Stand Down at Kirtland Airforce Base

from Stop the War Machine Digest:

Two Sept. 15 demonstration updates:

1. From Jeanne:

Today’s demonstration at the Truman Gate of Kirtland Air Force Base was a definite example of how inappropriate police officers can be. Early in the demonstration, as protesters stood peacefully on the sidewalk, the police walked horses through the crowd on the sidewalk.

A police car drove up and down the street, the officer inside yelling at a few protesters who were standing on the curb to get up on the sidewalk.

A police officer approached 3 women who were standing in a non-used turn lane (the gate has been locked shut there for years) and told them in a frightening and intimidating manner to step out of the turn lane. Once they were up on the curb, he maneuvered his horse so it would press against the chest of at least one of the women.

Within the first 40 minutes of the protest, a police officer went up and
down the neighborhood streets, giving tickets to cars parked there.
City vehicles and cars without bumper stickers remained unticketed, while cars with bumper stickers received tickets. The police supervisor told us this was
because there was a 2-hour parking limit. No signs were posted to this effect, except around the park which is over two blocks away. A nonprotester down the street told us that his car had been parked on the street (closer to the park than the ticketed cars) since 8am (three hours previous to the start of the demonstration) and he had received no ticket. In fact, he told us, he parked there all day every day and was never ticketed.

A woman who was wearing a burka was approached by at least
four police officers and was immediately surrounded by them. They told her that she was to take off her burka, that wearing it was a security risk. When the police officers were asked what law she had violated, one of them responded that she had
not violated any law. Later, their supervisor (Sgt. Armendarez, badge number 467) said that there was a city ordinance that prohibited protesting in a mask. He insisted that she reveal herself to him and identify herself.

Many protesters were appalled at the actions of the police officers
and approached the police to speak with them. The supervisor of
the police stayed many yards behind the barricade at the Truman Gate and refused to speak with one of the organizers of the protest and two lawyers. Other police officers were sent into the crowd and could not avoid being approached by outraged people.

Some of the comments made by police officers to members of the crowd:

“Shave your armpits and tell me later.” (to a woman)

“Take a bath…”

One protester was arrested at one point after trying to talk to a police officer. We are hearing that he was put in the back of a police vehicle and left to sit in the closed car, windows rolled up, in the sun, for an extended period of time.

As the protester was being arrested, one man stepped forward to videotape
the arrest. Three police officers on horses approached at that point and stood between him and the arrest.

As the demonstration ended, one police car (car numbered G18) drove by and the police officer within called out “Go Bush!” on the police car’s speaker.

It appears that the Albuquerque Police Department is back in the business of intimidating free speech.

Indignant? Come to city council Monday night, 5pm, City Council Chambers. We will be there, calling for protection of freedom of speech.

or – Contact Mayor Martin Chavez: 768-3000, (email: MartinChavez@cabq.gov)


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2. Another update from Bob on the Sept. 15 demonstration:

About 150-200 protesters showed up at Kirtland AFB this morning and were having great response from passers by but the city police department had sent out
the Emergency Response Team as front line responders who immediately started
harassing and pushing around the demonstrators.

One man was eventually arrested for knocking over a police orange cone and he was kept for about an hour or more in a locked up police car (windows rolled
up, parked in the sun).

The police rode horses through the group of demonstrators and gave many
harassing and threatening commands to demonstrators. We are hearing that one
police man told one person to take a bath, one to shave her armpits and call back in the morning.

One woman who had lived in Egypt a number of years wore a burka in solidarity with the women of Iraq and was immediately set up on by four SWAT dressed officers and two horseback officers. After much confrontation the police said if she identified herself to them they would not do anything. One other officer then said she had broken no law in wearing a burka. The police were out of control.

The police were leaving as we cleaned up. One bullhorn in one passing police car
came on and said, "GO BUSH!".

Local organizers had spent many years confronting the police over their
terrorist violations of the right of dissent. Supposedly after four years
they had said they would work with us. In recent years they have, but this
event marked a turning point backwards. Most people in the demonstration
felt the police were deliberately trying to provoke the demonstrators with a
show of officers on mounted horses and a large line of police cars right
behind us. In past years they have kept these forces out of sight as part
of our agreement to work with them. Today was different – the police refused to
identify the Sgt in charge and put parking tickets on cars with political bumper stickers. We have parked in these locations for years with no tickets.

The local community was planning on attending a city council meeting this coming Monday night to support a resolution being introduced to call for a resending of the war authoritarian. So in addition to that, local democracy activists will be taking to city council again the terror violations of our rights by the city police force.