Protest shutters bridge:
Three people were arrested Monday during a protest in Tempe.
Three people were arrested Monday morning as part of a protest on Tempe’s Mill Avenue Bridge that was designed to call attention to the recent fatal shooting of 19-year-old Dalvin Hollins by Tempe police.
Tempe police arrested Hollins’ father, Calvin Hollins Jr., along with the Rev. Jarrett Maupin and Michael Moyniha at about 10 a.m. after they refused to comply with police commands to keep the demonstration on the sidewalk. The trio was among a group of more than 50 protesters who had gathered in Tempe on Monday morning.
The three men have been booked into the Tempe City Jail on suspicion of obstruction of a public thoroughfare and failure to obey a lawful order of a police officer. Calvin Hollins Jr. also had a Chandler City Court warrant for disorderly conduct.
Tempe police reported about 10:15
a.m. that the remaining demonstrators were following police orders and had stepped off the roadway.
“Protesters were provided the lawful opportunity to voice their concerns and reminded numerous times to remain on the sidewalks to assure their safety, along with the safety of others commuting in the area,” a Tempe Police Department statement said.
Maupin, a Valley civil-rights activist whose methods have spurred controversy, was upset that the Tempe police ordered protesters to remain on the sidewalk or be subject to arrest.
“Nothing ever good came out of a sidewalk protest,” said Maupin.
The Mill Avenue Bridge closed briefly as protesters shut it down, but it was reopened by 10:30 a.m. as protesters congregated on the Mill Avenue sidewalk near Rio Salado Parkway.
The morning included tense moments between protesters and police who sought to prevent the crowd from impeding traffic.
Sarah Coleman, mother of Dalvin Hollins, urged police to arrest her along with Maupin. She held a picture of her son during a standoff with officers on the bridge. The officers sat on their bikes as Coleman, flanked by Dalvin’s brother and grandmother, stared back in silence while standing in the middle of the northbound lanes before continuing the march.
“I am willing to get arrested, of course. That’s my son. If they arrest one, arrest us all,” Coleman said. “I am not just here for my son but for all the others who have been killed. I urge people not to wait too long for this to happen to them. It can happen to anyone.”
Dalvin’s grandmother, Pricilla Coleman, was briefly carried by family members when she was overcome with emotion that she could no longer walk.
“Put her on my back, put her on my back,” one of the men said. “I’ve got her.”
With the support of her grandson’s hands on her back, the group kept marching forward, chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
“It’s a lot to my soul. It makes me feel like we’re together in this. All of us. With this boy right here,” Calvin Hollins said, pointing to the portrait in his hands of his son, Dalvin. “I wish we can all just understand what we cannot ... that we can bear what we cannot. Will there be Justice for Dalvin?”
Jarvis Johnson, 26, was handcuffed and was let go after talking with police.
“They did their job,” Johnson said when he came to rejoin the group. “They gave us a lot of leeway. As soon as we got in that street and started walking, all of us could have been arrested right then and there. But they let us walk from one end of the bridge to the other end of the bride.”
“I was upset, I’m not going to lie,” he said, admitting that he had been combative when an officer tried to place him in handcuffs. “That officer twisted my arm and I thought he was going to break my arm. But then another officer got the sweat out of my eyes and offered me water.”
Johnson spoke to the crowd of the importance of not letting the actions of one bad officer represent the entire police department, the way that they would not want the actions of one African American represent the entire race.
A woman wearing a homemade shirt with a thin blue line to represent her support for police interrupted Johnson as he spoke.
“I’m pro-blue and I wanted to say thank you,” she said as they embraced. “You nailed it.”
Earlier Monday, the Tempe Police Department said in a statement that it’s aware of the protest and “will have contingency plans in place should they be required.”
“There are no plans on the part of the city to divert or shut down traffic. Anyone who chooses to interfere with traffic is subject to potential arrest and booking into jail.” Tempe police said in a statement.
Hollins, 19, was fatally shot July 27 by a Tempe police lieutenant. The officer was pursuing Hollins after a robbery of a nearby Walgreens, Tempe police said.
Pharmacy employees said the robber simulated a weapon and announced that he had one. But authorities later said he was not armed. Hollins was shot in the back, according to police.
Police say Lt. Edward Ouimette, one of the officers giving chase, saw Hollins turn toward him and perceived a threat, but Hollins turned away in the seconds before the fatal shot was fired.
According to Tempe policy, Ouimette was placed on administrative leave while the shooting was investigated. Tempe police Chief Sylvia Moir said she has reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and regional partners for support in the shooting review.
Those protesting Monday urged for Ouimette to resign or for Chief Sylvia Moir to fire him.
“If they refuse, protests will intensify,” Maupin said in a press release before the protest. The group plans to gather and protest Tempe streets each Monday until the police department fires the officer or he resigns, Maupin said.
“We can never forget Dalvin,” Lataysha Kelly, Hollins’ girlfriend, said.