Police arrest 15 Halliburton protesters; 4 cops injured

06:57 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 18, 2005

From 11 News Staff Reports

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HOUSTON -- It was a wild scene in downtown Houston Wednesday morning when about 200 Halliburton protesters clashed with police outside the Four Seasons Hotel.

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Several protesters were taken into custody.

Dozens of protesters blocked the entrances to the hotel where Halliburton shareholders were holding a meeting. Police say a few others went inside the hotel and were blocking stairwells.

Police called for extra backup when the protesters refused to cooperate.

I am here to basically expose the war profiting by Halliburton," said Rachel Clarke-Alvarez. "It basically has the blood of thousands of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers and 63 of its own employees on its hands and I am trying to blow the whistle on that."

Fifteen people were arrested after refusing orders to get off the sidewalk and behind police barricades. Seven are charged with criminal trespassing for going inside the hotel, four are charged with assaulting police officers, three are charged with evading arrest and one is charged with assaulting a police horse.

A Houston police officer says she was hit in the face and pushed to the ground by protesters. Three other officers say they were kicked and punched during the standoff. All were treated for minor injuries.

"We respect everyone's right to demonstrate and to express their opinion in a peaceful manner," said HPD Lt. Robert Manzo. "However, one thing we will not tolerate is for anyone to break any laws while in the process of doing that."

One protester was scratched up when he was dragged on the ground while resisting arrest. Two others had their feet stepped on by police horses when they ignored officers' orders to move. They were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Some protesters shouted "police brutality" as their fellow demonstrators were hauled away in handcuffs.

"Shame on you. Shame on you," they yelled.

About 30 HPD mounted patrol officers helped dozens of cops on foot with crowd control. The horses kept their cool even as some of the protesters surrounded them and pressed against them, shouting at the officers.

Demonstrators from Houston and across the country came armed with loud drums, bullhorns and a giant "cash cow" milked by a Dick Cheney lookalike.

This is the second day the demonstrators have shown up at the meeting, but they were much more vocal Wednesday.

They are angry about Halliburton's presence in Iraq.

“Halliburton’s shareholders are profiting from the US war on Iraq, which has led to the death of at least 63 of the company’s own employees,” said Herb Rothschild, a protest organizer. “We are here to demand accountability from Halliburton’s shareholders for their shameless disregard for human life, and for ripping off the American taxpayers.”

Some of the protesters were allowed to speak at the shareholders meeting.

"From my side, there was a lot of PR spin we didn't get answers," said Andrea Buffa with Global Exchange. "However, we did get to express our concerns."

The protest, which had been planned and advertised for weeks, attracted fewer participants than the estimated 500 that appeared outside last year's shareholders meeting.

Halliburton said Tuesday it supports the rights of protesters, even if they have the facts wrong. The company went on to say Halliburton provides support such as meals, shelter and other vital services for the soldiers in Iraq. In addition, Halliburton said it is also helping rebuild the country's oil infrastructure.