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Tucson Police use violence against marchers
by Emrys
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2004 at 3:35 PM
TPD arrests 6 and shoots marchers with pepper bullets
Tucson Police reacted with unwarranted violence against protestors in Tucson for committing the crime of walking in the street. About 200 people joined the “Don’t just vote, take action” march organized by several activist groups in Tucson, spearheaded by the National Lawyers Guild.
Police arrested a total of 6 people during the march, two of whom were given felony charges of resisting arrest. Police shot marchers with pepper bullets – small paint ball style bullets filled with CS gas. They discharged one pepper spray canister into the crowd at the beginning of the march.
Officer P. Tosca was the one who fired the pepper bullets, giving one marcher two large welts on her back.
Assistant police chief Roberto Villaseñor told Arizona Indymedia that “A lot of people made it clear that they probably wanted to make more symbolic gestures than just chanting or just holding up signs.” But he said there were no instances of violence or property damage. In fact, no one committed any violent acts during the march what-so-ever. Villaseñor said TPD’s main concern was the safety of cars in the street – he didn’t want any drivers to have to make “evasive maneuvers” to avoid a protestor.
The march congregated on a street corner in front of Tucson’s federal building. People lined the side of the road and held a variety of signs while others took turns speaking through a portable PA system.
A wide array of comments were made, from “we need to work within the system and change it,” to “Fuck this shit! Fuck this police state!”
The Dry River Collective has called for an anti-police protest in front of the Tucson Police Department station, 270 S. Stone at 4:00 pm on Thursday, November 4.