NAACP, LULAC protest custody death id BAA26363; Tue, 16 Sep 1997 01:29:48 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: Michael Novick Waxahachie jail death protested Group demands details of suicide 09/14/97 By Mark Wrolstad / The Dallas Morning News WAXAHACHIE - About 75 demonstrators demanded Saturday that Waxahachie officials release more details about the death of a Hispanic man who was found hanged by his belt from the doorknob of his City Jail cell last month. The Aug. 9 death of Ramiro "Ricardo" Salgado Uriostegui, 24, has been ruled a suicide. A city investigation also ruled there was no wrongdoing by police or jailers in the incident. "We're not making any accusations," said Joe Camarillo, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which organized the protest with the NAACP. "All we want is the truth. We want a detailed report of what happened, how did it happen and why did it have to happen." The two civil rights groups said they will seek a public inquest in the case next week. Police Chief Allwin Barrow met with LULAC and NAACP leaders a week after the death, and City Manager Bob Sokoll said the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the case at the city's request. Mayor Chuck Beatty promised protesters that "when we get the answers, you'll have the answers." "We are doing all we can do," the mayor said. "We're all in this together." Mr. Salgado, a factory and construction worker, was found dead in the jail's detoxication tank about 1:30 a.m., according to police reports. He was found hanging from a waist-high door knob by his leather belt, which was tied around his neck. His driver's license showed he was 5 feet 6 inches tall. He had been arrested the previous night on public-intoxication and disorderly conduct charges at a local hospital, where he was being treated for injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car while riding a bicycle. A woman who identified herself as Mr. Salgado's girlfriend said Saturday that police have acknowledged they made a mistake in not confiscating his belt when he was jailed. "They told me, 'We apologize. We overlooked it,' " said Peggy Manion, 32, who said she met Mr. Salgado when he arrived in Waxahachie in February. Ms. Manion said she supports the effort by LULAC and the NAACP even though she believes that Mr. Salgado hanged himself. She said, however, that police could have prevented his death. Ms. Manion said that three weeks before his death, Mr. Salgado threatened to hang himself with an electric cord. Ms. Manion, who said she kicked in the bathroom door and stopped him, said it was just an attempt to frighten her. Mr. Salgado may have been trying a similar move when he died, she said. Demonstrators said they want to know why Mr. Salgado's belt was not confiscated. They also said they want details of a fight Mr. Salgado had with police while he was being arrested or later while in custody. Mr. Camarillo said police photos showed facial injuries that Mr. Salgado reportedly did not have when he was arrested. Mr. Sokoll acknowledged the fight but would not give details, citing the ongoing investigation. Ellis County Prosecutor Joe Grubbs said Mr. Salgado was "abusive and disruptive" when he was arrested but that police did not hit him. Mr. Grubbs also said officers may not have seen Mr. Salgado's belt because he was wearing two pairs of pants. The search should have been more thorough, he added. He also said there was "a genuine concern" over whether Mr. Salgado was watched closely enough the night he died. Mr. Camarillo said, "This is a justice issue, not any racial issue." He and other protesters carried hand-written signs that read: "Are the scales of justice unbalanced?", "No justice, no peace", "How free is a man?" and "Justicia para todos" ("Justice for all"). About 20 counterdemonstrators carried signs in support of the police. Ms. Manion, a gas station cashier, said she met Mr. Salgado the night he arrived in town in February. She said he had documents that indicated he had lived in Seattle, Houston and the Mexican state of Morelos. She said Mr. Salgado told her he was orphaned at age 4. He will be buried Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Waxahachie city cemetery. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-09.16.97-01:29:53-4486