On October 9th, Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin is scheduled to speak on a panel titled “Police Legitimacy in Communities of Color” presented by the Center for Conflict Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Under Chief McMillin’s command, four unarmed Salinas community members — all Latino men — were shot and killed by officers in a span of four months. Between March and July of 2014, Salinas police officers shot and murdered Angel Ruiz, Carlos Mejia, Osman Hernandez, and Frank Alvarado.

Sin Barras, a community-based group out of Santa Cruz that works to eradicate the prison industrial-complex, authored a letter to the hosts of the event requesting that they ask Chief McMillin to step down as a participant.

In the letter, Sin Barras writes, "We believe it is unethical and disrespectful to give Chief McMillin such a privileged voice in a space that is uncritical of his department’s policies and the violence he has continually justified. None of the community activists, family and friends of the murdered men were invited to present on the panel and likely view the space as hostile — given that they would have had to sit across from the person ultimately responsible for these deaths."

Full Letter | See Also: Frank Alvarado Sr. Speaks Out Against Salinas Police | October 22 in Salinas: National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality

Previous Coverage: Protesters Confront Salinas Police Chief at Bookstore Appearance in Santa Cruz || Rally in Salinas Demands Justice for Frank Alvarado, Killed by Salinas Police || Police Officers Kill Fourth Person in East Salinas: Frank Alvarado || Families, Residents and Statewide Supporters Fight for Justice in Salinas || Salinas Police Kill Three People in Last Three Months