Another rally planned Saturday to protest Pasco police shooting

Several groups plan another rally for Saturday to demand the prosecution of three Pasco police officers who shot and killed Antonio Zambrano-Montes.

The event is scheduled for 3 p.m. near the intersection of Lewis Street and 10th Avenue, where Zambrano-Montes was shot.

It will feature speakers from all over the West Coast, according to a news release. They include Renee Lopez of Don’t Shoot PDX, Emma Kaplan of Seattle with the October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, and Joey Johnson of Stop Mass Incarceration Network.

Occupy Tri-Cities, which played a large part in organizing a rally and march last week, will play a supporting role with this one, said Jeremy Peterson with the group.

“There are a lot of organizations coming together to put together this march,” Peterson said. “The focus and the message continue to be the same. We’re interested in seeking justice. We would like to see the officers involved be charged and see reforms built in in the wake of this incident. That includes nationwide to prevent incidents like this in the future.”

Pasco police have been notified of the rally, Sgt. Scott Warren said.

“It’s being watched,” he said.

Kaplan led an additional demonstration after the conclusion of the scheduled march last week. Protestors marched from a memorial to Zambrano-Montes in front of Vinny’s bakery back to Volunteer Park chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” in reference to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

After speeches condemning police brutality, they marched back to Lewis Street and 10th Avenue, then blocked traffic with a “die in” in the busy intersection.

About 30 Tri-City police officers came in to clear the streets, and the Tri-City Regional SWAT team was on call in case of a major problem. Police made no arrests.

Another Occupy Tri-Cities member, Cody Minnis, criticized the additional protests at the time, saying he feared some of the people from outside the area could divide the community and lead to another Ferguson, where the officer who shot Brown was not prosecuted.

But Peterson emphasized Friday that no one was arrested or injured, and no one damaged any property last week. He expects Saturday’s rally to be peaceful too.

Peterson said he likely will speak at the event.

“This is an issue that needs cooperation and collaboration from everywhere,” Peterson said.

The news release for today’s event calls Zambrano-Montes’ shooting a “police execution,” noting it is the fourth police-involved shooting in Pasco in the past year. It also says there will be a nationwide “shut down against police murder” April 14, and encourages people to not go to school or work that day.

Earlier this week, demonstrators in Seattle at Westlake Park promised more protests in Pasco, according to The Seattle Times.

Warren disputed a claim in the news release that police threatened to arrest people who protested on the sidewalk at the Feb. 14 rally in Pasco.

“That’s untrue,” he said. “It was explained to them that if they are in the street and blocking traffic, they would be breaking the law.”

Demonstrators plan to stand outside Pasco City Hall, which is adjacent to the police station, each weekday and have a rally each weekend, Peterson said.

Dr. Carl Wigren, a forensic pathologist from Seattle, completed an independent autopsy Friday on Zambrano-Montes’ body, said Zambrano family attorney Charles Hermann. Another autopsy was completed last week, but its results have not been disclosed.

Hermann had yet to discuss the results of the second autopsy with Wigren, Hermann said.

“I’m going to guess that I will probably talk to him over the weekend,” he said.

The Washington State Legislative Members of Color Caucus, a group of 11 Western Washington Democratic senators and representatives, released a statement Friday calling the shooting “very troubling,” particularly since Zambrano-Montes was not armed with a gun or knife.

“One of the fundamental roles of government is to protect its residents,” the statement said. “It is clear community leaders and public officials must have a frank and open discussion about what needs to be done to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2015 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Another rally planned Saturday to protest Pasco police shooting."