The Justice Department must assist in the investigation of the police shooting death of an unarmed Hispanic orchard worker in Pasco, Washington to ensure the inquiry is "fair and impartial," the ACLU of Washington demanded on Tuesday.

The Feb. 10 death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, a 35-year-old orchard worker who police said was unarmed, has sparked growing outrage in the U.S. and Mexico and calls for a federal investigation to determine if his civil rights were violated and if police used excessive force. The shooting was captured on a widely seen video that appears to show Zambrano-Montes moving away from Pasco police officers as they open fire; police have said he was being chased because he was throwing rocks.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, the ACLU said: "The facts surrounding Mr. Zambrano's death must be fully and carefully investigated. The Department of Justice can help ensure that the investigation is fair and impartial."

The ACLU also said it was concerned about an inquiry initiated after the shooting by a special unit made up of investigators from local police and county sheriff's departments.

The investigators were "unnecessarily focusing" on Zambrano's activities during the weeks prior to the shooting, rather than the circumstances of the shooting, the organization said.

The fatal shooting was the fourth by police in Pasco in the previous six months, making this agricultural city of about 68,000 residents the newest center of a growing national debate about police violence. Last week, the Pasco Latino leaders group Consejo Latino called for a federal investigation into the shooting.

The ACLU noted that one an officer involved in the shooting death of Zambrano was previously sued for using excessive force against another Pasco resident.

Also on Tuesday, the man's mother, Agapita Montes-Rivera, said she was more than 2,000 miles away, in Mexico, when she saw video of her son's shooting being shown on TV. She rushed to the set in an attempt to help him.

"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 told the Associated Press. "Had I been there in person, I would have been the first to jump in so they wouldn't have shot him."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pas ... ys-n312231

US police on a rampage again. Watch out, he's got a rock! Let's fire a few rounds just in case! There's no stopping this madness, is there? These baboons in uniforms feel they have a license to kill anyone, don't they? And now they're focusing on his activity before the incident... sounds like they're going to try to smear him like with Michael Brown. The facts of the day are evident; he was "armed" with a rock and there were three cops with guns who killed him. Rock vs. gun, who do you think is going to win that fight? Dig up all the dirt you want, pigs, but it doesn't change what happened that day and it is all on video.

The trigger happy habits of police only shows what true cowards they are. Scared of a fucking rock and there are three little piggies vs one (future) victim? Pathetic.

Much as I REALLY hate cops and hope they all die a flaming gory death, I know a little about Pasco. I have a friend who grew up and lives in Pasco. I used to drive over there to shoot at a gun range and camp/fish on the Snake river.(last time 4 years ago)

Pasco is one of three cities that are together on the Columbia river in eastern Washington State and is in a desert.. Thus they are called the Tri-Cities. Aside from the Hanford Nuclear plant its all agriculture. Grapes/wine, wheat, fruit, alfalfa, etc.

Pasco is now kind of the slum area for the three cities as it has been taken over by Mexicans/Central-Americans attracted by the farm jobs. A vast percentage of the farm workers are in America illegally. They have also brought a lot of crime and drug traffic to Pasco so the cops (who I hate all) may be a little on edge and pissed off. Last time I was in the area an illegal Mexican who had been deported three times had killed a Washington State Patrol Cop.

Much as I hate cops, the Pasco police are having a hard time keeping a lid on this town that has been taken over by non-Americans. You go to the old downtown section and everything is in Spanish/Mexican. One bright side is you can get really good Mexican food there, and cheap.

Time for our federal government to enforce the laws and throw the illegals out of my country, but the big agro business's like ConAgra make to much money off of the illegals. Get rid of the illegals (like this guy that got killed) in Pasco and 99% of the problem goes away. Throw them out, make them go back to their own country, start a guest-worker program with two year work visa (only issued at US embassys in their home country) and then they can legally work and pay tax's.

Yes, all cops in the US are scumbags and trigger-happy jerks, but you couldn't pay me any amount of money to be a Pasco cop.

So I guess that answers the hypothetical, "Who does Sailorman hate more? Latinos or cops?" And the winner is... Latinos!!

Wrongo! I hate cops more. If a cop was laying in the street bleeding, I'd go over and kick him, where as if a Beaner was laying in the street bleeding I'd leave him alone and let nature take its course. All I'm asking is that ALL illegal aliens leave my country, is that too much to ask? I have to get a visa to be in a foreign country, why should a bunch of south-of-the-border aliens be allowed to reside in my country without visa's and pop out "anchor" babies that are instant American citizens and receive my tax dollars in welfare?

A few months ago Obama-Iben-Laying went to Mexico to visit the jobs that used to be in America (NAFTA) and the president of Mexico came to America to visit his people and the big source of money that is being funneled to Mexico by illegals working in America.

The logistics of kicking millions of workers out of the country are so unfeasible that neither Republican nor Democratic mainstream politicians are suggesting it. It would cripple our economy in a day... and you wouldn't be able to get your great cheap Mexican food either. We do need a guest worker program, but it should start with amnesty, not by kicking everyone out then waiting for our bureaucracy to replace the workers we lost. Could be a long wait.

Of course, you just wrote "if a Beaner was laying in the street bleeding I'd leave him alone and let nature take its course" making it clear that you hate Latinos and are not merely opposed to illegal immigration for economic reasons.

I'm ashamed to be from the same state as you, but luckily I never go east of the pass, so I mostly avoid the rednecks.

kick at least half...any with a criminal history.Any anchor babies. Take a proficiency test. I would go and say depending which country they come from should play a factor. I like el salvadorians. They refuse welfare and try damn hard to speak english. Strong family values. I would go so far in saying they will save america.

I highly doubt any American wants to legalize them all and only someone sick in the head would wish do something to their own country.

It would not cripple the economy. It would force business owners(mostly large business owners) to open their wallets.

Would Muslims be welcome in Pasco?

Khartoum wrote:Would Muslims be welcome in Pasco?

Hahaha... I seriously doubt it.

Back to police brutality, this report came out last week and I missed it until now: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 ... black-site

The Chicago police department operates an off-the-books interrogation compound, rendering Americans unable to be found by family or attorneys while locked inside what lawyers say is the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site.

Alleged police practices at Homan Square, according to those familiar with the facility who spoke out to the Guardian after its investigation into Chicago police abuse, include:

Keeping arrestees out of official booking databases.
Beating by police, resulting in head wounds.
Shackling for prolonged periods.
Denying attorneys access to the “secure” facility.
Holding people without legal counsel for between 12 and 24 hours, including people as young as 15.

“It’s sort of an open secret among attorneys that regularly make police station visits, this place – if you can’t find a client in the system, odds are they’re there,” said Chicago lawyer Julia Bartmes.

In preparation for the Nato protest, Church, who is from Florida, had written a phone number for the National Lawyers Guild on his arm as a precautionary measure. Once taken to Homan Square, Church asked explicitly to call his lawyers, and said he was denied.

Church’s left wrist was cuffed to a bar behind a bench in windowless cinderblock cell, with his ankles cuffed together. He remained in those restraints for about 17 hours.

Though the raid attracted major media attention, a team of attorneys could not find Church through 12 hours of “active searching”, Sarah Gelsomino, Church’s lawyer, recalled. No booking record existed. Only after she and others made a “major stink” with contacts in the offices of the corporation counsel and Mayor Rahm Emanuel did they even learn about Homan Square.

“He said that the officers caused his head injuries in an interrogation room at Homan Square. I had been looking for him for six to eight hours, and every department member I talked to said they had never heard of him,” Solowiej said. “He sent me a phone pic of his head injuries because I had seen him in a police station right before he was transferred to Homan Square without any.”

The combination of holding clients for long periods, while concealing their whereabouts and denying access to a lawyer, struck legal experts as a throwback to the worst excesses of Chicago police abuse, with a post-9/11 feel to it.

Regardless of departmental regulations, police frequently deny or elide access to lawyers even at regular police precincts, said Solowiej of First Defense Legal Aid. But she said the outright denial was exacerbated at Chicago’s secretive interrogation and holding facility: “It’s very, very rare for anyone to experience their constitutional rights in Chicago police custody, and even more so at Homan Square,” Solowiej said.

Tracy Siska, a criminologist and civil-rights activist with the Chicago Justice Project, said that Homan Square, as well as the unrelated case of ex-Guantánamo interrogator and retired Chicago detective Richard Zuley, showed the lines blurring between domestic law enforcement and overseas military operations.

“The real danger in allowing practices like Guantánamo or Abu Ghraib is the fact that they always creep into other aspects,” Siska said.

“They creep into domestic law enforcement, either with weaponry like with the militarization of police, or interrogation practices. That’s how we ended up with a black site in Chicago.”

MM: Your just making yourself look like bozo by making statements without knowledge. First, in the early '70's I ran the kitchen in the biggest Mexican restaurant in the Pacific Northwest of America. Later I drove big truck for a Hispanic friend of mine that imported Mexican spices and had a tortilla factory. He and his family are US citizens!!

After working for/with Hispanics, I found then caring and friendly family centered people. What I don't like is the invasion of my country by criminals that break the law by coming to and being in my county illegally. These people I call "Beaners."

Amnesty? That sure worked when Castro wanted to empty his jails in Cuba and ship them to America. NOT! Amnesty for people that have knowingly invaded my country, never!

A worker Visa? Yes, we need that. Singapore has this and it works. First you deport all illegals to the border of Mexico as even if they are not Mexicans, the Mexican's allowed them to trespass on their country to get to America. The initial cost will be great, but with all the layers of police agencies and SWAT teams in America, the man power is there.

Second, our do nothing corrupt elected government officials should be force to vote in a two year worker visa. The visa can only be issued by the US embassy in the country that the people are from. There would be a fee for background checks and the visa. The visa is good for two years only and must be renewed in the person's home country.

Third, you get the Thousands and thousands of IRS agents and US Justice Department to investigate the companies that hire any illegal aliens that don't have a worker visa. Worker visa's will not be valid for work for the US government,state governments and/or agencies funded by the same.

Fourth, you get our do nothing Congressmen to pass a Constitutional Amendment that puts a stop to the "Anchor babys." Now, if an illegal pops out a kid on American soil, the kid is automatically an America citizen and its welfare city/government-hand-outs. Just recently motels in California were busted and were full of illegal alien pregnant Chinese women.

MM: Are you a US citizen or Eurotrash just trying to piss on my country? If your a US citizen, contact your Congressman with your views as I do. Talk is cheap, action does not speak, it shouts. (How do you think I got the US Social Security Administration to change their rules banning American's from living/traveling in Cambodia and collecting benefits? I worked long and hard, not just jacked my jaws on the internet.)

Hey Sailor, if my family were to come to El Pasco, could we count on you or your family as contacts/sponsers? and possibly an inter marriage deal to secure citizenship.