Anaheim residents say Latino voice needed to ease tension with police

But activists say those seats always go to the wealthy, leaving the poor and the minority with no representation. Activists say this division is the root cause for the protests erupting across the city, because these neighborhoods feel like they have no voice in city government.

They say the city’s resources are funneled into resorts and attractions like Disneyland, leaving the other neighborhoods without assistance.

The two most recent police killings happened in the area of South Central Anaheim, where 45 percent of the city’s residents live. Activists say Anaheim police often target people in these communities based on how they look.

The killing of 25 year old Manuel Diaz, who was unarmed when he was shot and killed by police officers, has highlighted a long history of police violence involving Latinos. Theresa Smith says Anaheim police killed her son three years ago. Smith says the city’s leadership has allowed for these officers to go unpunished.

Activists want city leaders to split the city into 8 geographic districts. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait says he supports the idea of redistricting but says the city should only be divided into 6 districts. The issue was on the last city council meeting but it was never discussed because of the erupting protests outside.

Anaheim city officials are attempting to avoid another clash between protesters and police by moving the location of the next city council meeting. They’ve moved the meeting from city hall to the Anaheim High School auditorium, which can hold up to 1-thousand people.