More than a month after Los Angeles police detained him and other students as they prepared for their graduation ceremony, Jacob Trujillo still feels on edge.
“It feels good, but it’s also a little scary,” Trujillo, 18, said outside of the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory last week.
The organization was celebrating a rescheduled graduation ceremony for its Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program, which supports reentry for formerly incarcerated youth. The original ceremony, on March 26, was cancelled after LAPD officers detained seven students and two staff members across the street from the conservatory, including Trujillo.
“Earlier today, I saw cops driving by again, so it just gave me flashbacks of what happened,” he said.
That day, videos from the scene showed a massive police presence on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street. Students and staff were lined up against a wall surrounded by officers and yellow police tape, as community members and local business owners urged police to let them go.
LAPD officers said they observed what they described as an “aggressive gang group” gathered on the corner and requested backup for what they called “a large group surrounding officers,” Public Information Officer Tony Im told Boyle Heights Beat last month.
Students and mentors with BHAC describe a different account. They said they had gone across the street to buy a drink from Milpa Grille, as they often did, when officers approached them without cause. Some said they believed the group was racially profiled.
According to LAPD Sgt. Veronica Padilla, a complaint has been filed and the department will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The Los Angeles Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” said PIO Jeff Lee on Tuesday. “However, as a matter of policy, the Department is prohibited from discussing the scope, status, or details of any open personnel investigation.”
Despite the lingering effects of that day, the community’s support has had a lasting, positive impact, said Trujillo and other BHAC staff members.
“As negative as that situation was, what I took from it, and what I think our youth took from it was that the community cares,” said Dara Yin, the BHAC’s BAM supervisor.
Yin was among those who were advocating for the students during the incident, telling an officer: “It’s a youth program. You got the wrong people.”
For Yin, the rescheduled ceremony became more than a chance to showcase the students’ achievements; it was now a lesson in second chances.
“A lot of our youth and our navigators are here on second and third chances,” he said. “People are going to make bad decisions, just like the officers made a bad decision that day. Do we hold it against them forever? No, let’s talk about it. Let’s see how you’re not targeting people just because of tattoos or just because they dress a certain way.”
At the graduation ceremony last week, the conservatory opened its doors for the community to see students’ work from the BAM program, which pays participants to complete 200 to 250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers.
Trujillo and other students produced music that played throughout the gathering. The BHAC office had been transformed into a gallery featuring film portraits and collages created by participants.
Janelle Vidal, the Resilience and Outreach Coordinator at Climate Resolve, said it was important to show her support for the BHAC after the incident.
“Especially when you think about communities that are over policed…when you show up in a way like this, it’s kind of saying: ‘We are here,’” Vidal said. “It just really shows that we have each other’s back.”
At the ceremony, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado commended the students on their achievements and called it a “full-circle moment” to be celebrating with them. Last month, Jurado was at Hollenbeck Community Police Station advocating for the release of a BAM student and staff member who had been taken there.
“As a member of government, at a time where government doesn’t feel like a trustworthy ally, I wanted to be here, be there that day to show you that I’m with you on your journey,” Jurado told them.
On April 7, during an LA Board of Police Commissioners meeting, a community member referenced media reports about the detentions that alleged racial profiling by the LAPD officers on scene. Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at the meeting that the allegations in the story were under investigation.
Despite his earlier anxiety, Trujillo excitedly walked throughout the gallery with his parents, Maria Copado and Bertin Rosas, and pointed out his portrait on the wall.
“Me siento orgullosa y bendecida,” Copado said about her son. “No es tan fácil regresar a adaptarnos a la sociedad.” (I feel proud and blessed; it’s not easy to adapt back into society.)
Copado said she has told her son that the situation could happen again, given his record and appearance, but she encourages him to keep moving forward.
“We’re here to do better for ourselves and get onto a different path than what we were on before,” Trujillo said.
Since completing the program, Trujillo said he’s landed a job as an administrative assistant for the BHAC’s radio station, KQBH. He hopes to pursue a career in the music industry, building on the experience he’s gained.
