Ricardo Badillo, 22

I am the proud cousin of Ricardo Badillo, or Ricky as we call him. On January 24th, 2009 I lost a big part of my childhood, not to mention the respect for those who carry a badge. This incident has left me and my family traumatized, especially after the harassment some of us received all the while making arrangements for his funeral. Though I was not present at the location, I’ve read the reports including the autopsy. I can not understand why the news media and even the coroners would offend such a life. I was angry at the fact that I read something in reference to the “EME” (Mexican Mafia). Indeed my cousin had numerous tattoos and coincidently served time in prison however he was no affiliate. Til this day I sometimes get profiled and detained by police. During the routine I am usually searched and asked about my tattoos. After Ricardo’s murder I got one that reads F THE POLICE on my calve. Do you blame me? I am not a gang member, nor do I have a criminal record. I actually graduated college and pursuing a career as a Chemical Dependency Counselor. We were actually Explorers for the Compton School Police and had hopes in becoming officers. All those plans starting losing our grip solely because of the treatment we would receive by officers in the streets, it was overwhelming and discouraging. We both walked away from participating in that program. We did keep in touch with officer Andy Zimbal who served as our mentor, especially for Ricky. My biggest fear came to life when I heard about Rickys passing. The family didn’t even tell me the truth of it being an officer involved shooting until the following day. Learning this and the fact that I knew in my heart that I would never really get the TRUTH of what happened, broke me.
Two years have passed and the hurt still haunts me. Of course it bothers me that the issue of hiring a personal investigator wasn’t pushed. During that weekend alone If I can recall there were 3 other police involved shootings. It tears me a part every time I hear of another and another and another. Frankly, it seems like a lost cause to fight against. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one behind badged bullets. At minimal, the “officer no name” should have at least put some consideration into an apology. Til then we will try and continue to find comfort in knowing that Ricky left us many memories. His daughter especially serves as a beautiful reflection of him. My hurt though runs deeper for many other reasons. He was a proud man, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin … but he was MY “roll-dog”, THE CLOSEST TO A BROTHER, and can never be replaced.
-Jessica Serrano