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Posted on 06/04/2005 9:14:32 PM PDT by bd476
Twenty-four people were arrested Saturday after police discovered spray-painted graffiti on the Statehouse -- messages that authorities said were part of a protest against an extension of Interstate 69.
Authorities said the 24, walking away from the Statehouse and chanting about I-69, disregarded an officer who tried to ask them questions about the graffiti shortly before 1 p.m.
Other officers arrived, and the 24 were arrested on disorderly conduct charges a few blocks northwest of the building, state police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said.
The graffiti was found on two exterior walls, two pillars on the interior and in other places. Among the spray-painted messages were "I69 is the enemy" and "No I-69."
Police said they tentatively identified one of the 24 -- Alison R. Phillips, 20, of Bloomington -- as being someone who allegedly spray-painted the Statehouse's exterior.
An Indianapolis police officer subdued Phillips with a stun gun because she had jumped on a Capitol police officer's back, authorities said. Phillips faces charges of battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Police said at least 10 of the 24 were not from Indiana. Police didn't know where two of the 24 live, and they didn't have a name for one.
"We're still very early in the investigation, but it's becoming clear this was a group of protestors-for-hire that likely don't have a specific interest in I-69," Bursten said. "We base that on spontaneous statements made by some of the arrested and the fact that of the known ... people arrested today, only 12 are from Indiana."
I-69 currently runs from Michigan to northern Indianapolis. Federal officials intend to extend the highway to Mexico.
Before being taken away by police, one of the protesters, Colin Schoder-Ehri, 25, of Bloomington, said the group was against extending I-69 because it will "extend" the North American Free Trade Agreement and "because it's going to destroy jobs."
Authorities said they confiscated video cameras from some of the arrestees, hoping that someone recorded footage of the spray-painting as it happened.
Police said it will cost about $1,000 to clean the graffiti.
The following are the arrestees for whom police had names:
First group of rabble rousers I admire in years.
You admire a woman who spray painted graffiti on the state capitol building AND assaulted a police officer?
Morons Is As Morons Does.
Charge of battery, here? Clearly a rude touching of state property...either that or someone had a good set of jumper cables (IT'S A PUN, Mr. Prosecutor, sir ...).
The only question is: At what point does the broad game change from the presumably temporary defacing of public buildings to the defacing (and other de*****ing) of public officials?
No, I'd rather she kiss the pavement with batons-a-swingin'.
But their cause is right, protesting a sewer line paved straight from Mexico.
While protesting against the Federal government's plan to extend I-69 to Mexico and subsequent job loss are worthy issues of protest, defacing the Indiana State House, which is a historic building, and violence against State employees doing their jobs are not rabble rousing activities as much as they are plain old fashioned crime.
From the article:
"Police said they tentatively identified one of the 24 -- Alison R. Phillips, 20, of Bloomington -- as being someone who allegedly spray-painted the Statehouse's exterior.
An Indianapolis police officer subdued Phillips with a stun gun because she had jumped on a Capitol police officer's back, authorities said. Phillips faces charges of battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
"We're still very early in the investigation, but it's becoming clear this was a group of protestors-for-hire that likely don't have a specific interest in I-69," Bursten said.
"We base that on spontaneous statements made by some of the arrested and the fact that of the known ... people arrested today, only 12 are from Indiana."
You're boring me.
Anyway, they are a remarkably young group of punks to actually care about this issue. Maybe they were hired afterall, and they don't really care one way or the other.
So for you, violence and crime is justified provided someone feels their cause is right?
That is no different than typical rhetoric from the lefties' camp.
It doesn't seem to take much for you to lose your focus then.
Pathetic! I respect their right to Protest, but when it comes down to acting like complete idiotic lefty morons, I draw the line.
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At least they didn't superglue all of the locks. (Local high school seniors tried that and discovered the price of new locks.)
I said they need their heads cracked!! It's a fair game.
LOL! Their behavior sure is not typical thinking man's behavior.
Spoken like someone who has never had to drive from Indianapolis to Evansville on more than an occasional basis.
More spoken like someone who is paying for Boston's "Big Dig", though I will never use it myself. :-)
Indiana needs that I-69 extension to Evansville--I've made that drive more than a few times, and it ain't easy, no matter which way you go. It clogs up traffic on I-70 and US 41, it increases the costs of goods, it wastes time for a lot of people, and it's just a plain horrible trip.
I knew an older fellow once that used to complain and moan ALL the time about the I-69 extension to Evansville. Complained that we had too many roads and it was going to destroy southern Indiana or some hogwash like that. Then he had to make the drive from Indy to Evansville as part of his job; when he came back, all he could talk about was about how long the trip was and how awful of a drive it was. I said to him, "Gee, Don, they sure could use an expressway between Indianapolis and Evansville, couldn't they?" He never really complained about I-69 after that.
Indiana needs to do this.
I suspect their motives isn't as pure as you think. Looking at the makeup of the group I suspect that the student leftists is more worried about environmental damage and not supporting anything that helps capitalism.
I would strongly suspect that someone in this group may of defaced the Medal of Honor memorial as well.
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