The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Protesters shut down highway over travel ban
2 arrested, leader pepper-sprayed
NEW HAVEN >> Two protesters were arrested Saturday and others reported that pepper spray and police dogs were used against them as they demonstrated against President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions and his plan to build a Mexican border wall.
The protesters, going by the name “No Ban No Wall New Haven,” temporarily blocked the northbound lanes of Route 34 at about 5 p.m. after marching from City Hall. State police said they were asked to assist by city police. The group was moved onto Church Street and then Chapel Street, where they were corralled in by yellow police tape.
Norman Clement, 66, of 977 State St., was charged with charged with inciting a riot, disorderly conduct, interfering with an officer and reckless use of the highway by a pedestrian, according to state police.
He was released on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 13.
State police called Clement the leader of the protest and said he was chased through the crowd, that he resisted arrest and was peppersprayed. The arrest occurred after the protesters were moved to Chapel Street, according to witnesses.
Attorney Patricia Kane, who was representing both Clement and Nate Blair, who was arrested by city police, said “There was no violence on the part of any demonstrator.”
Patrick Mastrobono of New Haven said of Clement, “That’s the leader and all of a sudden they jumped on top of him and they were body-slamming him.
Kane said Clement would be taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
Blair, she said, was released on a promise to appear in court and charged with disorderly conduct.
Kane said Clement “was targeted for some reason and treated very roughly. Basically, when told to get on the sidewalk [protesters] tried to comply.
New Haven police did not immediately respond to a request for information.
The protesters said their demonstration was peaceful and that police appeared to be looking for a confrontation.
“We took the highway and then the police came up with dogs,” said Brett Davidson of New Haven. “They were very intimidating . ... The police were very eager to make an arrest. The police all of a sudden got very aggressive.”
“It continued to escalate” once the group was moved onto the Chapel Street sidewalk, said Dan Carmody of Seymour. “They were trying to corral a large number of people into a small space.”
He said Clement was taken down after he was “yelling back at them.”
“The next thing I knew, Norm was on the street. He wasn’t getting up,” Carmody said.
While state police estimated the group on the highway at about 100, one of the protesters, Chris Garaffa of New Haven, said more than 300 were involved at some point.
After the group broke up, about 50 went to police headquarters to wait for word about Clement and Blair. One protester brought over a pot of vegetable soup.