chief Brandon Gillespie weighed in on the situation saying that it is under review. 

“Regardless of whether this incident is determined to be within existing law and policy, closed fist strikes to a person’s head are often not effective, can injure the officer as well, and just plain look bad. Our department will be reviewing our current use of force policy and training to evaluate other options and limit these types of strikes to incidents where no other force option is readily available,” said Gillespie in the statement. 

Due to these two incidents and many others, protesters gathered to protest police brutality on the busy intersection of Hatch and Crows Landing, a predominately Latinx area, to both raise awareness and make their voices heard. 

“We brought [the protest] to our people, the ones most affected by police brutality. We are in the heart of it all. Even if they don’t know what we are talking about, they will look up the names and learn more about what’s happening,” said Stan State Alum Julissa Ruiz Ramirez. 

Ruiz Ramirez helped organize this event along with the Seever family and other local groups.

Curiosity was sparked at that intersection as passersby stopped to ask what the protest was about. 

Luis Melgoza Martinez, an employee at a local Mexican store in the area, stopped by to check out the rally. Melgoza Martinez stated, “In the entire time I’ve worked [at the store], there has never been any type of protest.” While speaking to him, another woman stopped her car to ask what was happening. 

The location of this protest was vital because for once, it was in the hotspot of the Latinx community which not only made them feel included but also heard and seen. 

Although the wind was strong and powerful that day, so was the spirit of those in attendance. The chanting went on for about 2 hours and the group kept the same high-spirited energy throughout the entire event. 

Fueled by anger and sadness, some protesters even went as far as to pass out flyers to cars during red lights. The goal is to get the word out as much as possible in hopes that enough community outrage will lead to justice. 

“I am 100% confident that if we work hard enough, we will succeed. It may seem endless…In order to move a mountain, man must first carry stones. Every single time we are out here, we are carrying a few more stones in order to get justice for Trevor Seever [and his] family and the other families,” said Samuel Garcia, another organizer of the event. He came on behalf of the Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL). 

After the chanting, protesters also walked around the intersection screaming “Say his name…Trevor Seever” and “Justicia Para Alonso” (Justice for Alonso). 

Afterward community and family members spoke to the group. 

Allison Seever, Trevor Seever’s little sister, explained in tears how heartbroken she was that she was the one that made the call for the wellness check. She also explained how badly the police handled informing the family of his death. 

“We got to see Trevor on the stretcher and the lead detective came up to us and told us, ‘Trevor is ok, he is in stable condition. Go home, Trevor will be ok’…That was a little bit after 12 o’clock and on his death certificate, he was pronounced dead at 12:12. We had to ask the officer who was interrogating our family for over an hour on Trevor. At 1:20 the officer looked my mom in the eyes and said ‘your son has already passed’ and that’s how we found out that Trevor was no longer with us,” said Seever. 

Seever also added that the family asked to see him after they found out about his death but they were informed that he was already on the way to the coroner and that they would not be able to see him. Seever explained that for 6 days they were not allowed to see the body, adding “we had to live in doubt [for six days], not believing the police in hope that Trevor would come home but on the sixth day we got to see his lifeless body.” 

After Allison Seever gave her heartbreaking speech, Alonso Nuñez, another victim of police brutality who was in attendance, spoke as well. 

Nuñez thanked the group for attending and demanded justice not just for himself but for the Seever family adding that he is, “thankful that the officer did not take my life.”

Myra Nuñez, Alonso Nuñez’s sister, also spoke. She and her son witnessed the incident go down and explained that they are both traumatized. 

“Justice for my brother because I am traumatized. My 11-year-old son was there,” said Nuñez. She also added that she recorded a video that she claims was taken away by Modesto PD, two hours later. 

As the Nuñez family is primarily only Spanish-speaking, the entire event was translated by Ruiz Ramirez. 

The next upcoming protest is on March 13th, 2021 at 12 PM on Standiford and Sisk Rd in Modesto. For more information on Trevor Seever and his family, you can visit this webpage as well as follow them on Instagram, @_justice4trevor. 

You can also attend city council meetings and give a statement on the incident as well as demand justice for the family. Here is an example of the previous meeting, on March 3rd in which community members spoke on the event.

Modesto City Council meets every Tuesday except the third of every week. More information can be found here. 

As Myra Nuñez stated,“justicia para mi hermano y Trevor.”

Justice for my brother and Trevor.