1997 drug raid: Police targeted Panaderia La Diana due to its Latino owner and customers
Salt Lake City has agreed to pay $290,000 to settle a
civil-rights lawsuit over a raid on a tortilla factory, more than seven
years after police kicked down its unlocked doors and held customers at
gunpoint while searching - unsuccessfully - for drugs. Eighteen people
who were at the Panaderia La Diana during the 1997 raid and the
business itself each will receive about $15,000. Each plaintiff is
expected to net approximately $10,000 after attorney fees and costs.
Under Monday's agreement, Salt Lake City police admit no wrongdoing or
discrimination. Owner Rafael Gomez said he was struck in the face and
knocked down as police burst in, and said he saw one officer point a
rifle at the head of his 6-year-old son. Graciela Zamora, a secretary
at the business, said an officer dragged her to the floor by her hair.
About 80 people, including employees and customers, were handcuffed and
held for up to three hours. The raid was a failure - the task force of
75 local and federal officers found no weapons or street drugs at the
business. Outcry over the raid was one factor that led to the eventual
ouster of then-Salt Lake City Police Chief Ruben Ortega. The lawsuit
contended police had no evidence of crime at the factory, which also is
a restaurant and market, but targeted the business because the owner
and most of the customers are Latino. Police spokesman Dwayne Baird
said Monday that Salt Lake City denies the allegations in the suit.
However, "the parties have agreed to settle the matter and move on," he
said. [more]
Pictured above: Rafael Gomez, owner of Panadaria La Diana, has suffered a serious loss of business after a terrifying police raid. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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