For Immediate Release 10/27/07

Peace Group Condemns Excessive Force Against Students
Contact: 773-227-2453

Local Peace group World Can’t Wait- Drive Out the Bush Regime reports
police used excessive force when they arrested one minor and two college
students who were en route to a large anti-war rally. As stated in the
World Can’t Wait’s Call, “If we speak the truth they will try to silence
us. If we act they will try to stop us.” This statement is especially
relevant in this incident.
Today about 75-100 students from various organizations were with the young
men while marching from the newly opened military recruitment center at
University Center to a rally at Union Park when the arrests took place. A
student, Thomas Walker, later reported that the initial 10 accompanying
officers were “hostile from the beginning, rude and cursing at us” on the
way to the rally. The violence happened when the marchers arrived at
Canal and Randolph. Eyewitnesses say the police used their bikes to shove
protesters and pushed marchers. The minor and one of the arrested college
students, Mark H. were victims of a “take-down” characterized as excessive
by witnesses who said Mark bled from his injuries as he was dragged away
by police officers. The other college student arrested, Sergey T., did not
have visible injuries.
After the massive peace march at Federal Plaza, 30-40 mostly student
demonstrators went to the jail at 17th and State to protest the arrests.
World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime are enraged by the police’s use
of force are seeking the students’ immediate release and the dropping of
all charges related to the incident.

*As of this writing, Mark and Sergey are both still in custody. People can call the police station at 312-745-4295 and express outrage about this excessive force, and demand the charges be dropped and the students immediately released. Donations towards legal defense can be sent through chicagoworldcantwait.org.