Pasadena : Activist Files Complaint

Community activist Michael Zinzun, who says he was beaten by police and permanently blinded in one eye, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Commission officials said this week that no decision has been made whether to investigate the claim.

The Pasadena Board of City Directors agreed Monday to appoint a private law firm to investigate Zinzun’s charges, which stem from a violent confrontation June 22 between police and residents of a low-income housing project. Zinzun and two others say they were beaten by police during the fracas. The incident also is under investigation by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Zinzun, 37, is the Peace and Freedom Party candidate in the 55th Assembly District race.