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Quiet remembrance_
Michelle Pauhnen/DN
Veronica Santillan listens as Jose Soto reads a letter he wrote to Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady at a vigil for
Francisco Renteria Sunday evening. “Our community Is outraged,” Santillan said. “I’m really glad there’s such s
show.”.
March on mall honors Renteria
By M*nii» w Wait*
Senior Reporter
Participants at a candle-lit march in
honor of Francisco Renteria gathered in
front of the Lincoln Police Department Sun
day night.
“Viva la Raza,” they shouted. “Vivan los
Renterias.”
Long live the Mexican people. Long live
the Renterias.
More than 200 people marched from the
steps of the State Capitol to the Lincoln
Police Headquarters.
The crowd stopped at the County City
Building where members of the silent march
stood displaying Mexican flags.
The marchers gathered in memorial to
Renteria, 30, who died Oct. I after a
struggle with police. Witnesses have said
police beat Renteria while they attempted
to take him into custody.
Renteria was mistakenly identified by a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln police of
ficer as a man violating a protection order.
The state patrol is investigating the inci
dent. The mood among the marchers and
the family was calm and somber. Few dis
played signs or spoke as the group moved
along Lincoln Mall.
Among the marchers, University of Ne
braska-Lincoln professors Helen Moore and
Moira Ferguson said a special prosecutor
should be appointed to investigate
Renteria’s death.
“We need good answers, solid answers
about what happened,” said Moore, an as
sociate professor of sociology. “We’re con
cerned about issues of racism and how this
community responds.”
Moore compared Renteria’s situation to
the arrest of Gerald Schlondorf, a white
UNL student, who was arrested in the shoot
ing of a UNL police officer.
Schlondorf, who police knew was the
right suspect, was armed and allowed to
surrender, Moore said. Renteria, she said,
was the wrong man, unarmed and died
while in police custody.
Members of the Latino community were
resolute that their questions be answered
about the incident, Moore said. She said she
hoped Lincoln Police and UNL Police
worked to answer to the community.
Ferguson, an English professor, said that
if a special prosecutor was appointed, he or
she should not be a member of the state or
county legal community. She said she was
pleased with the formation of a university
committee to review UNL police proce
dures.
Marty Ramirez, a counseling psycholo
gist at the University Health Center, said
the Latino community was feeling a com
bination of anger, frustration and a faith in
the justice system.
“There is an allegiance side of us,” he
said. “Don’t misconstrue what we are do
ing as anti-American.”
Renteria’s death brought many members
of the community into reality, Ramirez said.
“It’s something we recognized, but it’s
still (a) shock,” he said.
See VIGIL on 2
Officer says police should expand cultural knowledge
By Brian Sharp
Senior Reporter
As society becomes more diverse, police
must learn to speak society's language and
work within its terms, an Omaha police of
ficer said.
Sgt. George Cardenas has been with the
Omana Police Department for 28 year^He now
works in the gang unit.
Understanding different cultures helps po
lice understand why people do things a cer
tain way, Cardenas said. Police in Lincoln may
not have shown that understanding on Sept.
30, he said.
That night, Officer Charlotte Veskrna of the
University ofNebraska-Lincoln Police Depart
ment tried to stop Francisco Renteria at 24th
and Holdrege streets. Renteria did not speak
English.
A scuffle ensued, and it involved five Lin
coln Police Department officers. After the
scuffle, Renteria had a seizure and went into a
coma. He died on Sept. 31.
Cardenas, who is Hispanic and speaks only
Spanish, said the encounter violated two tra
ditional Hispanic customs.
First, placing Veskma, a female police of
ficer, in a position of authority over a Hispanic
man could be interpreted as disrespect,
Cardenas said.
Hispanic culture places great emphasis on
respect, especially for men, he said.
“The ‘machismo’ with Hispanic men, that’s
very much in the Hispanic culture,” Cardenas
said. “And the more the culture is in you, the
more you feel it.”
Cardenas said he thought the culture was
strong in the Renteria family, after he heard
them speak last week.
At that time, Carlos Renteria said his
brother, Francisco, had respected and feared
the police. Cardenas said that fear of authority
was prevalent throughout Hispanic communi
ties.
Police violated Hispanic custom a second
time by looking Renteria in the eye, Cardenas
said.
Police are taught to establish eye contact to
judge a suspect's guilt or innocence, he said.
But in Hispanic culture, eye contact is seen as
a challenge.
Many Hispanics would view both acts as
robbing Renteria of the basic respect a human
being deserves, Cardenas said.
“It’s an ugly thing,” Cardenas said. “You
just don’t address another Hispanic in such a
way to make him feel like he’s an animal.
“If you do, there’s going to be a confronta
tion. If it would’ve been a man there ... the
Bjcddund
won’t face
more chaiges
From Staff Report*
Roger Bjorklund’s death sentence has
prompted prosecutors to drop eight felony
charges against the convicted murderer.
Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey said
he decided Friday to drop the robbery and theft
charges because it would be a waste of tax
payer money to pursue them.
Bjorklund was sentenced Sept. 20 to die in
the electric chair for the abduction, rape and
murder of Candice Harms, a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln freshman.
Lacey said the charges would have resulted
only in more prison time for Bjorklund.
Bjorklund already will be in prison for the rest
of his life, Lacey said.
Bjorklund and Scott Barney were charged
in the robberies that occurred around the time
Harms was murdered.
Barney was sentenced to life in prison for
the murder. The robbery charges against him
were dropped after a plea agreement with pros
ecutors.
Hall officials
clarify new
flame rule
By Chad Lowu
Staff Reporter
A housing official met with residents at
Neihardt Hall Sunday night to discuss
housing’s new policy banning open flames.
Seven residence hall directors and residents
from Pound, Selleck and Neihardt halls at
tended.
The meeting was held to show students the
policy’s rationale and to hear residents’ opin
ions, said Glen Schumann, housing director.
After two fires in Abel residence hall last
year, housing decided to ban the burning of
candles and incense in residence halls,
Schumann said.
Housing was reluctant to make another re
striction for students, he said, and another rule
for student assistants and residence hall direc
tors to enforce.
He originally opposed the policy, Schumann
said, but he Finally agreed there was a need for
it.
“It’s hard to turn our backs on what hap
pened last year,” he said.
Some residents at the meeting asked why
cigarette smoking was not prohibited as part
of the policy. They said cigarettes were as dan
gerous as incense sticks, which are banned.
See FLAME on 2
chances of something occurring would’ve been
lessened.”
Police departments throughout Nebraska
have faced increasing language and cultural
barriers in their communities in the past six
years, some police chiefs said. An increasing
number of Hispanics have moved from Mexico
to the Midwest for jobs.
Norfolk Police Chief Bill Mizner said the
barrier had been most noticeable with Span
ish-speaking individuals. Of the 36 Norfolk
police officers, he said, one is Hispanic and
two are fluent in Spanish.
The department first tried using interpret
ers, Mizner said, but that was not helping on
the street. The department then advertised to
hire bilingual officers, he said, and it calls them
even when they’re off duty.
See POLICE on 2