stephanie
03-11-2007, 08:26 PM
Mar 11, 3:47 AM EDT
:lame2:
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- Police arrested three anti-war demonstrators at the Port of Tacoma during overnight protests against the shipment of military vehicles to Iraq.
About 200 people gathered Friday evening at the port, where several nights of protests have been staged against the shipment of vehicles and equipment for deployment of the Army's 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from nearby Fort Lewis.
A 32-year-old Gig Harbor man was arrested at 9:30 p.m. for obstructing police when he took his backpack into a protest area, said Gretchen Ellis, a Tacoma police spokeswoman. Authorities had prohibited backpacks in the area for security reasons.
Around 11:30 p.m., demonstrators began climbing a fence to enter private property and police used pepper spray to stop them, Ellis said.
The crowd had dwindled to around 35 by 2:30 a.m. Saturday when some protesters threw wooden road barriers onto the street and sat in the roadway, Ellis said. Police launched tear gas at the crowd when people refused orders to leave.
A second person, a 20-year-old Tacoma man, was arrested for obstruction and a 19-year-old Olympia man was arrested for third-degree assault of a police officer, Ellis said.
Anti-war demonstrations have been held at the port since last Saturday, with four protesters arrested earlier this week.
The 4th Brigade is scheduled to leave for Iraq in April, a month early. On Monday, a deployment ceremony for the unit is planned at Fort Lewis.
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP03112007news114066.cfm
:lame2:
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- Police arrested three anti-war demonstrators at the Port of Tacoma during overnight protests against the shipment of military vehicles to Iraq.
About 200 people gathered Friday evening at the port, where several nights of protests have been staged against the shipment of vehicles and equipment for deployment of the Army's 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from nearby Fort Lewis.
A 32-year-old Gig Harbor man was arrested at 9:30 p.m. for obstructing police when he took his backpack into a protest area, said Gretchen Ellis, a Tacoma police spokeswoman. Authorities had prohibited backpacks in the area for security reasons.
Around 11:30 p.m., demonstrators began climbing a fence to enter private property and police used pepper spray to stop them, Ellis said.
The crowd had dwindled to around 35 by 2:30 a.m. Saturday when some protesters threw wooden road barriers onto the street and sat in the roadway, Ellis said. Police launched tear gas at the crowd when people refused orders to leave.
A second person, a 20-year-old Tacoma man, was arrested for obstruction and a 19-year-old Olympia man was arrested for third-degree assault of a police officer, Ellis said.
Anti-war demonstrations have been held at the port since last Saturday, with four protesters arrested earlier this week.
The 4th Brigade is scheduled to leave for Iraq in April, a month early. On Monday, a deployment ceremony for the unit is planned at Fort Lewis.
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP03112007news114066.cfm