Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

20 people arrested at Indianapolis State Capitol protesting plan for I69 NAFTA superhighway. Police attack protesters with tazors.

5. June 2005 • MarkDilley
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Today at about 2pm, a crowd of 50 people representing several groups joined Roadblock EF! and converged on the Indianapolis state capitol building to protest plans to construct a superhighway from Mexico to Canada, cutting through Michigan. Both of the current routes being considered cut through wetlands, forests and family farms. The highway would be built using taxpayers’ money, thus forcing citizens to financially support the profit of neoliberal companies as they destroy wild areas and family farms. Residents along the proposed routes have been fighting the plan for years, but developers are going ahead with plans to begin construction.

Today’s protest was an educational event meant to kick off a summer of actions and community organizing around the Roadless Summer project, an ongoing campaign to end the proposed I69.
After a short time demonstrating, police surrounded and attacked the protesters. One young woman was tazored, another was pepper-sprayed and suffered an asthma attack. Many were roughly wrestled to the ground, handcuffed to each other behind their backs and left in the sun for hours without being processed or informed of their charges. Local Massasauga Earth First!ers are among those arrested. As of this moment, it is not clear what charges will be brought or why the protesters were arrested without being asked to disperse first.

Local sources are saying that the protesters who were attacked and arrested today may be facing serious charges, as the demonstration took place on state property and the campaign has made its intentions known to block the I69, and other road construction projects this summer. Please show support for these activists by calling the jail (317)231-6263, the Indy Star (317)444-6000 and the local state police station (317)327-3811 to demand their release. Please also complain about their brutal treatment. Massasauga Earth First! is a southeast Michigan based chapter of Earth First! doing support work on this campaign. For a local contact, please call 313.838.8488. More information about the campaign is available at the website roadless_summer.org

Massasauga Earth First!



  1. Read about it in the Indianapolis Star at: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050605/NEWS02/506050496/1006/NEWS01

    The article mentions that 5 people spraypainted on the building so this required that 24 people be arrested for disorderly conduct. The names, save one Jane Doe, have been conveniently posted. Oh, in case you are unaware, “Disorderly Conduct” is the be-all, catch-all the police use when they have nothing else to use, but they really want to make an arrest for something.
       —Chuck    Jun. 6 '05 - 03:02AM    #
  2. “The protesters began walking away, and the Capitol Police called for assistance from State Police, park rangers, Indianapolis police and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis police.”

    Those crazy protesters…walking away was causing so much damage they needed that much backup?
       —Patrick Murphy    Jun. 6 '05 - 09:57PM    #