By Robert Wood
Too often, rising stars within the Latino community have had their lives, and their potential for greater contributions, cut short by tragedy. Most recently, one actress comes to mind, Vanessa Marquez, whose life was cut short on August 30, 2018, when she was killed by local police officers in a violent altercation that could have been prevented.
The fact that Marquez’s death is almost to the date of the Chicano Moratorium, August 29, 1970 is only more tragic. For this writer, what Marquez’s life and career symbolizes is a moratorium for one Chicana– immortalized for her authenticity, passion and own unique voice which became the hallmarks of her performances over the span of her entire career.
2020 so far has proven tragic to Latino Hollywood. On July 15, actress Naya Rivera (Glee) was declared dead in an apparent drowning accident at Lake Piru in Ventura County, disappearing into the waters after getting her 4-year-old son back onto the boat she had rented for the day.
Throughout the decades, there have been others who died before they reached their full potential. One can only wonder all of the “what ifs.”
At age 17, rock and roll pioneer Ritchie Valens perished in a plane crash in 1959 in what became known as “The Day The Music Died.” Comedian and sitcom star Freddie Prinze (Chico and the Man) died of complications from a drug overdose on January 29, 1977, when he was only 22. Tex-Mex, cumbia and pop singer Selena Quintanilla, was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar on April 16, 1995 at the age of 23.
We’ve not heard the last of Marquez’s tragic death. Her mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of South Pasadena, the South Pasadena police chief and the officers involved in the shooting. Her Stand and Deliver co-stars, led by actor Will Gotay, are pushing for a thorough investigation on the police shooting of his friend.
“I am all about proper law enforcement and I have a strong belief in the legal system,” said Gotay. “As a child, my heroes were policemen. I was born in Manhattan and raised in the South Bronx. The area that used to be known as Fort Apache.”
Gotay’s views on the shooting became crystal clear after viewing for himself the police BodyCam footage, and he is outraged and determined to get justice for Marquez and her family.
“From the beginning, I wanted to believe that the police [South Pasadena Police Department] did their jobs correctly. That they had no other recourse. But, what I saw for myself on the BodyCam footage was undeniably wrong!” Gotay said.
“They need to be held responsible for what they have done. This happens more times than we know. It has to stop! Police should not be present at wellness checks unless they are specifically needed. They murdered my friend. They took her life as she tries to explain why she wanted to stay home. This cannot happen again,” Gotay said.