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Protesters Demand Justice One Year After Farmworker Killed By Collier Sheriff's Officer

Protesters stand along US 41 in Naples
Julie Glenn
/
WGCU
Protesters stand along US 41 in Naples

Friday afternoon, several dozen protestors stood and chanted through bullhorns at the corner of US 41 and Airport-Pulling Road in front of the Collier County Government Complex. They were there to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Immokalee farmworker Nicolas Morales Bessanilla.

The group, organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, demanded that the Collier County Sheriff’s Office be held accountable for the single father’s death. They chanted their desire for an end to police violence, and for the Sheriff’s office to have and use mental health response Teams in cases like Morales-Besanilla’s.

Other demands from the protesters included that the investigation into Morales-Besannilla's death be re-opened, the convening of an Immokalee-run resident board to collectively review cases, and to facilitate better relations and understanding with law enforcement.

After collecting at the corner, about 70 protesters marched to the steps of the courthouse area where a letter from Morales-Besanilla’s son was read in his absence. Without parents in Immokalee anymore, Nicolas Jr. had to move away to live with a relative in Austin.