Peace Groups Condemn Excessive Force Against Students

www.worldcantwait.net

World Can’t Wait- Drive Out the Bush Regime reports police once again used excessive force when they arrested one minor and two college students who were en route to a large anti-war rally. As stated in the World Can’t Wait’s Call, “If we speak the truth they will try to silence us. If we act they will try to stop us.” This statement is especially relevant in this incident.

Saturday about 75-100 students from various organizations were with the young men while marching from the newly opened military recruitment center at University Center to a rally at Union Park when the arrests took place. A student, Thomas Walker, later reported that the initial 10 accompanying officers were “hostile from the beginning, rude and cursing at us” on the way to the rally. The violence happened when the marchers arrived at Canal and Randolph. Eyewitnesses say the police used their bikes to shove protesters and pushed marchers. The minor and one of the arrested college students, Mark H. were victims of a “take-down” characterized as excessive by witnesses who said Mark bled from his injuries as he was dragged away by police officers. The other college student arrested, Sergei T., did not have visible injuries. Mark was released at 1:00 AM Sunday and taken immediately to the hospital. The minor will be brought before juvenile court on Monday to determine if he should be taken away from his parents and immediately put into juvenile detention.

After the massive peace march at Federal Plaza, 30-40 mostly student demonstrators went to the jail at 17th and State to protest the arrests. World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime are enraged by the police’s use of force are seeking the students’ immediate release and the dropping of all charges related to the incident.

Please call the police station at 17th and State in Chicago to demand all charges against these protesters be dropped, and to voice your concerns about excess police violence. The CPD contact info is available below. Protesting illegal, unjust wars/occupations is not a crime! The Bush regime can attack any country on the planet with impunity, label anyone they want an enemy combatant and lock them up beyond the reach of US and international law and torture them: but the people can't even march in the streets of Chicago to oppose this? What kind of a society and a world will this become if we don't stop the war criminals?.
You can also help by contacting your local media and asking them to report this injustice. Please forward this email to your friends and contacts.

Let's all pitch in! Donate now to mount the legal defense for these youth! They are possibly looking at completely outrageous and trumped up felony charges; so we must come to their support and aid. Send an accompanying email stating your name and the phrase "legal defense for student protesters" and we will make it so.

Stay tuned for more updates.

CPD 1st District Web Portal
Kevin Ryan, Commander
Office: 1718 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60616
District001@chicagopolice.org
Phone: 312-745-4290
Fax: 312-745-3694