Thread: Salem concert brawl leads to nine arrests

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/reg ... st=orlocal

Salem concert brawl leads to nine arrests
7/23/2006, 4:51 p.m. PT
The Associated Press


SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Eight adults and one youth were arrested late Saturday after several fights broke out during a concert and dance held at the State Fairgrounds in Salem, the authorities said.

One person suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital, said Lt. Gregg Hastings, a spokesman for the Oregon State Police.

Hastings said a personal dispute appears to have triggered the initial fight in the crowd of about 1,000 people. Other skirmishes broke out when the authorities arrived.

Juan Gaona, who promoted the event that featured the band Beto Y Sus Canarios, said the initial fight happened in the beer section and security failed to remove everyone involved.

"Those people that they didn't kick out they started the other fight, and then everything just got crazy from there," he said.

The charges against those arrested included riot, assault and resisting arrest.

The three adults arrested for riot were: Carlos Alvardo-Arreola, 22, of Newberg; Heriberto Morales, 56, of Portland; and Jose Miranda-Diaz, 26, of Portland.

The names of the other people arrested have not been released.

The adults were sent to the Marion County Jail and the juvenile was taken to the Marion County Juvenile Facility.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pb ... 40322/1001

Small fight sparks brawl at Salem fairgrounds concert

Nine people are arrested; police say alcohol was factor

BY TIMOTHY ALEX AKIMOFF
Statesman Journal


July 24, 2006

A concert and dance erupted into a brawl Saturday night when a personal dispute escalated into a riot at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.

Nine people were arrested, including a juvenile, and one person was transported to Salem Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Juan Gaona, who promoted the event featuring the band Beto y Sus Canarios, said that an initial fight happened in the beer section, and security failed to remove everyone involved.

"Those people that they didn't kick out, they started the other fight, and then everything just got crazy from there," he told The Associated Press.

Lt. Chuck Bennett of Salem Police Department said that festival organizers usually hire Oregon State Police troopers for security, but no troopers were present Saturday night.

Bennett said that alcohol was a factor and that there was evidence that people were bringing their own alcohol.

About 1,000 people were at the Pavilion at the fairgrounds for the show, police said.

Oregon State Police and Salem police initially responded to reports of fistfights about 9 p.m., during the concert.

As other fights broke out among the crowd, additional officers from Salem and Keizer were called in to assist, including Salem Police civil-disturbance-response teams.

Officers stayed put as organizers and event security ended the concert and tried to disperse the crowd.

It took about 90 minutes for everyone to leave, police said.

The three adults arrested and charged with riot were Carlos Alverado-Arreola, 22, of Newberg; Heriberto Morales, 56, of Portland; and Jose Miranda-Diaz, 26, of Portland.

Rioting is a class C felony.

The names of the other people arrested have not been released.

The adults were being held in the Marion County jail, and the juvenile was in the Marion County Juvenile Facility.

takimoff@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6750

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july ... _72206.php

Salem-News.com (Jul-23-2006 17:48)

Nine Arrested Following Disturbance at Concert on State Fairgrounds
Salem-News.com
Police arriving on the scene appeared to set off several fights, but some who attended suggest that the use of the term "Riot" is over the line.



(SALEM) - Eight adults and one juvenile were taken into custody by Oregon State Police and Salem Police Saturday evening after several fights broke out during a Hispanic Concert and dance held on State Fairgrounds property in Salem.

One person was transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, and the event was shut down following the incident.

The concert and dance were held at the Pavilion Building on the Oregon State Fairgrounds property. Police say a fight reportedly broke out around 9:00 PM.

Oregon State Police, Salem Police, and Keizer Police responded to the scene where an estimated crowd of 1,000 people had gathered for the event.

Tensions in the local Hispanic community have been rising, particularly since a local Spanish radio station, "La Pantera" was banned from taking part in the Marion County Fair in Salem. The word was out in the Hispanic community, and the fair was notably quieter than most years, with few Hispanic people in attendance spending their money, as predicted.

County Fair officials say there were problems last year with the crowd the radio station attracted, but local activists say the Hispanic people didn't generate problems worthy of banishment.

Yet they were determined to have been the source of the problems, and one person after another in the Hispanic communities of Oregon will tell you that only racism leads to such decisions.

Many attribute the motivation to ban Hispanics from participating in the Marion County Fair to the recent anti-immigration agenda from the Bush administration that they say has done so much to divide a nation once known for its prudent strides toward racial equality.

One man, who asked not to be named, said things are getting worse, "They don't see it through our eyes, we love our families as much as anyone else. First they want to deport our relatives and their children who were born here don't understand that. Then we're being banned from public events, and now we are called rioters when the police themselves stirred everybody up by overreacting to a single fight."

Police investigators say it was a personal dispute between two people that led to the initial fight. Oregon State Police and Salem Police were first to respond, but after their arrival they say other fights began to break out in the large crowd.

Additional officers from Salem and Keizer, including the Salem Police civil disburbance response teams, responded to help restore order. Eight adults and one juvenile were arrested for charges including Riot, Assault, and Resisting Arrest. The adults were lodged in Marion County Jail and the juvenile detained in Marion County Juvenile Facility.

The three adults arrested for Riot included 22-year old Carlos Arreola of Newberg, 56-Heriberto Morales of Portland and 26-year old Jose Miranda-Diaz of Portland. In addition to the Riot charge, Carlos Arreola was also arrested for Resisting Arrest.

Police did not release the names of the other five adults and the juvenile. They did say that one person that was injured was transported to Salem Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The event organizer ended the concert as police and security remained on scene to prevent additional problems from developing as the crowd left. It reportedly took 90 minutes for the crowd to eventually leave.

According to Oregon law, a person commits the crime of Riot if while participating with five or more other persons the person enganges in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly creates a grave risk of causing public harm. Riot is a class C felony.

Thanks for the follow up on this Brian. I've been wondering what the real story was.

Are these folks American citizens or illegal immigrants? Just being hispanic is not an issue.

We need someone to make the standard calls to see if immigration has a hold on any of the perps. Any takers?

W