Las Vegas protest legal observers question Lombardo`s account of his arrests Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Tuesday that several legal observers participated in the protest and that at least two observers angered and obstructed authorities. Attorney General Aaron Ford issued the following statement: “Legal observers play a central role in our justice system and reserve the right to report on what is happening in our community. All reports of prosecutions against them must be investigated so that we can better understand what happened and prevent the same actions from happening in the future. Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown said Tuesday at Lombardo`s news conference that legal observers should be held accountable and publicly apologize if their reports of their arrests prove false. He also asked why 15 observers would be needed in a peaceful demonstration. Defense attorney Dayvid Figler, representing law student Emily Driscoll, another of those arrested, said police actions could send a message to deter others from acting as neutral observers. While those arrested on Saturday had not returned to the protests, Figler added that other lawyers and law students had been encouraged to document the protests. Las Vegas police `reviewing actions` after arrest of protest monitors Lisa Rasmussen, an attorney for three of the legal monitors who also work as public defenders in Clark County, called for a “helpful conversation” with the Metropolitan Police Department about arrests and future protests. Another of the lawyers cited, Belinda Harris, also works for the Clark County Public Defense Attorney`s Office.
Harris, Peterson and Piro were among 15 legal observers, most wearing red shirts to distinguish themselves from the crowd that marched with protesters on Saturday. He added: “You have not seen a legal observer touch a civil servant. Let`s get this straight. Piro explained that the legal observer described by the sheriff when he poked his cell phone into an officer`s face may have been given the officer`s name and identification number, which is part of what they do after a protester was arrested. Sherrie Royster is the lead attorney for the ACLU Nevada. She said her organization was shocked by what happened on Saturday and was considering all options, including possible legal action. John Piro, one of the arrested legal observers, strongly disagreed with the sheriff`s assessment. And based on video evidence, Las Vegas Police Sheriff Joe Lombardo appeared before reporters Tuesday and said officials in North Las Vegas and Las Vegas were forced to make arrests because legal observers obstructed and “angered” officers.
Guerrero said protesters were heading west on Russell Road, but a police line had been set up to block the entrance to Las Vegas Boulevard. She explained that she and the partner she was working with were at the back of the crowd, which legal observers are trained to do. In both videos, they actively participated in front of the protesters and did not observe. Most of the observers we saw there were actually just watching the demonstration, but some of them were actively involved in the demonstration. These people provoked anger and hindered our officers. Prior to the press conference, Deputy Public Defender John Piro, who served as a legal observer on Saturday, offered a different account of his own arrest. One of the legal observers pushed his cell phone camera into the officer`s face in a confrontational manner. Another legal observer left the central partition, approached a police vehicle and leaned out the window, apparently at the head of a crowd of aggressive protesters. He was a legal observer when he was in law school and was arrested at a protest for not dispersing. Legal observers are trained volunteer attorneys or members of the legal community who act as impartial witnesses to protests and public demonstrations that could lead to conflict between authorities and those seeking to express their First Amendment rights. They take notes and record interactions between protesters and police, and act as a resource by sharing legal ways to express dissenting views.
Royster noted that Guerrero`s partner was not the only legal observer arrested by police. She added that bags had also been held up by observers and wondered why. Piro, who was arrested, says Lombardo described legal observers as agitators to justify “unjust acts.” He described the language as “dehumanizing” and set up two pages in an “us versus them.” Sheriff Joe Lombardo said his officers issued “several” eviction orders over the weekend as protesters headed to Interstate 15 before arresting a group of legal observers on the Gaza Strip. “Everyone started traveling west on Russell, as they were told, and my partner and I stayed behind, with the police line now blocking access to Las Vegas Boulevard and Russell, and there I took the names of the officers, especially the officers blocking the sidewalk, and a group of officers asked me what I was really doing. And I explained what the legal observer program is and how we`re there to document police interactions with protesters, and then shortly after, when my partner received information about a protester who was arrested for asking if she could cross the police line to get to her car, My partner ran when we left. Following instructions, a few officers followed him and grabbed him from behind and took him behind the police line and he was arrested,” Guerrero said. LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – A peaceful protest that draws dozens of people to the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday night, among spectators, legal observers. Royster said that under the law, a police eviction order applies to everyone, including journalists and legal observers. She also noted that legal observers have participated in other protests over the years, and she finds it hard to believe that officials were unaware of their role.