Community members, friends, and family of Mark Ysasaga gather at the corner of 19th and University Street for an eight hours protest for what they describe as the injustice for Mark Ysasaga.
“A nightmare. It’s something that nobody should have to go through, especially a parent,” Mark’s mother Anna Ysasaga said.
Mark Ysasaga went missing in 2012 and later found in May 2015. 21 year old Jose Simental was charged with murder of Ysasaga and was found not guilty on September 16.
Simental plead guilty to tampering with evidence and will now serve seven years in jail.
Family and friends of Mark organized Friday’s protest to say it’s not a long enough sentence.
“They’ve seen how much I fought and help others kids and they want to help me even more of showing everybody they’re not going to take it sitting down either,” Anna Ysasaga said. “That something more needs to be done. Just what they did last week is not enough.”
“Offer support for her and to show her that we care and that we’re going to do what we have to do to make more people support her,” Mark’s cousin and Protestor Rebecca Ysasaga said.
“We are trying to get justice for my cousin Mark and hopefully we get it,” Mark’s cousin and Protestor Meghan Ramirez said.
Ysasaga said she met with the Lubbock District Attorney’s office early Friday morning and they told her this case is still under investigation.
“These past four years everybody does know who he is,” Ysasaga said. “People I’ve never met before messaged me throughout any time of the day to let me know they’re there for me. That I’ve done so good at keeping him alive before we found him and I keep on fighting for him.”
The protest began at 9 a.m. and ended around 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.
