Jury deliberating case of brawl between day laborers, activist

By: North County Times - | Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:47 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- With closing arguments wrapping up Tuesday morning, it's now up to a jury to sort out just what happened during a midday brawl between an activist and a handful of day laborers at a makeshift hiring site in North County last November.

San Diego Deputy City Attorney Scott Pirrello told jurors that John Matthew Monti started the fight when he allegedly grabbed one of the laborers and chased him into busy Rancho Pensaquitos Boulevard. Monti was at the site to photograph day laborers and people who hired them off the street.

During the trial, Estanislao Gonzales testified that he didn't want his picture taken and was trying to leave the area. He said the sweat shirt he was using to cover his face may have brushed against Monti as he passed him, and that Monti subsequently grabbed his right arm. Gonzales testified that he pulled away and ran, but Monti chased him into the street, knocked him down and beat him.

Monti then fought with Gonzales' friends when they came to help, Pirrello said.

But Monti's attorney, Allison Aranda, argued that before the brawl, the day laborers had threatened Monti when he snapped photos, and that the fight started when one of them hit the Los Angeles area school teacher with a cheap shot from behind because they did not want their pictures taken.

"It is illogical to accept this theory that Mr. Monti started a fight with nine of them," Aranda said. "By himself?"

Monti faces three charges of battery and three hate crime charges that he violated the civil rights of two alleged victims. A prosecutor said he made racially based insults during the alleged attacks.

Monti is also charged with filing a false police report for telling officers he was the one who was attacked.

The 36-year-old Monti has pleaded not guilty to the charges, all of which are misdemeanors.

The jury of seven men and five women began deliberations at about 11:30 Tuesday morning.

19 comment(s)[-]Go to Top

Ridiculous wrote on Sep 25, 2007 3:25 PM:What a waste of taxpayer money!!!!

Big Richard wrote on Sep 25, 2007 4:26 PM:I dont mean to take sides but on the surface it seems the prosecutors logic is somewhat flawed. It just doesnt make sense that someone with a camera would without provication attack another person. We all know it's usually the other way around. 2+2 is coming up 3 here. The prosecutor should know this and take a lesson from the duke lacross case.

Already provoked... wrote on Sep 25, 2007 6:15 PM:Most of the "activists" are already provoked. Most of them are already so [angry] about the "invasion of illegal immigrants" that are "ruining our country", that they don't need any more fuel to ignite their fire! Sometimes, these activists get [angry] just because a latino woman is pushing her kids in a stroller down the street. Some of them are so [angry] because they think that the illegals are reaping all the "benefits that U.S. citizens don't get". So...Big Richard (how clever)...I think you do mean to choose a side and that is your choice.

Big Richard wrote on Sep 25, 2007 8:10 PM:I would be interested to know who first called the police. I would also be interested to know just who excactly were the witnesses and what was their incentive to testify. I personaly know of a person who was attacked by 11 people of a different race. In court the only people to testify were family members and some of the attackers themselves. The race card was played and even though there was no racial comments made on behalf of the victim. There was only the testimony of the victim and the attackers and their family. It ended up that the victim was made to be the bad guy and nobody was punished for the assault. It SEEMS to me that this might just be the case here. There may just be some undocumented worker who may have been [angry] because he has to stand out on the street looking for a job. There may be a person here illegaly who might be [angry] because he is tired of living in a room with 10 people. There just might be an [angry] person who just had family or friends deported and thinks he might be next. Then this [angry] person see's a person with a camera and.....

Believing in others wrote on Sep 25, 2007 10:06 PM:They will always believe the Minute Men people since they have all the connections with the cops and higher up people by bribing them. That's how they got known as the Minute Men. What about the innocent illegal immigrants? Those people that are at the side of the road want to get a job and are earning money the right way. Not like the Minute Men waisting their time taking stupid pictures and causing problems to out community. Minute Men Come to San Marcos Ca and we will see who is a bigger man!!!

La Raza's Aguirre wrote on Sep 25, 2007 10:33 PM:The San Diego City attorney once represented Cesar Chavez. http://www.sandiego.gov/cityattorney/about/biography.shtml Aguirre's unjustified legal attack on an American is just tip of the iceberg.

TO : Already provoked... wrote on Sep 25, 2007 11:18 PM:SAN DIEGO -- County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to send President Bush a $101 million bill to reimburse county taxpayers for what a county-commissioned study stated illegal immigrants cost them last year. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/09/26/news/top_stories/61_29_569_25_07.txt

ILLEGAL ENTRY JUST ONE OF MANY CRIMES wrote on Sep 25, 2007 11:20 PM:http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/15/opinion/commentary/20_19_267_14_07.txt

How much money is this costing us!! wrote on Sep 26, 2007 12:06 AM:This must be very costly for the city. Great to see how our money is being spent.

Amazing!!! wrote on Sep 26, 2007 2:04 AM:Amazing how many people can draw a conclusion from a mere smattering of facts, almost no facts of that day are inthe article. Let the jury decide. Of course whoever prevails will say the jury go tit right, whoever loses is going to say the jury got it wrong.

The Truth wrote on Sep 26, 2007 7:20 AM:We are all immigrants to this Great country.Little(big)Richard should & always remember that.The minute men & I use the term men loosley should be ashamed of themselves.They are just the latest example in the long line of ignorant biggets with no heart to proclaim their warped views.In response to What?Comming to this country legally!?Like the pilgrams=}! Don't make me laugh.

Screwed again wrote on Sep 26, 2007 7:48 AM:I have always been under the impression that if a person in the act of committing a crime(illegal alien)puts them into a situation where another crime occurs(the assault),the person that is committing the crime that puts them in that situation is automatically at fault because if they weren't there committing the crime the situation would never have occurred. Because the original law breakers outnumber and outshout a law abiding US citizen does not exclude this arguement from consideration. I would like to know how the [day laborers] in this incident were interviewed and testified without admission of their legal status...

RegularVistaRes wrote on Sep 26, 2007 8:37 AM:Whatever the case is, nobody has a right to humiliate or hurt anybody else-legally here or not. (my opinion). AND I can say that I have witnessed the minutemen & similar groups harrassing day laborers here in Vista on many occassions. They seem like a group of miserable individuals who are trying to act like law enforcement, which they clearly are not. The sad part is, those laborers ARE legally here, so what is the example that these groups are setting? And what point are they trying to make by harrassing legal residents & citizens? Just because they are a 'different' race or choose to be day laborers, does not mean they are illegals. I really hope justice is served.

Big Richard wrote on Sep 26, 2007 10:37 AM:The truth??? Warped response??? There is a HUGE difference between legal immigrants and people who purposely break the law and come here ILLEGALY hense the phrase illegal immigrant. The people who are called biggots simply because they excersise their rights as legal citizens of this country to document and in their form protest what they see as an assault and an invasion of their country and it's resources. Yet the powers that be simply pick and choose what laws they want to enforce. They choose not to enforce the laws regarding immigration yet they zealously enforce hate crime statutes. Please don't get me wrong. I will state that if this guy did indeed go out there and choose to assault anybody for what ever reason then he should be prosecuted. On the other hand if it were the other way around I would hope people just dont do the politicaly correct thing and assume that because he simply was out there with a camera that they would come to the conclusion as some of you obviously have that he must have started the whole thing.

RG wrote on Sep 26, 2007 1:00 PM:Lets let the jury decide the truth in this case. However, my opinion is that the minutemen probably do go too far at times, but not out of hate or racism. They do it out of frustration because those who are supposed to enforce our immigration laws are not doing it. I applaud the minutemen and others who have brought the issue of illegal immigration and illegal labor camps to the forefront.

doug wrote on Sep 26, 2007 1:37 PM: Believing in others wrote: "What about the innocent illegal immigrants?" Is that what's called and Oxymoron?

to doug wrote on Sep 26, 2007 5:03 PM:No.

What? wrote on Sep 26, 2007 6:33 PM:Go Big Richard! The Truth doesn't know the real truth about what the difference is between a LEGAL immigrant and an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.

esteban wrote on Sep 27, 2007 5:21 AM:to doug, no I don't think so.

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