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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 5, 2005 Treatment of protesters draws ACLU notice Local volunteers take statements from people about the incident in Jacksonville during President Bush’s visit By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune Activists and members of the American Civil Liberties Union say they may take legal action against local law enforcement for the way it treated protesters during President Bush’s visit to Jacksonville in October. Volunteer ACLU attorneys and researchers recently concluded a study into the Oct. 14 incident. They reviewed videotapes, took witness statements and collected media accounts, said Paul Copeland, Southern Oregon ACLU board member. "It was a lawful demonstration. We have good constitutional grounds here," Copeland said. "Court action is being considered. There was no valid reason for the way police reacted." The results of the study and suggested corrective actions will be discussed at 12:30 p.m. Thursday during a press conference in the Central Library’s large meeting room in downtown Medford. Police abruptly ended several hours of peaceful demonstration at about 8 p.m. when the president made an unscheduled stop at the Jacksonville Inn restaurant after giving a campaign speech at the Jackson County Expo. Advertisement Law enforcement officials said the Secret Service gave them just three minutes to "sweep" more than 300 Bush supporters and demonstrators off sidewalks and two blocks east on California Street — away from the restaurant. During the tactical maneuver, two protesters were arrested and police fired rounds of pepper balls at some members of the crowd. Copeland said the ACLU team has not yet formally interviewed any members of law enforcement. But Shelley Elkovich, one of the demonstration’s organizers, said she has spoken to Jacksonville Police Chief David Towe since the incident. She said Towe expressed "disappointment" at the way the event concluded. "It was a good conversation," Elkovich said. Towe was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. But in a previous interview with the Mail Tribune, Towe said he and other law enforcement officers had met to discuss the incident. He said there were challenges in trying to follow the Secret Service’s unexpected order. Although the "sweep" was conducted mainly by Jackson County sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police, Towe was officially in charge of the local police forces that evening. And all were following the orders of the Secret Service, he said. Jacksonville City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said Tuesday that he had not been contacted and declined to comment. Elkovich said she videotaped 22 witnesses and collected notes from conversations and news reports. "It was a lawful assembly. I feel very strongly that police behaved inappropriately and our rights were abused," she said. "It won’t stop here." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers