Community group vows to keep Renteria issue alive
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
Community members vowed to
stop giving lip service to the Renteria
family, and would instead focus on
keeping the issue alive at an Intercul
tural Coalition meeting Monday.
The Intercultural Coalition, a
grass-roots organization of citizens
that is still in the planning stages,
addressed issues related to the
Renteria case and cultural awareness
in Lincoln.
Carlos Monzon, the Renteria
family’s attorney, said he met with
County Attorney Gary Lacey on
Monday. Monzon said Lacey told
him that he looked at all the evidence
and decided not to act on it.
“The people responsible for this
are not being treated in the same
light,” he said. “When Candice Harms
was killed, Lacey moved to get the
death penalty.”
Monzon then turned to members
of the coalition and asked them to
send a message to the city by holding
a candlelight vigil for Renteria.
Some coalition members wanted
-I-1
to hold a protest instead, but Monzon
said it would not reflect the peaceful
intentions of the Renteria family.
Monzon also said he wanted to
arrange a meeting between Lacey
and members of the coalition.
Leroy Casados, a coalition mem
ber, said the Renteria family would
not see justice unless they had a “dif
ferent voice.”
Casados said the Renteria’s should
fire Monzon and hire a stronger law
yer.
“Monzon just stepped out of law
school,” he said. “He doesn’t know
where the courtroom is yet.
Monzon declined to elaborate on
his discussion with Lacey and said he
would continue with his civil case.
Randy Thomas, a coalition mem
ber, said the group should consider
seeking help at the federal level.
Thomas said he would contact U.S.
senators in Washington and State Sen.
Ernie Chambers of Omaha.
“I’d be going for the throat,” he
said. “You need someone like that
who would be willing to go for the
jugular.”
The coalition also suggested:
• creating a community audit on
multicultural awareness.
• contacting national news media
and political figures.
• translating all meetings and re
lated information into Spanish.
• publishing a newsletter that
would inform the community of de
velopments.
Thomas also said he wanted to
give the case as much publicity as
possible.
“We will be the people who will
go to court and put Lincoln on the
map,” he said.
—'Police Report—
Beginning Midnight Sunday
10:16 a.m. — 14th and Avery, lar
ceny from automobile, window bro
ken, $270 loss, $100 damage.
12:40 p.m. — Harper-Schramm
Smith lot, vandalisnVcriminal mis
chief, side mirror broken, $75 dam
1:32 p.m.—17th and R, vandalism/
criminal mischief, window broken,
$150 damage.
3:16 p.m.—Memorial Stadium, bur
glary, unknown damage.
7:06 p.m.—Nebraska Hall, coat and
wallet taken, $87 loss.
8:00 p.m. — Campus Recreation
wallet taken, $5 loss.
8:14 pjn. — Campus Recreation,
pants and keys taken, $46 loss.
8:55p.m.—UNL Police Headquar
ters, follow up, items located.
10:34 p.m. — Selleck Quadrangle,
miscellaneous.
Beginning Midnight Saturday
12:37 p.m. — Harper-Schramm
Smith lot, vandalism/criminal mis
chief, side mirror broken, $75 dam
age.
2:31 p.m.—Harper-Schramm-Smith
lot, accident, $350 damage.
6:00p.m.—Abel Hall, stolen vehicle
runaway.
6:33 p.m.—Memorial Stadium, bur
glary, undetermined loss.
10:21 p.m.—City Union, one party
transported to detoxification center.
11:32p.m.—Morrill Hall, vandalism/
criminal mischief, plaster damage,
$25 damage.1
Legislature
Continued from Page 1
glad some supported expanding en
gineering education in Omaha but
that the university was moving to
expand the programs.
A separate college still was not
needed, he said.
In December, Smith outlined and
► the regents approved proposals to
improve engineering statewide, es
pecially in Omaha.
Those proposals included tne reno
vation of the engineering building in
Omaha, planning money for a new
engineering structure at the Univer
sity of Nebraska at Omaha, scholar
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students and the expansion of pro
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“It will cost money,” he said, in
support of the bill. “But it is money
well-spent if Nebraska can win the ■
big one next time.”
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