by David Safier
I attended the 4pm rally at the Tucson Police Department to protest the arrest of Rene Meza Huertha by the TPD and the Border Patrol as well as the arrest of Raúl Alcaráz Ochoa who laid down under the Border Patrol vehicle to try and stop the arrest. Pamela Powers has more details about the arrest in an earlier post.
The crowd numbered about 250-300 — that's a conservative estimate — and the media showed up to record the event. A number of people spoke, including Raúl Alcaráz Ochoa, pictured.
I spoke with City Council member Karin Uhlich after the event. She said we need "full and transparent information from the Tucson Police Department" about what happened during the arrest. "The mission of the police," she said, "is to keep the community safe. The future of the community is dependent on the relationship between the TPD and community members." She expressed concern that events like this jeopardize both the atmosphere in Tucson and the regular flow of people who come here from Mexico and elsewhere to visit and shop. "This is the kind of thing that could undermine our efforts to assure everyone that this is a safe and respectful community."
Another rally is planned for Tuesday, 12:30pm, at the Federal Courthouse.
More photos below the fold.