DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
monday March 31, 2014
Standoff
Aaron Sweet /@AaronCSweet/ Daily Lobo Officers deployed tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd of protesters on Sunday night at the intersection of Central and Columbia. The tear gas was released after protesters were warned to vacate the area several times. Approximately 100 officers from APD, Bernalillo County Sheriff Office and the Sheriff ’s department occupied a portion of Central between Girard and Cornell to control what they called an “illegal assembly.” The crowd dispersed temporarily while the air cleared. Hundreds protested all day along Central Avenue after Anonymous on Wednesday urged residents to protest police violence in the city in a video press release. For more photos, see online gallery at DailyLobo.com.
Protesters, police clash along Central as tensions escalate
by Ardee Napolitano and Chloe Henson news@dailylobo.com @ArdeeTheJourno, @ChloeHenson5
As police on Sunday night deployed tear gas during repeated, heated confrontations with protesters, UNM students got caught up in the furor. “I feel like I just got beat with a stick,” said Ruben Holly, a UNM student affected by the gas. “Every single mucus membrane on my face just let loose. I couldn’t see. I was about to throw up. It sucked straight-up.” Holly was watching from the sidewalk with friends as the conflict between protesters and riot police unfolded. Hundreds took to the streets Sunday after hacker group Anonymous posted a video press release on YouTube Wednesday urging residents to protest police violence in the city. This is the second protest against APD since the department released a helmet-camera video of the March 16 killing of James Boyd. Boyd, a homeless man, was caught illegally camping in the Sandia Foothills, and can be seen in the video turning away from APD officers as they open fire.
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Twenty-three men have been shot dead by APD since 2010. The protest began yesterday morning at the APD headquarters, at which relatives of men shot dead by APD officers expressed their complaints against police, and was followed by a march. At first, protesters urged each other to keep to the sidewalks, claiming that “this is a peaceful protest.” But as the march progressed, they started gathering amid cars on the street. Police continually met protesters along Central Avenue, and at least five armed officers awaited protesters at Central and Yale who screamed in their faces. The confrontation escalated outside the UNM Bookstore, where at least 20 police officers lined up and blockaded protesters, who continued to shout chants such as “jail killer cops” and “don’t shoot us.” The first standoff occurred at the intersection of Roma Avenue and Fifth Street near the APD headquarters, where, at about 6 p.m., police threatened to shoot tear gas at protesters. Initially, some protesters distributed rags with vinegar and advised each other to wear them in case police used tear gas. Over a megaphone, police announced that protesters were involved in “unlawful
gathering” and ordered them to move southbound on Fifth Street. After more than an hour, though police did not deploy tear gas, the protest moved away from the area. The two sides met again at about 7 p.m. at the intersection of Central and Girard, where protesters continued to confront police. Law enforcement arrived in the form of a SWAT team, riot police on horses, an armored vehicle and prisoner transfer vans. Officers continued to threaten to shoot tear gas at the protesters. After an hour, a mass of protesters left the standoff and marched back downtown. Conflicts peaked at about 9:20 p.m., when officers first deployed tear gas on about 100 people near the intersection of Central and Columbia. Griffin Harper, a freshman studying nursing that was watching the protest, said protesters provoked the police to spray tear gas. “I guess there were a lot of protesters getting in their face,” he said. “I guess they got mad and tear gassed us.” Police encircled protesters as the face-off intensified. Riot police on horses stood firmly on the east side of the intersection as the SWAT team approached from the west. Officers then
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threw tear gas grenades at groups of protesters. Isaac Torres, a freshman studying engineering, said the police’s use of force near the UNM residential area was unmerited. Torres was watching from the sidewalk and was caught in the gas cloud. “I think it’s ridiculous,” he said. “Most of the people here are students. I live here. This is where I park my car. I don’t feel like they should be shooting tear gas at me just for being at my house.” But Holly said although the police should not have used force near a student residential community, protesters provoked them. “I think the protesters got a little too far,” he said. “They got away from the issue to just hating police. That’s not a constructive way to voice a criticism … They’re just looking to incite conflict like this.” Standoff downtown At about 10:30 p.m., protesters gathered outside APD headquarters when a van labeled “Paintball Field Service” drove in to join the group. The driver of the van hopped out and walked around to the side of his vehicle facing the crowd. He pulled out a bag, opened it and withdrew what looked like a rifle. The man
claimed it was an AK-47. Several people fled, while others gathered around the driver of the van to convince him to put the gun away. Eventually, the man consented. The man, whose name is Devon Bay, said he brought the gun thinking he would need it during the APD protest. “The rationale for my AK is that if these guys want to swing lead, let’s swing lead,” he said. “They’ve been killing us all day. What’s one guy?” When asked if he was afraid the police would shoot him upon seeing his gun, Bay said he didn’t care. He said in order to get their country back, the protesters would need to follow suit and be well-armed. “If you yo-yos don’t want to fix your country, then I feel bad for you,” he said. “I’ve got all the shit I need. You need body armor. You need firearms.” Protesters at the scene insisted Bay’s actions were not representative of the group. At about 11 p.m., APD released canisters of tear gas on protesters at the intersection of Roma and Fifth. The protesters moved out from in front of the entrance to the APD headquarters when police approached the intersection from the north and west.
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