3-20-2007

A local man says cops roughed him up and then arrested him without cause during a protest in October 2006. As a result, he is suing the city.

Ryan Dunn says that he was simply trying to document the rally and came across a group of about 200-300 people. He eventually decided to join the group and verbally criticized the police for their behavior towards the marchers. What Dunn apparently did NOT know was that the group with which he was marching had broken away from the permitted protest route.

Police tried to break up the crowd and, in the process, Dunn was arrested. He says his beard was pulled and his finger was bent backwards. Following his arrest, he has been acquitted of all charges.

KXL Crime Expert CW Jensen says that it is up to the protester to know where he or she is and, if they are outside of the route, then there may be consequences up to and including arrest.

When I posed that to Dunn he wanted to know why it is that protests have to come with permits in the first place. Jensen says it's for everyone's safety. Take the recent anti-war rally in downtown for example. If ten thousand people decide to randomly walk through the streets traffic would be a mess and large chunks of the city might shut down. By working with the city, protesters can get their word out and the city can plan ahead (re-routing buses, directing people away from the MAX tracks and so forth). Also, extra police personnel can be on hand in case trouble brews. Jensen says working with the city keeps everyone safe and peaceful protests can go on as planned.

Dunn wants monetary compensation for his pain and suffering and training for cops.

A side note . . . the attorney's representing Dunn are the same that represent Terry DeGeorge. He's the guy who got in a scuffle with firefighters at the FairField hotel a few months back.