San Jose March for Rudy Cardenas

Jesse Villarreal, Rudy Cardenas' nephew, spoke with Indybay about his uncle and the case against Walker:

Indybay: Can you say what it is you remember about your uncle at a time like this?

Jesse Villarreal: I think about how fun he was, how he was always kidding around, having a good time. He was always, like, a good person to be around. And so in times like this I think of him and remember his smile, the way he used to look at you. People who knew him knew about the way he used to have, like, a little smile on his face. You know, one of those smiles that is one in a million. I just try to think of all the positive times and all the good times we had while he was alive.

Indybay: How do you think things are going in the court case against Walker?

Jesse Villarreal: I think Walker’s attorney is, in my opinion, prolonging the agony of defeat. Walker’s been indicted and they keep on doing motions for this, and motions for that. Any reasonable person can see that when you shoot someone in the back, it’s not the right thing to do, if you’re an agent or you’re not an agent. For someone to do that who wears a badge, that’s about the worst thing, because we’re supposed to hold police officers to a higher standard. That’s why they’re in their position—to serve the community, to protect the community from people who want to do bad.