Victor Perez family attorneys to hold two ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ public meetings

POCATELLO – The high-profile attorneys representing the family of a boy killed by Pocatello police officers are offering the community members two chances to speak their mind at the end of June.

The law firm of Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy (BNCL), representing the family of Victor Perez, will hold a “Truth and Reconciliation Conference” on June 27 and June 28. The conference will take place over the course of two public meetings, where people from the surrounding area can speak their mind about what happened to Perez, or share their own experiences with police officers.

“The purpose is to give the citizens of Pocatello and the (Fort Hall) reservation a chance to speak and testify without any judgment (or) fear of retribution,” said James Cook, an attorney with BNCL.

BNCL, a law firm which has previously represented Rodney King and Tupac Shakur, announced on April 16 that it had filed a Claim of Wrongful Death and Civil Rights Violations against the city on behalf of the family. Perez was a teenager with autism and cerebral palsy who was shot nine times while holding a knife by multiple Pocatello Police officers on April 5. He subsequently died at Portneuf Medical Center on April 12.

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On the same day as the announcement of the lawsuit, BNCL held a community meeting at Gate City Coffee, attended by a little over 20 people, where the lawyers answered questions about the case and heard people speak about their own experiences with police officers in the area. BNCL intends to gather testimony on a larger scale with this conference.

Attorneys will evaluate the testimony shared at these meetings, and some people may learn there’s a possibility they could be legally represented by BNCL.

“That’s what we hope for … we’re definitely looking for more cases that are viable there, or at least ways that we can point people in the right direction,” Cook said.

Cook emphasized that both people who live in the Pocatello/Chubbuck community as well as people who live on the Fort Hall reservation are encouraged to offer testimony.

The law firm is still working to find a location in Pocatello where it can hold this meeting, Cook said. He expects to have a location ready to include in a press release next week, which EastIdahoNews.com will publish once released.

Even if people don’t have any testimony to share, they can attend one or both of the meetings to hear what people have to say.

“Even if you don’t have anything to share, maybe you could just come and listen if you have any concerns, (you could) just listen … a lot of people are coming with stories … and we want to hear all of that, so it’s open to anybody,” Cook said.

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