People gathered Saturday in Oakland for a rally, demanding justice for a loved one and saying Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price isn’t doing enough to hold perpetrators accountable.
It came just days after an effort to recall the DA took a step forward.
Anna Tolentino, the mother of Rienheart Asuncion shared frustrations about her son’s case and the justice system.
“That they are only put the sentence on 7 years less than,” she said. “As a mother, I can’t accept that. So that’s why I am reaching out to the district attorney to listen.
Asuncion was shot and killed last year in what was believed to be a road rage incident. Law enforcement said the then 17-year-old suspect had an extensive and violent criminal history and wanted him to be tried as an adult. But he wasn’t.
The family says they still need justice. They were joined by supporters and other families who have lost loved ones to violence.
Hayward resident Patricia Harris Purvis addressed the crowd.
“It has to stop it has to stop and if this is how Pamela Price is running it, she has to go,” she said.
Organizers said the focus was the rally for justice. But some carried signs to recall Price and stand behind that effort.
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Meantime, the Alameda County Democratic Party said the following statement Saturday.
“The Alameda County Democratic Party has a simple message to voters: let district attorney pamela price do her job.” They added that she only took office this year and had just begun the reforms she promised.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the DA’s office for comment Saturday but did not hear back.
