Arizona Republic: Six of the nearly 150 young people were taken into custody Tuesday after taking to the streets in front of Trevor Browne High School in Phoenix to protest the immigration policies of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The protesters, consisting of students from Trevor Browne, other area high schools and colleges, rallied in the intersection of 75th Avenue and Cheery Lynn Street, forcing the closure of 75th Avenue in both directions.
"Arpaio is terrorizing our community and we're tired of it," said 16-year-old Jackie Sanchez, who was seated around a protest banner laid out in the street. "The only power [Arpaio] has is fear. That's over."
The group repeatedly chanted "undocumented and unafraid" during the nearly 4-hour protest.
Some held signs reading "Support the DREAM Act!" and "We will no longer remain in the shadows."
Arpaio was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.
"Our job is to keep it peaceful and legal," said Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman.
The protest was peaceful but was clearly illegal because participants were blocking the road, he added.
The protest started on a street corner but moved into the street by 3:15 p.m.
Police, wearing helmets and carrying shields, later formed a line across 75th Avenue. A warning was announced at 5:50 p.m., telling the protesters who continued to block the street they would be arrested. Many had moved to the sidewalk but others remained in the street.
Police began moving towards the group at 6 p.m., and the street was mostly cleared by 6:15 p.m.
Four women, including two under age 18, and two men were arrested and are expected to be charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a thoroughfare, according to Phoenix police.
"It's incredibly important that we exercise patience in these situations," Holmes said. "We don't want to rush in with unprepared resources."
According to Holmes, a "tremendous amount of resources" were used by police during the protest, in which about 100 Phoenix officers responded.
He added that the demonstrators were never physically aggressive and the outcome "appeared to be a success" for both protesters and police.
The protesters, consisting of students from Trevor Browne, other area high schools and colleges, rallied in the intersection of 75th Avenue and Cheery Lynn Street, forcing the closure of 75th Avenue in both directions.
"Arpaio is terrorizing our community and we're tired of it," said 16-year-old Jackie Sanchez, who was seated around a protest banner laid out in the street. "The only power [Arpaio] has is fear. That's over."
The group repeatedly chanted "undocumented and unafraid" during the nearly 4-hour protest.
Some held signs reading "Support the DREAM Act!" and "We will no longer remain in the shadows."
Arpaio was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.
"Our job is to keep it peaceful and legal," said Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman.
The protest was peaceful but was clearly illegal because participants were blocking the road, he added.
The protest started on a street corner but moved into the street by 3:15 p.m.
Police, wearing helmets and carrying shields, later formed a line across 75th Avenue. A warning was announced at 5:50 p.m., telling the protesters who continued to block the street they would be arrested. Many had moved to the sidewalk but others remained in the street.
Police began moving towards the group at 6 p.m., and the street was mostly cleared by 6:15 p.m.
Four women, including two under age 18, and two men were arrested and are expected to be charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a thoroughfare, according to Phoenix police.
"It's incredibly important that we exercise patience in these situations," Holmes said. "We don't want to rush in with unprepared resources."
According to Holmes, a "tremendous amount of resources" were used by police during the protest, in which about 100 Phoenix officers responded.
He added that the demonstrators were never physically aggressive and the outcome "appeared to be a success" for both protesters and police.
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