Nida’s family, friends protest in City Council meeting, get escorted out by police

Jan. 25, 2012 by Ben Baeder

DOWNEY – Friends and family of Michael Nida on Tuesday loudly chanted for about 10 minutes during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, temporarily shutting the meeting down before they were escorted out of the council chambers by about six Downey Police officers.

After several of them gave speeches quoting from philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letters from a Birmingham Jail,” about 30 protestors began shouting: ” No more killing, no more lies, shooting Mikey was a crime.”

The protest was led by Damion Ramirez, a close friend of Nida’s family.

He would lead the chant, and the rest of Nida’s supporters would repeat after him.

When the yelling started, the City Council immediately recessed the meeting and left the dais. Much of the crowd not involved in the protest also left.

Within a few minutes, about four or five police officers showed up to join the two officers already at the hearing. Ramirez and the crowd continued chanting.

Then City Manager Gilbert Livas announced police would be clearing the chambers.

Police approached Ramirez, who initially put out his wrists like he wanted to be handcuffed. After an officer spoke with Ramirez, Ramirez and the crowd slowly filed out of the building, with many of them still chanting. A few yelled foul language at the City Council, but most of them continued to repeat their chant.

Before the yelling started and while speakers were still addressing the City Council, Mayor Roger Brossmer seemed to suspect that something was going to happen. He asked a speaker to wait a moment to before she began talking, and he approached one of the two police officers who normally sit at the City Council meetings. The officer immediately began dialing on her cell phone.

Officers arrived not too long after the call.

Nida’s family and friends have been at nearly every City Council meeting since Nida — who was unarmed — was shot to death by Downey Police officers on Oct. 22.

Nida, a married father of four , was out with his wife near Imperial Highway and Paramount Boulevard when he was stopped by Downey Police officers while crossing the street. Officers were responding to a call of an ATM robbery at a nearby bank. Officers later learned Nida had nothing to do with the ATM robbery.

Police say Nida twice fled from officers before he was shot while making an “aggressive” move.

Family members dispute the police account, saying they have doubts that Nida twice ran from police.They also wonder what kind of aggressive move Nida made.

They have filed a $15 million claim against the city, which was rejected.

They are planning a protest march Saturday at the site of the shooting.

After Nida’s supporters left, the City Council resumed the meeting.