Thread: Tuscon man arrested after Mexican-flag burning

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/124317.php

City man arrested after Mexican-flag burning
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.12.2006

A Tucson man was arrested Tuesday for his role in the burning of a Mexican flag as part of a counterprotest at a pro-immigration rally.
At about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Tucson police cited Roy Warden, 58, on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and reckless burning, and then released him, according to Sgt. Decio Hopffer.

Video footage shot Monday by police and the media showed Warden assaulting a TV cameraman and a photographer, Hopffer said. Because only one of the men pressed charges, there is only one assault charge.
Warden faces the criminal-damage charge for harm done to the concrete shuffleboard court where Warden's group was burning the Mexican flag, Hopffer said.

Warden and his group, Border Guardians, arrived at Armory Park just after noon Monday to stage a counterprotest to the 15,000 marchers who were protesting what they see as unfair immigration laws. At about 2:15 p.m, they burned Mexican flags and tempers flared.

Police arrested two girls for throwing water at Warden and his group, and a scuffle broke out as police escorted them away. On Monday, Tucson police arrested six people on charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer, interfering with governmental operation, hindering prosecution and disturbing the peace.

Hopffer said police are still reviewing tape of the scuffle.

Warden said the charges are a direct result of political pressure from the Mexican Consulate.
"If they saw something unlawful, why didn't they commit an arrest then?" Warden said.

He said he plans to represent himself at his court hearing on April 24 and said he's confident he will clear himself of charges. In addition, he said he plans to sue the cameraman for defamation of character and denying his right to free speech.

Another member of Border Guardians, Laine Lawless, called the arrest a petty way to punish the group for its dissenting voice.

March organizers also questioned why it took police so long to make the arrest. They have a requested a meeting with city officials for Thursday to discuss the issue, said Zoe Hammer, spokeswoman for Border Action Network, one of the local human-rights groups that organized the march.

● Contact Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com.

I think we ought to send this article to everyone we know so they can see what's really going on.

Just disgraceful. Sure, they can burn and disfigure our flags and nothing happens to them.

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called the House's approval of the "Flag Desecration Amendment" a loss for freedom and an unwarranted assault on the First Amendment. The proposal, which requires two-thirds of those voting and present to pass, was adopted by an eight-vote margin on a vote of 286 to 130. The amendment now heads to the Senate.

I'm sure the ACLU will step right in here, just to be consistant.

They don't appear to be in much of a hurry, though.

He wasn't arrested for burning the flag per Se. He was arrested for criminal damage for messing up the shuffle board court that was under the flag burning.

He was also arrested for assault on a TV cameraman (probably from Mexican TV and never identified in the news), because they said they had video of him shoving the cameraman, however these arrests that came a day after the incident came about only because the "marchers" hounded the police until an arrest was made. They kept asking "why were these people allowed in the park" not having the knowledge that they had more right to be in the park than most of the marchers.

Can you believe that one of the arrested marchers literally jumped on a police officer's back?