By: Astrid MendezPosted at 10:19 PM, Jun 14, 2020 and last updated 10:28 PM, Jun 14, 2020
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A peaceful protest drawing dozens to the Las Vegas Strip Saturday night among those in the crowd, legal observers.
Lisa Rasmussen is the attorney representing some of them.
She confirmed that one of those who was detained was attorney John Piro, whom the governor thanked earlier this month for volunteering to train legal observers in Nevada.
Ramussen says that group has a lot of responsibility when they are out at events.”They’re also there to make sure that people understand what people can do and they’re rights and to make sure that is a peaceful protest. They’re observing and they’re there to document problems so that we as a community can respond to them.”
Rasmussen says those she represented were detained for obstructing the roadway.
“I’m hearing pretty consistent across the board, that the orders to disperse some coming randomly and that nobody is told where to disperse and if they don’t disperse immediately or in the whim of metro, they’re arrested.”
We spoke to some protesters who participated last night and they say some of the commands from LVMPD were confusing.
Gov. Sisolak’s office released the following statement:
“Legal observers provide a valuable service as part of our system of justice by informing protesters about how to lawfully express their rights and answering questions about what conduct is lawful. Any reports of police action against legal observers should be fully investigated and reviewed so a full understanding of what happened can be determined. That information should be used to develop long-term solution to avoid a similar re-occurrence in the future.”
Attorney General Aaron Ford released the following statement:
“Legal observers serve a pivotal role in our justice system, and they reserve the right to cover what’s going on in our community. Any reports of law enforcement action taken against them must be investigated so we can better understand what took place and avoid the same actions in the future.”
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https://www.ktnv.com/news/legal-observers-allegedly-arrested-in-las-vegas-after-protest
