Remembering Tyisha Miller 10 Years On
A 10th anniversary commemoration of a key event in Riverside’s history.
Organized by the Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability.
This event was held on Sunday, December 28, 2008 at the Kansas Avenue Seventh Day Adventist Church in Riverside, CA and was followed by a vigil at the 76 gas station where Tyisha Miller was killed, 6575 Brockton Ave., Riverside, CA 92506. It was attended by about 150 community members.
Tyisha Miller, a nineteen-year-old African American woman, was shot and killed by four Riverside Police Department officers on December 28, 1998. Her death was a landmark for the Riverside community. It led directly to the creation of the City’s Community Police Review Commission, a five-year consent decree for the RPD, a civil rights case, the involvement of the State Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice, and sustained national attention to Riverside. During 1999-2000, thousands of community members demonstrated and called for change.
This commemorative event looked back as well as forward. Where are we now? What has changed for the better? What remains to be done? Many community activists spoke, including Mayor Ron Loveridge, attorney Andy Roth, CPRC member Chani Beeman, former CPRC member Gloria Huerta, Ralph Smith, Woodie Rucker-Hughes, Rev. Reggie Beamon, Rev. Jerry Louder, Rev. Bernell Butler, Rev. Dwayne Butler, an RCPA co-Chairs Deborah Wong and Michael Dunn. Pastor Robert Edwards served as master of ceremonies and Bill Howe provided the closing remarks.
Protesters take to the 91 freeway in 1999.