National

Woman Wishes She Could Have Saved Son Killed by Police

Published

11 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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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.