Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The small city of Pasco, Washington, is thousands of miles from Ferguson, Missouri.
But last week, the two places were brought together with the shooting death of an unarmed Latino man at the hands of police.
On Feb. 10, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, was allegedly throwing rocks at vehicles in a busy intersection. When police confronted him, a chase ensued.
Witnesses say Zambrano-Montes then turned with his hands up. That is when police shot and killed him.
Many drew comparisons to the death of Michael Brown, except this incident was caught on video by several bystanders that then went viral. (Warning: explicit content)
Anna King with the Northwest News Network tells Take Two that many in the community have been protesting the officers' actions because, like the residents of Ferguson, they believe the use of police force against minorities has gone too far.
Meantime, Jorja Leap, a professor of Social Welfare at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, says she can't be sure on how much the events in Ferguson fueled the response in Pasco. But there is one tying factor.
"I think particularly as the report has shown, that there is an insistence on a more non-violent, quiet response among the community," she said. "It's a different community, it's a different victim. The sort of common denominator is the police force and judgement."