RICHMOND — Julie Perez, a longtime police reform advocate following the death of her son Pedie Perez by the hands of a former Richmond police officer, died Jan. 22 after a battle with cancer.
Julie Perez and her family have been a stable presence at nearly every Richmond City Council meeting since the police killing of Richard “Pedie” Perez III in 2014. Amid health complications, Julie Perez appeared at council meetings less frequently but her husband, Rick Perez, and mother-in-law, Patricia Perez, continued to speak in support of police reform and provide updates on Julie’s condition.
That was until last week when the Perez family was notably absent.
Councilmember Soheila Bana said during Tuesday’s council meeting that their missing was due to Julie Perez’s passing. Patricia Perez confirmed her daughter-in-law’s passing on social media.
“Today I held your hand as you took your last breath at 10:40 a.m. You fought a hard and strong battle but today you got to be with Pedie again and we can only find peace in this. I will miss you forever Julie,” Patricia Perez wrote in a Facebook post on Jan. 23, a day after Julie Perez’s passing.
Bana adjourned Tuesday’s meeting in Perez’s honor, sharing her condolences for the family and lauding their work regarding police reform.
“For years and years, we have seen the Perez family come to this city council in remembering their son and pushing activism and advocacy for police reform,” Bana said. “It hasn’t been easy for (Julie Perez), it hasn’t been easy for the family. And I know it saddens the community too. And that is the long-term impact of gun violence on families due to the sadness of losing their only son.”
Pedie Perez was 24 when he was shot and killed outside of Uncle Sam’s Liquor Store on Cutting Boulevard by former Officer Wallace Jensen on Sept. 14, 2014. While Jensen claimed a drunk Perez made him fear for his life, leading the officer to fatally shoot him three times, witnesses and a 2018 Community Police Review Commission report dispute his telling of the incident as “at the least, embellished.”
Perez was not armed and initially complied with Jensen’s commands, according to the report. After he attempted to walk home, Jensen used a “judo take-down” to wrestle him to the ground, leading to a struggle between the two.
Jensen said Perez went for his gun and charged him, and a District Attorney Office investigation found the shooting justified in a 2016 report.
But the commission report notes that Perez’s DNA was not found on Jensen’s gun or holster and a gunshot trajectory analysis indicates he was likely facing away from Jensen and close to the ground when he was first shot.
Jensen retired shortly after the incident. Meanwhile, the Perez family sued the city and was paid $850,000 in a settlement that did not require the city to admit wrongdoing.
“One incompetent police officer shot a young man whose only crime was being drunk,” Bana said Tuesday.
The money didn’t bring back Perez though, and his family has spent a decade ensuring the public knew of the Pinole Valley High School graduate, an only child of Rick and Julie Perez beloved by many.
City efforts to honor Pedie Perez and reform the police department were appreciated by Julie Perez and the Perez family, Bana said Tuesday night. The city renamed Spring Street to Pedie Perez Avenue last September, has funded art projects in his honor, and expanded the police department’s cultural sensitivity courses to include his story.
“That was soothing to Julie Perez and I’m glad we did it in time before she passed,” Bana said about the street renaming. “Their pain never went away, it’s still there, but acknowledging facts was important for them.”
A funeral for Julie Perez will be held 1 p.m. Friday at the East Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento, Patricia Perez shared online.