“Please! Señores, help me!”
These are the words screamed by Anastasio Hernández-Rojas as over a dozen U.S. Border Patrol agents beat and tasered him. PBS has just uncovered new video1 showing how Anastasio laid in the dirt defenseless, begging for his life, as Border Patrol agents continued to beat him.
The video elicits haunting reminders of the Rodney King beating2, as Anastasio cries out “¡Nooo! ¡Nooo! ¡Déjenme! [Leave me alone!] ¡Nooo! ¡Señores!” Anastasio later died at the hospital.
Watch the video clip and sign a petition telling the Justice Department to investigate this death immediately.
http://act.presente.org/sign/
Here is the video:
If justice isn’t served for Anastasio, even when video clearly shows injustice, Border Patrol agents will continue their pattern of abusing and killing migrants. Since Anastasio’s death in May 2010, at least 7 other US citizens and non-citizens have died in Border Patrol custody, yet there’s been no serious investigation by the Justice Department.
“They [Border Patrol] didn’t stop to think that he had a family. That he left behind five children and a wife,” said Anastasio’s widow, María Puga. Please join María in bearing witness to the killing of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas and tell the Justice Department to investigate his homicide now!
Todos somos Anastasio. We are Anastasio.
Thanks and ¡adelante!
Arturo, Ana, Roberto and the rest of the Presente.org Team
References:
1. “First Look: Crossing The Line,” Need to Know on PBS, 4/12/12 – http://to.pbs.org/IZequw
2. “In History: Rodney King,” CBS News, 2/26/06 – http://cbsn.ws/IL5G4C
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I just watched the video from PBS, and if what in it is true (we have been fooled before) then it appears the days of Rodney King style beat downs by law enforcement continues to be an acceptable practice. It should not be and it never should be.
It is time for the real Americans to stand up and say, “Enough is enough.” Our legacy to our children and grand chinldren should not be one of violence and oppression.
One of the big ironies of the PB is that at least half its agents are of Hispanic background themselves (I’m assuming based on what I see), and many of them are the so called anchor babies the right-wingers have such a disdain for.
I meant BP, not PB.
Poor guy should have taken the Panga Cruise to OB.
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