National

Woman Wishes She Could Have Saved Son Killed by Police

Published

9 years ago

February 25, 2015

Agapita Montes-Rivera, right, the mother of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who was shot and killed by police in Pasco, Wash., on Feb. 10, 2015, sits with interpreter Fabian Ubay, left, as they talk with the media in Kennewick, Wash., Tuesday, Feb. 24. Agapita Montes-Rivera viewed her son’s body for the first time Monday, Feb. 23, and said she hopes for justice in the case that has sparked protests and calls for a federal investigation. The killing of Antonio Zambrano-Montes in Pasco was captured on video by a witness. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)

NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — When Agapita Montes-Rivera first watched the video of her son being gunned down by police in Washington state, she rushed to the TV set in a futile effort to help him.

The 60-year-old woman from tiny Parotita, Mexico, was more than 2,000 miles away and hadn’t seen her son in a decade.

“Truthfully, when I saw they were chasing him, and he puts his hands up, and they shoot him, I threw my hands at the television,” Montes-Rivera said Tuesday. “Had I been there in person, I would have been the first to jump in so they wouldn’t have shot him.”

Antonio Zambrano-Montes’ Feb. 10 death in the agricultural city of Pasco has sparked protests and calls for a federal investigation. Police killed the unarmed man who spoke little English after he allegedly threw rocks at officers.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Montes-Rivera said the three officers involved should go to prison.

“Police killed a person just for carrying a rock,” she said in Spanish at a library in Kennewick, across the Columbia River from Pasco. Montes-Rivera was in Washington for the grim task of retrieving her son’s body and returning it to their village for burial.

“A lot of police who carry guns believe they can just kill anybody,” she said. “It has happened too many times.”

Pasco Police Capt. Ken Roske declined to respond directly to the woman’s comments. But he said the department has confidence in an investigation being conducted by a regional task force.

Authorities have said Zambrano-Montes was acting erratically the night of the shooting, and officers felt threatened. They said a stun gun failed to subdue the 35-year-old agricultural worker.

In a bystander’s video, five “pops” are audible, and Zambrano-Montes can be seen running away, pursued by three officers. As the officers draw closer, he stops, turns and faces them. Multiple “pops” are heard, and he falls to the ground near a busy intersection.

The Franklin County coroner has ordered an inquest into the death, and federal authorities are monitoring the task force’s probe. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington on Tuesday sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for a federal investigation.

Montes-Rivera, who has 16 children, said she was not aware of any erratic behavior in her son’s past.

“He was cheerful, a hard worker,” said the mother, adding Zambrano-Montes came to the United States 10 years ago to find work and help out his family.

The family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, has said Zambrano-Montes was in the country illegally and spoke little English. Crump also represented the family of Michael Brown, a black man killed by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Court records show Zambrano-Montes was arrested last year for assault after throwing objects at Pasco police and trying to grab an officer’s pistol.

Montes-Rivera arrived in Pasco on Monday, and she had not yet had any contact with law enforcement. She said her husband was unable to make the trip and remained in Mexico.

The last time Montes-Rivera spoke with her son was Dec. 30, when she asked him to come home for a visit. He replied that he needed to make more money to make the trip.

The Mexican government is paying for Zambrano-Montes’ funeral home expenses and to transport the body back to Mexico, according to the Mexican counsel in Seattle. Mexico’s president earlier criticized the shooting.

Zambrano-Montes’ killing has sparked two weeks of protests in Pasco, which has a population of 68,000 and is more than 50 percent Hispanic.

Montes-Rivera said she is surprised by all the attention the death has received. She was overwhelmed when she visited a makeshift memorial to her son downtown.

The killing was the fourth by Pasco police in less than a year. Officers were exonerated after similar investigations in the first three cases. Critics in the latest case say the officers should have used less than lethal force to subdue Zambrano-Montes.

Authorities have said Zambrano-Montes was not armed with a gun or knife. Whether he had a rock in his hand when he was shot is still under investigation.

Two of the officers involved in his shooting were white, and the other Hispanic. All three opened fire, though the number of shots has not been disclosed.

Authorities have asked for patience as the investigation continues.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.