“The law cannot only apply to the people holding the cameras,” Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, executive director of El Pueblo Unido Atlantic City, said at a Monday, Sept. 14 press conference. “Review the traffic cameras. Review our footage. Review ICE’s driving. Show everything.”
The conference was held outside of the Atlantic City Police Department, the same location where a Saturday, Sept. 12 demonstration ended with an altercation, and the arrests of Moreno-Rodriguez and five others.
El Pueblo Unido, along with other local immigrant-rights groups and community members, gathered to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and what organizers described as cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local police.
According to police, the demonstration initially was peaceful before a dispute involving several people broke out within the crowd. Officers leaving the Public Safety Building to respond encountered protesters who had moved into the street, while another demonstrator was in a designated access area that police said needed to remain clear for officers and members of the public.
Police said officers ordered the group to clear the street and access point, and several people who allegedly refused were arrested.
Investigators also identified and charged individuals believed to have participated in the original altercation. One person suffered minor injuries and was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for treatment before later being issued a summons.
Those charged were identified by police as Diana Chaparro, 50, of Hammonton, with simple assault; Jose Salazar, 18, of Princeton, with simple assault and illegal possession of a chemical device identified as pepper spray; Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, 31, of Atlantic City, with obstruction of justice; Keli Smith, 41, of Egg Harbor Township, with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest; Anthony Diaz, 30, of Newark, with obstruction of justice; and Devon Barber, 28, of Atlantic City, with a complaint charging simple assault.
Police Chief James Sarkos said the department respects the constitutional right to peacefully protest, but demonstrations cannot block access to a public safety facility or interfere with the public’s ability to obtain police services.
The reason behind the protest
El Pueblo Unido, an Atlantic City-based immigrant-rights organization that organized the demonstration, disputes the department’s characterization of the protest and condemned the arrests in a Sept. 14 statement.
The organization said the protest was intended to call attention to what it described as ongoing cooperation between local police and ICE, and to demand that immigrant families be able to live without fear of separation. Organizers also said community members should be able to document immigration enforcement activity and alert residents without police interference.
The protest followed an incident earlier in the week involving volunteers who were documenting ICE activity in Atlantic City, according to El Pueblo Unido. Organizers alleged that ICE vehicles had been driving dangerously through the city and said police stopped volunteers who were following and documenting the vehicles rather than intervening.
A video posted on social media by the organization shows Moreno-Rodriguez speaking through a megaphone on the steps of the Public Safety Building while demonstrators chanted “ICE Out.”
The clip shows an officer instructing the demonstrators to move to the side because they could not remain in the middle. Moreno-Rodriguez responded that the area was a public space and told the officer to move the group.
The organization said his arrest, along with the arrests of other demonstrators, followed.
Organizers also said a person threatened people attending the demonstration and that witnesses attempted to get police to intervene. They said the alleged lack of response contributed to tensions at the protest.
In a statement Monday, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. said the city is not opposed to the Hispanic community and emphasized the city’s diversity.
“This is an unfortunate situation, and I want to be clear that, as mayor, and with respect to the Atlantic City Police Department, we do not have jurisdiction or authority over federal law enforcement operations. While we may not agree with the tactics being used, there is nothing within our legal authority that allows us to intervene in federal operations,” Small said. “Our responsibility is to continue serving and protecting all Atlantic City residents, regardless of background or nationality, and to ensure that every member of our community knows that they are valued.”
He added that the city’s police department is not notified by federal authorities when ICE operations are planned in Atlantic City.
El Pueblo Unido and its allies are calling for an impartial investigation into the actions of two Atlantic City police officers and their alleged interactions with ICE during the earlier incident. They are also demanding an end to what they perceive as cooperation between ICE and the Atlantic City Police Department and the dismissal of the charges stemming from Saturday’s protest.
At a Monday, Sept. 14 press conference, Moreno-Rodriguez said the group plans to continue demonstrating weekly at the location where the arrests occurred until organizers believe their concerns have been addressed.
“ICE has guns. We have cameras, and those cameras have documented something the press needs to understand: ICE is operating throughout Atlantic City with impunity,” Moreno-Rodriguez said. “Our rapid responders have documented vehicles involved with ICE, driven by ICE agents, running red lights, blowing stop signs, making dangerous maneuvers, and disregarding traffic laws while attempting to evade community members documenting their operations. That matters.”
El Pueblo Unido said the defendants’ charges remain allegations and that organizers would not litigate the disputed facts through the press. Police likewise noted that all charges are accusations and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
