Family of Woman Who Died in Police Custody File Lawsuits Amid Calls for Answers.
A 72-year-old East Bay woman's mysterious death in police custody has sparked outrage among her family, who are demanding answers and justice. Yolanda Ramirez, a grandmother of one, died after an encounter with Brentwood police in October, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and unanswered demands for transparency.
The family's eldest son, Riche Ramirez, recounted the events leading up to his mother's death during a heated protest outside the Brentwood Police Department on Thursday. According to Riche, the police initially responded to a family dispute between Yolanda and her sister, both in their 70s. In one pivotal moment, police alleged that Yolanda tried to flee, was handcuffed, and placed in the patrol car, where she became unconscious and eventually died days later at the hospital.
However, Riche and his family claim that the explanation provided by the police is too simplistic. "She had mobility issues," Rudy Ramirez, Yolanda's husband of 54 years, stated at a rally. "Maybe not responding quick enough for the police. But something made the officers snap, and they started abusing her."
The Ramirezes have filed both federal and state lawsuits against the Brentwood Police Department, alleging Fourth Amendment violations and excessive force as civil rights violations, wrongful death, assault, battery, and other related charges. The family's lawyer, Melissa Nold, emphasized the urgency to fast-track the lawsuit due to the city's intransigence with turning over relevant documents.
Concurrently, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is conducting its own investigation into Ramirez's death. The Ramirezes have reportedly met with the D.A.'s office but are still seeking answers and transparency from the police department.
As the family continues to push for justice, their calls for accountability are growing louder by the day. In a statement released earlier this week, Yolanda's sister stated that the cause of death provided by the coroner was "a slap in the face." The sisters' demands echo throughout the rally: "Justice for Yolanda! Justice for Yolanda!"
A 72-year-old East Bay woman's mysterious death in police custody has sparked outrage among her family, who are demanding answers and justice. Yolanda Ramirez, a grandmother of one, died after an encounter with Brentwood police in October, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and unanswered demands for transparency.
The family's eldest son, Riche Ramirez, recounted the events leading up to his mother's death during a heated protest outside the Brentwood Police Department on Thursday. According to Riche, the police initially responded to a family dispute between Yolanda and her sister, both in their 70s. In one pivotal moment, police alleged that Yolanda tried to flee, was handcuffed, and placed in the patrol car, where she became unconscious and eventually died days later at the hospital.
However, Riche and his family claim that the explanation provided by the police is too simplistic. "She had mobility issues," Rudy Ramirez, Yolanda's husband of 54 years, stated at a rally. "Maybe not responding quick enough for the police. But something made the officers snap, and they started abusing her."
The Ramirezes have filed both federal and state lawsuits against the Brentwood Police Department, alleging Fourth Amendment violations and excessive force as civil rights violations, wrongful death, assault, battery, and other related charges. The family's lawyer, Melissa Nold, emphasized the urgency to fast-track the lawsuit due to the city's intransigence with turning over relevant documents.
Concurrently, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is conducting its own investigation into Ramirez's death. The Ramirezes have reportedly met with the D.A.'s office but are still seeking answers and transparency from the police department.
As the family continues to push for justice, their calls for accountability are growing louder by the day. In a statement released earlier this week, Yolanda's sister stated that the cause of death provided by the coroner was "a slap in the face." The sisters' demands echo throughout the rally: "Justice for Yolanda! Justice for Yolanda!"
. Like, what even happened to her? Was she really that much of a threat to try to flee in handcuffs? And 54 years of marriage, and this is how he reacts? 
The police are still trying to cover their own butts, meanwhile the family is just trying to find some closure 
. It's gonna be tough for them, especially Yolanda's sister who got roasted by the coroner's report 
... and now they're stuck dealing with lawsuits too 
. My heart goes out to them, but it's hard not to think that this whole thing was just a recipe for disaster from the start 
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. it's just not right when someone dies in custody and we don't know what happened 
. i hope their efforts lead to some real changes and accountability from the police department 
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- it's just not right when a family has to go through so much pain and struggle because their loved one died under questionable circumstances. I mean, 54 years of marriage and they can't even get answers about what happened to her? The fact that the police department is still being super secretive about it is just infuriating 
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. The Ramirezes are right to sue, and I hope the DA's office takes this case seriously. We need more accountability on our police forces, period 
That just covers up the real issue – police brutality 
. It's about time we see some real justice served 
First of all, the fact that they were responding to a family dispute over something as trivial as that is wild 
. But what really gets me is how quickly things escalated into her being handcuffed and taken away... I mean, we all know police training includes de-escalation techniques, right? 
The Ramirezes are totally right to be pushing for answers and justice - it's just basic human decency 
. And can you believe the cops think a "simple" explanation is enough when there's so much more at play here 
? I'm sending all my support to the family and their lawyer, Melissa Nold 
and now her husband is saying she had mobility issues... it's all just really frustrating. 
. and now her family's gotta deal with all these lawsuits and whats up with the cop's explanation? it dont make sense 
, but it's hard not to feel like this is just another example of systemic problems in our system 
. We need more accountability, like, yesterday! I don't think 4 years is enough time for the investigation to be done, and the family shouldn't have to deal with so much stress. The coroner's cause of death being a slap in the face comment from Yolanda's sister just shows how messed up this situation is 
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. police gotta be held accountable 4 their actions, no one deserves 2 die in custody 
. its not just about the laws they violated, its about the fact dat they didnt take care of her basic needs 
. why did it have 2 take a sister's statement 4 them 2 realize that the coroner's cause of death was ridiculous 
Like, can't we just know for sure what happened? 
It's like, I get that they want to investigate, but do they really need to keep everything hidden? 
. Like, what's going on? Can't we get some answers around here? The fact that this woman's family has to file lawsuits just because the cops are being super secretive about how she died is just ridiculous 
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. Anyway, the Ramirezes are right to file lawsuits and demand answers. It's crazy how slow justice can move, but they shouldn't give up 
This is getting outta hand, police departments need to be more transparent about their dealings with citizens. It's not just about filling out a form, it's about people's lives 
they're going through so much pain and anger right now, and it's not fair that they didn't get the answers they deserve from the police 