Phoenix Copwatch Media
Phoenix Copwatch Responds to Police Mishandling of 2007 MLK Day Celebration
January 25, 2007
For the second year in a row, members of Phoenix Copwatch, an independent volunteer group formed to combat police abuse and racism, were appalled at the dehumanizing crowd control tactics of law enforcement officials at Phoenix’s 2007 MLK Day event at Margaret T. Hance Park.
The organizers did a commendable job of allowing people to calmly leave the park from several different exits, which was a great improvement over the herding tactics of last year. However, once the crowd had mostly dispersed, the police seemed to go on the offensive. Much like last year, we observed officers indiscriminately spraying attendees with pepper spray. In addition, one officer drove her police cruiser recklessly fast, nearly hitting pedestrians and Copwatch members. When asked for her name and badge number, the officer refused to give the information, which is a clear violation of department policy.
The attendees that remained in the area after the event were treated with great disrespect by Phoenix police officers. This attitude carried over into the treatment of Phoenix Copwatch members, as well. One member of the gang task force purposely “shoulder checked” two group members while walking down the sidewalk. Another called Copwatch members names as he passed by. Clearly, these officers are uncomfortable with citizens non-violently exercising their constitutional right to observe the behavior of public servants on the police force.
This abusive behavior by the Phoenix Police Department must not be tolerated by elected public officials, the city, or law enforcement agencies, and must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Clearly, many of these situations could have been avoided had attendees been given more time to leave the public park (as happens in every other major event in the City of Phoenix) and not herded out and treated like criminals. More importantly though, the excessive amount of law enforcement used during and at the closing of the event shows that the city only knows how to handle a crowd with intimidation and force, and that, much like in Martin Luther King’s time, a predominantly white police force is still used to intimidate people of color.