Youth Activist Arrested; Police Blame Protesters

Youth Activists Assaulted; Police Blame Protesters

On Saturday, May 19th, members of the Grand Junction Underground Action Alliance (GJUAA) engaged in a peaceful protest outside of the Solaris Square Building (home to the Navy, Marine and Army recruitment offices) and were assaulted by the property manager, James Graber.

According to GJUAA organizer, Richard Crespin, two of the members entered the building; they found no recruiters. A sign was taped to window reading: “Military Out of Our Schools”. According to a myspace.com exchange between Navy recruiters and GJUAA, activists tried to set up a meeting with recruiters so that they could speak about a couple of “things.” The morning of the protest the recruiter emailed back that, ”No one will be there.” According to Crespin, GJUAA didn’t get that message until after the protest.

After being stood up by the recruiters about 15 people continued to protest on the sidewalk outside of the building. “About 30 minutes after we left the building this man came out yelling and using profanity, and said he was the owner,” said Crespin. “It escalated immediately. This dude was pissed. We packed up to leave when he stood on my back pack.”

James Graber, a property manager for Coldwell Banker Commercial, was the man, who identified himself as the owner, and in a interview with The Red Pill, Graber said, “They were bigger than me and when they tried to knock me down, I had to defend myself.” In response to a question about hitting a middle-schooler in the face Graber said, “There was no way of knowing how old they are in the heat of the moment. I was out numbered.” He denied hitting any of the protesters, but the Grand Junction Police Incident Report states that “Graber kept the male away by hitting him around the area of the neck.” Graber claims that he was pushed by protesters first, a charge that the protesters deny.

According to a written deposition by one of the protesters: “The guy came and stepped on Richard’s bag and Richard told him to get off and the guy swung at him then [another youth] tried to get it himself and the guy swung at him.”

Crespin added “that [other youth] was only in 8th grade and the dude knocked him down. That's when we backed off...I knew not to retaliate.”

“I think it’s unfortunate, but you can’t go into a building and hang signs, and impact other tenants,” said Graber.

Officer Stan Ancell wrote the incident report in which he determined that Graber “had a right to detain the evidence.” In an interview with The Red Pill, Ancell said that hanging a sign inside the building constituted “trespass,” and as such Graber had the right to detain the evidence and to defend himself. Ancell maintained that the protesters shoved first, and that Graber had every right to defend himself. In his report Ancell maintains that the protesters had “no authority” to be inside the building. Ancell said he was unaware of tentative plans between the Navy recruiters and GJUAA to hold a meeting.

Since recruiters’ offices are government offices anyone who is a citizen has a right to enter them.

Hanging a poster is just simply not equivalent to assaulting two minors. Why don’t you call Mr. Graber at work and let him know that he was out of line, at 244-1229.

This story is from the upcoming Red Pill Vol. 5 No. 11.