Why Trevor Seever family, others gathered at Modesto park to talk about police brutality
The barbecue Saturday at Davis Community Park looked like any other planned for a warm March day.
But tearful stories and signs calling for an end to police brutality served as a reminder throughout the afternoon of why the group of about 60 had gathered.
Among those who attended the event against police brutality included family members of a man shot and killed by a Modesto Police Department officer, advocacy groups and families who have experienced police brutality.
Also in attendance were some members of the Modesto City Council.
While protests since the late December shooting death of Trevor Seever had helped family members meet some of the other families earlier, the barbecue allowed them to connect on a more personal level with those who know what they’ve experienced.
“It’s very hard to find a support group that understands your hurt and pain,” Allison Seever said.
About a dozen families spoke about their own experiences with California police departments hurting or killing their loved ones.
Karen Chabiel, the mother of 29-year-old Shayne Sutherland, who died in October while in custody of Stockton police, said she felt a constant mix of heartbreak over losing her son and anger over knowing law enforcement ended a crisis situation with his death.
“We need to hold all these officers accountable,” Chabiel said.
As she led the crowd in chanting the names of people who had died, Chabiel realized she was unable to list them all.
“There’s so many,” she said. “Why is there so many?”
The problem, families say, is a lack of crisis resources outside of police departments.
Modesto officer Joseph Lamantia was fired, charged
Allison Seever said she called 911 on Dec. 29 because her brother, Trevor, was experiencing a mental health crisis and the family was unsure how to safely handle the situation.
Their mother, Darlene Ruiz, had instructed her to make the call, hoping intervention of some kind would help her son.
“It was the only option that we knew of, to call for help,” Ruiz said.
Modesto Police Department officer Joseph Lamantia responded to the call. He fired multiple rounds and killed Trevor Seever after encountering him alone at Church of the Brethren on Woodland Avenue.
Lamantia was fired and charged with manslaughter March 18. He is believed to be the first Modesto officer charged for an on-duty shooting in at least 20 years.
“I know we are truly, truly happy that Lamantia is fired, that they are prosecuting him,” brother Kyle Seever said. “But for this not to happen again, we have to realize it’s not just him.”
When family members spoke Saturday about their experiences, almost all of them said their loved one had been experiencing a mental health crisis when they were harmed or killed by police.
Many called for California cities to implement crisis response teams, an alternative first-responder option that would send out trained mental health professionals instead of law enforcement.
This option has gained greater attention especially within the past year, after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked nationwide protests about police reform.
Trevor Seever’s relatives said the city has agreed to hear a proposal for a mental health response team, part of the family’s efforts to make sure others don’t suffer like it has.
“It’s nice to know that our voices are being heard and people want to improve the community and want better,” Ruiz said. “We’ll forever be working with the city to reform.”
At the same time as they advocate, the family members are finding ways to honor their loved one.
On April 24, the family will gather at the Church of Brethren to celebrate what would have been Trevor’s 30th birthday.
They will bring painted rocks to leave inside the church’s labyrinth, symbolically placing their burdens inside the maze near where Trevor died.
The family plans to share stories of Trevor and remember the years it was able to spend with him.
“Just make sure his memory and his name don’t go to the grave,” Allison Seever said.
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 7:39 AM.
