EPD Tasers Environmental Protester
Witnesses alleged police brutality after Eugene officers tasered a protester at a peaceful anti-pesticide rally today downtown and arrested three people.
About 40 citizens and 10 police officers showed up for the noon rally Friday, May 30 at the Broadway and Willamette plaza. Numerous citizen witnesses alleged that police threw UO student Ian Van Ornum, 19, to the ground, pulled his hair, kneed him in the back, ground his face into the pavement and shocked him repeatedly in an act of unjustified brutality.
“I believe that’s torture,” protester Josh Schlossberg said. Schlossberg said he did not see Van Ornum do anything illegal or that justified the arrest. “They repeatedly tasered him after he was down,” he said. “I did not see him resisting.”
“When he was on the ground fully restrained, they tasered him three times,” said protester Mary Stevens, adding that the city should be sued.
“They were dragging him by the hair,” said Amy Pincus Merwin. “They ground his face into the ground with a knee on his back.”
“They were beating him,” said Carly Barnicle, who helped organize the rally with Van Ornum. She said Van Ornum is a very peaceful person and was doing nothing illegal or resisting and asking, “why, why, why” while police assaulted him.
The Eugene Police Department issued a press release describing their version of what happened at the “otherwise peaceful” rally. The EPD alleged that Van Ornum “was blocking and impeding traffic” and holding a sprayer. EPD alleged that when contacted by an officer, Van Ornum “raised the [sprayer] wand toward the officer asking, ‘Do you want poison in your face?’” When officers “began to escort him across the street,” the EPD alleged Ornum “began fighting with the officers” and the officers arrested him “with the assistance of a taser” for “resisting arrest” and “disorderly conduct.”
Numerous citizens that witnessed the event said that Van Ornum was not doing anything illegal, fighting with officers or resisting arrest. They said the sprayer at the rally against pesticides was only water and used at previous events as a protest prop.
The EPD alleged that “a crowd of 25 to 30 people began to converge” on the arrest scene. EPD alleged that Anthony Farley, 22, “swung his fists at the officers” and arrested him for alleged “assault, interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct.”
The EPD alleged that David Owen, 50, “ran at the officers in an attempt to interfere with the arrest.” The EPD arrested Owen alleging “interfering with a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.”
Numerous citizen witnesses said that Farley and Owen shouted their disapproval of the arrest along with others but did not assault officers or resist them or interfere with them or do anything illegal.
“We started yelling shame on you” and “don’t hurt him,” Merwin said.
“They said they would taser me if I stepped any closer,” said Barnicle.
Stevens said police refused to provide information on how to file a complaint.
Merwin said she has contacted the police auditor’s office to file an official complaint.
Lisa Arkin of the Oregon Toxics Alliance said she attended the rally but left before the taser incident. Arkin said it appeared that the police “purposely waited” until some of the older attendees and press had left.
Arkin said the rally focused on praising efforts by the state, city and county to limit pesticide use and was carefully organized by UO students. “These were not kids looking to cause a problem.”
The incident comes at a time of rising tension between the police and Eugene citizens.
The police union recently taunted a progressive city councilor online with an ugly caricature and a “she’s baaaack” quote from a horror movie. The union opposed councilor Bonny Bettman’s successful effort to create an independent police auditor and citizen review board to investigate complaints against officers.
Citizens criticized the police attack against a councilor and a previous written attack by the police union against an anti-global warming song at the Mayor’s state of the city speech as expressions of hate directed at the city’s liberal community. Police defended their rhetoric as free speech.
Protesters at the pesticide rally said police used a taser and violence to violate their free speech at the environmental protest.
Eugene police recently changed their policy to arm officers with tasers with few binding restrictions on their use. Where previously the EPD rarely used batons or guns to arrest subjects, the department has begun using tasers on a regular basis, always, they allege, with justification.
Tasers fire 50,000-volts into victims causing violent pain. Nationally, the controversial weapon has been linked to more than 70 deaths and hundreds of lawsuits and complaints
of police abuse.
Police tasered Ian Van Ornum (left) at an environmental rally he organized with Carly Barnicle (right). Photo is from a May 22 EW story on the planned rally.
Below is David Owen's photo from a 2006 EW story about people protesting rural herbicide use.
So tasers have been linked to 70 deaths?
Wow. That's a lot.
Wait. That's very, very, very, very few.
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Submitted by Jef (not verified) on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 20:22.In response to "bummer's" idiocy: any incidents of injury or harm (much less death!) to peaceful citizens by police lacking judgment or restraint should create outrage and disgust in anyone with a sound heart and mind.
What I saw today with 4 police kicking the shit out of and electrocuting a 150 pound kid was sickening.
I spoke to a parent today in Eugene who told me he doesnt' know what to teach his 2 year old son about the role of the police, whether or not to tell him they are to be trusted. It's disheartening the effect the EPD is having on our community. Is Eugene no longer a safe place to raise a child?
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Submitted by Josh Schlossberg (not verified) on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 23:47.Blame here should be placed on our attention deficit disorder local media and our city of Eugene "human rights commission". When I was shot in the crotch by E.P.D. for no reason(and it was recorded on video)with "less lethal" rounds the Weekly had a strongly worded sentence about the incident . The H.R.C.has been a sustainable stonewall for years. Defund the H.R.C. they have done nothing and there was no hearing for the Taser even though many begged them over and over to hold one. The A.C.L.U. even helped the E.P.D. get the Taser. Enjoy fascist Eugene! Watchdog media -yeah right! Chow on slackers!
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Submitted by Zachary Vishanoff (not verified) on Sat, 05/31/2008 - 11:58.My point is that there are worse crimes that you and your loved once commit every day. Around 40,000 people die from automobile crashes every year in the U.S alone. Yes, some of those deaths were due to emergency vehicles, but most were purely recreational. People shopping for knick-knacks, in a rush, on their way to work ... and almost 100% avoidable and preventable.
Yes, since police officers are human they will use tasers or other methods of crowd control in an unperfect way. But the hubbub over a "shocking" 70 people dead from what is for the most part a non-lethal deterrence tool is the sign of misplaced concern.
Oh, and the parent who is unsure of what to tell their 2-year-old child about the police? They shouldn't raise children, since it's obvious they have no concept about age-appropriate discussions. As the kid nears the teenage years and can start making personal decisions that may or may not involve law enforcement, yes, some thought may go into that talk. But all a 2-year-old needs to understand about police in any city is "they are officers who's job it is to keep people safe -- if you are separated from me and need help, find a police officer." I'm freaking serious. If you have a 2-year-old and are seriously considering giving them a speech about the evils of an authoritarian society, you need to deliver you child to an orphanage NOW before you wind up messing up their concepts of a healthy society.
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Submitted by Jef (not verified) on Sat, 05/31/2008 - 15:54.the cops clearly instigated this! EPD were out in force all day arresting people for no reason. I was at the event at the rally was completely peaceful. I have video of the peaceful rally. When I went to lunch and came back all this drama had occurred. It really is as if the police waited for me to leave because I was obviously recording the event with my video camera.
I never thought that anything like this could happen in Eugene. The police took this incident way too far, and there is hell to be had with the people involved. The citizens and people that I know very well will not let this just slip away, action will be taken and justice will be served. Just a fair warning...The police pissed off the wrong group of people!
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Submitted by JT (not verified) on Sat, 05/31/2008 - 20:47.Did anyone get video of this incident?
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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/02/2008 - 17:01.I agree wholeheartedly that this incident was unfortunate and should not have happened. I am concerned about two things that have come out of it. First of all the direct attack on the EPD in general seems like the wrong direction to go. If people are going to start hating the police solely because they are the police we are only going to see an escalation of this problem. They are people the same as you and me. If we can't do anything but treat the police as functions we may never see our problems resolved.
The next issue I would like to address is that of raising a child. Are people honestly afraid of the police doing something to a two year old child? To imply something of that sort seems like pure fear mongering. If on the other hand the issue rests with the police not keeping the streets of Eugene safe I don't see the logic for the conclusion. As far as I know the police are still doing their job of protecting citizens in addition to getting into messes like this.
Part of the problem that the police are facing is the fact that they have lost funding. Right now they are ridiculously understaffed, and the prisons are overflowing. They are having to release violent criminals and sex offenders because they don't have space for them. I would suspect that the police aren't very comfortable in general because they are so understaffed. Really what all of this seems to say, to me at least, is that there are serious issues that need to be worked about between the police, the government and the citizens of Eugene. Hopefully it can all be done without hate and resentment.
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Submitted by Nathan Tripathy (not verified) on Tue, 06/03/2008 - 06:18.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gr4RsI2V6Y
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Submitted by Josh Schlossberg (not verified) on Tue, 06/03/2008 - 19:27.and later on the EPD jumped on Critical Mass as well.
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Submitted by mockiavelli (not verified) on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 08:24.....and spraying herbicides and pesticides over children, homes, streets, parks, playgrounds and into your drinking water completely legal. Hmm. Can greed get any more dangerous or deadly? WHOM SHOULD BE ARRESTED?
I was there. Spraying water on plants and on the sidewalk in a costume as theatre is not illegal.
Perhaps the right to assemble and free speech is now illegal?
Is that a new law under some new Patriot Act (oxymoron) provision?
Ian Van Ornum (police brutality victim) never blocked traffic (Eugene Police Department lie). He used the crosswalk every time.
No one ever tried to incite a reaction from the Police before they arrived ( EPD Lie).
Resisting arrest?
Swinging handcuffs?
I wasn't close enough at that time to see EPD officers do their dirty deeds but I suspect those are also EPD lies.
If you know of other EPD lies from this brutal incident please post them here.
Last call for freedom of speech and last call for freedom to peaceably assemble?
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Submitted by Future Political Prisoner (not verified) on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 16:56.I happened to overhear one of the police at the event...maybe even dispatch...radio all units on the scene to warn them that the media was on scene now...
Nice to know they are only doing thier job and following the law...
Quit beating that kid quick the Media is here....
BS
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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 19:42.These are some filthy dirty cops we're dealing with here in Eugene, i talked to the head chief when they were getting permission to use tasers not to long ago....the guy was SO ecstatic and i straight told him it would result in nasty police brutality and that the taser was never necessary before and it wouldn't be now. I sighted many publicized incidents where very peaceful people had been tasered as pain compliance and not as a threat to the officer.
The EPD are wayyyyy to impatient, why deal with talking to someone...just f***ing taser um. And once they scream why why why please why stop why..... taser um AGAIN!
I have my own experience with the EPD. Being handcuffed without being read my rights and threatened by the EPD until i gave them permission to search my house for a criminal i had no knowledge of. In fact, when they arrived they thought i was the criminal and by the time i was in handcuffs after proving i was not, they were saying that i was hiding the criminal in my house. When they did not find him they said well he could have snuck in the house and we were just trying to keep you safe.
What a noble cause, handcuff me and search my house to keep me safe. THANKS EPD!
I wonder who they were 'keeping safe' by tasering this poor activist.
Shame on the EPD and shame on the city leaders if there are not SERIOUS repercussions for this blatant police brutality.
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Submitted by Zondervan (not verified) on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 16:06.I like that
"‘Do you want poison in your face?’”
is a question and more so an idle threat.
BUT cops(with taser in hand) saying..
"I'm going to tase you!"
to get people to back up from the scene.. not a question its an outright threat of violent assault!
Thats no way to deal with the public/friends/family/etc of someone who was been brutally attacked before their eyes.
Thats more like a thugs response to someone refusing to hand over the cash.
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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 16:26.Spraying an unknown substance on passersby and implying that it is poison is incredibly irresponsible. In this post, like many of the others, I note that only the protesters and their supporters are quoted. Where are the independent witnesses? Oh, wait! They're in the police report, where they say that they overheard the protesters conspiring to antagonize the police so they could get some press. Of course it's possible that the police overreacted in the degree of force used, but they certainly should have arrested this kid. These protesters were completely irresponsible. What happened to the good old days of the Civil Rights Movement? What happened to not harming innocent bystanders and not resisting arrest? Why does the video that they so thoughtfully took only show the parts of the interaction that make the protesters look good? Why haven't they released the whole thing?
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Submitted by mlw (not verified) on Mon, 06/16/2008 - 06:29.Post new comment