Video Raises New Questions On Chaotic Protest

Newly available video footage from last Saturday’s anti-Donald Trump protest downtown raises a question: Why didn’t state police arrest one of the organizers right away at the scene — instead of waiting to wade later into a chaotic crowd on a downtown street?

State police arrested veteran New Haven protester Norman Clement, 66, on charges including inciting to riot.

They did so on Chapel Street, a city street — for actions that took place earlier on a state highway, the last remnant of the Route 34 Connector. As a result, pandemonium ensued, along with charges of a ​“police riot” and potential friction between city and state cops.

Based on the video footage, those state cops had ample opportunity to arrest Clement in less chaotic circumstances earlier in the day, at the scene of his alleged misconduct.

Clement had joined other marchers who had come from a City Hall demonstration to form a human blockade on Route 34. They hadn’t notified police; city cops didn’t even know the demonstration was taking place.

A state K‑9 cop arrived on the scene with others. They eventually convinced the protesters to leave the scene. Only a while later, when the protesters were on Chapel Street, did a state cop yell, ​“See him right there!” and, with police dog and other cops in tow, chase and blast Clement with pepper spray and arrest him. The move caused people to get knocked down and caused general confusion and yelling and disorder on the street.

The state police actions came under criticism from New Haven’s mayor and police chief. They argued that cops shouldn’t escalate tensions on a crowded street during a demonstration by unleashing dogs and pepper spray to capture a person who is not acting violently. The state police said they’re reviewing ​“multiple” aspects of the incident — including why a state police canine attacked three police officers at the scene, biting two and ripping the clothing of a third. (Read more about that here.)

At the top of this article is an hour-and-45-minute video of scenes from the demonstration, newly posted on Youtube by Robert Menefee. It shows scenes that add new light to the much-disputed events of the day.

The first 52 minutes show scenes from the original rally at City Hall against President Trump’s recent executive orders barring entry to the United States for seven predominantly Muslim nations and seeking to withhold federal money from ​“sanctuary cities” like New Haven that welcome undocumented immigrants, as well as an order to build a wall along the Mexican border. No cops are visible at the rally.

The video then shows the group marching down Church Street, in the road, amid cars, to Route 34. Still no cops.

They mass at a crosswalk at South Frontage Road/MLK Boulevard and Church Street. Clement, who had a microphone with him, is heard at the 58:20 mark in the video telling the 100 or so fellow demonstrators: ​“No one — no one! — gets by, unless it’s an ambulance.” (That’s of interest because later state police alleged in arresting Clement that the demonstrators had prevented an American Medical Response ambulance from passing through, requiring the crew to perform a procedure on a ​“critically ill” patient. AMR subsequently told the Independent that no such incident ever took place.)

In the video, Clement calls on the group to head down to the mini-highway. ​“We’ve gotta go over to the next block. We’ve gotta cut off that exit down there,” he says.

The demonstrators comply. They chant: ​“Whose streets? Our streets. Whose streets? Our streets!”

The demonstrators form a human chain across the road, forcing a back-up of cars on the road.

A state trooper is visible soon after on Route 34. He has a police dog with him, on a leash. The dog is continually barking at the protesters and lunging toward them from several feet away. The demonstrators continue chanting (“This is what a wall looks like!” ​“No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!”) and beating a papier-mâché piñata of the president.

A stand-off ensues, with a line of cops facing the line of demonstrators. Clement is visible throughout, joining a handful of other leaders with microphones walking back and forth and exhorting the crowd. At the 1:13:47 mark, New Haven police Sgt. Mary Helland is seen, along with other city cops who have arrived.

By 1:17 in the video, the protesters have left the highway, shooed away by the police. Along the way, and then subsequently on the sidewalk by the old New Haven Coliseum site, Clement is visible standing feet, or even inches, from the state cops. They’re looking right at him, dog in tow on a tight leash. They could have conceivably arrested him without incident at that point, and at subsequent points, without having to charge through a tight crowd.

That’s the case, for instance, at 1:18:13 in the video, and again at the 1:20:26 – 30 mark. Clement is directing people away at that point. ​“Get out of the street or you’re going to get arrested,” the state canine cop tells demonstrators as he stands right by Clement.

The demonstrators yell back at the police: ​“Cops and Klan go hand in hand!”

As Clement directs the crowd back toward the center of downtown, he addresses the police again through his microphone: ​“Kettling is against the law, in case you guys don’t know that. Of course, you are law officers, after all. You should fucking know that.” (Kettling refers to a controversial police crowd-control tactic.)

The video shows the demonstrators again walking amid cars, on State Street, over to Crown, onto Church, toward Chapel.

At that point New Haven police are both driving and walking on the street. At 1:31:08 an officer is seen shoving Nathan Blair, who is later wrestled to the ground and arrested for allegedly disobeying an order. (He suffered a concussion. More on his arrest in this story.) The video does not show Blair’s arrest; photographer Eino Sierpe caught it separately (shown above).

The video proceeds to show cops and protesters massed on Chapel Street, yelling at each other, as cops try to confine the protesters to parts of the sidewalk.

At the 1:33:15 point, a state cop (at far right in the above still from the video) suddenly points at Clement.

“See him right there! He’s the 37! He’s got the microphone! You’re under arrest!”

“37” refers to ​“prisoner” in the state police code. Or, in this case, soon-to-be prisoner.

Cops charge at him, and the crowd. Pandemonium breaks out.

The arrest itself is not visible in the video. State police said Clement ran away, knocking people over, so they had to chase him. They acknowledged using a police canine and pepper spray in pursuing Clement and making the arrest. Clement’s attorney and eyewitnesses said that Clement was fleeing the dog and the pepper spray, and that cops knocked people over.

The video shows continued tension between protesters and officers as the cops tape off parts of Chapel Street. As cops order demonstrators to back up, the demonstrators chant, ​“Shame! Shame! Shame!” at the cops.

A calmer moment emerges at 1:33:45 in the video. As some of his fellow officers yell at demonstrators or threaten them with arrest, New Haven cop Frank Grillo remains restrained and speaks in a straightforward tone to people as he orders them to stand back. ​“I don’t want to spray you. I don’t. Don’t do it, bro. Don’t do it,” he implores a demonstrator. On the video, at least, the moment passes without incident.