Lawyer Observing Phoenix Protests Arrested

[Hissyspit]

Source: New American Media

Lawyer Observing Phoenix Protests Arrested

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Sunita Patel, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, flew in from New York to provide legal support to a civil disobedience protest against SB 1070 at a downtown Phoenix jail. In an unlikely switch, Sherrif Joe Arpaio’s deputies arrested her and took her to the Third Avenue jail. Patel was working with local attorney Antonio Bustamante and a team of 30 volunteer lawyers.

Up until this point, the non-violent action went according to plan. More than 300 protesters surrounded the jail. One row of protesters stood to block its metal gates. They stood connected with their arms inserted into cardboard poster tubes that read “No to SB1070.” Another row of protestors sat on the floor, arms interlocked.

- snip -

Then the gates opened. An army of 100 sheriff’s deputies stood in line formation with full riot gear. Ten moved forward, and began plucking away the dozen people who intended to get arrested. Another line of deputies then moved forward, using their plastic shields to peacefully move protesters and media away from the jail perimeter. After another half hour, they came back out and conducted more arrests of the people who gathered again to block the gates.

Patel was there the entire time as a legal observer, with a hat and T-shirt that denoted her role. “She didn’t intend to get arrested,” attorney Bustamante says, “I don’t know why it happened. Maybe because they can’t read.”

Read more: http://newamericamedia.org/2010/07/lawyer-observing-phoenix-protests-arrested.php

[Downwinder]

1. There were two lawyers arrested as legal observers.

Roxana Orrell of the National Lawyers Guild was also arrested.

from comments section of the OP.

[msongs]

2. that's a good thing. now experts have been converted from bystanders to participants nt

[Downwinder]

3. I think they sent a contingent to the RNC for training.

[FreakinDJ]

4. Probably because she could afford to pay higher fines

got to finance them jails and donuts some how

you know, the economy and all ..

[Tempest]

6. Any charges against the protesters will be thrown out

Or they will prevail at a trial.

These kinds of arrests haven't been successfully prosecuted in years.

[No Elephants]

5. Idiot Righties should be praying they lose their war on the Left.

The best things about and for this country have ALWAYS come from the Left, the ruinous and heinous ones from the so-called Right (when capitalized, a very rare example of a one word oxymoron)