Finally getting to my pictures from the march last week… for anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with current events, the Saturday before last was a terrible one for justice in Rochester, and oppression from the RPD. A peaceful anti-capitalist march was trapped on the East Ave/Inner loop crossing, and 18 protesters arrested, some violently. At the closing of the Puerto Rican festival, RPDs in riot gear began breaking up a crowd with no provocation, setting off a police riot that led to 32 more arrests. Finally, barely 12 hours after the march, a punk show in an East End basement was invaded without warrant, with excessive use of mace and Tasers, and 14 arrests for alleged disorderly conduct. Now was the time to act — 64 arrests in one weekend, of law-abiding citizens, set off by police force. Our demands would be simple: the departure of Chief Shepard, a civilian layer of accountability for the RPD, and charges dropped on the 64 arrests of the weekend. While the actual effect of our march seems to have been minimal, if nothing else, at least it served as an affirmation of free speech, and an assertion of our right to protest and assemble… as much as we were expecting and even hoping for a riot and the outright disgrace of the RPD, the fact that this went as smoothly as it did is also a very encouraging sign for future demonstrations
