Santos at Pike Park
A mother's letter to the president, and a police apology that took forty-eight years.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
Santos Rodriguez was twelve, and he came to this park often. He was killed in 1973 over eight dollars from a vending machine. At about half past two on the morning of 24 July, two Dallas officers took him and his thirteen-year-old brother David from their home, without a warrant, to question them about a gas station burglary. Both boys were handcuffed in a police car behind the station.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
Pike Park, off Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas. Open public park. The killing took place elsewhere, at 2301 Cedar Springs; this is where he played and where he is remembered.
Sources
- Family gets apology from Dallas police, CBS Texas, 2021
- Statue honoring Santos Rodriguez unveiled, Spectrum News, 2022
- Murder of Santos Rodriguez, Wikipedia
- Bessie Rodriguez, mother of 12-year-old killed by Dallas cop in 1973, dies, Dallas Morning News, 2023
- Bessie Rodriguez, mother of 12-year-old killed by Dallas officer in 1973, dies at 80, Fort Worth Star-Telegram via AOL, 2023
- 50 years later, the murder of this 12-year-old boy weighs heavy on the Chicano community, Fort Worth Star-Telegram via Yahoo, 2023
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