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Murdering Albuquerque Police use tear gas against anti-APD protesters
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Keith Olbermann
May 7, 2014, 12:27:57 AM5/7/14
to
9:33 p.m.
Albuquerque police have thrown around a dozen tear gas canisters
to disperse a crowd of unwieldy protesters on Central Avenue
near Princeton.
Police continued to warn the protesters that they would deploy
the gas if the protesters did not disperse peacefully. They then
threw the gas at protesters on the north side of Central Avenue,
and protesters have since largely dispersed into the parking lot
north of Central that lines Johnson Field.
State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) said his daughter in
the UNM dorms on Girard and Central has been impacted by the
tear gas, according to a tweet he posted Sunday night.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates.
9:22 p.m. (updated)
Mayor Richard Berry said police officers have tried repeatedly
to de-escalate the protests while still respecting people�s
right to express their opinions.
But once the main protest broke up, a group of people kept
pushing in more aggressive
ways, he said.
�We respected their rights to protest obviously,� Berry said,
�but what it appears we have at this time is individuals who
weren�t connected necessarily with the original protest �
they�ve taken it far beyond a normal protest.�
Berry said one officer was injured, though he wasn�t sure how.
At least one other was trapped in a police cruiser while
protesters tried to break the windows, the mayor said.
Some officers have reported rocks being thrown at them and
�verbal abuse,� Berry said.
�The professionalism these men and women are showing is
extraordinary,� the mayor said.
There have also been protesters lying down in the freeway.
�They�re certainly putting their lives in danger,� Berry said.
�They�re putting other people�s lives in danger.�
Berry said there�s been vandalism, damage to property and
stopped traffic.
�It�s a serious situation. They�ve certainly gone far beyond
what a normal protest would be,� Berry said.
�We want people to be able to voice their opinions,� Berry said.
�We also want people to be safe.�
Meanwhile, the city has also been defendings itself against
attacks on its websites and email system, Berry said.
As for a report that officers� home addresses had been released,
Berry said: �It�s obviously a concern, not just for those
officers but their families.�
8:49 p.m.
At least one protester has been arrested as the standoff between
police and protesters continues on Central Avenue.
Protesters were able to circumvent the line of riot police, so
officers are now facing east. Tensions are rising, according to
a Journal reporter, after the arrest.
The Bernalillo County SWAT Team has arrived at the scene to help
with the situation.
Protesters can be heard angrily shouting at police about the
arrest. It�s unclear why police arrested the protester.
City spokeswoman Erin Thompson released a statement about the
protest:
�Mayor (Richard) Berry is actively tracking the situation in
consultation with Chief (Gorden) Eden and command staff and has
been all afternoon and throughout the evening. The city remains
committed to the public�s safety as the highest priority,� the
statement reads.
An APD spokeswoman said drivers and others should avoid Central
Avenue in the area, because the crowd is moving west again.
Also, UNM has issued an alert to students, urging a shelter in
place due to �protests and police activity.�
8:27 p.m.
A line of riot police have blocked about 200 protesters� passage
west on Central Avenue near Girard, and protesters have thrown
eggs and water bottles at APD vehicles.
About 75 protesters are confronting police in front of the line
of officers, which includes those mounted on horses and empty
prisoner-transport vans. Officers have been issuing commands
over a PA system for the last 20 minutes or so, saying that the
protest is unlawful.
�We want to ensure you have the right to protest in a lawful
manner,� police can be heard telling the protesters.
The nearby APD Monte Vista substation was also vandalized with
spray-painted expletives.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates on this fast-moving
situation.
8: 04 p.m.
Protesters have moved east along Central and can now be seen on
top of an small APD substation at Girard and Central.
The demonstration itself has gotten more and more unruly as the
sun has begun setting. Before arriving at Girard and Central,
one protester climbed atop a university-area lightpole and tried
to bring it down. It appears he was unsuccessful.
Police are nowhere to be seen, according to a Journal reporter
and photographer on scene, but a large group of Albuquerque and
State Police was spotted near Central New Mexico Community
College alongside large prisoner-transport vans.
The group of protesters is now walking west along Central
Avenue, according to reports from the scene.
6:45 p.m.
After dispersing from Fifth Street, the protesters are now
marching east along Central from First Street.
An APD spokeswoman said drivers should avoid the area.
6:25 p.m.
The protesters have dispersed south down Fifth Street, though
it�s unclear if they intend to regroup elsewhere.
Police have taken off their gas masks, but are still holding
their batons and riot shields. They are still standing in a line
on Fifth Street.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates.
5:25 p.m.
More than five hours into a protest against APD, a group of
protesters is sitting down before a wall of APD riot police,
ignoring commands to disperse southbound on Fifth Street.
Riot police are ordering the protesters to walk southbound along
Fifth Street, according to a Journal reporter at the scene.
Police are calling the protest an �unlawful assembly�.
The protesters do not appear to be complying, and officers on
horseback are now arriving on scene. Protesters are wearing
moist bandanas in anticipation of a tear gas attack.
The protest started at the Alvarado Transport Center and went to
APD headquarters at Fourth and Roma before heading to Civic
Plaza. It then sprawled from Downtown all the way up to Central
and Carlisle, and the group of a t least 300 people broke apart
and came together several times throughout.
An APD spokeswoman said she was not aware of any arrests as of 5
p.m., though a live video stream captured some heated exchanges
between demonstrators and officers in riot gear. One protester
could be seen blowing cigarette smoke into the face of a stoic
APD officer near the UNM area.
Protesters are wearing masks and bandanas, and many are holding
signs accusing APD of being trigger happy and violent. One
protester had what appeared to be a rifle slung across his back.
The APD website appeared to have gone back online briefly,
according to a website checking service, but was down again
shortly before 6 p.m. It has been due to what police called a
�cyber attack�.
Also on Sunday, a Twitter account that purports to be associated
with Anonymous tweeted what it called a hacked listed of APD
officers� telephone numbers. The APD spokeswoman said she had no
way of knowing Sunday afternoon whether the numbers were
authentic.
We have a reporter at the scene. Keep with ABQJournal.com for
updates.
A group of protesters has marched to the steps of the
Albuquerque Police Department�s Downtown headquarters to decry
the March 16 shooting death of James Boyd by police and what
they say is a history of excessive force by Albuquerque police.
Thex gathering of protesters, who assembled around noon today,
includes those wearing masks of Guy Fawkes, which has become a
symbol of Internet �hacktivist� group Anonymous, which has also
targeted city websites after video of the Boyd shooting went
viral nationally.
Protesters gathered first at APD headquarters, then moved to
Civic Plaza, and then continued on a march east on Central
Avenue. They were met near UNM by police armed with batons and
riot gear, and still more protesters continued east on Central
all the way to Carlisle.
As of 3:15 p.m., the march was heading west on Central Avenue
back toward the UNM area. More than a dozen officers can be seen
on a live web stream of the event waiting near Central and Yale.
�Hey hey! ho ho! Killer cops have got to go!� the protesters
could be heard shouting.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates. We have reporters and
photographers at the scene.
http://www.abqjournal.com/376399/abqnewsseeker/protesters-gather-
at-apd-headquarters.html
������
Albuquerque police have thrown around a dozen tear gas canisters
to disperse a crowd of unwieldy protesters on Central Avenue
near Princeton.
Police continued to warn the protesters that they would deploy
the gas if the protesters did not disperse peacefully. They then
threw the gas at protesters on the north side of Central Avenue,
and protesters have since largely dispersed into the parking lot
north of Central that lines Johnson Field.
State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) said his daughter in
the UNM dorms on Girard and Central has been impacted by the
tear gas, according to a tweet he posted Sunday night.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates.
9:22 p.m. (updated)
Mayor Richard Berry said police officers have tried repeatedly
to de-escalate the protests while still respecting people�s
right to express their opinions.
But once the main protest broke up, a group of people kept
pushing in more aggressive
ways, he said.
�We respected their rights to protest obviously,� Berry said,
�but what it appears we have at this time is individuals who
weren�t connected necessarily with the original protest �
they�ve taken it far beyond a normal protest.�
Berry said one officer was injured, though he wasn�t sure how.
At least one other was trapped in a police cruiser while
protesters tried to break the windows, the mayor said.
Some officers have reported rocks being thrown at them and
�verbal abuse,� Berry said.
�The professionalism these men and women are showing is
extraordinary,� the mayor said.
There have also been protesters lying down in the freeway.
�They�re certainly putting their lives in danger,� Berry said.
�They�re putting other people�s lives in danger.�
Berry said there�s been vandalism, damage to property and
stopped traffic.
�It�s a serious situation. They�ve certainly gone far beyond
what a normal protest would be,� Berry said.
�We want people to be able to voice their opinions,� Berry said.
�We also want people to be safe.�
Meanwhile, the city has also been defendings itself against
attacks on its websites and email system, Berry said.
As for a report that officers� home addresses had been released,
Berry said: �It�s obviously a concern, not just for those
officers but their families.�
8:49 p.m.
At least one protester has been arrested as the standoff between
police and protesters continues on Central Avenue.
Protesters were able to circumvent the line of riot police, so
officers are now facing east. Tensions are rising, according to
a Journal reporter, after the arrest.
The Bernalillo County SWAT Team has arrived at the scene to help
with the situation.
Protesters can be heard angrily shouting at police about the
arrest. It�s unclear why police arrested the protester.
City spokeswoman Erin Thompson released a statement about the
protest:
�Mayor (Richard) Berry is actively tracking the situation in
consultation with Chief (Gorden) Eden and command staff and has
been all afternoon and throughout the evening. The city remains
committed to the public�s safety as the highest priority,� the
statement reads.
An APD spokeswoman said drivers and others should avoid Central
Avenue in the area, because the crowd is moving west again.
Also, UNM has issued an alert to students, urging a shelter in
place due to �protests and police activity.�
8:27 p.m.
A line of riot police have blocked about 200 protesters� passage
west on Central Avenue near Girard, and protesters have thrown
eggs and water bottles at APD vehicles.
About 75 protesters are confronting police in front of the line
of officers, which includes those mounted on horses and empty
prisoner-transport vans. Officers have been issuing commands
over a PA system for the last 20 minutes or so, saying that the
protest is unlawful.
�We want to ensure you have the right to protest in a lawful
manner,� police can be heard telling the protesters.
The nearby APD Monte Vista substation was also vandalized with
spray-painted expletives.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates on this fast-moving
situation.
8: 04 p.m.
Protesters have moved east along Central and can now be seen on
top of an small APD substation at Girard and Central.
The demonstration itself has gotten more and more unruly as the
sun has begun setting. Before arriving at Girard and Central,
one protester climbed atop a university-area lightpole and tried
to bring it down. It appears he was unsuccessful.
Police are nowhere to be seen, according to a Journal reporter
and photographer on scene, but a large group of Albuquerque and
State Police was spotted near Central New Mexico Community
College alongside large prisoner-transport vans.
The group of protesters is now walking west along Central
Avenue, according to reports from the scene.
6:45 p.m.
After dispersing from Fifth Street, the protesters are now
marching east along Central from First Street.
An APD spokeswoman said drivers should avoid the area.
6:25 p.m.
The protesters have dispersed south down Fifth Street, though
it�s unclear if they intend to regroup elsewhere.
Police have taken off their gas masks, but are still holding
their batons and riot shields. They are still standing in a line
on Fifth Street.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates.
5:25 p.m.
More than five hours into a protest against APD, a group of
protesters is sitting down before a wall of APD riot police,
ignoring commands to disperse southbound on Fifth Street.
Riot police are ordering the protesters to walk southbound along
Fifth Street, according to a Journal reporter at the scene.
Police are calling the protest an �unlawful assembly�.
The protesters do not appear to be complying, and officers on
horseback are now arriving on scene. Protesters are wearing
moist bandanas in anticipation of a tear gas attack.
The protest started at the Alvarado Transport Center and went to
APD headquarters at Fourth and Roma before heading to Civic
Plaza. It then sprawled from Downtown all the way up to Central
and Carlisle, and the group of a t least 300 people broke apart
and came together several times throughout.
An APD spokeswoman said she was not aware of any arrests as of 5
p.m., though a live video stream captured some heated exchanges
between demonstrators and officers in riot gear. One protester
could be seen blowing cigarette smoke into the face of a stoic
APD officer near the UNM area.
Protesters are wearing masks and bandanas, and many are holding
signs accusing APD of being trigger happy and violent. One
protester had what appeared to be a rifle slung across his back.
The APD website appeared to have gone back online briefly,
according to a website checking service, but was down again
shortly before 6 p.m. It has been due to what police called a
�cyber attack�.
Also on Sunday, a Twitter account that purports to be associated
with Anonymous tweeted what it called a hacked listed of APD
officers� telephone numbers. The APD spokeswoman said she had no
way of knowing Sunday afternoon whether the numbers were
authentic.
We have a reporter at the scene. Keep with ABQJournal.com for
updates.
A group of protesters has marched to the steps of the
Albuquerque Police Department�s Downtown headquarters to decry
the March 16 shooting death of James Boyd by police and what
they say is a history of excessive force by Albuquerque police.
Thex gathering of protesters, who assembled around noon today,
includes those wearing masks of Guy Fawkes, which has become a
symbol of Internet �hacktivist� group Anonymous, which has also
targeted city websites after video of the Boyd shooting went
viral nationally.
Protesters gathered first at APD headquarters, then moved to
Civic Plaza, and then continued on a march east on Central
Avenue. They were met near UNM by police armed with batons and
riot gear, and still more protesters continued east on Central
all the way to Carlisle.
As of 3:15 p.m., the march was heading west on Central Avenue
back toward the UNM area. More than a dozen officers can be seen
on a live web stream of the event waiting near Central and Yale.
�Hey hey! ho ho! Killer cops have got to go!� the protesters
could be heard shouting.
Keep with ABQJournal.com for updates. We have reporters and
photographers at the scene.
http://www.abqjournal.com/376399/abqnewsseeker/protesters-gather-
at-apd-headquarters.html
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