Photo courtesy Lee Daugherty

UPDATE: Photos and a video provided by C.d. Kirven have been added at the bottom of this post. Dallas Voice thanks both Kirven and Lee Daughtery for their activism and for allowing us to use their photos and video.

Up to 400 people were arrested on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on Monday night (June 1), according to Lee Daugherty, who was among those detained. He was next to two Dallas Voice freelancers who were also detained for several hours. Watch for full coverage from them in Friday’s Dallas Voice.

Daugherty said he saw reporters and photographers doing their jobs told to put down their cameras and then zip-tied facedown on the pavement along with protesters. Those arrested were taken by paddy wagon to Lew Sterrett where those with ID had their information taken and were released. They were told they would be issued a mass citation by mail.

While people were zip-tied on the bridge, Daugherty said, “People cried out in pain from the cuffs, and people had panic attacks.”

He said there was a difference between state troopers and Dallas Police involved in the arrests.

“If you are being detained, you want to be in the trooper section,” Daugherty said. “DPD were assholes. The FBI and National Guard were on the bridge, too. Why, I have no idea.”

He added, “I’m happy to not be in jail for a misdemeanor obstruction of a highway charge.”

Long-time activist C.D. Kirven was also at the protest, focused on documenting events as they happened. She said this morning that it was “a peaceful protest. The protesters — 70 percent of them were white — were doing what they were supposed to do, and they were met with violence, with military action, with outright protest.”

Kirven continued, “I have never seen anything like this, like what happened last night.” She said law enforcement and National Guard forces “blocked every exit from downtown … . It started at 5:30, before the curfew started, and it ended with them trapping people on the bridge, using smoke bombs  to instill fear in people and stop us from exercising our constitutional right to protest.

“Nobody was looting or vandalizing anything. Nobody acted inappropriately or antagonized the police. We were being antagonized,” Kirven continued. “Cops were pulling people out, telling them that they [police] had extended the curfew zone so now they were violating curfew. They lied to people. It all felt very tactical, very purposeful and very planned.”

Kirven said because she was acting as an observer focused on documenting the protest, she was in in the crowd of protesters herded on to the bridge and detained. But she was astounded and horrified by what she saw taking place. “I was so proud of those kids, and most of them were 18, 19, 20 years old. I was so proud of them. But I was just heartbroken by what happened to them.” Kirven said, adding that she applauds actions last night by City Councilmembers Adam Medrano and Omar Narvaez and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who worked to get protesters released. She also applauded a statement this morning by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnston, who said he was upset by what happened last night.

Still, it did happen, Kirven said, and “It was a military assault on our constitutional rights, just like Trump said he wants.”

More protest are planned for tonight.

— David Taffet

Dallas Voice freelancers with press credentials minutes before they were detained. (Courtesy Lee Daugherty)

 

(Photo courtesy Lee Daughtery)