Feb. 6, 1968: 56 years ago, Feb 5 1968, OPD officer Walter Gibbons murdered 23-year-old [...]

56 years ago, Feb 5 1968, OPD officer Walter Gibbons murdered 23-year-old Charles “Pinky” Dominic De Baca while he fled on foot from a traffic stop. His death was a focal point in the radical Chicano movement in Oakland and led to the formation of United Latins for Justice (ULJ)

After De Baca’s death family members and community activists formed ULJ, launching campaigns seeking justice for De Baca and others murdered and brutalized by cops. They held community town halls, occupied city hall in Oakland and Hayward and demanded for killer cops to be tried

The ULJ worked on several campaigns with militants from organizations like the Brown Berets and the Chicano Revolutionary Party. They also formed a community newspaper to document police brutality and report on their organizing campaigns in the East Bay called La Hormiga

They fought for years for justice for De Baca and others. Though they created a vibrant organization and won various demands, Gibbons was ultimately acquitted and never faced justice

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