Following widespread disinformation in the corporate media about the protest held on Saturday in Grand Rapids, the local antiwar group ACTIVATE has released a statement today explaining why they chose to march to Representative Vern Ehlers' house and clarifying the actions of the police. According to both the statement and witness reports, the arrests made by the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) were unprovoked. Perhaps most importantly, ACTIVATE pledges to continue their ongoing work to end the occupation of Iraq:
On March 17, 2007, ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids SDS) organized a protest at the corner of East Beltline and Burton. We chose this location because in years past we believe that the anniversary protests were not very visible and they did not target anything connected to the war.
Approximately 200 people came out and we marched to the home of US Representative Vernon J. Ehlers. We chose to march to Ehlers' home because we believe he must be held accountable for his ongoing support of the occupation of Iraq. Ehlers has consistently voted to fund the war and has stated that he does not support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Individuals and groups within the antiwar movement have contacted Representative Ehlers about his stance but he has refused to seriously consider their views. While the group was there, we attempted to speak with Ehlers and when he chose not to answer the door (he was in the house), we attached a contract on his door asking him to support an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq by cutting funding for the war.
Following the visit to Ehlers' house, the group decided to march back to the corner of East Beltline and Burton. On the way there, the police decided to single someone out for using a megaphone. Prior to this, numerous people had used the megaphone and were not targeted by the police. Initially it was unclear why this person was targeted. At no point did this person physically resist the police. When it became clear that the person was being detained, the individual cooperated fully.
Following this arrest, people in the crowd demanded badge numbers and an explanation of what was happening. For the most part, these requests went unanswered. The police responded in a hostile manner that eventually resulted in them pulling two people off of the sidewalk and into the road. Again, these people were not specifically doing anything that should have made them a target. During this time, pushing ensued and an additional person was arrested. In total, four people were arrested.
While not entirely unexpected, the police actions were completely unprovoked. We believe that individuals can make their own decisions about how they protest. We respect everyone that came out and support the decisions that they made. We stand in solidarity with those who were arrested and will do everything that we can to support them.
We will continue to organize against the war. ACTIVATE remains committed to building an anti-imperialist resistance to the war that takes risks and challenges institutions and individuals responsible for perpetuating the war.
For more information about ACTIVATE, visit their website at activategr.org.
