Antonia Martínez
Encyclopedia
Antonia Martínez Lagares was a 21-year-old student at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, native of Arecibo
who was killed by a police officer. She was expected to graduate with a major in Education
.
On March 4, 1970, during conflicts caused when the Fuerza de Choque (Riot Police) was dispatched to the Campus of Río Piedras of UPR
to intervene against students protesting the presence of the Reserve Officers Training Corps presence on the campus, Antonia looked from her lodging's balcony, on the second floor above Ponce de León Avenue, while police officers beat down other fellow students, she shouted at them "asesinos" (Assassins!). One of the police officers looked up at the balcony, took out his gun and shot her. The bullet pierced her head and injured in the neck another student that was with her. Antonia died soon after at Auxilio Mutuo hospital.
Celestino Santiago, the other wounded student, told the events and identified some of the present police officers. After that, a police officer was accused, but was absolved on trial.
Later on, on the declarations of some police agents to the Senatorial Juridical Commission of Puerto Rico on the investigations of the Cerro Maravilla Incident
case, a police agent denounced the cover-up by the Police Department and the FBI of the murder of Antonia Martínez, declaring that in order to cover the case, a police officer that had nothing to do with it was accused so he'd be absolved. The murderer was protected and has never been tried before a court for this crime.
Her death had a meaningful influence in those years' pop culture, and was taken as a symbol of police abuse and oppression. In 2010, a mural commemorating the 40th anniversary of the killing of Martínez was vandalized. Led by former political prisoner Rafael Cancel Miranda
, activists from various organizations supported a group of urban artists that restored the mural. Another mural commemorating Antonia is located at the Humanities Building of the University of Puerto Rico.
Martínez is one of two UPR students to die during rioting in the early 70's. A year after her death, UPR ROTC cadet Jacinto Gutierrez
was killed while defending the ROTC building at UPR's main campus.
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
who was killed by a police officer. She was expected to graduate with a major in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
UPR
UPR may refer to:*Popular Republican Union was a Christian democratic party in Alsace, France during the Third Republic. Founded in 1919, the UPR became the dominant party in Alsace during the Interwar era....
to intervene against students protesting the presence of the Reserve Officers Training Corps presence on the campus, Antonia looked from her lodging's balcony, on the second floor above Ponce de León Avenue, while police officers beat down other fellow students, she shouted at them "asesinos" (Assassins!). One of the police officers looked up at the balcony, took out his gun and shot her. The bullet pierced her head and injured in the neck another student that was with her. Antonia died soon after at Auxilio Mutuo hospital.
Celestino Santiago, the other wounded student, told the events and identified some of the present police officers. After that, a police officer was accused, but was absolved on trial.
Later on, on the declarations of some police agents to the Senatorial Juridical Commission of Puerto Rico on the investigations of the Cerro Maravilla Incident
Cerro Maravilla Incident
The Cerro Maravilla incident, also known as the Cerro Maravilla case or the Cerro Maravilla killings is the name given by the Puerto Rican public and media to describe the events that occurred on July 25, 1978 at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Puerto Rico, wherein two young Puerto...
case, a police agent denounced the cover-up by the Police Department and the FBI of the murder of Antonia Martínez, declaring that in order to cover the case, a police officer that had nothing to do with it was accused so he'd be absolved. The murderer was protected and has never been tried before a court for this crime.
Her death had a meaningful influence in those years' pop culture, and was taken as a symbol of police abuse and oppression. In 2010, a mural commemorating the 40th anniversary of the killing of Martínez was vandalized. Led by former political prisoner Rafael Cancel Miranda
Rafael Cancel Miranda
Rafael Cancel Miranda , political activist, is a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and an advocate of Puerto Rican independence. On March 1, 1954, Cancel Miranda together with fellow Nationalists Lolita Lebron, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodriguez entered the United...
, activists from various organizations supported a group of urban artists that restored the mural. Another mural commemorating Antonia is located at the Humanities Building of the University of Puerto Rico.
Martínez is one of two UPR students to die during rioting in the early 70's. A year after her death, UPR ROTC cadet Jacinto Gutierrez
Jacinto Gutierrez
Jacinto Gutiérrez was a University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras campus ROTC cadet who was murdered on March 11, 1971 at the Reserve Officers Training Corps building during a riot by groups opposing the program's presence on the campus...
was killed while defending the ROTC building at UPR's main campus.
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5ZHXsG-Hhs- Video de Funeral De Antonia Martinez Lagares 1970
- http://dialogodigital.com/en/entre-estudiantes/2010/03/antonia-martinez-lagares-cuarenta-años-despues