# Santeria Priests Accuse Police of Force June 27, 2007 Author: Elaine de Valle Source: The Miami Herald Two Santeria priests -- including one who fought for the religious right to sacrifice animals -- say police used excessive force earlier this month when they stormed, guns drawn, into a Coral Gables home where the homeowner was conducting a ritual involving the sacrifice of 11 goats and 44 fowl. ''They came inside this house where priests, old ladies and children were playing in a different room, pointing guns at everybody,'' said Ernesto Pichardo, president of the Lukumí Babalú Ayé Church in Hialeah, which won a landmark 1993 Supreme Court decision that ruled animal sacrifices a religious right. Nineteen officers responded to the 911 call on June 8 from a neighbor who heard the shrieks of animals. Police say the homeowner, Noriel Batista, invited them into his home and explained the Afro-Caribbean faith, which merges Catholic and African beliefs. See also:- [ Discrimination/Accomodation ](/news-stories/discriminationaccomodation) - [ Holidays/Worship ](/news-stories/holidaysworship) - [ Afro-Caribbean ](/religions/afro-caribbean) - [ Civic ](/tags/civic) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)