Police Brutalize Fruitcake For 'Speaking Mind' and 'Spraying Poison'
"It was definately the most brutal graphic display of police brutality i have ever seen," says one witness.
An activist group called "CPWP" also known as "Crazy People for Wildlife Protection" had been holding a rally in Downtown Eugene speaking out against the use of roadside pesticides.
One member named Ian Van Ornum put on a mock exterminator suit. That's when things quickly turned ugly. Van Ornum began spraying plants and people in the area with an unknown substance. Organizers say it was water but when police showed up, Van Ornum told them it was poison. That's when 4 officers tackled and arrested him and while being cuffed, shocked with a Taser at least two times.
Officials say he was tased because he resisted arrest and swung at officers while one handcuff was on. Just why did it take 4 officers and a Taser to stop this 19 year old? Sergeant Pete Kerns with the Eugene Police Department explains. "In order to take a full grown man into custody who was actively resisting it takes more than one officer. This is in order to avoid injury to both the officer and the subject."
Witnesses say something different. "All he was saying was 'Why? Why are you doing this?' he wasn't resisting," says Carly Barnicle, an organizer of the demonstration. She adds, "They absolutetly abused it. They tasered him at least two times while he was on the ground. Face down. Face in the cement. There was blood coming from his head. His hands were held behind his back."
Two other men were also arrested during the scuffle. Their names are Anthony Jameson and David Owen. Police say they assaulted officers and tried to interfere with the prior arrest.
While police say it came to such extreme measure because their safety and the safety of others in the area was put in danger, others involved still aren't sure what to do next.
"I don't know where to go from here because they're supposed to be the law," says Barnicle. "They're supposed to be the peace. And it's scary to think, to think that they are'nt letting people speak their minds."
Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-06-02 |