Calls for ‘Kate’s Wall’ emerge after Mexican immigrant’s acquittal in Steinle killing
Her family wants to ‘move on’
Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Kristine Phillips.
In 2015, Kate Steinle was fatally shot by Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, a felon who was in the country illegally at the time of Steinle’s death. Steinle was on a stroll with her father in San Francisco’s Embarcadero when she was killed. Her death has now become a rallying cry for more stringent immigration laws, including a crackdown on “sanctuary cities” and the creation of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Calls for the border wall have grown louder since Thursday, after a San Francisco jury acquitted the Mexican immigrant charged with the 32-year-old’s murder. On social media, many advocating for the border wall have used #KatesWall as they condemned the acquittal of Garcia Zarate.
The acquittal of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate
Jurors were asked to determine whether Garcia Zarate intentionally opened fire on a crowd at Pier 14 or whether the .40-caliber handgun he was holding accidentally discharged.
Deputy District Attorney Diana Garcia said in her opening statements in October that Garcia Zarate “meant to shoot” at people, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The gun, a Sig Sauer P239 semiautomatic pistol, was stolen from an unlocked car of a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger, authorities said.
Public defender Matt Gonzalez said someone else had wrapped the weapon in a T-shirt and left it under the bench at the pier, where Garcia Zarate, who had been living on the streets since his release, stumbled upon it. The gun accidentally discharged as Garcia Zarate was unwrapping it, Gonzalez told jurors, calling the shooting the result of a “freakish ricochet” of a bullet.
The jury sided with the defense after a weeks-long trial and six days of deliberation.
45-year-old Garcia Zarate, who had previously entered the United States illegally six times and has seven prior felony convictions, was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, which carries a sentence of up to three years.
The Justice Department said that the agency has issued an arrest warrant and is considering federal charges against Garcia Zarate. Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmed as much on Fox News, saying Garcia Zarate will continue to remain in custody before he’s ultimately deported.
#KatesWall supporters
- White nationalist and alt-right leader Richard Spencer announced on Twitter that he will be at Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, on Sunday afternoon “to demand Trump build #KatesWall.”
- President Trump has demanded funding for the border wall, but Congress has yet to agree to provide beyond the $20 million allotted for prototypes and related infrastructure.
- Identity Evropa, a group that focuses on white European heritage, called the acquittal “an indictment of not only San Francisco, but our country overall” in a Twitter post that used #BoycottSanFrancisco and #BuildTheWall.
Steinle’s family
Steinle’s father, Jim Steinle, said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that the verdict had “saddened and shocked” the family. But more than anything, he said, they want to finally move away from the public attention brought by the politicization of his daughter’s death.
“We just want to get this over with and move on with our lives, and think about Kate on our terms. Nothing’s been on our terms. It’s been on everyone’s terms,” Steinle said.
Kate Steinle’s killing led to the creation of a bill known as Kate’s Law, which would enhance penalties for convicted and deported criminals who reenter the United States illegally. The bill was passed by the House in June but has stalled in the Senate, where it appears to have little chance, if any, of passing.
